Essex Young Ringers

Essex Young Ringers‘ is an informal group made up of any young ringers of all abilities from Essex under the age of 25.  Also known as Essex Young Eagles, we are a group of enthusiastic young ringers, parents and helpers who meet on the fourth Sunday of the month from 4pm to 6pm.  

We have a good mix of ages in the group and focus on helping the group progress their ringing repertoire and striking as a team, as well as enjoying social time and snacks together!  If a young ringer would like their ringing teacher to come along with them, that’s fine too but there are always experienced ringers present to support the young people as required.

Parents and other supporters are encouraged to come along to any events too.  We want to get every young ringer to join in so don’t worry if you can only ring rounds at the moment — all are welcome. 

The practices are led by Christina Brewster, Youth Coordinator, with help from other experienced ringers. The ringing is sometimes run by one of the young people. 

For more information and dates of events, please email the Youth Coordinator, follow us on Facebook.  This is a closed group and you should contact Christina to gain access

Young Ringers Practices are open to all young ringers of all abilities. At the practices we aim to give everyone an opportunity to work on whatever they are learning in their tower and progress or try something that their tower cannot offer.  

We have regular monthly practices at different towers around the Association but do focus on mid-Essex and the A12 corridor to enable more people to join us.  

As well as monthly practices, we have a mini-outing followed by a social event in March and an all-day outing in September.  

As the Essex Young Eagles, we also enter 2 striking contests further afield: The South East England Contest in April (which rotates around the Berkshire, Essex, Guildford, Hertfordshire, Sussex, Kent and Surrey and started in 2016) and the Ringing World National Youth Competition in July (which the Eagles have taken part in since its inception in 2011) with over 30 teams of young ringers from all over the UK coming together for a fantastic day out.  

The RWNYC has taken place in London (4 times), Birmingham (2), York (2), Worcester (2), Oxford, Liverpool and Exeter.  The days programme has enabled our young ringers to ring the Great Bells of Bow, Southwark Cathedral, the Jubilee bells at Garlickhythe, St Martins in the Bullring in Birmingham, York Minster, Worcester Cathedral, Christchurch Oxford, Liverpool Cathedral and Exeter Cathedral and many others.  This year’s contest takes place on 5 July in Birmingham. 

All team members must be aged under 19 on 31^st August in the year of the Contest.  We are very proud of our Essex Young Eagles for winning the Ringing World Editor’s Trophy for Excellence in Exeter in 2022 and for coming second in Worcester in 2014 and 2021.  The Eagles have also won SEECON in 2022 and 2023.

For the first time this year, a band will take part in the Essex Association 8 Bell Competition at Terling on 12 July.

Looking ahead please encourage any new young ringers you are aware of to come along to any of the events advertised in the Essex Calendar and tell them that they will be welcome whatever their standard of ringing.  Please do encourage them – non-ringing parents often don’t realise how welcoming the ringing community is to everyone so explain how it all works. 

We’re anxious to recruit the next wave of young ringers, build up their experience and help them organise themselves. The Young Ringers caters for every ability – some ringers are getting really good at learning to call touches and ring heavier bells, whilst other ringers are at the other end of their ringing path having just mastered backstrokes.

Safeguarding our young ringers is very important and we always make sure that there are leaders present with the appropriate DBS certification and Safeguarding training.  We also control communications via parents/guardians.  

All our events have adults with DBS in attendance and all safeguarding precautions are taken.  We also ensure that written or verbal permission has been given by parents/carers before photographs which include children are submitted for publication to this website, BellBoard or the Ringing World.

Ringing World National Youth Contest

The Ringing World

BellBoard

Change Ringing Resources (bellringing related websites)

Dove’s Guide for Church Bell Ringers

Please click here to see all archive information pre-2025.