The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has announced an initiative called Ring for the King to recruit and train bell ringers in time for the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on May 6, 2023. For centuries, bell ringers have rung in good times and bad, in moments of celebration and at times of mourning. The coronation of a new monarch is certainly an occasion to commemorate.
Video: 5 News looks into the recruitment drive to fill a shortfall of around 8,000 bell ringers for the upcoming Ring for the King.
Up and down the British Isles and across the Commonwealth, bell ringers will herald the new king with peal attempts and merry ringing. To create an even more thunderous sound, the public is invited to visit their local belfry and learn the ropes. After watching a practice and meeting the team, novice ringers will get one-on-one instruction in bell handling and control techniques, before learning how to ring with others.
Do you want to Ring for the King? Get started today! Only a few months to go before the crown is placed on the newly-anointed sovereign. Additional direction for bell ringers, including appropriate times to ring in coordination with services at Westminster Abbey, will be published as the date nears.
Image: The Coronation Bell of King George VI at John Taylor & Co. bell foundry in 1937. Photograph: Hulton Deutsch/Corbis via Getty Images.
Bell founders, too, are making plans to ensure recasting projects and new bell commissions are completed in time for the big day, with parishes, churches, and communities placing orders for bells to commemorate the new king. When the last King of England was crowned George VI at an extravagant coronation on May 12, 1937, bells across the United Kingdom erupted into sound. At Leicester Cathedral, a recast bell was rededicated as the Coronation Bell. It continues to call the faithful to worship and toll at moments of distinct importance.
Cover image: Change ringing bells at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom. The bells were cast in 1971 by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and will resound following the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III.
