Bellringers at Carlisle Cathedral have won a national award.
They have been named Band of the Year in the annual Association Of Ringing Teachers Awards.
ART is endorsed by the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers to provide training and support to teachers and new bellringers. Its awards recognise people and groups who are leading best practice and innovation in the teaching and development of ringing.
The Band of the Year Award is for bands focused on improving ringing standards and developing the sustainability of ringing.
Previously, the Carlisle Cathedral team has won the ART Award for innovation in the effective use of technology in teaching in 2018. In 2019, Barry Garrett won the Westley Award for Church Bell Maintenance and in 2022, recently retired tower captain, Ron East was awarded the BEM for services to church bellringing.
The cathedral band now has 33 ringers – up from 16 in 2014 – and succeeded in ringing all 12 bells for every Sunday morning service in 2024.
There are now seven ringers who are qualified to teach ringing and who can lead the regular ringing practices and 12 of the band have improved and achieved a better ART qualification during this past year.
Cathedral ringers also support towers at nearby churches and, led by John Proudfoot, have successfully recruited and trained several ringers at a previously silent tower at St Martin’s in Brampton.
The cathedral ringers thanked Canon Benjamin and other members of the cathedral staff for support and encouragement.
David Steel, the new tower captain, said “I have very recently been appointed to the role. We are proud, delighted and maybe a little bit self-conscious to be put into the spotlight, though for my part I feel privileged to be part of this wonderful group of people.
“This award is the result of many years of careful and gentle stewardship by my predecessor, Ron East, and his group of leaders and teachers, with a special word in this instance for Ruth Gilbert our ringing master and award nominator.
“The Carlisle Cathedral band welcome ringers of a full range of abilities, from beginners to folks with decades of experience, and everyone is made to feel welcome.
“They are humorous, and friendly, a mistake is never met by a harsh word, it is met with words of encouragement, a smile, and a genuine desire to help. These are special people.
“Not content with serving Carlisle Cathedral they extend their service to towers all over the county of Cumbria, they renovate and maintain other towers and bells, they support other bands in their ringing and they have recruited and trained new bands bringing bells back to life in churches where they have been silent for many years.
“Their priority though is always Carlisle Cathedral, with the support of the clergy and the management team and all the staff and volunteers, we are blessed with the opportunity to ring out our bells. This group would never pretend to be the best band of ringers but they are surely the best band of people.”
On Saturday May 17 May and Saturday July 19, there is an opportunity to meet the bell ringing team and visit the bell ringing room at the cathedral’s bell tower open days.
Guests will be met by a member of the team before climbing the steps to the bell-tower; on the way visitors will discover some of the history of the cathedral and get some magnificent views of the medieval glass in the eastern window, the Ewan Christian starlight ceiling and the Father Willis organ.
Once inside the ringing room people will have a chance to see the bell-ringers in action and learn more about this ancient skill. There are 137 steps to climb to the bell chamber and the route includes some confined spaces. Tickets are available now from www.carlislecathedral.org.uk/tickets, £10 for adults and free for children aged eight to 16 years old.
For more information about the Carlisle Cathedral bells, visit www.carlislecathedral.org.uk/bellringing/
