Kye L Leaver

Kye was born on August 1st 2004 in Haywards Heath and now lives in Crawley. His interest in ringing started when he was very young and was taken to see the clock chimes at 12 o’clock at Crawley, St John the Baptist on Sundays. One Thursday night, while waiting for a bus, he heard the bells pealing away and ran to the church to see what was going on. On a holiday to Weymouth in August 2017, he was awakened by the sound of the nearby church bells ringing at St Andrews Preston. He ran out the door without his shoes and admired the ringing. Kye was then introduced to the art of Campanology and got the opportunity to ring the sanctus bell before the service. On Remembrance Sunday 2018, he attended the parade at Crawley and heard the bells muffled. He asked the vicar if he could help out with the ringing and then the rest is history. He started ringing on Thursday 15th November 2018 at age 14 and was taught by his Tower Captain Roger Clarke. Kye was introduced to a book by the late George P Elphick called Sussex Bells and Belfries after asking about the history of the bells. He noticed that some of the information of the bells in some local towers needed revision and had various mistakes. Kye has now taken great inspiration from Elphick and has inspired him to follow in the footsteps of his idol. He designed the bells of Sussex in January 2022 with the aim to produce a photographic and up to date directory for everyone to reference from. The sound of the bells is also another key factor of ringing and he wishes to share the sound of the bells too. He now continues to ring at Crawley, St John the Baptist and is a loyal member of The Sussex County Association of Change Ringers. Also a frequent ringer in Essex.

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