Pancake bell rang at Newark Parish Church to honour medieval tradition ahead of Lent

Newark has marked Pancake Day with a quirky medieval tradition.

Every year, on Shrove Tuesday a bell at Newark Parish Church is rang to to celebrate Pancake Day and the start of Lent.

This morning, the bell was rang by the deputy Master of the Ringers, Adrian Sunman, at 11am for fifteen minutes.

Adrian explained that in medieval times a bell was traditionally rung on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday to summon people to confession ahead of Lent.

Lent is traditionally a time for Christians to make a sacrifice, often a food indulgence, for a period of 40 days, to symbolise the 40 days Jesus went without food and water in the desert.

In 1950 the custom was revived in Newark, but renamed as the Pancake Bell to align with the modern tradition of making pancakes.

The bell has been rung more or less continuously every Shrove Tuesday since then, with only one or two exceptions.

As Newark Parish Church is currently closed to the public for restoration works, a pancake party will be held this afternoon from 4.30pm to 6.30pm at Hope Community Methodist Church Hall on Barnbygate, which everyone is welcome to attend.