Bells Ring Out at Bourne

On Tuesday, the Colten Companions welcomed pupils from St Michaels Middle School, Colehill, to our home.

The 8–12-year-olds brought with them their beautiful handbells. Some of the children have been learning for about 3 years, but a couple were new to this musical instrument and had only been practising for about 3 months. They all played so well, and our resident Denis Wick, who spent many years playing with the London Symphony Orchestra, said, “This has taken me straight back to when I was at school, practising for my exams.”

The children played many songs, including Edelweiss, which the residents all sang along to. Afterwards, the handbells were passed to the residents so they could feel how heavy the individual bells were and if they could make them ‘dong.’ It took Angela Kaitcer a few times to get the gong to sound in her bells. She also commented on the different weights of each bell.

The teachers, Ruth, Sheila, and Ed, all said how good it was for the children to perform to such a different audience and having to travel to a venue to perform. We could also tell that the youngsters had really enjoyed themselves too, when we realised that all the biscuits and drinks we had provided were all consumed quickly!