Learning bell ringing is all about technique – much more than it is about strength or mathematical ability.

English bell ringing is called full-circle ringing, as the bell’s mechanism on a wheel allows it to rotate 360 degrees.

First the bells are rung ‘up’, with the angle of swing gradually increased until the bell is swinging full circle and it can be balanced mouth upwards on the stay – known as being ‘set’.

For the bell ringers, they must pull the bell at each ‘stroke’ to make it rotate again for another full circle swing. Each time the bell ringer pulls the rope the bell swings and sounds.

In Change Ringing, it is possible for the bell ringers to adjust the time at which they pull their rope to control the speed of striking to produce the pattern of changes.