Hell’s Bells

When I said I was going to have a go at steam punk morris dancing, people thought it was an April Fool joke. But it ticks all my boxes for neuroplastic exercise. Who’s the fool now?

Last July, on one of the hottest days of the summer, Robin and I visited Chelsworth, a pretty Suffolk village that every year hosts an open garden festival. This gave us a chance to nosey around 20 gardens of widely diverse styles, from the manicured to messy, and also have a cheeky peek at how the better-off live. We took a break to grab a pint in the village pub and then we found these folk:

Hell’s Bells Border Morris 

I was transfixed. They looked nothing like the neat lines of men in white, waving hankies, who I remembered from my misspent youth. There are many branches of Morris tradition, and I probably only ever saw the ‘Cotswold’ style performed.

Hell’s Bells are a ‘Border’ Morris side – not a new flavour by any means, just one that I hadn’t tasted before. The side is mixed, with women in basques and fishnet tights and men in brightly coloured ‘tatter coats’ and top hats.  Lots of peacock feathers, painted faces and a steam punk theme complete the look. Cecil Sharp, famous for collecting the folk tunes of old, is said to have dismissed Border Morris as ‘degenerate’.

They noisily clashed big sticks and shouted a lot and it all looked delightfully degenerate. And a little bit dangerous. “Perfect!” I thought. “I SO want to try that!”

I asked for their card and went away to ponder how I could make this happen, not just for me, but for other people with Parkinson’s.

A new kind of support

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe (Ipswich) Christine Bullen, a new Parkinson’s UK volunteer, was enthusiastically hatching up plans to start a different type of support group. Instead of attending regular meetings in regular venues, where she always felt “like a square peg in a round hole” she wanted to mix things up a bit.

Christine has launched a programme of taster events where people with Parkinson’s, their families and friends can meet away from the public gaze to “try new things outside the usual offerings” without necessarily making a long-term commitment. I’ll be tracking their progress with interest.

I passed Hell’s Bells’ details to Christine and she was on it immediately. They invited us to a dress rehearsal for their coming summer schedule. They demonstrated some dances first and then handed us sticks and invited us to join in. They carefully explained each step and – most important – which stick hit which other stick and in which order. It could have been terrifying, but I put on my best concentrating face and started counting. If we made mistakes, it didn’t matter. No-one was decapitated and no-one fell over. We laughed a lot. They danced again, this time exchanging sticks in the air. We didn’t try this one, but there is always next time.

Magic hour

Noisily clashing big sticks ticks lots of boxes for neuroplastic exercise – big powerful movements, counting, cueing, roaring, balance, pulling faces, dual tasking and most of all FUN. It’s one of those glorious activities in which an hour or more goes by where I completely forget I have Parkinson’s.  You don’t get that by waving hankies.

Let’s go round again

With ages ranging from 22–78, Hell’s Bells are a welcoming and inclusive mixed side. We loved dancing with them and clearly the feeling was mutual, as they wrote in Facebook afterwards:

“We had the absolute privilege of hosting Off-Beat Activity for Parkinson’s on Sunday. We got to meet some lovely people and their families. Their strength and resilience proves that Morris is for everyone. Keep dancing and we look forward to following your Morris journeys.”

Thank you so much, Hell’s Bells. See you again soon.

Links

Off-Beat Parkinson’s Activity

***Still places left on Escape Room Challenge in Ipswich on 17 May – email Christine offbeatactivity@gmail.com  for details***

Hell’s Bells Event Calendar 2026

Chelsworth Open Garden Festival 2026

Beginners’ Guide to English Folk Costume