The Ringing World is written by hundreds of hands. We print excellent articles by all sorts of people: a learner six months into ringing who interviewed her own teachers, an eleven-year-old reporting a striking competition win, a student who turned a dissertation into three pages, and a peal band whose members are all over eighty. Teachers share their specific tricks; organisers tell us about their projects (and their woes along the way); amateur historians dig into their tower’s history over hundreds of years.
You don’t need to be an experienced writer. A clear subject and something worthwhile to say matter far more. We’ll help with the rest.
A tour, a restoration, a record, an exhibition, a band brought back from near-silence. Tell it as a story rather than a report: who was there, what happened and what it meant.
History found in a parish register, a craft you have watched at close quarters, a method explained, a practical idea that works in your tower.
An opinion, a review, a case for doing things differently. Make the argument fairly and back it up.
If you’d like inspiration, try one of these.
Some things work better elsewhere in the paper. A short news item, a letter to the Editor, a picture for Image of the Week or a footnote on BellBoard might suit your story better. Obituaries have their own guidance. If you’re not sure, send it anyway and we’ll find it the right home.
Got an idea that runs to more than one piece? We publish multi-part series. We’re always glad to hear from would-be columnists and series writers – send us an outline and a sample.
Our Christmas cards and gifts are on sale now, including 2027 calendars and diaries, and other new products.
by Ashley Smith. A day’s outing written as travel writing, with the writer’s own photographs – oak tombs, a lych gate and a packet of chalks found in a ringing room.
by Jill Fuller. A group of learner ringers have a day out in the countryside ringing at different churches, with a few adventures along the way.
by Chris Pickford. A reader’s guess about a face in an old photograph sent the bellfoundry archivist digging, and brought a forgotten draughtsman back into the story.
by Sonia Field. A band at Harrow Weald worked out for themselves what makes a practice people come back to, and shared the checklist.
An opinion, a review, a case for doing things differently. Make the argument fairly and back it up.
Most of the young ringers I know do not attend public worship and are largely indifferent to the belief system of religion. But they often have an altruistic commitment to life and can be found volunteering for The Woodland Trust, The John Muir Trust, The National Youth Orchestra and other bodies devoted to maintaining the arts and environmental concerns. Therein lies future spirituality and these beautiful historic places of worship will be a focus of celebration for the gifts and joys of life frequently heralded by our ringing.
The minute a ringer can ring rounds reliably, that ringer can be a helper for someone trying out rounds for the first time. A new ringer is a powerful ambassador for ringing and for recruiting new ringers. … My experience with teaching learners at Glasgow and with foundation groups in ringing courses is of ringers who worry that they are holding other people back. Not only do they want to ring better, but they want to be valued and they want to be useful. Let's value them and let them be useful. Everyone is better off.
I said once in a talk that about 900 other ringers had contributed to making me the ringer that I am today. I now think that might be a conservative number, making it quite a debt to the Exercise.
We don't do it on our own, and team dynamics are crucial, as ringers know very well. … the mutual offering of trust and respect, essential to allow us to risk our vulnerability with other ringers. Will I go wrong? Will I mess up the striking? Will I even manage to handle the bell? It is a big commitment to put ourselves in such a situation, but we do so willingly, because of our trust in and respect for the other ringers and their trust in and respect for us.
It may be why those learning to ring give up – the demands of a commitment to reveal and overcome our vulnerabilities may be a step too far!
