SOUND THE BELLS! DISCOVER A 400-YEAR TRADITION IN ESSEX & EAST LONDON

Essex Association

This Heritage Week, the Essex Association of Change Ringers (EACR) is pulling back the curtain on a hidden, 400-year-old tradition right on your doorstep.

Church towers across Essex and East London are throwing open their doors for a series of special community recruitment events, inviting the public to step inside the ringing chamber and discover the living art of change ringing.

What to Expect at Your Local Open Day:

Step Inside History: Explore traditional ringing chambers, view historic peal boards, and discover the fascinating stories and centuries of history behind your local church’s bells.

Live Demonstrations: See local community bands in action and watch the incredible coordination, technique, and timing it takes to control these massive instruments.

Meet the Band: Chat with everyday people from your neighbourhood who share a passion for this extraordinary, uniquely British art form.

Your New Hobby Awaits!

You don’t need to be musical, mathematically minded, or physically strong to learn. Bell ringing relies entirely on technique, timing, and rhythm, offering a unique, low-impact physical activity and a sharp mental puzzle that serves as a workout for your brain. It is a warm, inclusive fellowship open to everyone from ages 9 to 80+.

Come make some noise, connect with your community, and find out how we pass this historic skill from generation to generation.

Find your nearest participating tower, dates, and times by visiting www.eacr.org.uk.

Details for Hornchurch:

SUNDAY 20th SEPTEMBER, 11.30am – 2.00pm

Event Contact: Clive STEPHENSON, 07896 342010

Hornchurch Bell Ringers Finish 3rd

Competitions, Essex Association,

On Saturday 12th July, St Andrew’s bell ringers took part in the Essex Association striking competition finals at Sandon, near Chelmsford.

There were ten teams from all over Essex taking part and the standard of ringing was very high as it is every year.

Each team rang 240 changes of their chosen method which took about seven minutes. We were the first to ring and were pleased with our performance containing very few errors. The judges commented later that we ‘made a confident start’ and ‘set the tone for the day.’

We were delighted to finish in third place which is our best achievement in this event for about 30 years.

Our relatively inexperienced team rang as follows:

Marianne Hayward – Treble

Carys Hayward  – 2

Michelle Stephenson – 3

Nick Allen – 4

Clive Stephenson – 5

Mark Lendon – Tenor

Congratulations to all our ringers especially Carys Hayward who took part in this competition for the very first time, aged 15.

The photograph below shows our ringers in the order they rang.

Image of the six ringers outside the church.