Askrigg Handbell Ringers
The current team have been playing together since 2015 and are based within or nearby to Askrigg. We meet on a Thursday evening to rehearse in the local village hall. The bells belong to St. Oswald’s church and carry the maker’s imprint ‘MEARS’, this probably dates them to around the turn of the last century. The set comprises a two and a half octave range and it requires a minimum of 8 players in the team. We use a style called ‘In Hand’. This simply means that each player holds two primary bells that they may play in any given piece. Malcolm (pictured in the middle) arranges and/or adapts music for our specific range of bells and the group have performed in various venues in Wensleydale and surrounding areas. The group are particularly popular during the Christmas period and in December 2019 played in Wakefield Cathedral as guests of the Yorkshire Philharmonic Choir for their Christmas concert.
If anyone is interested in joining the group and learning to play please contact us at askrigghandbells@gmail.com