Norwich: Church racing to train bell ringers for coronation

But now there are fears even campanology crash courses in the Norfolk church where the first-ever peal was rung more than 300 years ago will not see enough trained up to pull the ropes in time.

Around 15 ringers are currently learning the craft in a special training tower at St Peter Mancroft, in the heart of Norwich. 

The Diocese based in the city has more than 600 ringers on its books.

But Nikki Thomas, secretary of the Norwich Diocesan Association of Ringers, said while teams would rush between churches on May 6, some belfries would still be staying silent.

The picture is likely to be the same across the country - despite a Ring for the King campaign to bolster recruits. 

The coronation of the King and Queen Consort is being held on Saturday, May 6 (Image: Hugo Burnand)

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"There are definitely more bells than we've got bell ringers," she said. "The bell ringers do try to go from one church to another so they can ring as many bells as they can but it's like anything else, you always need more people.

"We're not going to be able to ring every bell in Norfolk, but we're going to ring as many as we can."

Mrs Thomas, who has been ringing for 40 years began when she was nine.

"We can teach people relatively quickly, it takes maybe 20 hours but it's like learning a musical instrument," she said. "The more you practice, the better you become.

Bell ringers at St Peter Mancroft Church, in Norwich (Image: Nikki Thomas)

"You get to meet lots of people, you get to go to some really interesting places, it's a hobby that can last a lifetime."

Between 10 and 15 people are currently attending training sessions at St Peter Mancroft on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

The world's first-ever peal was rung at the 600-year-old church on May 2, 1715. 

While churches had had bells in their towers since ancient times, the ringers of Norwich were the first to work out the complex mathematical patterns needed for the thousands of variations that make up a peal.