Church bells to ring out for St George

PA

Churches are being encouraged to ring their bells this St George's Day.

The request is going out from the Ringing for England campaign.

It hopes bell ringers and churches will take up the challenge and ring the roughly 28,000 church bells across England on Tuesday, the day of England's patron saint.

The campaign is being backed by the Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend John Inge, and Worcester Cathedral has already pledged to do its bit by ringing its bells from 6.15pm – 7pm, straight after Evensong.

Bishop Inge said: "It's very good to remember the saints whose lives can inspire and encourage us and this is a great way of celebrating England's Patron Saint.

"I hope that many of our churches will join this campaign to ring their bells and make a real impact in the towns and countryside of Worcestershire and Dudley."

Mark Regan, Ringing Master at Worcester Cathedral, said: "The Cathedral bell-ringers were very keen to take part in this initiative and we'll be ringing 1265 different combinations of our 12 bells.

"Church bells are the biggest and loudest musical instrument so when they're rung, it's a good reminder of the role churches and cathedrals play at the centre of our community as well as a celebration of Englishness on St George's Day."

Other churches around the diocese taking part include St John the Baptist in Bromsgrove, St Mary's Church, Oldswinford and All Saints in Evesham.