A BAND of 13 ringers completed a record-breaking double peal at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday, ringing 10,001 changes in eight hours and 12 minutes without a break.

Their efforts, in celebration of the 800th anniversary of the Chapter House and the completion of recent renovation works, have raised more than £3000 for a new sound system in the nave — triple the original target set through Just Giving.

Exeter Cathedral is home to the second heaviest ring of bells hung for change ringing in the world: the tenor bell weighs more than 3.5 tonnes. It was the heaviest double peal ever to have been rung. The ring of 12 was mastered by 13 experienced ringers — two of whom took turns with the tenor bell.

The Ringing Master of the Exeter Cathedral Society of Ringers, Matthew Hilling, said this week that the ringers had met early and began the double peal at 8.13 a.m. The participants were able to eat and drink while ringing.

“A consistent rhythm and beat was set from the very beginning,” he said. “After three hours, many of the ringers were looking tired: a lot of effort had already been put in, and we weren’t yet at the halfway point.”

Exeter CathedralExeter Cathedral

The double peal asked for “more concentration and determination”, and the psychological relief of passing halfway — four hours and six minutes — was felt by all. “The ringing proceeded in a metronomic fashion with all the ringers searching for more energy. Finally, the end was in sight and the final push through the pain.”

At 4.45 p.m., “aching limbs brought the bells back into the same order as we started. Job done. Congratulations to everyone involved.”