A BELLRINGER will be ringing in the change of King in the same way she did 70 years ago for the Queen.

Donna Baker, 83, was only 13 when she rang the changes for Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation, having only learned to ring when she was 12.

She and her existing team and some new recruits, who joined especially for the occasion, will be ringing on Saturday morning and evening and Sunday morning as part of Tavistock’s Eustachius Church’s Coronation celebrations.

Donna, a member of Tavistock Parish Church tower, lived in Gosport, near Portsmouth, when she rang for the Queen.

She said: ‘I’m very proud to be part of the team ringing for King Charles’ Coronation and having been only a little girl when I was ringing for the Queen at Alverstoke Church. That makes me feel very honoured and it’s unlikely to be on offer again in my lifetime.

‘There can’t be many people like me who have been ringing so long and are still ringing so that we were involved in both Coronation celebrations. That’s only happened because I learned to ring so young. It’s the best time to learn, when you are in your teens.’

The Tavistock tower will be ringing between 9.15am and 10.15am on Saturday and members will also be sharing themselves around other churches short of ringers, so that bells can sound out all over the parish, including Brentor, Mary Tavy and further afield, at Stowford, near Okehampton.

The 9.45am Sunday morning service, led by The Rev Sue Tucker, will have special prayers and music, including the Royal School of Church Music’s Coronation Anthem, Sing for the King – the Mountains Shall Bring Peace, by Joanna Forbes L’Estrange.

After the service, celebrations will be rounded off on Sunday afternoon with a barbecue for parishioners in the Vicarage garden.

On Sunday evening the team will be ringing a quarter peal (an hour-long peal) which is around 1,260 changes.

Donna is also an author who writes about fictional Devon village life and former civil servant who has rang for other royal occasions. She said: ‘This Coronation is a very special event for me and also for about six others who joined the team to learn to ring especially for the Coronation. They will join the main team for the first time to mark the Coronation.

‘Bells can be very physically and mentally demanding. As part of the St Eustachius team we are expected to take part in these national events, such as the Platinum Jubilee and the Queen’s funeral. In Gosport I was a very excited girl ringing for the Queen’s Coronation.

‘We had a street party and my mum’s piano was dragged into the street and we had a sing-song. We watched a film of the Coronation in the school a few days later in colour on a big screen. I’ll watch it at home this weekend.’

St Eustachius, holds a free Coronation Concert today (Thursday) at 1pm to 1.45pm, at the Tavistock Festival. People can dress in celebratory style, and sing Rule Britannia and the National Anthem.