Combe St Nicholas Bellringers                      

                  Interested in learning to ring our bells?

      The ringers stand in an area at the base of the tower, using the ropes which are attached to the bells in the bell chamber. When not in use the ropes are sometimes hoisted up out of reach, as can be seen in the picture. Click on the thumbnail to enlarge. 

 The Combe St Nicholas ringers are a very informal friendly group, and if you were interested in learning to ring, we’d love to welcome you! Here are answers to some of the questions you may have:

•       Do I have to be strong, or have any special skills?

No. Although the bells are heavy, it’s a bit like a swing – you get them going gradually, and once they’re upright, a child can ring them as far as strength is concerned. It's helpful to have a sense of rhythm, but that's all.

•       Is it dangerous?          

Like most things in life, it's safe if you learn to do it properly and follow a few simple rules. You won’t end up swinging around on the end of a rope!

•      Is it a cut-throat affair like on Midsomer Murders?

Not in the least. We do take part in striking competitions (we even came 2^nd in a recent branch competition), but they're very friendly, informal affairs. Bell ringers are sociable creatures, and frequently drop in on one another's practice nights (over 5000 of them to choose from across the country!), as well as organising ringing outings. District meetings are held to discuss ringing locally, but the official bit rarely goes on for long as we'd rather be ringing the bells and eating the excellent tea which is usually laid on.

•         Do I need to be religious, or go to church?

        It isn’t essential - some of our ringers do go to church but others don't.

•        What about an age limit?  

You can start at as young as 11 if you want to, and are willing to turn up regularly, and there's no upper age limit.

•         How much does it cost?

       Virtually nothing. Learning is free, and the 20p a week we collect on practice night is for our  Christmas Dinner!   Once you've reached a reasonable standard, you will be invited to join the "Bath and Wells Diocesan Association of Change Ringers" whose subscription is only £6 for a year. And if you ring for weddings, you'll even get paid!

•           How much time does it take?

Some ringers just come to practice nights (1½ hours on Thursday evenings) and ring for church services (½ hour on Sunday mornings). Others get addicted, and end up spending nearly all their spare hours ringing. But for most of us, it's somewhere in between.

•          I might be interested  - how do I find out more?

Just come along to one of our practice nights at 7.30 on a Thursday evening. We'll tell you more about ringing and if you want to, we'll let you have a go (don’t panic, you learn one step at a time, and always with an experienced ringer at your side. To start with, you don’t even hold the rope alone). We won’t mind if you decide it isn't for you – but we hope you'll think it's worth a try.