Sussex Churches Bell Restoration Fund

The Bell Restoration Fund (BRF) is a registered charity (268588) which provides financial assistance for the restoration, maintenance and improvement of existing church bells, towers and belfries. The fund also supports preservation of bells from redundant churches. All the fund's activities are within the Diocese of Chichester in Sussex. 

The fund is administered by the BRF Committee, which comprises the Association Master, General Secretary, BRF Secretary, Treasurer, Trustees and four other appointed members of the Association. The committee coordinates fund-raising for the BRF. Applications for a grant for financial or other assistance must be made to the BRF Secretary (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) using the Application form. To make a donation to the BRF, please see the main Charity Overview page.

The BRF report and accounts are published in the Annual Report (at the AGM) each May for the previous calendar year. A copy of the Bell Restoration Fund Bye-laws can be found below:

Bell Restoration Fund Bye-Laws

BRF Application form (PDF) [Word version]

Bell Maintenance Course Notes

Grants for Tower Simulators

Funds for are available for helping towers in Sussex install simulator and training equipment such as dumb-bells. The money (£8000) comes from a legacy left to the Association by Brian Burrough (who learned to ring at Itchingfield in the 1950s and latterly rang at St Leonards), who died in 2006. It was his wish that the legacy be used for the advancement of ringing in Sussex. It is hoped that by offering some financial support, a wide mix of towers across the county might consider installing equipment. An application form is available below. Please contact a member of your local committee for guidance. 

Simulator & Dumb-bell Grant Application Form

About the Association

The Sussex County Association of Change Ringers (SCACR) was formed in 1885 and currently has about 1300 members and 136 towers. The SCACR is a registered charity, and is affiliated to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.

The Association is divided into four Districts: North, South, East and West. Each District has an elected group of volunteer officers (Committee) who organise activities and events in their District.

The overall running of the Association is managed by the General Committe (elected volunteer officers). There are also four teams of volunteers who help with particular aspects:

You can find out more about the Committees and Teams, including contact details.

Association Aims

  • promoting the ringing of church bells to call people to worship
  • encouraging the recruitment and training of all ringers and advancing the art of change ringing
  • supporting the proper care and use of church bells and belfries
  • providing support to projects to restore, maintain or improve existing bells and the towers and belfries housing them, and seeking the preservation of bells from redundant churches for the purpose of ringing in churches

Become a member

SCACR Rules

If you are interested in making a donation or leaving a legacy, please contact the Treasurer (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

District Newsletters

The Association produces two different types of news publications. The SCACR magazine, Soundbow, is produced quarterly, and each District also produces regular newsletters.

The newsletters include District news and information about upcoming practices, social events and meetings. Each of the four Districts produces regular newsletters: Northern News, Sally Forth (West), Look To! (East), and Southern News.

Northern News Sally ForthSouthern NewsLook To!

All four newsletters are available by email or by post. All SCACR members should automatically receive their District's newsletter, which is included in the SCACR annual subscription. Any member can request to be added to the email list for any or all of the District newsletters (contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).

Please send articles and photos to the relevant Newsletter Editor or Publicity Officer:

Northern News: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sally Forth: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Look To: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Southern News: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you have not received the relevant newsletter(s), please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Codgers

Post-COVID update, autumn 2022:
There are no monthly meetings at present as a replacement organiser has not so far come forward. There are 60 ringers in the Codgers address list so it should be possible for a volunteer (or volunteers) to step forward! It would certainly be a shame if Codgers ceased, as it has been running since the early 1990’s. The organiser’s duties are fairly minimal and could easily be shared by more than one person.

In the present format, for each month the two towers need choosing, (and a suitable local pub selected) then approached to confirm availability. Usually the pub menu is circulated to members and forwarded to the pub on the Monday before the meeting. A Risk Assessment must be generated for each meeting which although it may seem an onerous task being 5 pages long, only the first two pages change each month. The organiser(s) also need to nominate a ringer to run the ringing at each tower.

Perhaps the present format of the meetings requires change, eg only one tower per meeting and a pub lunch so the afternoons are free? Anything is possible depending on what is required by the members.
Please get in touch with Mike Foster at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to volunteer or for more information.

Pre-COVID:
'Codgers' is a group of ringers across Sussex of all ages who get together to for a 'mini-outing' once a month.  Although members are predominantly from Sussex there are several from other counties. The group will happily ring rounds and call changes as well as more difficult methods. Ringers of all ages and skills are welcome as long as they can handle a bell safely by themselves with reasonable striking.

The 'Codgers' meet once a month, usually on the first Wednesday. The usual arrangement is to ring at two towers with a pub lunch between towers. The group also have a longer summer outing, usually in June each year.

The venue for the month is published in the calendar. Details are also circulated to the Codgers mailing list about one week beforehand. Anyone interested in coming along can get more details from the calendar.

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This form is for general enquiries.
To contact a tower correspondent directly use the phone numbers in the Tower directory page.

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