Bell-ringer to make ropes for West End musical

Bell ringer Trevor Arnold (left) has perfected the art of rope making, which he initially took up as a hobby

A man from Kent who learnt a new hobby in lockdown has been asked to make ropes for the West End musical Sister Act.

Bell-ringer Trevor Arnold, from Rodmersham, near Sittingbourne, took up rope making when a nearby church needed to refurbish it's belfry.

He said said life had been "different ever since".

Since perfecting the skill, he has made rope for a bell in the Archbishop of Canterbury's private chapel in Lambeth Palace.

From left to right, bell ringers Merrick Jardine, Phil Fagg, Fergus Jardine and Trevor Arnold

On Wednesday, he was asked to make ropes for Sister Act, starring Beverley Knight and Ruth Jones.

Mr Arnold spoke to BBC Radio Kent at his workshop - the Maypole Bells in Lynsted.

At first, he made bells but the first rope that was made for him fell apart.

"Then I decided with my friend Phil to go down and see how they were made," he said.

"I had a few lessons and life has been different ever since," he added.

Mr Arnold took up the hobby of ropemaking during lockdown

He said: "The only way you can make bell ropes, or learn to make them, is to make them", adding that there was "nothing on YouTube".

His newly-acquired skill had "all come to fruition this year," he said.

Mr Arnold said it was "really exciting" when they received the order from an agency for the West End production.

"As soon as I heard the phone call, it was 'Hands on! Let's get going!'".