Broxbourne HBR attended its first National Rally in 1977 when it performed in the 10th Anniversary Festival and has attended many more since then, including the 50th Anniversary Rally at Exeter in 2017.
There are currently 14 members, ringing 5 octaves of Whitechapel handbells and several octaves of hand chimes. Our team is part of the East Anglia Region of Handbell Ringers of Great Britain (HRGB) All our members have rung at Regional events, while Broxbourne ringers make up almost a third of the East Anglia Regional Handbell Team (EART) of 30+ ringers who give several concerts in the region every year in May and June. Many of our team have rung solos at National Rallies and have participated in the International Handbell Symposium which takes place in even-numbered years in countries such as Australia, USA, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada and the UK.
We are continually developing our repertoire to provide a varied selection of classical pieces and hymn tunes, popular tunes, Christmas pieces and works composed specifically for handbells.
Though amateurs, we aim to ring as musically and as professionally as possible.
Bells have been rung in the Parish since the 1850s. One photograph survives of a team believed to be from Broxbourne Parish Church.
From the early 1960s bells were often rung at Christmas by a few ringers, but it wasn't until 1975 that Broxbourne Handbell Ringers formed a permanent team. In that inaugural year, the team played in public at least 5 times, including the first charity collection at Broxbourne Station in the run up to Christmas. Also in that year the team joined HRGB as team number 253.
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Broxbourne Handbell Ringers
“For almost 50 years one of the biggest and best teams in the country”