Concerns Raised Over Future of Church Bell Ringing in the UK

A report from the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has raised concerns regarding the future of church bell ringing, a tradition closely associated with Christmas, due to persistent recruitment difficulties. The research indicates a projected 45% reduction in the number of bell ringers by 2047, attributed to declining church attendance and decreased participation from groups like choirs and the Scouts. The UK currently has over 5,000 ringable bell towers and more than 30,000 change ringers, prompting a call for increased public involvement. In the UK, bell ringing involves pulling a rope to swing the bell 360 degrees, causing it to chime. Iwan Cotgreave, 20, a student at Swansea University, participates in bell ringing in the local area, where a learners’ group operates. He stated, “That is going fantastically,” adding, “We’re trying to ring there as much as we can for any occasion that we can think of, particularly for Christmas.” Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, Cotgreave mentioned his efforts to help the bells at St Mary’s in Swansea resume ringing after a hiatus during Covid. He emphasized the need to alter public perception to attract more participants, noting, “They have to try and break the perception of it being just old people that ring. “It being in a church also puts people off if they aren’t religious but anyone can come along and do it.” Matthew Turner, 47, a bell ringer in Cardiff, chose to learn teaching because he was “super keen” to involve others. While most of his ringers originated from church connections, he noted that initiatives like Ring for the King are effective in attracting new members. He remarked, “These initiatives grab people’s attention and gets them to join,” and added, “We had more than a dozen join our branch for the initiative.” Mr Turner also described ringing as a social pursuit, through which he has formed numerous friendships. He observed, “The ringing community across the UK and across the world really is really quite close,” and highlighted, “You’ve got that kind of instant welcome wherever you go. “You can kind of walk through doors, and say ‘hey, I can ring’ and generally people will welcome you with open arms.” Furthermore, he stated that ringing on Christmas Day holds particular significance, explaining, “People like to hear bells on Christmas morning. It’s that sense of tradition.” Simon Linford, former president of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers and a participant in the research project, asserted that all bell ringers are aware of the existing challenges. He recalled, “The council set up a committee some years ago, called the Ringing Trends Committee who spent lots and lots of time looking at lots and lots of data and came up with the obvious that we need to recruit more young people, and then no-one did anything,” adding, “This time we can’t do that again.” Linford attributed the decrease in ringers to a reduction in church service attendance. He elaborated, “Part of the issue is that when I learnt to ring, when I was 13 or 14, I came through the church, and I was in the choir,” and concluded, “Bell-ringing recruitment didn’t have to look any further than the church and associated groups like the Scouts generated enough people.”