Kye L Leaver

Kye's interest in bells started when he was very young when he was taken to hear the local church clock strike noon at Crawley, St John the Baptist each Sunday. 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 to admire the ringing. On Remembrance Sunday of the following year, he attended the parade at Crawley and heard the bells muffled. He asked the vicar if he could help out with the ringing, and the rest is history. He started ringing on Thursday 15th November 2018 aged 14 and was taught by his Tower Captain Roger Clarke. While installing the muffles, Kye was introduced to a book by the late George P. Elphick called Sussex Bells and Belfries after noticing the bells carried inscriptions. 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 which has inspired him to follow in the footsteps of his idol. He established The Bells of Sussex in January 2022 with the aim to produce a photographic, and up to date directory for everyone to reference from, including the history, and sound of each bell. He now continues to ring at his home tower, Crawley, St John the Baptist, along with many others, and is a loyal member of The Sussex County Association of Change Ringers. Between 2023 - 2025, Kye studied at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, doing a 2 year foundation degree in Horology, and now works full time for the Cumbria Clock Company on Church and Public clock, whilst still doing domestic clock overhauls privately.

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