A recent article in the Ringing World drew our attention to a very interesting recruitment initiative – Scouting For Bells! – which is a partnership between the Derby Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers and the Scouts Association.
Full of valuable ideas and insights, it may be an avenue that members with the appropriate connections in our own Guild might explore. Many thanks to Carole Hallam and the Ringing World for permission to publish the article here.
An early Christmas gift from the CCCBR was a very welcome surprise! In collaboration with Andrea Haynes, Young Ringers Workgroup Lead and the CCCBR Executive, an initial purchase of Scouts bellringing badges is now possible after £250 landed in the Derbyshire Scouts bank account.
This is in support of the new Derbyshire Scouts Bellringing Team Active Service Unit (SASU) that is in the early stages of being set up to introduce Derbyshire Scouts to bellringing as a lifelong team activity they can enjoy and for which they can gain badges.
Introducing Andy Austen
Andy is a Scouter with Derbyshire Scouts and he is also a bellringer, running the tower at St Peter’s, Hartshorne. Andy has guided activities to ensure consistency with requirements of Scouts Association, additionally drawing on his extensive experience with the team running the established Archaeology SASU.
Throughout 2025, Andy and I have worked together to raise awareness of bellringing with Scouts in Derbyshire and encourage them to have a go at bellringing and gain a badge. It was important to be able to do this in a doable, sustainable way.
The new Derbyshire Scouts Bellringing Badge requirements have been settled upon in conjunction with the DDA Education Committee and bellringing Scout leaders. It’s a staged badge with an introductory ‘Know About Bellringing’, and then ‘Bellringer 1, 2, 3’.
An initial survey of towers across the Derbyshire DA to identify towers willing to participate by hosting Scout groups, combined with a mapping exercise, determined that all Derbyshire Scouts Groups are typically located within a 20-minute drive of participating towers and demonstrated feasibility for Scout Programmes.
Since then, two demonstrator sessions have been organised to help tower captains at participating towers understand how an evening for a large group of Scouts could work in their towers and for them to meet Scout leaders. Interest from Scout Groups has grown with publicity in Scouts and church newsletters, and enquiries for bellringing evenings.
A carousel of ringing activities
Groups of enthusiastic youngsters with their Scout leaders join with the ringers at participating towers for an evening carousel of bellringing activities. These include, for example, a visit to the ringing room, demonstration of bellringing, chiming a bell, having a go at backstrokes, visit to see the bells (if possible) or view bells on CCTV, worksheets such as naming parts of a bell, games, ringing call changes on handbells and an introduction to methods. Small groups rotate around the activities. There is follow-up to the tower visit, and some ‘finding out’ enables youngsters to complete the requirements for the introductory Know About Bellringing badge.
The format seems to work well in a variety of tower settings, from cathedral to country church. Our experience has found youngsters keen with questions, delighted to hear their bell chime, and some repeat visits, with others showing promise and a wish to learn to ring. One girl said she hoped her gran living nearby could hear her bell ringing!
Indeed, in six months since the first demonstrator session, visits across Cubs, Scouts and Explorers, and Brownies, have introduced over 100 young people to bellringing.
Thanks also to sponsorship from John Taylor & Co. there is a positive outlook to sustaining the Bellringing badges. The first Know About Bellringing badges should be available very soon. We look forward to Scouts gaining their bellringing badges, and hopefully a steady trickle of youngsters wishing to take up bellringing!
We are grateful to the Ringing World and the author, Carole Hallam to reproduce the article here. Read the full article below.
