It is the middle of March and we are just about halfway through Lent, with Mothering on 6th May, bells will be rung throughout the land to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, and the bells in Cuckfield will be rung from about 9am that morning. The Coronation, primarily a Christian service rooted in longstanding tradition and Christian symbolism, will be an historic moment in the life of our nation. The tradition of ringing bells to commemorate significant events goes back hundreds of years.
More recently, bells rang out to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, and muffled bells sounded throughout the nation three months later, in September 2022, as a mark of respect at her passing. Holy Trinity has a peal of eight bells which are rung every Sunday morning to call people to worship, and are regularly rung at weddings and other special occasions throughout the year.

Six bells were recorded as being in existence in 1630, and these were recast in 1815 at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, two more being added at the same time. All were re-hung in 1903 and range in weight from the Treble at 5 cwt. to the Tenor at 15 cwt. Visitors are always welcome at our Thursday evening practice nights, whether to join in the ringing or just to watch the ringers and admire the bells.
At present we have nine Cuckfield ringers of varying ages, although sometimes we are joined by ringers from other towers. Bellringing is open to all ages and is not as strenuous as you may think, so why not give it a try? For more information, contact the Bellringers Secretary, David Wilson on 01444 456777. Holy Trinity will celebrate the Coronation again on the Sunday evening with a special Evensong for a King at 6pm.

Holy Trinity Church Cuckfield, West Sussex RH17 5JZ Tel: 01444 456461 Vicar: Vacant More information: www.holytrinitycuckfield.org Churchwardens: Jane Coan and Brian Cutler