In these enlightened days, so much more is known about how to keep our bodies healthy, such that the U.K. average life expectancy is now nearly 82 years. Last year there were an estimated 16,600 people aged one hundred or over in the U.K. For myself I am pleased that the practice of bell ringing has improved my overall fitness and thus helping me to remain healthy in old age. You don’t have to be strong to ring church bells but ringing them does engage various muscle groups.
For example the Trapezius, that large diamond shaped muscle of the upper back. This muscle provides structural stability in the repetative upward/ downward reach and movement of pulling the rope. Two other large muscles in the back, the latissimus dorsi initiate the downward pull and draw the rope to the floor. The biceps and triceps are also used in controlling the upward /downward swing of the rope .Ringers do not wrestle the bells with raw power but instead control the swing of the bell. If a ringer finds themselves becoming tires and worn out ,they are working too hard !There is physical effort,but it is a seamless graceful combination of anatomy, momentum and gravity.
The foundational strength of a bellringer belongs in the core and spine. A ringer must maintain an upright posture to retain control over the rope’s trajectory thus enabling the core muscles to stabilise the torso.The hands cradle the end of the rope acrossthe palms and with split second timing ensure the bell strikes its note within a third of a second of its neighbour.
Has this sparked your interest? Age is no barrier; the yougest bellringer I have seen is a small 6 year old boy ringing the treble bell, smiling with pleased confidence! The most elderly I know is over 90 years of age.
This Summer Tring Tower has marked two special occasions. A wedding when joyful peals of the eight bells proclaimed their loud blessings on on the future of a married couple, wishing them a lifetime of sweet melodies. A funeral when the solemn sound of half muffled bells represented the passage of time,the finality of earthly life and the transition of a soul .
Come along any Tuesday at 7pm if you’d like to see the bells and just have a go,You’ll be surprised at how little effort is involved [ once you’ve ascended the 39 steps to the ringing room!
Please let us know first on tringbells@gmail.com
Johanna Morgan, Tring Bell Tower.