Christmas Eve bell-ringing campaign reaches almost half a million supporters
PA
23 December 2020, 2:55 pm
Almost half a million people have pledged to take part in a Christmas Eve bell-ringing to combat loneliness.
The Prime Minister and his fiancee Carrie Symonds will be among those taking part, after they phoned organiser Mary Beggs-Reid about the campaign on Tuesday morning.
Mrs Beggs-Reid, from Harrogate, North Yorkshire, said her event is “more needed now than ever” after strict measures have been put in place across the UK to help combat the spread of coronavirus.
With the event taking place on Thursday, more than 477,000 people have now joined Mrs Beggs-Reid’s Facebook group Worldwide Christmas Eve Jingle.
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Dottie Perham-Whittier, center, coordinator of community relation in Lewiston, and Lewiston City Council President Michel Lajoie deliver 24 Christmas cards and 24 bells to Cynthia Scott on Dec. 11 at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston. The bells and cards will be given to children at the hospital this month. Mayor Mark Cayer is encouraging people to go outside at 6 p.m. Christmas Eve and ring a bell during the worldwide “Christmas Eve Jingle.”
Daryn Slover/Sun Journal
LEWISTON The idea started in a British neighborhood and has slowly caught on. Now, officials in Lewiston are urging local residents to join in.
Toronto’s mayor is encouraging residents to join in on a worldwide cheer for front-line workers set to occur on Christmas Eve. The global “Christmas Eve Jingle” has been widely promoted on social media over the last few weeks, with people from all around the world committing to the 6 p.m. tribute. The event asks residents to go outside for two minutes and cheer, clap or ring a bell, “with the added option of carols to sing after.” The organizer of the global initiative told CTV News the idea came from the holiday movie Elf. At the end of the film, the cast gathers to sing a song to help Santa Claus sleigh, which runs on Christmas spirit, fly.
A campaigner looking to combat loneliness has said her event is “more needed now than ever” ahead of her meeting with the Prime Minister.
Mary Beggs-Reid from Harrogate, north Yorkshire, has organised a bell-ringing on Christmas Eve to spread festive cheer, which she claims has reached “millions”.
Thousands across the UK have been asked to ring out bells for two minutes at 6pm on December 24 as part of the campaign, which started on October 19.
“We’ve got nearly half a million on the Facebook group, but so many people say they’ve delivered the idea to hundreds of their neighbours that aren’t on social media, so I think we’re now probably in our millions doing it all across the UK,” Mrs Beggs-Reid, aged 41, told the PA news agency.
What you need to know about the Christmas Eve bell-ringing campaign Thousands of people across the UK have backed a campaign to ring a bell on Christmas Eve to spread cheer and combat loneliness. Mary Beggs-Reid from Harrogate, north Yorkshire, has organised a bell-ringing on Christmas Eve, which she claims has reached “millions”. And it has been backed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who met with Mrs Beggs-Reid on Tuesday on a virtual call. With similarities to Clap for Carers, thousands across the UK have been asked to ring out bells for two minutes at 6pm on December 24 as part of the campaign, which started on October 19.