8.20pm – Bells in Opening Ceremony 3 July

Ringing at 8.20pm for the Opening Ceremony.

Thursday 3 July – ring across the county at 8.20pm for the Opening Ceremony.  Cawthorne, Masham and Chapel Allerton pre-recorded along with Yorkshire Tykes band at Ossett.

Check the invitation on the Le Tour Yorkshire website below – “..a symbolic bringing together of the entire county to herald the beginning of Yorkshire’s Grand Depart..”

http://letour.yorkshire.com/the-grand-d%C3%A9part-2014/tour-de-france-opening-ceremony

Ring a bell with us at your church, school, shop or on your bike.  And if you don’t have a bell you can get an app to shake your phone and ring a bell. eg.

http://www.appszoom.com/android_applications/handbell

So what do the press say? 🙂

Bell Ting Idea says @TheYorksTimes

http://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/BellTing-Idea-For-Yorkshires-Opening-Ceremony

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11287679.

Bells_to_ring_for_start_of_Tour_de_France/

And here they are on ITV!

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2014-06-18/bell-ringing-to-welcome-tour-de-france/

Please do join us to ring to welcome Le Tour.  Please share this exciting news as widely as you can.

This is a huge media event with global TV coverage.  We are privileged to have been invited to be part of it. 

http://letour.yorkshire.com/the-grand-depart-2014/tour-de-france-opening-ceremony

At 8.20pm the cameras will cut to Yorkshire bellringing. We are invited to ring from all our towers across the whole of Yorkshire.

With 52 practice nights that day anyway, we had a good start. Other bands are now rearranging their diaries to join us.

We will give a short coordinated burst of ringing from all towers at 8.20pm (this final time was confirmed on Monday 30 June).

I will share more info as it evolves here and on Facebook and Twitter @bellsandbikes and via the email group I use for Tower Briefings.

Please could you share this with everyone.

Please reply via Facebook or email rismay@virginmedia.com to confirm your involvement.

This is a wonderful chance to share Yorkshire bellringing with the world.

And it is for ALL towers in Yorkshire. Not just the race route. And for one bell, two bell and campanile towers.  [ but if you live elsewhere you’d be welcome to pile in too 🙂 ]

Our invitation is to get the county ringing. (and the world! York in Australia and New York in America will be ringing Yorkshire too!)

Please also visit www.yorkshire.com for more news about Le Tour, the Grand Depart and the Opening Ceremony.

Pop it in your diary now. Maybe a quarter or peal to precede it too? Over to you

Its About The Bells and the Bikes

Its not all about the bells?  Well of course it mainly is.

But back to cycling for a moment

Port dEnvalira

Have you tried cycle touring?  Have you spent a day exploring your neighbourhood by bike?  Have you spent a week living on your bike on holiday?  Please do have a go.  You experience so many wonderful things on a bike that you just wouldn’t in a car – the sights from a different height, a different pace, the scents, the chat.  I’m no pro cyclist.  But I like my bike.  And here’s one of my favourite photos as we crossed the Port d’Envalira into Andorra.  This wonderful Pyrennean summit strangely decorated with two petrol stations. And yes that’s the same spotty top I wear most days!

West Tanfield welcomes Le Tour

West Tanfield has a most beautiful church and a very enthusiastic band who are at the heart of village preparations for Le Tour.

I met the band last August on a day scouting The Dales.  We had a great time ringing and an equally fine pint next door.  The village was already well into Tour plans a year ago.  Check out their website below to see the huge range of events planned for the coming weekend.  Bellringing will be one of many activities.  Nice Post Office too 🙂

http://www.west-tanfield.com/tour-de-france/

17 West Tanfield West Tanfield Band