[Bell Historians] Copy of a letter to the RW re Church bells.

[Richard Offen]

> I don't really believe that the new listing criteria will make a 
huge difference. The main factor is that the CofE is an organisation 
in decline, and there is simply nowhere near as much money available 
for bell work within the church as there used to be. Consider the 
recent major bell projects (i.e. new rings, especially higher 
numbers). Almost all of these projects have been driven by the 
ringers, who have in many cases raised large parts of the funding.
> 
> David

Hasn't this always been the case though? In my 40 odd years as a 
ringer most of the vast majority of the projects I've been involved 
in (and there were a hell of a lot of them when I was in Kent!) have 
been driven by ringers and most of the funds raised by them as well - 
the ringers nearly drowned in a sea of home-made chutney, waste paper 
and greetings cards when we were raising money for the new eight at 
St Michael's Maidstone for instance (please, nobody tell me the old 
Warner middle six of eight there should have been listed ...I'll 
scream!)!

R