The Buriton bell-ringing team has recently lost some of its long-serving members - and is very keen to find some replacements.
Instead of 11 in the team, there are now only 8 which is barely enough to guarantee that all six bells in the church can be rung every Sunday.
Not one of the band currently lives in Buriton and so there is an appeal (excuse the almost pun) for some new, local members?
The tower of Buriton church has an excellent ring of bells, the envy of many communities, and it seems a great pity that a village the size of Buriton is incapable of providing a team to ring them.
Any able-bodied person from about the age of 10 upwards can be taught to handle a bell, it's simply about rhythm and is not hard work. Once mastered it can provide a lifelong hobby and exercise.
To become a useful member of the team people would need to be available for 30 minutes on a Sunday for service ringing and for an hour and a half on Wednesday evenings for practice (7.30 to 9pm).
Anyone interested in learning to ring, or who are just plain curious, should come along to a Wednesday practice to see what is involved. The band would be delighted to welcome you.
This year is the 300th anniversary of the new set of five bells being installed in the church. They had been cast by Richard Phelps of Whitechapel, London, and were needed because of the loss of the previous bells in the fire of 1712 - caused by a lightning strike.
To mark this 300 year connection, the bell ringers will be providing a full peal on the bells on the morning of Saturday 12th December. This is a very rare occasion and the full peal will take about 2hrs 45 mins, starting at 9.30am.
Although there is no documentary evidence, it is fair to assume that the Five Bells pub probably got its name in 1715 after the new ring of five bells was added to the tower. It seems that nobody thought to change the pub's name in 1935 when the bells were augmented from five to six!
For any information about bell-ringing in Buriton, please contact the Tower Captain, David Hughes, on 02392 570620 or by email: d.hughes792@btinternet.com
