Cool Kenyan Ringers from Kilifi Bring Bell Ringing Back Home

Fun with Bells

‘Unique’ is often overused as a word, but host Cathy Booth’s guests on this wonderful episode, John, and Debbie, can certainly claim it for their ringing experience. That’s because they ring at St Thomas’s Church, Kilifi in Kenya which is one of the remotest rings of bells in the world, with the nearest bells hung for change ringing being at Harare in Zimbabwe over 1,000 miles away.
Cathy learns about the fascinating history of the church and the bells, as well as hearing how John and Debbie became ringers, their learning experience, and their amazing ringing trips to the UK.
Although much will be familiar to other ringers, such as the ringing room with its set of handbells, cabinet of ringing books and bottomless sweet tin, there are also some eye-opening challenges of ringing in a tower that is, well, unique!
If you are beginning to take ringing a little bit for granted, this podcast will stop you in your tracks and possibly rekindle your romance.
Top takeaways

• Read all about the Kilifi ringers 2015 adventures in the UK The Whiting Society of Ringers - Kilifi
• Check out the bells on DOVE Tower details (cccbr.org.uk)
• Struggling to ring or explain plain hunt to a learner? Try thinking about it being like using the stairs – slowly up and faster down!
• Inspired by John and Debbie’s charity work? Is there anything more your church or tower could do to support struggling families in your local area? Or contact John to hear more about John and Debbie's work: [e-mail]
• Looking for some new ringing recruits? Members of the church choir are often a fruitful hunting ground.

Sponsor: This podcast is sponsored by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). To find out more about learning to ring, learning to teach or other resources to support your ringing go to bellringing.org

Podcast team:
Anne Tansley Thomas
Emily Roderick
John Gwynne
Emily Watts
Cathy Booth
Ringing by:
The Cambridge Youths (supplied by David Richards) and for later episodes, The Liliputters Guild (supplied by Simon Edwards).

Chapters

1. Opening Clip: Board that says 'silence' (00:00:00)

2. Ringing by the Society of Cambridge Youths (00:00:23)

3. Welcome to Fun with Bells: Meet Our Guests (00:00:29)

4. John's Introduction: The Unique Bells of Kilifi (00:00:44)

5. Deborah's Introduction (00:01:25)

6. The Fascinating History of Kilifi's Church Bells (00:01:35)

7. The Transformation of Kilifi's Bell Ringing Community (00:02:39)

8. A Glimpse into the Ringing Room at Kilifi (00:04:24)

9. Encouraging the Next Generation with Sweets (00:05:28)

10. The Significance of Silence and Discipline in Ringing (00:06:13)

11. Improvements and Innovations in Kilifi's Bell Tower (00:06:43)

12. John's Personal Bell Ringing Journey (00:07:24)

13. Debbie's Path to Becoming a Bell Ringer (00:08:51)

14. Teaching and Sharing the Art of Bell Ringing (00:10:24)

15. Memorable Achievements in Bell Ringing (00:12:03)

16. Overcoming Challenges in Learning to Ring (00:14:24)

17. Technical hitch (00:19:20)

18. The Impact of UK Training Trips on Kilifi Ringers (00:20:07)

19. A Life-Changing Proposal in the UK (00:21:12)

20. Community Impact Through Bell Ringers' Fundraising (00:24:10)

21. The Charitable Work of John and Debbie (00:27:15)

22. The Unforgettable Impact of Bell Ringing (00:32:25)

23. Gratitude and Reflections on the Journey (00:34:20)

24. Credits (00:34:36)