The vibrant city of Bristol echoed with centuries of tradition, the joyful sound of expertly rung church bells, and cheers of celebration on last Saturday as Bristol won the National 12-Bell Striking Contest Final here at St Mary Redcliffe Church in Bristol.

Often dubbed the “FA Cup of bell ringing”, this prestigious annual event brought together the country’s top teams to compete in the art of change ringing — a unique English tradition that combines musicality, precision, and teamwork. This year was made even more special as it was the 50^th anniversary of the contest, which was first held at St Mary Redcliffe in 1975, and this was Bristol’s first ever win, despite numerous close calls.

What’s more, two of the band (Cameron and Gareth) had never rung in a national final before, resulting in more firsts for Bristol.

Nine elite teams from across the UK – including St Paul’s Cathedral and York Minster - earned their place in the final following rigorous qualifiers held earlier this spring. Each team completed a set piece of ringing, judged for timing, clarity, and consistency by an expert panel of judges. Bristol was placed first with an astonishing score of 96% - believed to be the highest ever in the history of the contest.

The Bristol team captain, Chris Poole, said, “To say that I'm delighted that the Bristol team won the competition is an understatement - Bristol has never won it before, and to do so against tough competition from cathedrals and churches across the country, in a historic anniversary year and on home bells, was amazing!”.

Gareth Lawson, the event organiser and one of the 12 winning ringers, said “It was an absolute delight to host the contest 50 years after its birth here in Bristol. Over the years, the contest has evolved so much in style and magnitude, but we’d never won.”

“In 2017, when I was ringing master at St Mary Redcliffe, we realised that 2025 would be a golden anniversary and felt it would be the perfect opportunity to host the final. The team of 12 ringers practiced hard, taking advantage of the familiarity of our home bells, and wanted to win so much. It all paid off and we’re proud to have made this a memorable day for all involved, bringing the coveted Taylor Trophy to Bristol.

Vicar, Reverend Canon Dan Tyndall was delighted with the turnout and how smoothly the event ran. “When the judges declared that the Birmingham team were awarded second place, leaving only Bristol to be announced, the cheers and applause from the hundreds of ringers inside the church was remarkable. What an outstanding achievement for the Bristol team.”

The event was broadcast live on YouTube for those unable to attend and has already been seen over ten thousand times by viewers all around the world. If you’re interested in seeing more, visit https://www.youtube.com/@National12Bell or search National 12 Bell Broadcast on YouTube.

Gareth would like to express his thanks to Dan and all the team here at St Mary Redcliffe for the use of the church and the bells, and to the staff and volunteers who helped make this special day a memorable one.