Sunday 6^th February 2022 marks the 70^th anniversary of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s accession.  Churches will be holding a special Evensong service to mark the actual day the Queen will have reigned for 70 years.  Whilst the main celebratory events are planned for June, the opportunity to mark this day with collective bellringing would be welcomed by the Church of England.  A BellBoard event has been set up, 70th Anniversary of HM Queen’s Accession, to record your ringing on this day.

The main Jubilee celebrations take place over an extended Bank Holiday, with the late May Bank Holiday being moved to Thursday 2 June and an additional Bank Holiday on Friday 3 June.  The four-day celebrations will feature an extensive programme of events that showcase the best of British ceremonial splendour and pageantry.  It was disappointing to note that despite the relevant parties being informed of our intentions, it was not included in the recent announcement of plans by the government.  I shall continue to pursue that!

Whilst the whole weekend lends itself to plenty of celebratory ringing, in collaboration with the Church of England and the Royal Household, it has been agreed that a focus for collective bellringing should coincide with the Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s on Friday 3 June.  The timing of the Service has not yet been confirmed but is likely to be in the morning.  As more definite information is released, it will be shared across the usual formats.  Again, a BellBoard event has been set up, Platinum Jubilee Celebrations for HM Queen, where you can record ringing over the course of the weekend’s celebrations.

If you are looking for inspiration for what to ring, there are plenty of options listed in the Composition Library such as Jubilee Court Bob Triples, Royal Jubilee Surprise Royal, Queen Elizabeth II Surprise Minor, Queen Elizabeth Treble Bob Major, Platinum Bob Triples, Platinum Surprise Major, and many more.

After the Bank Holiday weekend, details of the ringing that took place for both the Accession Day and over the Jubilee Weekend will be collated and presented to Her Majesty with the grateful thanks of the bellringing community for her unique service to the nation and Commonwealth.

Thank you to those who have contacted me with stories recalling bellringing that took place on Coronation Day, there have been some really fascinating stories.  They are being collated and will form part of press releases to engage the media with this rather unique take on the day and shared with you over the coming months.

Vicki Chapman
Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
Public Relations Officer