Bringing Bell Ringing to The Ashton
Martin Mellor the Maintenance Officer at The Ashton has been involved in the life of Burbage Parish Church for over 50 years, and for the last 30 years, Martin has been a church bellringer.
Martin Mellor the Maintenance Officer at The Ashton has been involved in the life of Burbage Parish Church for over 50 years, and for the last 30 years, Martin has been a church bellringer.
Martin decided that he wanted to bring his skill to the home and show residents how to do bell ringing. What's so wonderful about this activity is that every resident can take part, no matter what type of care they are receiving, it is inclusive for all abilities.
Martin provided a little insight into his bell-ringing role:
"The church has a set of 12 handbells made in 1925, tuned to the key of C. The largest bell is 4.5 inches in diameter and weighs about 1.25lbs. Handbell music can be written in many different ways, but we use a system of numbers that is quite easy to follow. I can ring 4 bells at a time, and most people can ring 2, but here at The Ashton, our residents have one each. So, if you have bell number 4 then you ring every time a 4 appears in the music. I have demonstrated handbell ringing to groups from Women’s Institutes to Beaver troops, so it seemed quite natural to give our residents a go."
In the run-up to the festive period, just for entertainment, Martin led the sessions and residents had a go at ringing the carol Good King Wenceslas, it is quite an easy tune to pick up and the residents did very well. Sadly, they were not able to perform it for the annual Christmas Party at the beginning of December, but the group would like to rehearse a piece to ring sometime in the New Year and are going to try a tune called Grandfathers Clock.
Residents have thoroughly enjoyed practicing their bell ringing and are feeling confident with it now. We thank Martin for taking the time to show residents this new skill and incorporate this wonderful activity into our activities schedule. We look forward to a performance from Martin and the residents soon. You can find the video of our residents practicing on our Facebook page.