Article published in the Ringing World 30th September 2022:
What a momentous week it was for ringers: muffles on, muffles off, muffles on again… and slow tolling. At least 23 young ringers aged 18 and under are believed to have rung in their towers around Kent to mark the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the proclamation of His Majesty King Charles III. Approximately nine more added to that number by ringing on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Young Matthew, aged 10, was thrilled to come out of school to be included in those putting a set of borrowed muffles onto the bells of Seal St Lawrence near Sevenoaks.
Readers may remember that four new ringers, including Matthew, rang, along with their head teacher and a parent, as part of their celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee just a few months ago. As three of those youngsters have now gone on to secondary school, (continuing to ring with Kent MINI-Ringers), we have been bringing on a new cohort of nine-year-olds during the summer holidays. The new school band was able to ring, again including the head and a parent, straight after school on Friday 9th September in memoriam Queen Elizabeth. Our dedicated helpers then enabled each of the four pupils to ring their bell in rounds with the adults ; after some more practice we added them in, one at a time, so that all six bells could be rung by the school’s new band.
Matthew at Seal Chart
Will at Benenden
JENNIFER THOMAS
