Pulling together as a village

The bell ringers of Drayton St Leonards Church say why they give so much time to a centuries-old tradition, and why many others do the same.

Drayton St Leonard in south Oxfordshire, a village of fewer than 300 residents, is lucky to retain its Church of St Leonard and St Catherine because, 30 years ago, its bell tower was declared unsafe, and plans were drawn up to make the then-dilapidated church redundant.

It's a tribute to the determination of the locals, who rallied round with a restoration fund, that the church now functions and that its bell ringers practise weekly.

They ring for church services two or three times a month, and even enjoy success in local bell ringing competitions.

Drayton St Leonard's six bells are rung by a committed band of 10 regular bell ringers, aged from 10 to 66 and drawn entirely from the village.

They are 10 of an estimated 40,000 ringers in Britain, ringing in 5,422 bell towers across the country.

David Watkin
Day job research lecturer in chemistry at Oxford University
Ringing experience rung at Drayton St Leonard for 38 years and is a former tower captain.
Other village contributions 'I fix the dry rot in the church'
'A dark, silent church knocks the heart out of a village, and, for me, ringing is a way of keeping that part of our village heritage alive. It's significant that most of our band contribute a lot to other aspects of village life, too. In 1984, when it was judged safe to start ringing in the church again, it was fortunate for the village that Hilarie and Christopher Rogers were living here. They've founded a bell ringing dynasty.'

Ringing endorsement: villagers of all ages and professions gather to ring the changes in Dray ton St Leonard, Oxfordshire.

Amy Herlihy
Day job MRI physicist
Ringing experience has rung for four years and is the mother of Dray ton St Leonard's two youngest ringers, Anna (12) and Claire (10), and would-be recruit, Niall (seven),
Other village contributions runs the Garden Club, is a member of the PCC, and is secretary of the Dorchester team council of churches.
'Anna and I started ringing at the same time, but I noticed that, once we'd both got to the point where we could comfortably handle the bells, she seemed to pick up all the other skills a lot more speedily than I did. Niall is desperately keen, but he'll have to wait until he's nine to start ringing.'

Claire Herlihy
Amy's daughter, who has been ringing bells for a year
'I like it that I can ring with my sister and my mum, and that my dad and brother can hear us from home, because our house is very near the church. I have to stand on a box when I'm ringing, and Hilarie or Daniel stand next to me to help, because they say the bells are nearly as heavy as a Mini. I like bell ringing because you just shut everything else out and concentrate.'

Hilarie Rogers
Day job parish administrator
Ringing experience former tower captain at Dray ton St Leonard, and still rings there Other village contributions as well as being a churchwarden, Hilarie organises the annual village tennis tournament 'I met my husband, Christopher, in a bell tower, and we now have three children who also ring. Five years ago, we all rang together in a quarter peal for our 20th wedding anniversary. That was very special. For me, as a churchgoer, it's important that the primary purpose of ringing is to call people to worship.'

Charles Dickerson
Day job parish councillor and retired research biochemist who works part-time at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford
Ringing experience ringing at Drayton St Leonard since 1992
Other village contributions involved in the Local History Society and the Investment Club, plus the annual fireworks display 'In this band, we're all at different levels of attainment, but there are certain things we can do that involve everybody-things such as "called changes", whereby the tower captain calls out whose bell is to swap with whose in the ringing sequence.
We know bells have been rung in this church for 500 years, because our earliest bell is dated 1470, and preserving our heritage is the main reason I ring.'

Liz Rhodes MBE
Day job consultant for the National Council for Work Experience
Ringing experience ringing since 2005
Other village contributions Liz mans the bric-a-brac stall at the village fete
'I still see myself as a slow and steady beginner, but I've lost my fear of the bells and feel quite confident now. My initial fear was that I was not pulling the rope properly; it needs a lot of concentration and co-ordination. The next stage is learning to ring in time with the others, which requires rhythm and observation skills. That takes a while, too, but all the other ringers are friendly and encouraging, so it doesn't seem to matter too much if I'm not competition standard. I ring because it's a quintessentially English thing to do, a substantial tradition that should be maintained.'

Daniel Rogers
Hilarie's son is on a gap year before maths at the University of Bath.
He is St Leonard's present tower captain.
'It's a challenge. There's the physical side where you have to be very accurate, and the mental side, where you have to remember what you're supposed to be doing next. It's a nice combination, and I am intrigued by the mathematical patterns the different "changes" make. As tower captain, much of what I do is teaching. There' a lot for novices to think about. Generally. The problem is understanding what position the bell has to be in to start ringing; for a long time, their bell will sound slightly early or slightly late. But everyone's capable of getting it right.

Christopher Rogers
Engineer

Anne Thompson
Consultant

Anna Herlihy
Student