Bishop of Chester calls for Wirral churches to join a mass ringing of bells on St George’s Day

Apr 21 2010 by Liam Murphy, Birkenhead News

THE Bishop of Chester is calling on Wirral churches to join a mass ringing of bells in honour of England and her patron saint on St George’s Day.

Bishop Peter Forster has given his backing to the “Ringing for England” campaign run by Libby Alexander – a London-based Roman Catholic who wants people and organisations in England to publicly celebrate the England and St George.

The Bishop’s Diocese covers all of the historic county of Cheshire along with Wirral.

He said: “Let the bells ring out in celebration of England and St George.

“We are living through a period of considerable anxiety, so now is a good time to reflect on how fortunate we are to have lived in a country as beautiful and as committed to liberty as England.

“England means different things to different people but, like the whole of the Earth, England is a gift from God, to be enjoyed by all who live here, regardless of creed, colour or anything else.

“We really ought to celebrate England in all its diversity and thank the Lord for what we have in our country.”

Bishop Peter said he hopes parishes will respond to Libby Alexander’s national call for churches to ring their bells between 6pm and 6.30pm on St George’s Day, Friday April 23.