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90-Year-Old Bell-Ringer Aims to Set Historic Record in Gloucestershire
15 Nov
Summary
- 90-year-old Jack Long to attempt full peal at St Peter's Church in Newnham-on-Severn
- If successful, he will become the oldest ringer in Gloucestershire to complete a full peal
- Newnham tower captain Chris North says it's "quite a mean feat" with no room for error
On November 16, 2025, 90-year-old Jack Long from Lydney, Gloucestershire, will attempt to make history by ringing a full peal at St Peter's Church in Newnham-on-Severn. If he succeeds, Long will become the oldest bell-ringer in the county to have completed this demanding task.
Long, who first learned to ring at the age of 10, has been an active member of the bell-ringing community for over 80 years. He started his ringing career at St Mary's Church in Lydney in 1945 and rang his first full peal at the age of 22.
Newnham tower captain Chris North described the challenge ahead, saying, "We have one chance to get it right, there's no stopping, pausing or fixing things and then starting again. It's quite a mean feat." A full peal requires ringing each of the seven bells more than 5,000 times without repeating the sequence, a testament to the skill and endurance required.
