No more bellringing practice at Huish.
Hundreds of people across Huish Episcopi can finally throw their ear plugs away as St Mary's Church bellringers suspend their Wednesday night practices for the summer. The band of ringers, old and new, don't plan to pull their clappers again until the end of August.
Sunday service ringing will continue as usual though - bad luck St Mary's Park residents - as will ringing for the odd wedding...and let's face it...weddings certainly can be quite odd around here these days...especially when an escaped ferret from Courtfield gets into church and darts up the vicar's cassock just as she's blessing the rings...but that's another story.
Anyone can become a campanologist (look it up) and is welcome to wander up the tower at 7.30pm on Wednesday evenings in the autumn to take a look.
"You don't have to be a church-goer, you get to see the inside of some beautiful church towers, it's great back exercise and you get to wake up all your mates in bed with hangovers on Sundays" said a spokeswoman - as she buffed her clapper with vaseline.
In some villages across England, bellringing practice nights and even on Sunday mornings has had to be scrapped due to complaints from townies who live nearby who can't grasp the fact that living near a functioning church might just involve having to listen to bells every week. Carry On Langport is pleased to say that nobody is daft or stupid enough to attempt anything similar around Huish Episcopi.
Above: The eight glorious bells which regularly chime out across Huish Episcopi. Notice the church's very own Quasimodo scampering around in the background.
Thanks to Somerton photographer James Thurtle for the picture.
