‘Amateurs’ ring bells

Press, 5 December 1981, Page 6

‘Amateurs’ ring bells

The sound of bells rang out in Cathedral Square last evening as members of the public tried their hand at the bell-ropes. About 100 people paid $1 each and visited the ringing room in the bell-tower and received a certificate saying that they had chimed one of the Cathedral’s bells. The invitation to ring the bells was made by the Cathe-

dral bell ringers to raise funds to help with renovations of the bell-frame at St Paul’s in Papanui. A steel frame will replace St Paul’s wooden one. The money will also help meet renovation costs on the bells and the equipment in the tower. “People have been ringing the bells under supervision,” said the master of the bell-

ringers, Mr R. G. Bennett, “and we have explained how the bells work to those interested.” Among those who took up the bellringers’ invitation were a couple from California and a party of Japanese tourists. The tower and ringing room will open again for any would-be bellringers from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.