UK: OLYMPICS: Thousands of bells, big and small, ring out across Britain as the country prepares for the London Olympics opening ceremony
Record ID:
187154
UK: OLYMPICS: Thousands of bells, big and small, ring out across Britain as the country prepares for the London Olympics opening ceremony
- Title: UK: OLYMPICS: Thousands of bells, big and small, ring out across Britain as the country prepares for the London Olympics opening ceremony
- Date: 27th July 2012
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (JULY 27, 2012) (ITN - NO ACCESS UK/ABC (AUSTRALIA)/TVNZ/.CO.UK SITES (INTERNET)) VARIOUS OF BIG BEN RINGING BELLS AT 8:15AM (0715GMT)
- Embargoed: 11th August 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: United Kingdom
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA9TSHHUY1LP97U6YCMOFDVSJ87
- Story Text: Big Ben and the HMS Belfast joined churches across the UK and British embassies around the world on Friday (July 27) for a bell-ringing extravaganza to prepare for the London Olympics opening ceremony later in the day.
People were encouraged to ring any kind of bell -- from a church, a bicycle, a door and even a mobile phone as the harmonious ringing spread from Wales in the west to Weymouth in the south.
One of the biggest bells taking part was London's Big Ben in parliament's clock tower, the first time it has rung outside its regular hours since the funeral of King George VI in 1952.
It chimed about 40 times between 8:12 (0712 GMT) and 8:15 a.m. after special permission was granted by parliament.
The ceremony was devised by artist Martin Creed as part of a 12-week programme of cultural events celebrating the arts alongside sport.
Creed, whose won the famous Turner prize with an installation of lights going on and off in an empty room, created "Work No. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes."
More than ten million listeners were expected to have tuned in to the live broadcasts shown on TV, radio and online.
At an event on board HMS Belfast in London, British Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt joined in the bell-ringing.
When asked about U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's comments about questioning the readiness of the British capital to stage the Games, Hunt hit back with a playful jibe.
"I prefer to listen to what Jacques Rogge says, the president of the IOC, and when we have the opening ceremony tonight, hopefully we'll be saying that Britain is responsible for eight of the top ten sports and the U.S. only two. And that will be a special message for Mitt Romney," he told Reuters Television.
Three hundred children, including young dancers from the Asian community in London, girl guides and brownies, took part in the ceremony on board the ship.
In Beijing, the British embassy rang its bell which was cast in 1897 for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee while staff at the High Commission in Bangladesh rang rickshaw bells.
In Brussels, the British ambassador rang the bell at the Belgian Stock Exchange to begin the day's trading. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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