CELEBRATIONS to mark the 25th anniversary of the installation and dedication of the bells at St Mary’s Parish Church have got under way.

The bells at the Haddington church date back more than 100 years but were brought to East Lothian as part of an initiative to mark the millennium.

Now, the Haddington Society of Change Ringers are getting ready to mark the occasion.

Sally Thomas, previously the group’s master ringer, has been involved with the organisation since it was formed in 1999.

Since then, the group has grown to about 20 members, who attend weekly practice sessions on a Friday evening.

Sally outlined what is needed to be a bell ringer, with ages ranging from people in their twenties to their nineties.

Sally, who lives in New Winton, has been bell ringing for about 50 years and said: “You need to be fit enough to climb the stairs.

“We have got nearly 70 in Haddington and you need to be fit enough for gentle to moderate exercise.

“It is not about strength, it is all about technique. You do not need to be very, very strong to ring bells.

“We teach youngsters from the age of about 13 and there are some towers where youngsters aged 10 or 11 are more than capable of ringing.

“Like any activity, it takes time to learn the skills you need to be able to ring bells on your own.”

Sally told the Courier people were often surprised to find out it was human power and not machine that sounded the bells.

She said: “We quite regularly have people in the town and open the tower for people to come and have a look.

“They often say they thought it was a machine or a computer and they are surprised.

“They also tend to have a view that it is like you see on television or Christmas cards and people are swinging up in the air, which is absolutely not the case!”

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The history of the bells and their connection to the Haddington church dates back to the summer of 1996.

Dunecht Estate, near Aberdeen, decided to sell a set of eight bells cast in 1911 to celebrate the coronation of George V.

The Scottish Association of Change Ringers raised £11,000 by interest-free loans to keep the bells in Scotland.

The bells, which sound for church services, as well as weddings, funerals and other social occasions, found a new home in April 1999, with test ringing taking place in May.

The then Moderator of The General Assembly, The Rt Rev John Cairns, dedicated the bells at the 11am service on June 6, 1999.

On Saturday (June 22), the bell ringers will be ringing two quarter peals, coinciding with the Haddington Society of Change Ringers’ annual dinner.

Then, in October, the Scottish Association of Change Ringers will visit Haddington for their annual meeting.