Will church bells ring in Doncaster for Brexit this week? Here's the answer

There had been calls for Britain’s departure from the EU at 11pm on January 31 to be marked with the bongs of Big Ben – as well as churches across the country ringing bells.

However, the Big Ben scheme was scrapped because of the £500,000 it would have cost to get the clock tower up and running, despite more than £200,000 being raised by a crowdfunding project.

The attention then turned to getting churches across the country to mark the occasion – but it seems Doncaster will be silent this Friday.

Doncaster Minster is the town’s biggest and best known church – but the bell tower will be silent when Britain departs the EU.

Churchwarden Clive Howarth said: “Church bells, are of course, a device to summon the people to attend church services and are rung at the Minster by a volunteer band of bell ringers, who will ring for some of the regular Sunday services as well as for weddings and funerals, when requested to do so.

“The Church of England law is clear that every church shall be provided with at least one bell to ring the people to service.”

“Control of the ringing of church bells belongs jointly to the incumbent and the churchwardens with the qualification that no bell should he rung contrary to the incumbent’s direction.

“Our policy at the Minster reflects that of the Central Council for Church Bell Ringers which says: “the Central Council, as a principle, does not endorse bell ringing for political reasons.”

“On that basis, the Minster will not be ringing bells on January 31 to mark Brexit.”

Nigel Farage is hosting a party in Parliament Square while a countdown clock will be projected onto the walls of 10 Downing Street.

Locally, pro-EU and pro-Remain group Best For Doncaster is hosting a #ThankEU party with European music and food, while a Leavers’ party at Doncaster’s Diamond Live Lounge has been cancelled due to “unforeseen circumstances.”