St Nicolas has a long history of bell ringing and the current ring of ten bells was once the lightest ten in the country. It is unusual for such a small church to have ten bells and the ring is accommodated on two frames one above the other. The lower frame is partly made up of the 17th century frame from the earliest recorded installation of bells in St Nicolas. The bells are rung every Sunday for Sunday Service, also at Weddings by request and on other occasions such as the Annual Friends of St Nicolas Concert.
The St Nicolas Band
The St Nicolas Band is small but enthusiastic and very friendly and has several families amongst the members; our ages range from 7 to over 70, and we have a good tradition of social activities and ringing outings. We welcome visitors who either just want to see what goes on in the tower, or who may be interested in learning to ring. Come down to one of our practises on Tuesday evenings from 7.30 pm to 9.00. You need not be from the parish; many of our ringers attend other churches or none at all. We also warmly welcome ringers who may be visiting the area or who have just moved into the locality - come and give us a try. If you would like to ensure we will be practicing, please contact the Tower Captain by email: bells@nsab.org.uk
The Bell Frame Appeal
The combination of a very old and historic frame and enhancements to the bells in the last 50 years has meant that there is some small but perceptible movement in the lower bell frame, and if this is not corrected then the bells will over the period of a few short years become unringable on safety grounds. To prevent this occurring the band are raising money with the agreement of the PCC to carry out both a stabilisation of the frame and some improvement of the bell handling. The appeal is trying to raise £15,000 and has already reached almost half that sum, but more help is urgently required so we can commit to undertaking the work in January 2007. If you want more details please phone or e-mail the Tower Captain.
