This may be your last chance to attend a Community Celebration Event!
Have you ever passed a church tower when it appears that the bells are being rung hammer and tongs? Then you have probably witnessed the sound of English style Full Circle Change Ringing where each bell is rung by one person, thus if you hear the sound of 8 bells then there will be 8 ringers in the tower.
The Community Celebration event will allow you to see how a bell is rung, and the chance to see the bells. En-route up the tower is the clock and, should the weather be favourable, there will be option to ascend the final steps to the tower top and the panoramic view from there.
As a church bell ringer for some 51 years (yes, I am that old, plus some!) please join me for this event and see the inner workings of a church tower. Here, at Lightcliffe, we have 8 bells hung for Full Circle Change Ringing with the smallest bell weighing just under 1cwt (or 8 stone if you think in those terms, or 47kg for those who use modern terminology) up to the largest bell weighing nearly 4½ cwt (34 stone or 225kg). You may think that is large but by comparison the smallest bell at Halifax Minster is nearly 6cwt (47 stone or nearly 300kg) through to the largest at 28cwt (225 stone or over 1500kg)!
The event will take place from 10:30 until 12:30 and will start in the adjacent Nyamatare Room (at the west side of the church) where Tea and Coffee will be available. Donations for this will be appreciated to offset the cost of the hire of the room.
Trips up the tower via an anti-clockwise spiral (non-medieval) staircase will be limited to 6 attendees at a time - it is estimated each trip will be around 15 minutes. Young people under 17 are welcome but must be accompanied on a one-to-one basis by a responsible person aged 18 or over. It is not compulsory to ascend the tower to log this event although it is hoped that most attendees will do so. Wheelchair access is available to the Nyamatare Room but, sadly, not up the tower.
In addition, the church will be open for those wishing to see the beautiful interior of the building. Alternatively, if you haven’t found it, there is GC5H66Q - Church Micro 6800…Lightcliffe – St Matthew’s – although good walking shoes may be required as it is down a track.
Trackables - Any which fit into my small Tupperware box (with the lid on) are more than welcome. Anything larger - please be prepared to take it back with you if no-one is willing to take it from you.
Parking – there is a small car park to the east end of the church, alternatively, please park on the road on the church side (parking on both sides does cause issues for other traffic).
Please message me if you need further details.
Community Celebration Events - 2020
This Event is part of a limited release of Community Celebration Events to celebrate 20 years of geocaching. Geocachers hosted events between May 2, 2020 and December 31, 2020. Learn more about Community Celebration Events on the Geocaching Blog.