Peals of joy!

Congratulations to the Leeds Minster Team of Bellringers, who have qualified for the final of the 2023 National 12-Bell Striking Competition, to be held at Sheffield Cathedral on 24 June. Alongside the host team, they will be the only team from the North of England to compete in the final, having seen off stiff competition from Chester Cathedral, St Peter Mancroft, Norwich, and York Minster.

Due to Covid, this is the first time the team have been able to compete in Britain’s premier 12-bell competition since 2019, and they were exceptionally determined to do well.

Captain of the Tower, Wendy Bloom explained the challenge, ”The bells at Melbourne [in Derbyshire, where the eliminator took place] are rung from the floor of the chancel, so have an exceptionally long distance from the ringer to the bell which makes the necessary fine control very tricky and at a third of the weight of Leeds bells, they are well out of our comfort zone.”

“However. a fifteen-strong squad (a band of twelve and three reserves) have tackled the challenge with our customary work ethic and have been practising hard since January, not only at Leeds, but travelling to other towers as far afield as Stockton on Tees“.

In the final they will be up against teams from St Paul’s Cathedral, St Martin’s in the Fields & St Mary le Bow, London, Bristol St Mary Redcliffe, Exeter Cathedral, Great St Mary’s Cambridge, Melbourne and Birmingham St Martin’s.

We wish them the best of luck – go Leeds!