Handbells 

Handbells have been used in churches to allow tower bells ringers to practice, especially perhaps on cold winter’s nights. However, there is another old English tradition of tune ringing on handbells which is what Aylesford Handbell Ringers do.

We meet for a weekly practice on most Monday evenings in the Brassey Centre from 7.00 pm to 8.30 pm. In addition to our set of handbells we also have a set of 16 handchimes.

Handchimes can be played in a similar fashion to handbells but produce a quieter and more mellow sound. They are a bit easier to handle in some ways, are cheaper and more robust and add variety to our performances. If you have not seen handchimes in action, this link will show you an excellent Hong Kong band performing a musical setting of the Lord’s Prayer. They have more ringers than we do and a much greater range of instruments.

To make best use of our instruments we are keen to welcome new members of any age. You do not need to be able to read music to be able to join the band, and our experience is that new ringers soon become able to ring successfully. We enjoy working together to improve and extend our range, but the emphasis is on “enjoy”.

If you are interested, please contact Gordon Hunt (01622 769634).