On Bank Holiday Monday, 1 May, Southwark Cathedral's Ringers will attempt a record peal of bells. No substitutes are allowed during the course of the attempt and so the same twelve ringers will be ringing for approximately 10 and three-quarter hours. The peal will start at about 9:30 a.m.

2006 marks the 900th anniversary of the foundation of the priory and the 1400th anniversary of the foundation of the convent on the site of Southwark Cathedral. So, the ringers will attempt 14,000 changes, which means that they will attempt to ring the bells continuously without repeating the order in which the bells are rung at all.

Southwark's ringing team already holds the record for the longest peal of bells over two tonnes, which is 12,675 changes in 9 hours 42 minutes, rung in 1998. The next heaviest bells to have been used for a (record) peal over 12,675 changes are Birmingham Cathedral's where the tenor bell weighs 31 cwt compared to 48 cwt at Southwark, so the Southwark bells (which are among the largest in the country) are more than half as heavy again as the Birmingham ones.

The ringers will be led by Paul Mounsey, the other ringers being Michael Moreton, Andrew Graham, Stephen Mitchell, Ian Mills, Mike Palmer, Matthew Young, Chris McCarthy, Oliver Cross, Hilary Small, Andrew Mills, and Peter Valuks.

Peter Valuks, Ringing Master at Southwark Cathedral, whilst hoping that he personally can survive the day, as he is ringing the tenor bell, commented ‘This is quite a challenge but it should be a wonderful and memorable day for all involved.’

CCTV cameras will be installed in the ringing chamber and belfry so that visitors can watch on screens inside the Cathedral.

Ends.