
Sunday Morning - The bells are rung before the service in the Church. This is the way people have been called to Church for centuries and you should hear the best ringing we are able to produce on that day. It will probably be simple but there should be no mistakes, and the bells will always start and finish in rounds.
Tuesday Evening - We practice 7.00-8.30pm. This is when the beginners learn so you may hear one bell ringing on its own. You will also hear the bells come into rounds (or occasionally stop) suddenly, and then start ringing a changing pattern again. This means we have gone very wrong and had to stop to sort it all out! You may also hear various exercises designed to help develop/perfect the skills required to ring the methods.
Other Services - the bells will ring for special services such as the Carol and Crib service at Christmas. These may be on any day and at any time, but generally we start ringing about 30 minutes before the service starts.
Weddings - we ring for most weddings at Offenham. The bells will start as the bride and groom leave the Church and will go on for about 20 minutes. You will hear the bells being 'rung up' a couple of hours before the wedding.
Remembrance Sunday and Funerals - On Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day you will hear the bells ringing half muffled. This produces an echo effect and is a mournful sound (some even say haunting). We do not often get asked to ring for funerals, but if we do the relatives have a choice of half muffled bells in remembrance of their loved one, or the bells rung as normal (called 'ringing open') in celebration of the life of the deceased.
Special Occasions - the bells are often rung to celebrate local and national events. We rang for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and played our part in Operation London Bridge when HM Queen Elizabeth II died. We ring for Offenham Wake each year, to start the festivities on Saturday ringing before the Flower Service, and a quarter peal to close it on Sunday.
The Death Bell - Offenham is one of a very few places where the ancient tradition of ringing a death bell to mark the passing of somebody in the Village continues. You will hear all the bells chime in turn, twice for a woman or three times for a man, followed by chiming on the thrid bell to show the age of the deceased and then the tolling of the tenor.
Visitors - occasionally people from other towers, and sometimes other countries, ask if they can visit and ring the bells. Offenham bells are not a prestigious ring so this only happens once or twice a year. Each set of visitors will ring for between half and three quarters of an hour. There are two local ringing organisations, the Four Shires Guild and the Worcestershire and Districts Change Ringing Association. Both hold regular meetings and practices and we may occasionally be asked to host one of these. They are almost always on a Saturday evening and the ringing will be 7.00-8.30pm as for a practice night.
Tuesday Evening - We practice 7.00-8.30pm. This is when the beginners learn so you may hear one bell ringing on its own. You will also hear the bells come into rounds (or occasionally stop) suddenly, and then start ringing a changing pattern again. This means we have gone very wrong and had to stop to sort it all out! You may also hear various exercises designed to help develop/perfect the skills required to ring the methods.
Other Services - the bells will ring for special services such as the Carol and Crib service at Christmas. These may be on any day and at any time, but generally we start ringing about 30 minutes before the service starts.
Weddings - we ring for most weddings at Offenham. The bells will start as the bride and groom leave the Church and will go on for about 20 minutes. You will hear the bells being 'rung up' a couple of hours before the wedding.
Remembrance Sunday and Funerals - On Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day you will hear the bells ringing half muffled. This produces an echo effect and is a mournful sound (some even say haunting). We do not often get asked to ring for funerals, but if we do the relatives have a choice of half muffled bells in remembrance of their loved one, or the bells rung as normal (called 'ringing open') in celebration of the life of the deceased.
Special Occasions - the bells are often rung to celebrate local and national events. We rang for the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and played our part in Operation London Bridge when HM Queen Elizabeth II died. We ring for Offenham Wake each year, to start the festivities on Saturday ringing before the Flower Service, and a quarter peal to close it on Sunday.
The Death Bell - Offenham is one of a very few places where the ancient tradition of ringing a death bell to mark the passing of somebody in the Village continues. You will hear all the bells chime in turn, twice for a woman or three times for a man, followed by chiming on the thrid bell to show the age of the deceased and then the tolling of the tenor.
Visitors - occasionally people from other towers, and sometimes other countries, ask if they can visit and ring the bells. Offenham bells are not a prestigious ring so this only happens once or twice a year. Each set of visitors will ring for between half and three quarters of an hour. There are two local ringing organisations, the Four Shires Guild and the Worcestershire and Districts Change Ringing Association. Both hold regular meetings and practices and we may occasionally be asked to host one of these. They are almost always on a Saturday evening and the ringing will be 7.00-8.30pm as for a practice night.