Bell ringers' pride in playing on Christmas Day

Church bell ringers across Surrey have been preparing to ring out on Christmas morning.

The Surrey Association of Church Bell Ringers has 600 members from 72 towers and has been running since 1880.

St Martin's in Dorking has 10 bells that ring out from its 210ft (64m) spire and they will ring on Christmas morning and to bring in the new year.

Volunteer bell ringer Heather Woods said: "It's just a really special feeling, you are kind of starting everybody's Christmas Day off in the best possible way."

Ms Woods said: "Everybody's really cheerful, happy, they know they've got the whole day ahead of them in terms of Christmas Day with the family and things, but it's just a lovely way to start the day."

She explained that her first Christmas ringing the bells was "daunting".

"I know people who live throughout Dorking and they all say that they listen out for the church bells every Sunday morning, but particularly at Christmas," Ms Woods said.

Fellow volunteer bell ringer Carol Avis said: "It's nice because obviously it's a happy time of the year for most people and I think it's a time when people tend to be listening out for the bells anyway, so that makes it special."

Volunteer bell ringer Joe Murrell said he felt "pride" ringing the bells as it was a "very special" experience.

"There aren't many bells around the world and a large proportion of them, over 90% or so, are actually in this country, at least the bell towers and stuff, so it's a very English thing," he explained.

Andrew Dorman, secretary of the St Martin's bell ringers, said the church had had ringers aged between 10 and 90.

"I like it because as you get older it challenges your brain," he said.

"It's about patterns and mathematics, and you can't think about the shopping whilst you're ringing because you'll lose you're place, so you don't think about anything else."

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