Ring Your Bell and join thousands of people to help create the UK’s biggest London 2012 Celebration Any Bell. Anyone. Anywhere. 08:12 27th July.

Artist Martin Creed with Children from Sistema Scotland’s Big Noise orchestra
© Chris Watt Photography

Everyone in the UK is invited to take part in Turner Prize-winning artist and musician Martin Creed’s Work No. 1197: All the bells in a country rung as quickly and as loudly as possible for three minutes at 08:12 on 27th July 2012 to celebrate the first day of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the culmination of the Cultural Olympiad.

Anyone can take part by ringing any kind of bell for three minutes - from enthusiastic children with hand bells, bicycle bells and doorbells to experienced change ringing experts of tower bells. To get involved all individuals, communities and organisations are encouraged to register at www.allthebells.com

This unique London 2012 Festival commission is the festival’s biggest community project and offers everyone in the UK the amazing opportunity to be part of a work by a Turner Prize-winning artist and London 2012’s history. Martin Creed has said: ‘It could be a brilliant and amazing sound.”

Thousands of people have already registered to take part and the performance has captured the imagination of many organisations and individuals, including The Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, The British Army, The RAF, the National Trust, The Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers, the National Theatre, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, The Girl Guides Association, The Royal British Legion, the Women’s Institute, Creative Scotland and many more.

All The Bells will be broadcast by the BBC to a potential live audience of over 10 million people across the UK on TV, radio and online - including BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 2 Chris Evans Breakfast Show and BBC local radio stations.

The cacophonous sound of thousands of bells across the country ringing out at the same time to mark this historical moment will be a thrilling experience and a nationwide celebration. Bell ringing highlights in include:

• Big Ben, the hour bell of the Palace of Westminster, will chime more than 40 times from 8:12AM – 8:15AM to ring in the Olympic Games. This is a historic occasion for one of the world’s most famous bells, as it is the first time that the strike of Big Ben has been rung outside its regular schedule since 15 February 1952, when it tolled every minute for 56 strokes from 9:30AM for the funeral of King George VI.

• Three hundred children will be ringing bells on HMS Belfast, which will fire its canons in a countdown to 08:12.

• All four Parliaments in the UK, Holyrood, The National Assembly for Wales, Stormont, and the House of Commons, will be ringing in unison.

• Over a hundred people will be joining The Fruitmarket Gallery in Edinburgh for bell-ringing on the famous Scotsman Steps, an important part of the cityscape featuring Work No. 1059, a public artwork by Martin Creed that was commissioned in 2010 and has been central to the renovation of the steps.

• Tresco Bike Store on The Isles of Scilly will supply bikes for people to ride to the most Westerly church in the UK, and ring bicycle bells alongside the church bells.

• Queens Park Baptist Church in Glasgow will be meeting at 7.45am. Bring your own bell and stay for post ringing coffee & pastries.  Bring a bell to Aberdeen Art Gallery and join in this once in a life time celebration.  Those of you in Dundee can gather on the forecourt of Dundee Contemporary Arts to ring whatever bells you feel able to carry that morning.

• Hundreds of people will be ringing bells on HMS Belfast, which will fire its canons in a countdown to 08:12.

• The Royal Navy and the Royal Fleet Auxiliary will be participating across the UK and overseas with as many ships, shore bases and naval establishments as possible.

• British Embassies around the world will be joining in, including the British Embassy in Beijing, which is inviting the sole survivor of China’s 1948 London Olympics team to ring a bell that was cast to mark the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria.

Ruth Mackenzie, Director, Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival, said: ‘The commission shows the Festival’s commitment to world-class artists and to the values of participation. Martin Creed’s wonderful idea gets everyone involved in the opening day of the Games not just as an audience but as an integral part of the work.’

Leonie Bell, Scotland Cultural Programmer in Scotland for London 2012, said; 'It’s terrific that this commission allows the whole of the UK to play a part in Martin Creeds artwork and the London 2012 festival.  This is just one exciting project in an inspiring programme of cultural activity taking place in a diverse range of settings across Scotland to celebrate the London 2012 festival. This is a very special summer indeed and the I hope as many people across Scotland and the UK join in this Friday as we aim to set a world record for the largest number of bells to be rung simultaneously.'

Everyone who signs up will be able to download an exclusive Martin Creed ringtone, Work No. 1372, which features 28 different bell sounds. The Official London 2012 Join In App also incorporates a line of Martin’s composition as a shake and play feature.  Further information is available on www.allthebells.com.