Faith

Bell ringing has played an important part in church life for hundreds of years, but that tradition is under threat from a growing shortage of trained ringers.

With hundreds of peels, Devon is said to have more church bells than any other county in England.

But the bells don't ring themselves and many bell towers are in danger of falling silent as interest in bell ringing drops off.

Most church towers in Devon require more bell ringers and it's estimated at least 1,000 new ringers need to be recruited and trained over the next 10 years to reverse the decline that has already taken place across the Exeter Diocese.

"Most of us ring at more than one tower to keep the bells ringing at so many churches. Even Exeter Cathedral doesn't have its own resident band of ringers."

A recent survey of 500 Devon churches uncovered details of 3,000 bells around the county.

Over the centuries they have rung out across the countryside to announce church services, funerals, state occasions or to declare war and peace.

So serious is the threat of bells falling silent, that the national body representing Britain's 40,000 ringers, the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR), held a crisis meeting in June 2007 to discuss future strategies.

"There are many reasons for the decline," added Mr King. "It's largely a church-related activity and these days fewer people are going to church.

"Kids lead more pressurised lives, they have more homework and have far more options on how to spend their leisure time. So we have to be more imaginative in how we attract new recruits."

The CCCBR hopes to recruit more teenagers and younger adults through schools, congregations and open days. And in August 2007 ringers joined the Scouting centenary jamboree, where they were promoting a revival the Scouts bell ringing badge.

"You can see why young people aren't keen to join," said CCCBR president Derek Sibson. "It's not that attractive if you are the only young person in a group where the average age is 50 or 60.

"The number of ringers in the UK currently stands at around 40,000, but the average age is going up. And the worry is that older ringers aren't being replaced as they retire.

"We're in the process of setting up a 'Ringing Foundation' which we hope will help fund more up-to-date training.

One successful example is at Dawlish, where the church has six young recruits. Here they have organised several events open to other young ringers in Devon, enabling them to practice ringing and socialise together.

Elsewhere in Devon, one training centre has already been recognised for its excellent results.

The Troyte Ringing Centre, based in the villages of Bampton and Huntsham., was recently awarded the 2007 Founders' Prize, in recognition of its significant contribution to the teaching of ringing at all levels.

Here computer technology is used to bring out the best in trainees. 

"We have a designated practice bell at Bampton which we rescued and restored," said centre spokesman Mike Hatchett.

"The clapper has been removed and replaced by a sensor linked to a computer. This allows trainees to practice at any time of the day or night without disturbing the neighbours.  

"We'd prefer to recruit young people, but most don't have the commitment needed to follow through the training. So we have to look for alternatives.

"People are retiring from work younger and they are often looking for things to do in their spare time.

"Bell ringing is a great hobby, it's a great form of exercise and it performs a public service as well.

"The downside is that it takes adults longer to learn. That's why we're using the latest training techniques to get people from rank beginners to very good bell ringers in the shortest possible time."

Enthusiasts are passionate about their art, but ringers don't have to be regular church goers or necessarily have any musical ability.

"Bell ringing is an activity that requires dedication and regular attendance," explained Mr King.

"Quite a lot of people dropped out because there was no instant gratification. It can take a month or more to learn how to handle a bell and a lot longer to become a proficient ringer. We can now speed this up by using some of the Troyte computer-based techniques. 

"Ringing in the Millennium brought in a lot of adults, but failed to inspire young people.

"Links with schools, Scouts, Boys Brigade and other youth activities play a vital role in helping raise the profile of ringing.

"However, we still find one of the best ways to recruit is to get existing members to bring their friends and family along. We're all getting older, which is why we need to concentrate on attracting younger people to reverse the decline."