Avoid all ladders, black cats and don’t whatever you do break a mirror in your rush to listen to this month’s Fun with Bells podcast on bells and superstition.From birth, through to death and beyond, bells have had played a fascinating role in the customs around our key rites of passage. Amongst the many special powers of bells include making the devil flee, warding off plague and pestilence, and easing childbirth. It’s curious to note that none of these warrant a footnote on Bell Board these days!From bells marking executions, to bells themselves being executed, this podcast has all the grisly and gory details.Finally, discover the role of bells in warning of the approach of the unclean, untrustworthy and morally corrupt. And no, that’s not the bell ringers!For further details see www.funwithbells.com

Fun with Bells - bell and handbell ringing interviews

Superstition

Just as change ringing on handbells requires each ringer to have two bells, this perfectly formed podcast on the subject has two guests. Host Cathy Booth chats with Tina and Simon, authors of the latest must-have handbell manual.As always, this podcast asks all the right questions. What is best, tower or hand bells? Will online ringing last post lock-down? Is bell ringing music? And should you start with hand bells and then move onto tower bells, or vice versa?As well as addressing the big issues Cathy also finds out the fascinating process behind writing and publishing their book, discovers the joy of e-bells and gets insider information on the progress of Volume 2 and likely publication date.Think handbells aren’t for you? Then listen to this podcast and think again.For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Chatting with the authors of 'Change ringing on handbells'

You may not have given ringing simulators a second thought before, but this episode will definitely get you scrambling up your belfry, with some sensors in hand.Steve Farmer, tells host Cathy Booth the fascinating story of Simbell. Wanting an easy way to get get extra rope time without annoying the church neighbours with his noisy novice ringing, Steve took the unusual step of inventing his own ringing simulator.Now simulators are not new, having been a thing since the advent of The Seague Silent Ringing Apparatus in the 1870s. However, Steve had the very clever idea of making his simulator wireless. And what is the advantage of a wireless simulator? Listen to the podcast to find out!With technology moving so fast it’s hard to say what will come next? Steve looks into his crystal ball and gets us to imagine a future where we might all be ringing in virtual reality headsets. Sounds amazing - just as long as the ‘bong’ is in the right place.For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

10 ways to use a simulator

Take a few deep breaths, relax, and tune into this month’s episode where host Cathy Booth meets ringer, counsellor, hypnotherapist and trauma care practitioner, Nicky Carling to talk about building up confidence for returning to the tower.Yes, it’s probably time you changed out of your pyjamas, dragged yourself momentarily away from Ringing Room and ventured out to the exciting world of real-life bell ringing.However, if this thought makes you at all anxious then Nicky offers lots of helpful tips and tools gained from her extensive experience as a professional therapist. From techniques like mindfulness and Emotional Freedom Technique, to alternative remedies like Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, there’s a wide range of help to boost your confidence, whatever your needs and ringing level. And if you’re planning to get back into practice for the National 12 Bell competition, then hypnotherapy might just help give you the competitive edge ...For more information about photos - see www.funwithbells.com

Take a deep breath...

Cathy Booth’s special guest this month is ringer and project manger par excellence Tim Keyes who gives us the inside scoop of Ledbury’s rather exciting bell restoration and augmentation project.Tim very helpfully talks through all the different stages of the project, step by step, with plenty of top tips for those of you planning your own bell project.Cathy hears about the challenges faced, exacerbated by Brexit and COVID-19, but also the enormous highs that come with engaging the whole community in innovative ways.However, this podcast is much more than the story of a successful project, as the interview takes a surprising literary turn. But then again, we always knew that bell ringing is poetry in motion ...For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Inspirational bell restoration project

In this fast-paced episode, podcast host Cathy Booth meets 20-year-old ringer, Oliver Lee, and discovers his passion for ringing and ringing history.Oliver is clearly fascinated by all aspects of ringing and takes Cathy on whistle-stop tour of a huge range of ringing-related subjects, ranging from Ellacombe chimes, through belfry reform and on to John Warner and Sons bell founders.Oliver also talks about his autism and the support he has had from the ringing community, reliving his positive experiences of the striking competitions he’s taken part in. Good times make great memories.And just like any other ringer, he vents at the inaccurate depictions of bell ringing in the mainstream media. Did somebody mention Midsomer Murders?Finally, on the question of Cumberland or College Youths? Looks like the verdict is still out ...For more info and photos - see www.funwithbells.com

Young autistic bell ringer and historian

In this month’s show, podcast host Cathy Booth transforms into the next Anne Robinson as she joins the ringers of St John’s in New Alresford for their fortnightly Zoom quiz.Fingers on buzzers as the ringers introduce each other and ask their two allotted quiz questions. There’s one point for each correct answer, so why not play along at home and see if you can beat their top score.Test out both your bell ringing and general knowledge in some great company, whilst getting to know each ringer’s background, interests and talents. As you move round the tower you’ll discover just what an accomplished bunch they are.And if you’re in need of a tie-break, you can always try working out the band’s combined peal tally!For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Test your bell ringing and general knowledge

One of the very best things to have happened over the past year is the development of the online ringing platform, Ringing Room. In this special Valentine’s podcast, host Cathy Booth interviews Leland and Bryn, the driving force behind this amazing achievement and now one of ringing’s most famous couples.Of course, for Ringing Room to have happened, Leland and Bryn had to have met. Cathy wastes no time in finding out the details of their burgeoning romance and discovers that going a transatlantic ringing tour just three weeks into dating might well have been a definitive moment!Although the interview focuses on their relationship, this podcast is also very much a paean to ringing itself. Both Leland and Bryn are so clearly in love with bell ringing and gladly share the joy and fulfilment that it brings to their lives.Of course, Leland and Bryn are not the only couple to have been brought together by ringing. A study conducted in 1989 assures that simple eye contact could make a person fall in love with you. Remember this the next time you find yourself gazing into the eyes of the conductor during a peal ...For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Love under lockdown : Ringing Room Creators

Love is very definitely in the air at the Fun with Bells Podcast this Valentine’s Day, as host Cathy Booth explores ringing’s tender side.First, we hear the heart-warming story of Jo and Graham, whose romance continues to deepen from Ringing Remembers, through Ringing Room, and to a very memorable lockdown proposal. Be warned, if you get invited to an unexpected Saturday practice, there might well be something afoot ...Cathy also reveals the results of her special Valentine’s survey. Are bell ringers romantic or not? Listen in for all to be revealed. It won’t be giving too much away to say that there might well be a market for a ringing dating app. You too could find love through Dove!Finally, we hear a Valentine’s message from one ringer to another - there is one very lucky Guy out there. Whether you are a romantic ringer or not, you’re sure to be whisked off your feet by this episode.For more information and photos - see www.funwithbells.com

Love under lockdown : Belfry proposal, survey results & Valentine message

For Don McLean over in Ireland, one of the joys of bell ringing is teaching others and delighting in their achievements. In this charming episode, Cathy Booth, podcast host, shines a light on Don’s motivation and his own considerable achievements, including masterminding the training of 17 new recruits at St Mary’s Kilmood on ‘The Peace Bells’.Don is passionate about teaching and, as Cathy discovers, he has spent a great deal of time out and about supporting bell ringing teachers across Ireland. As Cathy and Don chat, we get a fantastic overview of the structure and culture of bell ringing over Ireland’s 37 towers.And what does Don do when he is not teaching others to ring, organising training sessions, or working hard to get cancer patients the priority treatment they need? Well, he sits down in his garage with the doors open and the mini-ring in action, hoping to lure in new recruits. What about the neighbours? Well of course they would be most welcome to take a seat and join in!The neighbours are not the only ones to be invited in. Just like towers around the world, Irish ringers would welcome you with open arms and gladly give you a rope. COVID can’t be over soon enough so that Don can get on with his latest ambitious training initiative and we can all book our ringing tour over to Ireland. Get your name down on the waiting list at Kilmood now!For more information and photos - go to www.funwithbells.com

Ringing in Ireland : Don McLean

What do ringers do when they are not ringing? Well, judging by this latest episode they write, film, podcast and blog about it!Podcast host Cathy Booth chats to no fewer than six leading lights in the ringing community who are all doing their bit to share and support the hobby they are all so passionate about.From Mancroft to Minecraft and from the Ringing World to the virtual world, this bumper podcast can’t fail to inspire. Ringers are a resilient bunch and many have taken the challenge of Covid-19 to learn something new or put their long dreamt-about projects into action. There’s now more need to communicate than ever before.As 2020 is obviously the year to try something new, why not check out some of these fascinating blogs, YouTube channels, podcasts and publications. Or better still, create one of your own! Think big and aim high - I bet Cathy can’t wait to interview the worlds first bell ringing Tik Tok influencer ...For more information and photos see www.funwithbells.com

Hear from those who write, blog and vlog about bells

Home of the first true peal, St Peter Mancroft in Norwich is now home to the brilliant Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre. Podcast host Cathy Booth catches up with Simon Rudd and Nikki Thomas to find out what’s been happening.Well, there’s been so much going on it’s hard to know where to start! Training courses at all levels, lunchtime pay as you go sessions, band visits, junior ringing and ringing festivals all feature. That’s when the team is not out and about taking ringing into schools and letting hordes of excited novice ringers have a go on 12 bells at Great Yarmouth.But what of lockdown? Cathy discovers that both Simon and Nikki have actually been doing more ringing in lockdown than ever before - extending their handbell repertoire, honing their conducting skills and setting themselves ever more complex challenges in Ringing Room.For those of you who are more advanced you might want to learn to ring Cambridge Suprise. Or maybe that's not the best place to start! How about starting with Cornwall first? This podcast also includes an excerpt from Matt Austin's conversation with Don Marrison about less traditional steps to learning surprise methods, first broadcast in our North American sister podcast, Treble's Going.Whatever your level and whatever your pathway, once everything is safe, take yourself and your band for a weekend in Norwich and try out your new skills on the MRDC training bells. You know you want to.For more information and photos - see www.funwithbells.com.

Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre / Blue lines and pickled eggs

Ringing can be spooky at the best of times - you may get shivers down your spine with a nicely struck touch of Stedman, or perhaps an eerie sensation of being watched when you’re on the treble.However, for Halloween, Fun with Bells turns up the terror with this chilling collection of ghostly goings-on. Yes, this episode is even scarier than the ringing cage at Pershore Abbey.This petrifying podcast is full of ominous, deathly warnings and the mournful sound of drowned, lost or buried bells ringing without the help of human hands. We also discover that not only has the Devil got the best tunes, he has also stolen the best bells!Scare yourself silly with stories of bells that ring by themselves or bells that don&apos;t ring at all. If you&apos;ve not heard your church bells for some time don&apos;t blame coronavirus restrictions. It&apos;s much more likely that pixies have kidnapped your ringers and are holding them captive in a cave. Pixies just hate the sound of the bells - bit like some newcomers to the village then.Turn off the lights, turn up the volume and be afraid, be very afraid ...

Spooky Stories from the Ringers' Arms

Trailer for our Halloween special

Following on from last month’s edition, podcast host Cathy Booth reveals another dodgy dozen or so weird and wonderful towers. WARNING - this podcast contains details of hair-raising ringing environments, definitely not for the nervous ringers amongst you! Enjoy another litany of trapdoors, spiral staircases, beam scrambling, comedy pulleys and 17th century ladders.We now have a whole new list of things to watch out for - bizarre ringing circles, ropes arranged around the organist, and, erm, falling concrete!  And as lovely as weddings are, Cathy discovers these can be the source of much distraction. Please do be careful not to lasso a bridesmaid!Lastly, and most importantly, always be EXTREMELY cautious if you accept an invitation to ring a quarter peal at a church whose bells are described as “rung from cage above chancel crossing”.For more information and photos see funwithbells.com.

Weird and wonderful bell towers (2 of 2)

Cathy Booth interviews novices and some of the most famous ringers in the world to reveal the mysteries of this heard, but often hidden art.

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Fun with Bells - bell and handbell ringing interviews

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