A VETERAN bell-ringer has retired as tower captain at the age of 88.

Ian Taylor had been in the role at Ulverston’s St. Mary’s Parish Church for fifty years but has now officially retired.

A serious motorcycle accident many years ago, when he lost his right leg, kept him from the tower for a while until he was able to negotiate the forty-three steps of the very narrow spiral staircase leading up to the ringing chamber.

Recently a stroke has once again caused him to be temporarily absent from the tower.

"Bell-ringing is interesting, absorbing, there’s always something to learn and you meet a lot of nice people," he said.

“We’ve always had a good team at Ulverston and been well supported.

“Sadly, young people don’t seem to come forward to learn at present because there are so many other attractions these days.”

Ulverston Parish Church honoured the 88-year-old at their annual church parochial meeting.

Reverend Alan Bing said: “Many thanks to Ian Taylor, who has come to the end of 50 years of faithful service as Tower Captain and 70 years as a bell ringer.

“That’s a lifetime of active service. He has been going like the clappers for a long time and thought he might be a bit ring rusty after lockdown so he has decided it’s time to ring the changes and to ring out the old and ring in the new.

“Congratulations to Sue Smith, our new Tower Captain.”

Originally from Rochdale, Mr Taylor started ringing when he was around 14 years old.

During National Service in World War Two, he continued bell-ringing and cycled to the church nearest to his Hampshire base.

Following the war, he started working at GSK and moved to Ulverston with his wife Margaret.

The two later joined Ulverston Parish Church.

The couple went on frequent holidays as they experienced bell-ringing at different establishments.

This has led to Mr Taylor ringing the bells at cathedrals in Perth, Sydney and Liverpool, alongside York Minster.

With 73 years of experience bell-ringing at Sunday services, weddings and many more events, he has passed on his skills to new bell-ringers, with all six current members at the tower benefitting from his stewardship.

He hopes to return one day to ring his ‘tenor’ bell, but not as captain, with Sue Smith named as the church’s first ever female tower captain.