Staplehurst Bellringers Report July 2021

Tuesday 18th May was a wonderful day for the Staplehurst Bellringers, and we hope, for the whole village. After 15 months of enforced silence due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the bells rang out once more for our practice not, albeit with only six ringers and for only 45 minutes. Then on the following Sunday, they rang out again to welcome people to the morning service for the first time since 15th March last year.

Although the bells have not been rung for a long while they, like any other mechanical installation, still need to be maintained in good working order. This has been meticulously carried out by our steeple keeper Chris Bassett who has, amongst other things recently repainted all headstocks (the horizontal steel girders from which the bells hang). Consequently, when we started ringing there were no problems at all.

Several people have said how nice it is to hear the bells again, and at least one of those had expressed an interest in learning to ring once all social distancing restrictions are removed. We had hoped that this would happen by the time you read this. Sadly however in the light of infections rising yet again nationally, the Government has announced a further postponement of the final relaxations, so it looks like we will have to wait a little longer before we finally emerge into the light at the end of the very long tunnel.

Roy Barclay
Tower Secretary