Hartlepool bellringers chime in for BBC event

Bells will ring out in Hartlepool as part of a national music event.
By The Newsroom
Published 2nd Jun 2016, 11:31 BST
Updated 2nd Jun 2016, 16:13 BST
Some of the Hartlepool bellringers practice at All Saints Stranton for Tuesdays bombardment commemoration. Pictured left to right are Ellis Swales, Andrew Frost, Max Crinson, Jan Wilderspin, Olwyn Buttery, Austin Turner and Rohan Wanduragala.Some of the Hartlepool bellringers practice at All Saints Stranton for Tuesdays bombardment commemoration. Pictured left to right are Ellis Swales, Andrew Frost, Max Crinson, Jan Wilderspin, Olwyn Buttery, Austin Turner and Rohan Wanduragala.
Some of the Hartlepool bellringers practice at All Saints Stranton for Tuesdays bombardment commemoration. Pictured left to right are Ellis Swales, Andrew Frost, Max Crinson, Jan Wilderspin, Olwyn Buttery, Austin Turner and Rohan Wanduragala.

The Hartlepool Bellringers will ring for 45 minutes from All Saints Church, Stranton, on Friday night for BBC Music Day.

They will join dozens of other groups all over the country for the event which aims to celebrate what people love about music and bring people of all ages and from all backgrounds together.

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Andrew Frost of the Hartlepool Bell Ringers said: “I don’t think the BBC have ever involved bell ringers before so it is great.

“They said on the website they were looking for at least 80 towers around the country to ring, well I think there will be a darn sight more than that.

“We are excited to ring as we have done for all sorts of local and national events.”

Groups are being encouraged to ring their bells at 7pm and many towers around the North East will be taking part.

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Andrew added: “We are going to be playing for 45 minutes which is a reasonable length of time. A full peel can involve ringing non-stop for three hours.

“So if people are doing their shopping in Tesco the may hear the bells.”

BBC Music Day features over 300 events up and down the country including concerts with bands like Duran Duran and Travis and local BBC radio stations staging special programmes.

The BBC said: “At 7pm on the day, bells from over 80 church towers across the UK will ring out simultaneously throughout our towns, cities and villages.

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“There will be a range of bell ringers involved on the day from diverse communities and faiths, aged from 11 to 90 years old.”

Andrew said bell ringing is thriving in Hartlepool with around 30 people between the ages of 11 and 80 taking part.

He said it is easy to learn with proper tuition and almost anybody can join in. Anyone interested in giving it a go should call (01429) 281767 for more information.

Related topics:BBCAndrew FrostHartlepool