VISITORS to Beoley’s annual Snowdrop Weekend will have the chance to try their hand at bell-ringing along with ringing the first snowdrop of Spring.
Under the supervision of experienced ringers, guests at St Leonard’s can learn about the history of the church’s bells before having a go at ‘chiming’ this weekend.
A display about bell ringing will also be on show inside the church, with information about the church’s own eight bells, which date back to the 1600s, and how the skill is practised.
Organiser, John Gardner, said: “We currently have sixteen bell ringers and know that people are quite intrigued about it – so we thought it would be a good opportunity to let people have a go and maybe inspire them to come and learn to ring.”
For the next few years, the bell ringers will be ringing the bells half-muffled to commemorate the centenary of the death of each of the eleven men from the parish who fell during the First World War.
As well as the snowdrop-covered grounds of the church, there will be lots of attractions including the winners of this year’s Schools Poetry Competition and representatives from Craft and Chat and the Mothers’ Union.
There will also be a display of the ongoing research done on the local names listed on the War Memorial.
Guests can enjoy the splendour of the Snowdrop Weekend from 10am to 4.30pm on Saturday (February 13) and between 1pm and 4pm on Sunday (February 14).
Visit www.stleonardsbeoley.org.uk or telephone John Gardner on 01527 62148 for more information.
