By Jacqui Allen
It has been six years since a set of new bells were installed at All Saints Lindfield, as part of the re-ordering of the church building and, since then, they have rung out for Sunday services, weddings and funerals and for significant events in the UK such as the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the coronation of King Charles III.
During this period, there have been a total of 19 quarter peals rung but, as of yet, a full peal has not been attempted. The last time a peal was rung at All Saints was in 2002.
A full peal is a marathon event. It is a continuous ringing of the bells for approximately three hours. It is both physically and mentally demanding on the ringers. The physical demands will be obvious to all but the mental demands less so. Ringing a peal requires concentrating for a full three hours without letting your thoughts wander from the order in which your bell is struck. During a peal the sequence in which individual bells are struck will change approximately 5,000 times and each ringer will have to keep track of what they should be doing now, what they should be doing next and when they change.
The peal is scheduled to start at 10am on 31st May – Lindfield Village Day – and finish at 1pm. Assuming a calm day or a wind from the north, it should be heard on the Common as the stalls are being set up and the early birds explore what is on offer from the stall holders this year.
Look out for the Royal British Legion stall at Village Day, as this peal is also being rung in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of VE (Victory in Europe) Day which is 8th May.
