In summer 2012 the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games will be held in London, with some events at other venues. Ringers across the UK will use public ringing to mark the Olympics, and to celebrate the unique cultural heritage of English style ringing.
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You can ring any time during the Olympic year, but dates of particular note are:
For most events, the time of day you ring is likely to be determined by your local situation, but if the Torch passes within earshot of your tower, you should try to ring as it does so.
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You can ring whatever your band is capable of, but there are some special methods that are particularly appropriate.
Five Rings - Where possible, you should try to ring Five Rings Triples (or Five Rings Doubles in a 5 or 6 bell tower) at some time during the Olympic year. The method has been specially composed for the Olympics by the musician Howard Skempton, working with the Central Council. The 'Five Rings' in the title symbolises the Olympic logo, and also reflects the fact that the Treble strikes five blows in 3rds when hunting up and 5 blows in 5ths hunting down. That unusual feature of the Treble's path is what generates the method's unique musical character.
The method is intended for short performances of 3 courses (3x132=396 changes) rather than peals or quarter peals. The structure makes a peal impossible. The method should be within the reach of many bands, but the subtle differences can trip you up, so practice it well ahead of when you plan to perform it. Read the story of Five Rings Triples.
Learning Five Rings - The method is much easier to learn and ring if you understand how it works and learn it thoroughly. For a special occasion it is worth the effort to get it right. There is an article to help you learn it, see Beyond The Learning Curve - 4.
Olympic methods - There are also some methods with Olympic in their name. Those named so far include Olympic Differential Doubles and Olympic Delight Maximus, but others may be named during the year. Conventional methods can of course be rung to peals, quarter peals or shorter touches to mark significant Olympic events.
Other - Bells can be used in other ways than conventional ringing to 'make a noise'. Most ringers may not wish to do this, but if your church approves, your local residents are likely to receive it positively, and your ringers are willing, then you can do more or less whatever you want, for example the Olympic Organising Committee is promoting Martin Creed's "Work No, 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes" at 0800BST on 27 July. This has received a lot of media coverage, possibly because the Council declined to promote it. For more information, see the President's October blog post.
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Obviously you will ring in your own tower whenever appropriate, but there might be occasions when there is an opportunity to ring somewhere else. For example:
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If you are planning anything other than 'normal ringing' ie peals, quarter peals or short touches, would your idea be of interest to other ringers? If you have met some problems and found a way round them, could your experience help other people in a similar situation? If so, then you can share your ideas via this website:
As well as sharing ideas with other ringers:
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Press releases:
See how the story of ringing for the Olympics evolved:
For other news coverage, see:
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As well as the Olympics, there are many other events to ring for, including the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
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