We frequently hear the bells of St Mary’s ringing at as we finish our meetings and we thought it would be a good idea to go and investigate what was going on. Last Friday, the Beavers had an exciting and educational experience visiting the bell ringers at St. Mary’s Church which is almost across the road from the Scout HQ. The Beavers were welcomed by the dedicated team of bell ringers, who generously shared their passion for this ancient art form.
The Bells of St. Mary’s
St. Mary’s Church, nestled near the heart of Liss, boasts a beautiful bell tower housing eight bells. The largest bell weighs in at 630kg, or about the weight of all the Beavers plus a couple of leaders.
While we were at the Church, we learnt some interesting facts about the church such as there have only been 10 rectors in 155 years and 56 young men from the village were in the 1st World War. But we were interested in the bells and the Beavers had the privilege of witnessing the art of bell ringing firsthand. The tower echoed with the rhythmic peals, and the young visitors watched in awe and were even able to have a go themselves.
The Ringing Team
St Marys has a permanent band of bell ringers led by Simon who is still very proud of being awarded the Queens Scout Award a few years ago they also have one of our former Beavers as their youngest member. Their expertise and enthusiasm were contagious, and they patiently explained the intricacies of bell ringing to the Beavers. While half the Beavers were upstairs in the bell chamber, the rest were downstairs learning how to ring handbells.
