We all have to-do lists as long as our arms over the festive season but as well as the usual merry-go-round of cooking, celebrating and present-wrapping, Sarah Peck will also have to find time to fit in a few bell-ringing sessions.
She won't be doing it alone, as the pastime is a true family affair – all of Sarah's three children are keen ringers and even husband Cris, last to succumb, is now a confirmed addict like the rest of his family.
It all started a few years ago when Sam – now 12 – heard the bells ringing at Emmanuel Church in Plymouth and said he'd like a go.
"I took him and his brother Joe along," explained Sarah. "I never expected to get into it myself but once I saw how much they enjoyed it I tried it and I've never looked back."
That was three years ago and since then Sarah and the boys have mastered a number of methods – including plain bob triples – while their seven-year-old sister Charlotte is getting the hang of call changes.
"There are loads of different ringing methods. Joe and Sam are getting quite good at Cambridge, which is pretty complicated," said Sarah.
Cris is also getting to grips with a variety of methods: "He was basically becoming what we call a ringing widow so he thought he might as well get involved," laughed Sarah.
The family now rings at least three times a week and for Joe, 13, there are many reasons to do it – chief among them the friendships he and his family have made.
"It's a real community," said Joe. "You meet really interesting people – you could be ringing with a professor one week and a doctor the next and they're all keen to pass on what they know.
"The money's not bad either!"
Indeed, ringing for weddings is a fairly lucrative supplement to bog standard pocket money – at least £10 per wedding.
"Sometimes in the summer it gets really busy," said Joe, "You just sit up in the bell tower with your packed lunch and laptop and you're set up for the day."
His favourite ringing experience so far was at Exeter Cathedral: "The bells there sounded amazing and walking across the roof to get to the tower was incredible. You could see right across Exeter and beyond."
He has his sights set on one day ringing at Liverpool's Anglican cathedral, said to be home to the world's largest bells hung for change ringing.
Emmanuel's team of young ringers recently won the Guild of Devonshire Ringers' novice striking competition. "That was a real achievement," said Sarah, who is especially pleased with the result as the winning ringers are all members of the 19th Plymouth Scout Group, where she is assistant scout leader.
Devon is a pretty good location to be a ringing fan, young or old, as it boasts the most bell installations of any county and Ian Campbell from the guild says the ringing community in the county's two cities is "fairly vibrant".
"There's an excellent team at Exeter Cathedral made up from ringers all over the county and the city churches mostly have enough ringers for a Sunday and a weekly practice, although all could probably do with some additional ringers," said Ian. "Out in the villages the story is not quite so good – many country church bells are rung infrequently, and do not have a local team."
The chance to travel to ring at village churches across the county – and as far afield as north Wales – is one of the things Sarah enjoys most.
"It's so lovely to ring bells which aren't heard very often," she said.
"Sometimes people from the village who are able to ring, but who can't ring in the church because there aren't enough of them now, join us. That is really wonderful."
But even if there are enough people to ring, other issues can prevent bells being sounded, like the ones at Plymouth's St Budeaux Parish Church which rang out the day Sir Francis Drake was married.
"The frame is rusted so the bells can't be used; they are trying to raise the funds for repairs. It would be terrible if those bells never rang again," said Sarah.
Ringing classes in London have recently been run in conjunction with YMCAFit, promoted as a way of improving fitness, and Sarah says at a recent physical assessment she was complimented on her upper body strength: "I definitely put that down to the bells!"
And Ian believes it sharpens the mind too.
"From a learning perspective there is far more to learning to ring than meets the eye," he said.
"It can take a number of weeks or even months just to master the basic handling of a bell, and to ring it in changes accurately can take from a few months to a lifetime to master advanced methods.
"Part of the attraction of ringing is the physical and mental effort required, which can carry on throughout your entire life."
It's certainly something Sarah can't see her or any of her nearest and dearest stopping any time soon, with ringing over the festive period a particular highlight.
"We enjoy all the ringing we do, but there is an extra buzz in the tower when you're ringing for Midnight Mass or on Christmas morning or at New Year," said Sarah. "And that we're doing it together as a family just makes it more special."
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