LISTENING walks where church bell ringing can be heard in its full glory are being held on Dartmoor as part of an original arts project.

On Saturday March 27 at Shaugh Prior at 10.30am and Saturday, April 17, at Walkhampton at 10.30am, the public are invited to participate in the listening walks as part of Aune Head Arts' Dartmoor Changes project.

These walks are part of a series of six listening walks being hosted during the course of the project — the walks are free and open to all.

During the walks the sounds of church bells will be heard filtering through the woodland, echoing down village lanes and and drifting across fields and moorland. These ringing sessions are being recorded for a special CD which will contain recordings of thirty-three church towers within the Dartmoor National Park.

The plan is to start by meeting the ringers and learning some history of Dartmoor bell ringing before setting out on a walk around the parish while the bells are rung.

As one of the intentions of the project is to recruit new bell ringers, walkers who are 12 or over can try their hand at bell-ringing, under supervision.

Each walk will take up to an hour, wind and weather permitting, waterproofs and suitable footwear may be the order of the day.

The two walks will be led by Andy Stevens, co-project coordinator, who is a experienced bell ringer, musician and sound engineer.

At Shaugh Prior walkers will meet outside the church at 10.30am.

The meeting point for the walk next month will be Walkhampton Parish Church at 10.30am.

Anyone interested in finding out more or joining these walks can contact Emma Bush at Aune Head Arts on 01822 890539 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]

Alternatively, call Andy Stevens on 01392 438064 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]

Dartmoor Changes is being funded through a Local Heritage Initiative award.