Out & About December 2017

Dianne Rogers

Ding dong merrily

The peal of church bells has long been a signal for celebration across the centuries

and from that has sprung the art of handbell ringing.

I f you pass by St Mary’s Church, Thatcham, in the evening during December, you may hear the distant tinkle of bells and feel that warm sense of Christmas. However, the Barfield Handbell Ringers, who use St Mary’s to practice, believe handbells are a year-round addiction, at least according to the group’s conductor and director of music Graham Hedges, who has been playing with the Barfield team since 1995. “Everybody thinks of handbells and they think Christmas carols, but we try to show that you can ring handbells all-year-round.” The Barfield Handbell Ringers are a team of 16 members and 100 bells. The majority of members play two bells each (one in each hand) and a few of them play four bells at once (two in each hand), known as the four-in-hand technique. While December is undeniably their busiest time of year, throughout the year the Barfield group are booked to play concerts, birthdays, fundraisers and weddings.

The secretary of Barfield Handbell Ringers, Dianne Rogers, said: “One of the most unusual events we did was for Radio Berkshire. “We taught Matt Alwright to ring the bells and play a couple of tunes with us. He was brilliant and didn’t let on to us that he could read music.” Handbell music is very similar to piano music, with each note represented by a single bell. Most of the team ringers highlight the notes of their bells on the music in a different colour, to make it easier to read. However, reading music is not essential for learning. Graham insists: “All you need to be able to do is count to four and tell your left from your right. Reading music is not essential.” Most ringers do not own their own set of bells, so practicing at home isn’t really possible, although Dianne quips: “We practice with a pair of wooden spoons at home, as the bells we use all belong to Graham.” Both Dianne and Graham joined Barfield Handbell Ringers in the early 1990s.

CHARLOTTE BOOTH talked to two stalwarts of the Barfield Handbell Ringers, based in Thatcham, about the fun to be had and their busy Christmas schedule

Pictures: Phil Cannings

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