Do you like chatting about ringing? If so, you might enjoy the company of other ringers worldwide, in the various bell ringing facebook groups.
There are many such groups but one has been set up specially for you.

(Yes, YOU!!)

There is a Learning the Ropes facebook group which is only for new ringers learning to ring and being taught by teachers who have been trained to use the Learning the Ropes scheme. It’s there for you to chat, moan, ask, sympathise, share, advise and generally get to know others
who will be struggling with the same problems you might have or might have overcome. You can even moan about your teacher if you like, because they are not allowed in!!! (Not that you would have anything to moan about, of course … !!!)

Why not join and give it a go? It’s at

facebook.com/groups/learningtheropes.

There are other facebook groups for bell ringers, too. You may find there is one for your local area you could join. If you want a national group for all ringers, I’d recommend one called Bell Ringing, which you will find at facebook.com/groups/2222006287. (It is described as ‘gentle’; some of the others get a bit boisterous or technical at times.) Why not search for
ringing groups and see what you can find?

Twitter is slightly less good for new ringers because it is less chatty and often will be incomprehensible until you know lots about ringing and loads of ringers. Give it a try, though, if you are on Twitter. Once you find one bell ringing tweeter, you find loads.

There are a number of email lists which many people join – and leave if they wish! Ringing-Chat is one which can be found at lists.ringingworld.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/ringing-chat. Topics range very widely and can get very involved. Some more of interest than others, to most people.

One site which lists all these and much more is ringing.info – the link will take you directly to the ‘People, Places, Communication’ section of the page. That site is worth bookmarking and exploring, as there is so much to find, all in one place.

Ringers’ Tea

And to close, here is a photo from one of our favourite recent postings on facebook. It was posted by Nikki Thomas, a ringer at South Walsham, Norfolk, at a recent ringers’ tea, with the question, “Now, honestly, why would you not want to become a bell ringer?”

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