Better than a silent tower
On Sunday mornings I ring at my local tower before being driven to church in Keighley. As we drive along the dual carriageway to church the lay-bys in the opposite direction are crammed to overflowing with cars. They belong to parents taking their offspring to football on the all-weather pitches at Marley. There are weekday practices too. We can see the lights from our house two miles away. Parental commitment.
Football keeps boys and girls off the streets and off social media and produces all the benefits of exercise, team work and self-discipline. For our sons these skills came from hockey and brass bands.
With football you can have an enjoyable game with pretty poor skills. Walking football is being promoted locally for men, especially those who are overweight, have health issues and are under socialised.
Exercise, team work and self-discipline are all the things that ringing might do for a young person. But in these days of Safeguarding it needs great parental commitment. As a teenager I was driven to practices and district meetings by other ringers to whom I was not related. No problems, but this is not acceptable for Safeguarding reasons now.
The other difficulty with ringing is that there are no quick achievements. The necessary handling and ropesight skills are hard won in months and years. Once these skills are acquired, they are more or less permanently in place.
Maybe some or many of our towers have to accept the standard of walking football. Rounds and call changes. Much better this than a silent tower. People who hear the bells appreciate rhythm whether it is Bristol Maximus or call changes on six.
Ringing, unlike football, gives us human connection in the many places it is practised. And all to the Glory of God as the voice of the church.
Dale Barton