"I’m not musical at all. In fact, I got thrown out of the choir at the Advertising Agency I used to work at! So, discovering my love of bellringing has surprised me as much as anyone," says Sarah Margot, 49.
Executive Assistant Sarah took up the hobby after moving to the countryside with her partner Sam and son Jack, eight, in 2021, where a tiny advert in the village Post Office grabbed her attention. The next thing she knew, she was pulling bell-ropes every Wednesday night.
"I did get a bit of banter from my sister, who sent a lot of Vicar of Dibley jokes in the early days, but it’s a wonderful new hobby and I’ve met such a lovely group of people at St Mary’s Church in Pirton, Hertfordshire, where I ring.
"It may sound odd, but I’d always had a thing for bellringing ever since those ‘wedding summers’ in my late 20s and early 30s. In my head, all those happy countryside memories were accompanied by the beautiful soundtrack of bells chiming. I’d seen some of the ringers near the back of the church and thought it was something I’d love to try.
"Having moved from London to Pirton four years ago so that Jack could go to school in the countryside, we knew no one in the village, so I was on the lookout for ways to make friends and meet new people.
"When I saw the advert looking to recruit new ringers, I jumped at the chance. I called up Tom, Tower Captain of St Mary’s Church, who invited me along to the first lesson."
My first chime
"I was the youngest of five enthusiastic new recruits, but I was very nervous. A lovely couple called Dave and Val from a neighbouring church had come along to help teach us, and they quickly put me at ease.
"A lot of that first session was spent on safety as there are many dangers to being in a bell tower. There are extremely heavy bells, not to mention multiple ropes potentially flying around, and many stairs to negotiate.
"I didn’t manage much other than a simple chime, but I did learn the key lesson for all bell-ringers - never let go of your rope! I really enjoyed it, so I immediately signed up for lessons every Wednesday.
"It’s hard to explain how complicated it is, but there’s a lot to learn. Just getting the bell up and ready to ring from its resting position initially is quite a workout, as they’re very heavy.
"You then must manage your sally (the larger, coloured woolly section of the rope) alongside your tail rope (below the sally) and master the first ‘hand stroke’ to pull it one way and then the follow-up ‘back stroke’, which moves it back. The technique of combining the two together is how you get the bell to ring."
Practice makes perfect
"It took about six weeks before we started managing to make a decent sound, which was a massive achievement. My favourite method is when we do ‘rounds’ where the bells are rung repeatedly in sequence from the highest-pitched bell to the lowest. I always ring bell two, so I know my place well now.
"We practise together every Wednesday night and then regularly ring in the mornings before the Sunday service as well as the occasional event like Remembrance Day.
"Jack and Sam always like to have the windows of our house open on Wednesdays when they’re reading together and getting Jack ready for bed so that they can hear me ringing."
Sunday best
"It’s been brilliant learning something completely new and different. You need to concentrate fully, so my mental to-do list gets firmly put on hold as I focus purely on being part of the team and making the best sound we can.
"With my Sunday morning commitment, Saturday night drinking has gone out of the window as it’s not something you could do with a hangover, but that’s a very small sacrifice to make for something so special to me.
"Sundays just wouldn’t feel right now without popping down the lane to church and walking up the tight spiral staircase to ring with all my friends in the belltower.
"When the sounds of our bells combine, it’s an amazing feeling, and I’m proud of myself for having the courage to try something so far out of my comfort zone. I’ve still got a lot to learn.
"The next challenge is ringing at my first wedding this summer. It’s a favour to the bride who’s also a good friend, so I’m already feeling the nerves!"
