Author: bellsandbikes

"British eccentricity at its best," said @roadcc

Cycle to Church Sunday – 14 June 2015 – All Saints, Ecclesall

May 29, 2015

On 14 June, All Saints Ecclesall invites everyone and their bike to join us for the return of our hugely successful Cycle to Church Sunday.

Last year, we linked up with Marie Curie Cancer Care, the charity partner of Le Tour de France Grand Depart in Yorkshire. 209 people came along on bikes and we raised over £1,100 for Marie Curie.

This year we are supporting The Sheffield Children’s Hospital, the charity partner of Le Tour de Yorkshire 2015.

Please do come along. Please arrive by 10.30am and wear your very brightest Yorkshire cycling kit.

Here’s our story in The Sheffield Telegraph in 2014…

http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/news/local/a-wheely-large-flock-at-church-cycle-event-1-6668583

Here’s how we looked! Join us and get in the frame for 2015. Supporting The Children’s Hospital on the way!

Dave T - Group Photo 3

Stage 2 Highlights – Tour de Yorkshire

May 2, 2015

Stage 2 of the Tour de Yorkshire (Saturday 2 May 2015) saw a rich variety of churches, bellringing and community decorations.

In the 21 photos below I share images from Bubwith, Holme on Spalding Moor, Norton on Derwent and Wetwang.

You don’t have to be a cyclist to love the Tour de Yorkshire.

Just look at how all these communities have got into the spirit. Brilliant!65 01 Bubwith church and cross 65 10 Bubwith bike on bus stop 65 15 HoSM church 3 landscape 65 18 HoSM cyclist at church 2 65 20 HoSM band 2 65 25 HoSM view up to church 3 sky 65 34 HoSM village sign landscape 65 36 HoSM House with Y flag 1 65 40 HoSM Caterpillar bike 1 65 42 HoSM School Yorkshire banner 65 47 Norton church 2 landscape 65 49 Norton church 4 portrait 65 52 Norton church Le Tour de Life service 65 54 Norton church band 65 56 Norton banner 1 65 60 Norton dressed tree trunks 65 62 Norton delays sign and blue bike 2 65 64 Norton with Frank Lamingo Ryan Swain 65 65 Norton Next Steps cafe bike cakes 65 75 Wetwang church 2 daffodils 65 80 Wetwang church 7 sign and bike

Le Tour Yorkshire – Ringing Update

May 1, 2015

The bells did indeed ring out for Stage 1 of the Tour de Yorkshire. Ringing that I am aware of which has been done or will be done is as follows. Other towers are ringing too, but exact confirmations awaited still.  Thanks especially to the Beverley & District Ringing Society for leading the way.

Stage 1 (Bridlington to Scarborough)

Bridlington, Flamborough, Middleton, Pickering

Stage 2 (Selby to York)

Selby Abbey, Nunburnholme, Bubwith, Holme on Spalding Moor, Market Weighton, Walkington, Beverley Minster, Beverley St Mary’s, Norton on Derwent

Stage 3 (Wakefield to Leeds)

Sandal, Barnsley, Cawthorne, New Mill, Meltham, Otley

If you visit http://www.yacr.org.uk (the website of The Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers) you can find full details of all churches with bells for change ringing in Yorkshire. It will include details of practice nights and you would typically be most welcome to come along and have a go.

“Bellringers Herald Cyclists” is a formal event in the Yorkshire Festival this year, following on from its inclusion as a headline event in the 2014 Festival ahead of Le Tour de France in Yorkshire.

Follow me @Bellsandbikes on Twitter for regular updates.

Bells on BBC Radio Sheffield

April 1, 2015

Listen to church bells on BBC Radio Sheffield via the link below. (1:39:15)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02mb621#auto

In 2014, church bells took centre stage in the Tour de France Opening Ceremony and all along the race route.  We now have the chance to do it all again in 2015.

The 2015 Yorkshire Festival runs from 1 April to 3 May, concluding with the Tour de Yorkshire pro-cycling race from Friday 1 May to Sunday 3 May.

Click above to listen to Rod Ismay talking to Paul Walker, live on the BBC Radio Sheffield Breakfast Show.  Rod’s interview starts at 1:39:15, including a recording of Yorkshire Surprise Major.  Rod’s interview is preceded by the Yorkshire Festival Director, Mark Fielding, discussing the broader festival from 1:37:50

2015 Bells – Tour de Yorkshire and Yorkshire Festival

February 5, 2015

Yorkshire bellringers who participated in the 2014 Tour de France and the 2014 Yorkshire Festival had a great time.  Bells captured the imagination of the public and the media.

Now we can do it again! The inaugural Tour de Yorkshire pro cycle race takes place from Friday 1 May to Sunday 3 May 2015.  We have over 40 churches with bells on the race route.

We have also been accepted in the 2015 Yorkshire Festival as an event inviting people to come along and find out more about bellringing at our practice nights.

Whether you are a bellringer reading this, or a non ringer who is interested by what is going on, please click the link below to find out more.  This could be exciting …..

https://bellsandbikes.com/2015-2/

Writing the book – of bells and bikes

December 16, 2014

After an unbelievable year of bellringing for The Yorkshire Festival, for Le Tour de France in Yorkshire and for the Tour Opening Ceremony, there is much to tell of bells and of bikes.

The book is taking shape. Narrative half way. Discussions ongoing with some wonderful contributors. Several exciting chats already. A few calls to make still. Hope to share more news soon.

If you have ideas, questions or perhaps would like to support, do drop me a line here or @bellsandbikes on Twitter. Or the equally well named Bells and Bikes on Facebook.

Keeeeeep ringing !

Le Tour – the Variety of Bells

November 24, 2014

As the venues for the Grand Departs of the Tour de France change, so does the style of the bells.

Here’s a clip for a tower near to the start of each of the last two and next two Tours.

2013 Corsica, France

St Jean Baptiste Cathedral, Bastia

2014 Leeds, UK

Leeds Minster – nice mp3 clip of their bells (ok on computer may not appear on phone)

http://www.leedsminster.org/Music/Bells/2/

2015 Utrecht, Netherlands

A carillon where one person can play dozens of bells from a keyboard a little like a church organ.

2016 La Manche, France

The bells of Mont St Michel.