The legendary war correspondent, who also had a stint himself as an Independent MP, was in town on Saturday to join Mr Rickersey on his campaign trail.
And he took time out from talking to shoppers to tell Chad how he had become involved in the local battle.
"I was asked to address a group about three months ago and was very impressed with Mr Rickersey's campaign," he said.
"I think we need more Independents in the House of Commons. I admire what they have achieved in Mansfield and Ashfield."
The white-suited ex-MP, pictured left greeting Mr Rickersey, travelled down from Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency, Sedgefield, in County Durham, where he had been campaigning with Independent candidate Reg Keys.
He then spent the morning handing out leaflets to shoppers in Mansfield town centre, before heading to Ashfield in the afternoon to help drum up support for Mr Rickersey's fellow Independent candidate Kate Allsop.
Mr Bell is also well-known for his legendary fight to unseat scandal-hit Tory Neil Hamilton in Tatton in 1997, where he won by a majority of 11,000 votes – and now he says the Independent candidates here can do the same.
"I believe the Independents will do something no other party can do – offer a challenge to the one-party rule," he said.
"And I think they can win in the three fields — that is Mansfield, Ashfield and Sedgefield."
- Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.