Bell Ringing

Ringing church bells is an ancient and musical art that is a fascinating blend of mental concentration and physical skill. Bell ringing at St Alphege involves teamwork, calling the whole community to gather at church.

St Alphege Bell Ringers are a friendly and dedicated band of all ages. Our primary function is to call people to worship for services, but we take great pleasure in ringing the bells for weddings, national occasions and also just for fun!

We are a very sociable bunch of people too. In September 2019, we held a big celebration for the 50^th anniversary of the installation of the first six bells in 1969. Since then, the ring has been augmented to eight – one of the lightest rings of eight bells in the country.

We have a close link with the ringers from All Saints Church and particularly enjoy our joint annual Ringing Outing, when we visit and ring at other towers around Kent. We are affiliated to the Kent County Association of Change Ringers, which provides a great network of ringing friends and events across the county. On occasional summer Saturdays, we open the tower for guided tours and ringing demonstrations, with the opportunity for visitors to have a go. These are always very popular and the view from the top of the tower is spectacular!

Would you like to join us?

The only requirements, if you would like to learn to ring, are that you come to practices regularly, and on reaching a good standard, you ring each Sunday morning before the 9:30am service. Weekly practice is on Tuesday, starting at 7:15pm. Ringing is suitable for anyone in reasonable physical condition from the age of 10 upwards. If you are interested, get in touch or simply come down to practice and see what it’s all about!