Welsh Colleges Society Change Ringers

Welsh Colleges Society Change Ringers

The Welsh Colleges Society Change Ringers is over 60 years old, and consists of students and ex students of Welsh colleges and universities (and their friends!).

The Society organises three tours each year, at Easter, and in the Summer and Autumn. The Society are often involved in various other events throughout the year such as a quarter peal tour organised by the Master. The Annual General Meeting and Dinner is usually in February.

Objectives of the Society (as set up in 1959):

  • To promote the ringing of church bells for Divine Service
  • To foster the art of change ringing, in our Colleges, and in the Principality

If you are studying in Wales, or used to (and ring bells preferably), then why not get in touch?

Welsh Colleges Society Change Ringers History

The inaugural meeting of the University of Wales Society was held on the 19 February 1959 in a car travelling at 60mph between Port Talbot and Swansea following a successful peal attempt at Aberavon. Although this peal was claimed as the ‘first peal to be rung by an all University of Wales band’, the performance was credited to the Llandaff and Monmouth Diocesan Guild given it was the practice to ring peals for the local association at the time…

…The Welsh Colleges Society Change Ringers has had a number of notable members. This has provided the opportunity to accumulate a respectable peal record over the years, allowing the WCs to be one of the few university societies able to claim a peal of Bristol Surprise Maximus rung entirely by collegiate members.

In addition to the main Society, a number of separate college societies have been established over the years to encourage local student ringing in each of the university centres. The first college society was established as the University College of Wales Society at Aberystwyth in 1961. The Cardiff Students Society followed in 1980 and more latterly there has been a collegiate society at Bangor. Although there has been a nucleus of student ringers at both Swansea and Lampeter during certain periods, it appears no formal collegiate society was ever founded at these locations.