Where are you based?
Oxford
When and where did you learn to ring handbells?
Growing up as a teenager in Manchester, taught by my parents, not long after learning to ring tower bells
Who has influenced your handbell ringing?
My parents, initially, who were very patient in teaching me the basics. When I went to university in Oxford, there were quite a few of us who were keen, rang regularly and learned together - Chris Poole, Henry Coggill, Ollie Lomax and I put a lot of effort in to ring a peal of Yorkshire. More recently, most of my ringing has been with our local band - Robin Hall, Simon Bond and I rang lots of spliced minor together. We were then lucky to be joined by Lizzie Frye and Steve Jones, when they moved to Oxford, which enabled us to start ringing on 10. Rebecca and Chapman Tone then moved to Oxford and joined our band, enabling us to ring on 12, which has been both challenging and exciting.
Blue lines, place notation or structure?
A whole mixture of information! When learning a method I will start with the two lines but also know some of the structure, e.g. where lead ends, half leads and points are. Sometimes snippets of place notation are handy, e.g. to know where the 12 in Yorkshire is, and the 58 in Zanussi. As I ring more of a method, I will look out for patterns that help me ring my bells by reference to each other, such that I know how a piece of work for one bell relates to a piece of work for the other bell.
Trebles or tenors?
Somewhere in between! Trebles are a whole different world and often someone else wants the tenors.
Quarters or peals?
Both. I enjoy the challenge of a handbell peal but quarters are a nice length to ring in an evening and have some social time afterwards.
What is the most unusual place in which you have rung handbells?
During Covid lockdowns, we rang quite a few things in various of our gardens in Oxford. We also rang for Sunday service at Christ Church, outside in the quad, while the congregation was arriving, during the period when ringing in the tower wasn’t possible.
What is your favourite handbell-ringing anecdote?
During the last couple of years, it has been a privilege to ring handbells at the funerals of Roland and Dorothy Eccles. They were very influential in my early ringing in Manchester and came to our house every Sunday evening to ring handbells with my parents. Their funerals were at a church without a ring of bells, so it was very good (and very moving) to be able to ring handbells as the coffin left the church.
Any further comments about handbell ringing in general?
I very much enjoy the mental challenge of ringing handbells, as well as the convenience and social side. Our Oxford band enjoys ringing something and then having cheese and wine together afterwards.
Next time: Bryn and Leland Reimer