Bells ring out at Minster once again!
After a silence of over 4 years, the bells of Sunderland Minster are set to peal out once again, as local bellringers organise to ring regularly. Now they're on the look-out for new and experienced ringers to join them.
The 10 bells of Sunderland Minster, at the heart of the Bishopwearmouth Heritage area of the city, have remained silent since some time before Covid. Getting a team of ringers together had become difficult, and the pandemic restrictions put an end to any hope of ringing together.
Back in April, though, the new Canon Provost of the Minster, Revd Canon Clare MacLaren, was overjoyed to hear them ringing out on the day of her installation. Ringers from Newcastle Cathedral had swelled the ranks of local ringers to get them back into action for this special occasion. Ever since then, work has begun in earnest, to get the bells ringing regularly again.
The new band of ringers has been brought together by Fr Richard Brown, a Mission Priest based in Pallion, together with the Durham & Newcastle Association of Bellringers. They met to practice for the first time last Monday evening. It was a joy to hear the bells ringing out across the city once again!
If you'd like to have a go at bell-ringing - or are an experienced ringer looking for a new challenge - the Minster ringers would love to hear from you! Practice is on the first Monday of every month, and the band will be ringing once a month on a Sunday afternoon to begin with, as well as at weddings and other special occasions. Contact [email protected] for more details.