Saturday 12th October 2024
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When history looks back at the 2010s in a broad sense, I expect Brexit will get a mention, the four general elections will be brought up, England’s cricket World Cup victory should merit a few lines, the wet Diamond Jubilee of the Queen’s reign will be duly noted and some chap called Ed Sheeran from Framlingham could well get some words in dispatches.
From a ringing perspective though, it will be regarded as a decade that saw its international appeal grow, with change-ringing in the Netherlands getting established and introduced to Belgium, France and Singapore and some quite astonishing ringing going on in the country where it first started. Even just yesterday Simon Melen incredibly rang four bells to a handbell peal of Orion Surprise Maximus, following up a similar feat to a peal of Bristol Surprise Maximus earlier in the decade, whilst some of the long lengths rung have been staggering. Twice the record for the longest peal on twelve was broken, first with a 21,216 of Cambridge Surprise Maximus at South Petherton in 2015 and then 25,056 changes of Bristol Surprise Maximus at Alderney in 2017 in an attempt that garnered a tremendous amount of positive PR for the exercise and could be followed to an amazing extent from afar. And earlier that year some members of that band also partook in the longest peal of spliced Maximus ever rung in the 20,064 at Tulloch. What is being achieved in the upper, ‘Black Zone’ of the art is quite inspiring.
Here in Suffolk there have been plenty of highlights over the last ten years. Pakenham’s joint victory in the Mitson Shield at Walsham-le-Willows two years ago is a lovely memory and speaking of striking competitions, the Guild has had a mixed showing in The Ridgman Trophy and although we have managed two second places and a third position, our first victory since 1994 in this eminently winnable competition has alluded us, albeit not for the want of trying! More positively though, the introduction of the George W Pipe Striking Competition by Ian Culham has done real good to twelve-bell ringing in the region and has been another big plus this decade. From a peal-ringing perspective it has been a good ten years too, with the 1,186 peals rung for the SGR since 2010 started being well up on the 913 rung in our name over the first decade of this millennium, although the totals have fallen somewhat from the peaks of 147 and 155 in 2012 and 2013 respectively. In the meantime, it has been encouraging to see the likes of the Salter brothers Colin and George, Philip Moyse, Louis Suggett, Alex Tatlow and Jimmy Yeoman blossom in the art, even if in the main we have lost – or are due to lose – them to other places where they have been able to fulfil their considerable talents.
Personally I was honoured to complete my five-year term as Guild Ringing Master in 2011 before then becoming the organisation’s Public Relations Officer for a further five years. In the meantime, I have married Ruthie, Mason has grown from a two-year-old toddler to a near-teenager who has been trying his hand at ringing and his two younger brothers Alfie and Joshua arrived in 2014 and 2016 respectively. It has meant that although we still manage to attend most South-East District and Guild events, my ringing has had to be reined in. Between us we regularly support ringing at Pettistree and St Mary-le-Tower, but we rarely get to ring together now! And having rung 153 peals in the first half of the decade (of which the most memorable was calling a peal of Bristol Surprise Maximus for the first time at The Norman Tower), I have managed just 82 in the last five years. We have enjoyed our Rambling Ringers holidays and although Ruthie couldn’t join me, a real highlight of the decade for me was attending the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest Final when it was held in Norwich in 2015 and catching up with friends not frequently seen and hearing some phenomenal ringing.
As for this year, whilst Guild’s peal totals have been disappointingly low at just 87 and there have been some concerns expressed about our finances consequently leading to the first subscription rate rise for years, I think it has been a largely positive year. The AGM in Ipswich was well attended, as were the Guild Striking Competitions at Polstead and Lavenham where Pettistree, Great Barton and the North-West District were worthy victors and we and the boys thoroughly enjoyed the Treasure Hunt and the feast that followed as the North-East District hosted this year’s Social. More personally, our Ramblers holiday to Norfolk was highly enjoyable – illness aside – and also saw Alfred handle a tower-bell for the first time at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre.
Apart from the joy of seeing the children growing and developing wonderful (if occasionally lively and/or stubborn!) personalities though, it has been a tough 2019. We lost my mother’s sister Janet as spring arrived and then as autumn began also Ruthie’s Grandad, both after long illnesses. Many will also be aware that my father Alan was recently diagnosed with cancer. We are praying that it can be beaten, but messages of support over these sad happenings have greatly helped us and been much appreciated.
On this final day of the year and decade, we didn’t do any ringing, although we spent it in the company of ringers as we travelled over to the Bury St Edmunds abode of my brother Chris and his wife Becky to catch-up and receive our final Christmas presents of the season. We then spent the evening at Ufford Ringing Master and mother-in-law Kate to join her, Grandad Ron, my wife’s sister, husband and their girls and Ruthie’s Gran, where we saw in 2020 with champagne and a gratefully received feast of food as we enjoyed one last blast of indulgence for the season.
Other ringers were more active in the exercise on a busy day to see out the decade for Suffolk ringing. A date touch of 2019 changes of Old Year’s Day Delight Major was rung at The Norman Tower which was the first time the method had been quartered, whilst there were also five QPs scored across the county. Well done to Joshua Watkins, Neal Dodge and Stephen Dawson on ringing their first of Prickley Green Bob Minor in the 1260 at Great Thurlow and congratulations to David Steed and the aforementioned SGR PRO Neal on ringing their 150th together. Congratulations again to Neal on then reaching the same landmark with David’s wife Lesley in the Doubles rung at Haverhill which was Tim Forsey’s first of St Simon’s and St Martin’s Bob Doubles and his most methods rung – well done Tim! Meanwhile, well done again to Joshua and Neal on ringing their first of Badgeworth Bob Minor in the success at Kedington and then – along with conductor Stephen Dawson - their first of Old Oak Common Bob Minor in what was the first quarter-peal at Stoke-by-Clare since 2002. Well done to all concerned.
And Happy New Year to all (both) my readers and farewell to 2019 and the 2010s, a decade that looks set to be remembered, for many reasons ringing-related or otherwise!
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I have often bemoaned the numbers of ringers – not just here in Suffolk but across the country – who simply refuse to go anywhere beyond the four (or three in some cases) walls of their home ringing chamber in pursuit of progressing in the art. Putting aside why many can’t, they are missing out on a limitless world of ringing, as was demonstrated by the handbell peal of Orion Surprise Maximus rung in the church of St George Ticknall in Derbyshire. It was a first in the method on handbells for Jack Page, Elizabeth Orme and Jonathan Agg who have all done more in the exercise than many of us could envisage achieving, as well as a first as conductor of this advanced construction on handbells for David Pipe, someone you might think has achieved everything there is to achieve in change-ringing. However, impressive as that all is, these were not the headline acts from this 3hrs 34mins of ringing. Rather, it was Simon Melen, who rang seven, eight, nine and ten. Yes, that’s right, he rang four bells. He has form of course, having famously rung four in hand for a peal of Bristol Surprise Maximus at the beginning of 2013 (complete with video demonstrating how he did it), but this is another level with an even harder method. Quite extraordinary and those who are friends with Philip Orme on Facebook will be able to watch a video of part of today’s peal that highlights how superbly it was rung.
Not everyone – indeed practically no one – will ring anything as incredible as this, but there are limitless opportunities to progress and push ourselves, even within our borders and that was what we were doing at the last practice night of the month, year and decade at St Mary-le-Tower, as David Potts urged us to learn/revise Lincolnshire Surprise Maximus to ring this evening. It is a method fairly familiar to me having rung a quarter-peal or two and four peals of it, but it has been some time since I rang it and I was glad of the chance to blow away some cobwebs, especially as we made a very decent job of it with a band of ringers who equally hadn’t rung it for a long time, if ever.
It came on a busy night for Ringing Master David with thirty cramming safely into this famous ringing chamber. The big crowd was partly to ensure a band for the Lincolnshire, but also because some were off work over the Christmas period and therefore able to make it, Alex Tatlow was visiting whilst back in the county, Adrienne Sharp was able to join regular David Stanford and with no practice at Chelmsford Cathedral we had the pleasure of David Rothera’s company too. Much was therefore rung, from rounds on twelve for Lucy Williamson’s boyfriend Tom who has been coming along brilliantly over the last week or so, to Little Bob Maximus for Karina to treble to, Kent Treble Bob Maximus for Sue Williamson to do likewise and Stedman Cinques for Ellie Earey, as well as Cambridge Surprise Maximus.
Thus with some Stedman Cinques and what felt like a takeover of The Cricketers afterwards we finished 2019 and the 2010s on a hugely positive note. It has firstly been a good year for SMLT’s ringers. Karina winning her first striking competition at her first attempt in the David Barnard Memorial Trophy Call-Change Competition at Sproughton on the same day as the method-ringing team won the Cecil Pipe Memorial Bell and the tower as a whole winning the George W Pipe Twelve-Bell Competition for the first time at Saffron Walden certainly made up for missing out on the Mitson Shield and the Rose Trophy at the Guild competitions. That aside, Sunday mornings and Monday nights have been well attended, the method repertoire has grown on ten and twelve and striking improved to the point that we feel confident to have a crack at the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest. And across the decade Mr Potts has guided us superbly, despite the blows of losing Simon Griffiths with his sudden death in 2014 and George Pipe’s irreplaceable skills to his deteriorating health. Members have come and gone, but it is testament to what David has done (in what I know from experience is a tough job) that a core of a band has continued returning pretty much week-in, week-out, often from considerable distances across the last ten years, all of which we are extremely grateful for.
My night out came at the end of another lovely day with just Alfie, as he helped me take a chest of drawers to the tip and completed his Harry Potter Lego castle with much joy, whilst elsewhere Ben Keating seems to be rounding off an impressive year of ringing by partaking in his first quarter-peals of Norwich Surprise Minor and – along with Neal Dodge and Joshua Watkins - Kemerton Bob Minor in the 1320 and 1260 rung at Great Barton and Pakenham respectively. Well done Ben, Neal and Joshua on getting out and progressing their ringing!
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Yorkshire Surprise Maximus and Stedman Cinques isn’t a bad repertoire on a Sunday morning for a provincial geographically out-of-the-way twelve such as St Mary-le-Tower, especially at a time when numbers can be unpredictable with people coming and going over Christmas.
We at least had the benefit of no time constraints as there wasn’t a service afterwards. It may seem odd to ring when there isn’t a service, but opportunities to ring on twelve are rare and it is important to keep in the habit to my mind and so I’m glad we were ringing this morning.
From here the usual Sabbath morn ringing routine (albeit I haven’t been to SMLT on a Sunday morning for a month) was altered on this occasion as being the fifth Sunday of the month the Carlford Benefice service was being held at Hasketon and thus following coffee at Costa Coffee and all the thrills and spills (the latter literally in Alfie’s case!) which that beheld, we meandered through Ipswich’s northern suburbs and the country lanes beyond to this ground-floor 9cwt six in a round tower for me to help with some call-changes and Plain Bob Doubles.
With Ruthie at work, I was delighted that the boys again occupied themselves with their newly and gratefully received presents whilst I tried to listen to Ipswich Town losing 5-3 to Lincoln City in a dreadful result to round off a dreadful decade and particularly dreadful year for the Tractor Boys.
At least ringing in Suffolk has continued to shine whilst the county’s professional football team has floundered as what is recorded on BellBoard as the 5429th, 5430th and 5431st quarter-peals of the 2010s within our borders were rung, with a 1294 of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus rung at The Norman Tower and 1260s of Doubles rung at Redgrave and Stedman Triples at Halesworth, the latter impressively rung by an entirely local band. Well done to them all, but especially to Sal Jenkinson and Matthew Rolph on ringing their first in the principle.
Not a bad repertoire for a Sunday in Suffolk at Christmas.
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Three quarter-peals were rung in Suffolk today, with a decent sprinkling of achievements to show for it.
The 1272 of Westminster Surprise Minor at the beautifully located Blythburgh was a first in the method for Rona Sporle, Nicole Rolph, Nick Hughes, Philip Moyse and Peter Lock and the 1320 of Tostock Surprise Minor (a Carlisle above the treble construction) at the also delightful Rumburgh was a first in the method for Josephine Beever, Betty Baines and Adrian Edwards. Well done to Rona, Nicole, Nick, Philip, Peter, Josephine, Betty and Adrian, whilst also worthy of mention was the 1260 of Doubles rung at Mendham.
There was also another peal for the Guild – the eighty-seventh of 2019 – with a 5058 of Grandsire Caters rung at St Peter in Sudbury.
No ringing for us though. Ruthie constructed a chest of drawers (she may mention it if you see her over the next few days) and we then spent the afternoon and evening round church friends Charlotte and Gregory’s abode as the boys and their daughters (and our Goddaughters) played boisterously together and us adults chatted away for hours, all whilst dipping into a vast feast they had very kindly put on for us.
Quiet as it was for us from a ringing perspective, there should be – God willing – plenty of opportunities across the Guild for us and others equally inactive in the art today to partake in more, as the calendar clocks in to the first month of the 2020s. Although not on the What’s On, Pettistree plans to hold its weekly practice in the afternoon – from 3.30-4.30 – on New Year’s Day, so if you are at a loose end and keen to get out of the house after all of the festivities you would be most welcome. If it is too much of a journey then it is worth checking if towers in your area that typically practice on a Wednesday are practicing and if so at what time.
From there What’s On gives details of plans for the South-East District Practice at Woodbridge from 2.30-4pm on Saturday 4th January, the Beccles Ten-Bell Practice from 7.30-9pm on Wednesday 8th, the North-West District Practice from 10am-noon on Saturday 11th at The Norman Tower with a meal at the Bunbury Arms afterwards, the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice on the evening of Monday 13th, the Second Tuesday Ringing at Ufford and Pettistree the following day and finally the South-West District Practice at Lavenham from 3-4.30 on the afternoon of Saturday 25th, whilst many ringers will be interested in the Burns Night at Sproughton Church Hall that evening, which was – and according to those who regularly attend still is – an absolutely superb night out!
And in amongst it all, there will hopefully be more than a sprinkling of more ringing achievements.
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Over the last couple of days we have been extremely grateful for the hospitality of others, namely mother-in-law Kate and the boy’s Grandad Ron, Mum and Dad and Ruthie’s Gran. It has been a welcome break for us from constantly answering the demands of the boys, with others doing that for us but still allowing us to enjoy their company, which has generally been delightful at this exciting time for them.
Today was completely the opposite though as Ruthie returned to work and I was home alone with Alfie, Joshua and – after being dropped off for the weekend – Mason. That said, presents received a couple of days ago occupied them all - especially Alfred as he began building a big and intricate Harry Potter Lego castle – and so it actually turned into a productive day for getting through chores put off in the hectic lead-up to Christmas.
Again it involved no ringing, but elsewhere other ringers were active in Suffolk, with a brace of peals rung in the west of the county. One was of Pudsey Surprise Major at Bardwell, the other was of Bristol Surprise Major at Ixworth and was Neal Dodge's one hundredth peal for the Guild he has been PR Officer of since 2016. Congratulations Neal!
And at Ashbocking the last FNQPC attempt of the decade was scored with a 1323 of Cambridge Surprise Minor on this isolated rural ground-floor six.
I’m sure that they all enjoyed some fine hospitality after their efforts too!
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After the hectic – but thoroughly enjoyable – festivities of yesterday, today was positively leisurely. A rare lay-in at my Mum and Dad’s as they fed and entertained their grandsons was followed by breakfast and an impromptu viewing of Come Bell Ringing with Charles Hazlewood, where he put together a performance involving the change-ringing bells of Cambridge and too many familiar faces to mention. It’s quite an old programme and one we’ve seen before, but it was a relaxing way to ease us back into life.
That included dropping Mason off at his mother’s and then spending the day at Ruthie’s gran’s where we took in another turkey dinner and a tea in the company of my wife’s sister and her family and her Uncle Moog and his family, as well as mother-in-law Kate and ever so briefly her Uncle Wob and his wife Ally. As usual we came away stuffed and with food to take with us.
We retired for the day back at home, watching a DVD that my wife very kindly asked Santa Claus to bring me, Bobby Robson – More Than A Manager which not only reminded me of the greatest ever English football manager, but also the peal rung to his memory in 2009 by some of us Ipswich Town fans at St Matthew’ a few hundred yards up from Portman Road where he made his managerial name.
On this occasion though, our day involved no ringing and indeed there was none recorded on BellBoard from Suffolk and very little from further afield, with just two peals recorded on BB.
Perhaps everyone was just taking a breather after yesterday.
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One of the most lovely things about our Christmas Day to my mind is the number of people we share it with.
It started with five of us, as our excited children unwrapped the abundance of presents they had very generously been brought by Santa Claus.
Although St Mary-le-Tower ringing an hour later and Sproughton ringing earlier than they usually do on a Sunday morning means that those two ring at the same time on 25th December and thus means I sadly miss out on the latter, it does allow Ruthie and I to ring at Pettistree beforehand, on this occasion with six others. As always seems to be the case here on Christmas morn, the ringing was excellent, with really good striking, whilst the incoming churchgoers smiled politely and patiently whilst the trio of brothers enthusiastically used the space they found themselves in at this ground-floor six!
From there, we dropped my wife off at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge for choral duties and headed on to SMLT where seventeen of us gathered into this famous ringing chamber for more good ringing, reindeer slippers and whatever Ben Williamson was wearing...
Having had to leave Sue Williamson very kindly struggling to strap my youngest into his car seat whilst I returned to the tower to get his bag and then caught the end of the service that Ruthie was singing in and thus reminding us of the real reason for the festivities, we briefly popped home to grab some bits and pieces and exchange festive greetings with our neighbours and descended upon mother-in-law Kate’s. Here we were a part of a fourteen-strong crowd that also included Ron, Mrs Munnings’ great Aunty Shirley, great Uncle Gerald, sister Clare and her daughters, their father Kev and his cousin Shane, all of whom were somehow found a seat for a massive and scrumptious turkey dinner.
After a time sitting back and relaxing in front of the Queen’s Speech, we all then decamped to my wife’s gran’s. This is sadly the first Christmas without her husband Derek, but whilst he was in our thoughts, they were happy memories as we totalled nineteen and the multitude of children dashed around her cosy abode.
We weren’t there for long though as our next and final destination of a typically busy Christmas Day was my Mum and Dad’s where we joined them and my father’s sister and one-time ringer Marian. More presents were opened, more drinks consumed (and the first for Ruthie as it had been her turn to be designated driver) and more fantastic food eaten, thus bringing to an end a lovely, lovely Christmas.
I hope yours was also enjoyable, however many people you shared it with.
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In an ever-changing world, ringing and Christmas and especially ringing at Christmas offers – for me at least – a reassuring continuity and that tends to really start on 24th December and for me in a ringing sense an early evening trip to St Mary-le-Tower to ring for Nine Lessons and Carols. The numbers in attendance can vary from year to year, but the atmosphere is always jolly, typically with chocolates and a sip of sherry on offer and this year was no different. There was a decent turnout that included Colin and Katharine Salter hopefully having a better Christmas than last year and fresh from ringing in the sixty-fifth consecutive Christmas Eve peal rung at Long Stratton in Norfolk (incidentally the other traditional 24/12 peal at Imperial College in London was also successful) and Lucy Williamson and her boyfriend Tom who has started learning and rang really well in rounds on twelve.
Meanwhile, Mason pulled a wobbly tooth out meaning we need to ensure that the visits of Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy don’t clash tonight and Ringing Master David Potts showed his appreciation for the work of Stephen Cheek, Owen Claxton and (in his absence) Peter Davies at SMLT with the presentation of drink and in between it all we managed some generally well rung Stedman Caters, Grandsire Cinques and Little Bob Maximus.
There were also non-ringing traditions occurring today. Our release from the office at John Catt Educational on the last working day before Christmas isn’t an official thing, but on the eleven previous such occasions since I began working here we have been told we can go home to begin the festivities at lunchtime and it was the same today for the twelfth year running, allowing me to collect Mason and join Ruthie, Alfie and Joshua in welcoming my wife’s best friend – and now good friend of mine too of course – Fergie as she returns to her home town for the season as Christmas favourites like a ‘A Christmas Carol’, ‘Santa Claus: The Movie’, ‘The Snowman’ and even ‘Carols from Kings’ played out TV in the background.
And once I’d returned from ringing in Ipswich and got two very excited young boys to bed, my eldest son and I popped out to get kebab meat and chips for Mrs Munnings and myself, something which seems to have somehow become a traditional ‘dish’ for us on this evening.
Elsewhere in Suffolk, a quarter-peal was rung on the 18cwt ground-floor eight of Halesworth for the Christingle service for the ninth Christmas Eve in a row, this time with a 1264 of Plain Bob Major.
A reassuringly familiar Christmas Eve in an ever-changing world.
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Like many within our borders, I have several ringing friends in Norfolk, have rung up there lots, done much ringing for the Norwich Diocesan Association. There are so many similarities between them and the Suffolk Guild. The hundreds of rural towers, many of them sixes gathered around an urban centre with a twelve. The way the organisations are divided into smaller areas - branches in their case, districts in ours. The benefits of carrying out the art regularly in surroundings that are beautiful all year round. Also the challenges of ringing in counties that are vast and difficult to get round. Indeed practically impossible if you don’t have a car.
Therefore, I follow the fortunes of our neighbours quite closely and was extremely interested reading an ‘open letter' that talented Norwich ringer Simon Smith wrote to the NDA President Rev Canon Paul Cubitt on the future of the Association. Broadly speaking, he states that it is unfit for purpose currently. He doesn’t call for its abolition, although many in recent years have suggested that territorial societies are no longer needed in this day and age. Indeed, his letter is aimed at introducing radical change to ensure its existence as we move towards a new decade and beyond. He believes that branches are no longer working and that actually ringing in the county is progressing most amongst smaller set-ups, such as clusters of towers, focused, dedicated practices and of course the superb Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre. No one — he claims - really wants to dedicate their spare time to meetings talking about ringing, sometimes in quite uncomfortable conditions. Fewer people want to travel - often a considerable - distance to an unpredictable branch practice, in terms of numbers and standards, he says, I believe quite rightly. And it is increasingly difficult to get people to stand for office as when they do - as Simon says - “they become subject to unfair criticism and abuse from others for just trying to do their best.” His hopes are that genuine consultation and debate will take place (and not “more meetings about getting rid of meetings!”) with an aim of getting proposals for reform put to their 2020 AGM, which is due to be held on Saturday 2nd May in Kings Lynn.
I don’t expect I will be alone in watching with interest from south of the River Waveney at what unfolds, not least because we must be wary of allowing ourselves to drift into irrelevance.
Things - from my perception at least - seem slightly healthier down here in the SGR. Although I don’t get around to other Districts as much, those who do seem to report fairly healthy attendances and much endeavour and whilst they seem to be fighting a losing battle to fill branch roles up the A140 to the extent that Simon claims that the Western Branch is effectively “wound up” due to only having a Subscriptions Secretary in place, the three main roles of Secretary, Ringing Master and Treasurer are all filled in all four Districts down here and all by different people.
There does also seem to be more cross-county cooperation and support, with members often travelling to other districts to support events and to ring in quarter-peals and peals, whilst the Guild events like the Striking Competitions and AGM are generally pretty well attended. Like Simon, I agree that organisations such as ours are still important in providing support for maintenance, recruitment, training and education, with manpower, expertise and finance that individually many towers probably wouldn’t be able to access. Unlike Simon, I am keen that we still retain meetings, at least on an annual basis. They may be largely unnecessary from a practical perspective, especially in a world of emails, Facebook and WhatsApp and I don’t deny that much of their content could and should be trimmed, but I think it is still important for the membership to be able to hold officers ‘to account’ as it were and for people to meet up together. For example, in the South-East District, we have towers from as far east as Hollesley and as far west as Offton, as far north as Framingham and as far south as Stutton and as far north as Badingham and so SE events are usually the only chance to meet together to ring and socialise.
That said though, we face our own issues and we can’t afford to stand still and adhere to the tiresome mantra of ‘we’ve always done it this way". The Guild’s finances were brought up as a cause for concern at this year’s ADM in Ipswich and whilst it has to be accepted that there will always be ringers who will never leave the confines of their home tower and take advantage of the limitless opportunities the exercise offers, we need to find ways to reach out to more who may want to take advantage of those opportunities, but don’t know how or in some cases don’t even know they exist. I know that we as a Guild are not standing still on this, but I expect many will be looking into what discoveries our friends in the north make during their long hard look at themselves.
This was read by me this evening at home in amongst wrapping presents as a combination of appointments, childcare logistics and Christmas preparations meant I ran out of time to make it to St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice. Which was ironic as I’d actually had the day off work today, primarily to look after Alfie with his school holidays now underway and Ruthie at work in a busy John Ives, but also to undertake what preparations for the festivities that I could at this stage.
Others in the county did make it out today though, with the quarter-peal of five Doubles methods at Ingham being the most that Joshua Watkins has ever rung and the 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles at Tostock being Hamish Miller’s first on six, complete with band selfie. Or is that a belfie? Well done Joshua and Hamish!
With this being the last blog entry I’ll get up before the big day, may I take this opportunity to wish all (both?) my readers a Merry Christmas. I hope that bells will ring out joyously on the 25th, here and everywhere. Especially in Norfolk!
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For one reason and another I haven’t had the opportunity to ring at Woodbridge since the fittings were refurbished by Taylors and ringing resumed earlier this month and this morning was much the same as although I was in the building, my focus was on preparing my sons for their parts in the church nativity at the 10am service. It was worth it though as although Joshua not unexpectedly pulled out during rehearsals, Mason led the shepherds splendidly and Alfie displayed some superb headshaking in his role as innkeeper.
And in the end, I did get to have a ring upstairs later as we returned for Nine Lessons and Carols. Whilst not easy to gauge an overall impression with one piece of ringing, I can vouch that the sixth does indeed go a lot better and it is fair to say that the regulars are pleased! As was Ruthie as she sang the solo in ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ to great acclaim during another lovely service, before we retired to nibbles and mulled wine in St Mary’s Church Centre.
In between I found myself occupying the boys on my own whilst my wife went to work, which I managed with a trip to a very soggy, muddy park!
Elsewhere though, it was another extremely busy
day of ringing, with the headline act being Hamish Miller’s first
quarter-peal in the 1272 of Plain Bob Minimus at Great Livermere. Well done
Hamish!
Well done also to the entire band in
the 1260 at Great Finborough on ringing their first of
Junction Bob Minor and to Ben Keating
on his first of Caters in
the 1259 of Grandsire at The Norman Tower.
Meanwhile, there were seasonal reasons for
the quarter of Doubles at
Buxhall, 1250 of Cambridge Surprise Major at All Saints in Sudbury and
QP of
Norwich Surprise Minor at Pettistree which Mrs Munnings managed to squeeze
in before a day in the shop and Kate fitted in before coming to watch her
grandsons in the nativity.
I was just glad that I was able to ring for the festivities today and finally get a ring on Woodbridge’s improved bells!
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The Saturday before Christmas tends to be extremely busy, especially for shops and shoppers. Also for ringers though. And today, they gathered together in Ipswich town centre to create a lively, wonderful festive atmosphere.
It was all underway early with the first of three quarter-peals rung on the historic five of St Lawrence, with 1260s rung by a Pettistree band conducted by Mike Whitby, a Debenham based band conducted by Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase and a band drawn together from across the county and conducted by Colin Salter.
Meanwhile, open ringing was being carried out at St Matthew’s, from where David Salter carried out a great interview with Georgy Jamieson, 39mins 30secs into her BBC Radio Suffolk show (despite some communication issues!) to add to the other brilliant PR carried out by his wife Katharine in the local media this week.
Having listened to that in our kitchen whilst Ruthie undertook a baking frenzy, we then joined our fellow ringers at St Nicholas, where I was warned not to break the fourth (I managed not to!) by Mrs Salter and my wife rang the second. These are a rarely rung five and need a huge amount of work just to keep them ringable and I have no desire to add to the peal I rang there at the other end of this decade, but I enjoy coming here, a dose of the unfamiliar in very familiar surroundings and a reminder of the rich variety that makes ringing so interesting. Lovely also to give some seasonal cheer to those setting up and coming into the shelter for the homeless of the town which this church offers these days.
We then moved on to a more regular venue as we joined a huge crowd at St Mary-le-Tower where rounds on twelve and Stedman Cinques were rung, before we retired to St Margaret’s where ringing had been taking place simultaneously for refreshments and a catch-up. Thank you to the local ringers and John & Shirley Girt in particular for the tea, biscuits and (for those who like them!) mince pies.
Whilst some continued on to St Clement’s for open ringing though, we bade our farewells, as we had a busy afternoon back in Woodbridge lined up. For Ruthie that was practicing with her choral colleagues ahead of the carol service planned for St Mary the Virgin tomorrow evening, but for the boys and me we were meeting up with Granny Kate, Grandad Ron, Great Granny, Aunty Clare and her girls for the Deben Players’ panto Red Riding Hood at the Seckford Theatre. This was amateur dramatics in every sense, but extremely enjoyable, with lots of laughs for adults and children and an opportunity for Mason and Alfie to get up on stage, even if Joshua was typically unwilling!
Throughout all of this though, there were a couple of notable long lengths happening on bells elsewhere in the country. At Ston Easton in Somerset, the record for the longest peal of spliced and the most methods rung ‘all the work’ (every bit of the method rung by every inside bell) was beaten with the 210 Treble Dodging Minor methods across 25,200 changes in 12hrs 13mins. It is another astonishing feat of mental and physical endurance and immense concentration, no doubt producing some magnificent ringing from a selection of a phenomenally talented group of ringers at the top end of the exercise and there was a Suffolk link with methods named after local places featuring, such as Delight methods Ashbocking & Barham and the Surprise methods of Ipswich & Melton, whilst it was jointly conducted by Alan Reading and son of Rod Pipe – who learnt to ring at Grundisburgh – and nephew of SMLT’s George and Diana, David.
Usually such a performance would be well clear at the top of BellBoard’s ‘leaderboard’ as its Featured Performance, but on this occasion it was usurped by another long-length across in Oxford at St Thomas the Martyr where a band with an average age of just eighteen years and twenty-nine days rang 10,040 changes of Bristol Surprise Royal. Whilst it wasn’t a record, it is of course a great sign for the future of the art that another group of talented ringers is already achieving ringing like this and it was a first long length for all bar two of the band.
Like the seniors’ success about seventy miles further south-west, this 5hrs 40mins also featured Suffolk connections and in keeping with the aforementioned six-bell record that connection was also through the Pipes, this time David’s sons Henry and Alfred. However, a much closer link comes through Exning youngster Jimmy Yeoman who rang the seventh in the city of dreaming spires – well done on representing the county so spectacularly Jimmy!
I expect there might have been much food and (for those old enough to partake) drink from the participants and umpires from these two performances and in that respect we were no different as Ruthie and I first enjoyed a family gathering at her mother’s following our respective afternoons out and then a curry and drink round our friends Charlotte and Gregory’s abode for adult conversation, before we retired to Kate’s for the night.
It was indeed a busy last Saturday before Christmas.
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Even taking into consideration the time of year, I wonder what some of those who work near to us at John Catt Educational have made of us this week, as we seem to be constantly leaving the office to the sound of clinking bottles! Having been the grateful recipient of two bottles of wine earlier this week as a generous Christmas gift from our bosses, I was very fortunate to win a bottle of champagne in the festive JCEL raffle!
Generally it feels like things are winding down, as much as we have been trying to find work. Most independent schools finished for the festivities one or even two weeks ago (one even ended their term on 2nd December!) and with the working week only due to be a day-and-a-half after the weekend, many of my work colleagues were in for the last time this year today. With the local state secondary school finishing yesterday there was much less traffic on the roads this afternoon (although the deluge overnight and this morning led to considerable flooding first thing and much gridlock) and as Alfie ended his term this afternoon there was very much a sense that everyday life is now giving way to the season of goodwill and all the excitement that God willing will accompany it.
For many that will mean a reduction in workload, but for us ringers it should get busier in the coming days. Tomorrow is due to see the annual Christmas ringing in Ipswich take place and in keeping with the superb PR for the event this week there will be some more radio coverage on BBC Radio Suffolk, this time featuring Katharine’s husband David from about 9.40am.
Some in Suffolk were already very active today though. Congratulations to Richard Knight on fifty years of peal-ringing, an occasion celebrated to the day with a 5050 of Bristol Surprise Major at Horringer. I have always found Richard to be a super ringer to call up when I have arranged peals locally. If he can make it he will, often travelling some distance as most places within our borders are from his and Christine’s abode in the far corner of the county! And when there he has been someone to rely on, so I’m chuffed to bits for this dedicated servant of the Guild.
I’ll happily drink to his landmark!
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It was a Jimmy Yeoman day today, as the young Exning ringer not only rang the first quarter-peal at his home in Newmarket, but also rang his first peal of spliced as conductor in the 5152 of four Surprise Major methods spliced rung at Campton in Bedfordshire for the Cumberland Youths and featuring Bardwell ringer Ruth Suggett and one-time Suffolk resident John Loveless. Well done Jimmy and also to David Thomas on ringing his first of Surprise Minor in hand in the former effort, particularly as he called it to boot.
No such activity for us as Ruthie went to her last choir practice of the year and then did some desperate Christmas shopping afterwards, which left no time at all to pop along to Grundisburgh for the weekly practice.
Thank goodness for Jimmy Yeoman’s exploits therefore!
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With next Wednesday pencilled in for Christmas Day, tonight was the last practice night of the year at Pettistree and indeed the decade and although no fuss was made of the occasion, I felt privileged to be there. Not least because thanks to this blog I can vaguely recall the first one of the decade, which appears to have been a bit of a whitewash-out as despite scoring a quarter-peal beforehand (which I was only ringing in due to The Wolery peal being called off), the practice was a low-key one as snow and ice saw very few come out and ringing only take place after an impromptu trip to the warmth of the pub. Indeed, it appears I didn’t make it back to the ringing chamber, but the decade did get better!
That 1260 of St Clement’s College Bob Minor on 6th January was already the third quarter-peal of the 2010s and in total to date, there have been 667 at this ground-floor six this decade, including this evening’s 1269 of Cambridge Surprise Minor, as well as twenty peals. The Mitson Shield has been won twice – at Blythburgh in 2012 and this year at Polstead – and I’m pretty sure all forty-one regular Surprise Minor methods have been rung at the weekly sessions amongst, much, much more. And despite that first low attendance it has all been done with sizeable crowds. Although we have sadly lost Susan Schurr, Derek Martin and Gill Waterson in that time, this rural tower continues to attract new regulars of great ability, such as Mike Cowling and Mark Ogden who have joined the band this decade.
Gill’s daughter Molly was among the numbers there this evening enjoying biscuits, chocolates and another eclectic range of methods from Stedman Doubles to Annable’s London Surprise Minor and brought to a close a decent 2019 for the tower. The number of QPs rung are slightly down on previous years, but still well ahead of anywhere else in Suffolk and rung in methods from Grandsire Doubles to twelve Surprise Minor methods spliced, with fourteen of the forty-one Surprise Minor methods rung individually. That striking competition victory in May was the main highlight among a year of highlights, including the annual dinner, but I enjoy Wednesday nights - when I can make it – for the good ringing and a drink in The Greyhound afterwards as I did tonight with the Garners.
Meanwhile, a brace of quarters were rung in the west of the county in memory of former Norman Tower and Ixworth ringer Ernie Bishop at the those towers of Grandsire Cinques and Plain Bob Triples respectively on the day of his funeral.
There was more superb publicity for the art he clearly enjoyed this afternoon, as Katharine Salter followed up Monday’s EADT article on Saturday’s Christmas ringing in Ipswich with an interview on the same subject with friend and fan of ringing Lesley Dolphin, which feature’s 1hr 23mins into the presenter’s BBC Radio Suffolk show. It was a great seven minutes of PR for the event, which of course is the last one of the decade. God willing it’ll be a privilege to be there.
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Great PR from Katharine Salter as she was the interviewee in a report on the East Anglian Daily Times website yesterday promoting the Christmas ringing being planned for Saturday in Ipswich, which I didn’t get to read until today. It is an event that I always look forward, but more so this year as it will – God willing – be the first time we have been able to go along since 2015. In that time it has evolved from the simultaneous ringing at all the ringable towers in the town centre between 11.45am-12.15pm to the format due to unfurl in four days time, where ringing is planned to start at St Matthew’s from 9.45-10.15, then St Nicholas and St Lawrence between 10.30-11 and then St Margaret and St Mary-le-Tower from 11.15-11.45 before refreshments at the former and ringing at St Clement from 12.30-1pm. Please do support this if you can – for so many this is the sound of the season and it really is a very special event.
With just a week before most of us are due to enjoy the real start of festivities on Christmas Eve, seasonal humour is being displayed on BellBoard with a mock quarter-peal recorded on BellBoard featuring a band of ringers from the carol ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ at Liverpool Cathedral. All good fun, but there was also actual ringing in Suffolk today, with almost the same band ringing four quarter-peals at two venues. First up there were a couple of quarters at Redgrave of Marshaw Bob Minor and Sandal Treble Bob Minor, with the former being the first in the method for conductor Stephen Dawson and the latter being a first in the method for him, Maureen Gardiner and Neal Dodge, before Stephen made way for Kay Lucas at Gislingham, where there were a brace 1260s. One of St Nicholas College Bob Minor and one of Doxey Bob Minor, with the former being a first in the method for Neal Dodge and Kay and the latter being a first in the method for them and Maureen, as well as Andrea Alderton and Neal’s seventy-fifth QP together. Well done and congratulations to them all.
And well done to Katharine as well on some great PR for Suffolk ringing.
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A visit from one-time local ringer and now Bristol and Bath ringer Molly Waterson helped enhance both the already upbeat atmosphere and decent standard of ringing at St Mary-le-Tower, with another really well-rung touch of four Surprise Royal methods spliced the highlight and following on from what was an apparently successful practice yesterday afternoon in our absence, whilst we also rang some decent Stedman Cinques and three leads of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus.
However, it was again a useful and productive session for those less experienced and afterwards in The Cricketers it was interesting to hear new Ipswich Deanery Rep Jonathan Williamson’s ambitions to get the town’s ringers together in 2020 to pool their talents and help their progress, but more amusing to hear his suggestions for t-shirt slogans for 28th March when we are due to go to Walsall for the National Twelve-Bell Contest eliminator. It was in keeping with another upbeat evening at SMLT.
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For all that I enjoy the many aspects of Christmas, such as the food and drink, time spent with family, break from the mundane and stressful aspects of everyday life and the presents, the season is at its most special for me when in church with the decorations up and the story behind the festivities is being relayed.
Today felt very seasonal therefore, as the boys were allocated roles and costumes for next week’s planned nativity at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge this morning and we then attended Nine Lessons and Carols at St Andrew’s in Melton where Ruthie was making a guest appearance in the choir. Although the mulled wine afterwards further helped the festive atmosphere!
My assistance with nativity planning and a church breakfast in St Mary’s Church Centre meant that there wasn’t any time for ringing on the now restored eight and a pre-arranged get-together with our friends Kala, Nick, Toby and Amy and their children at the ball-pit in Dobbies meant we couldn’t make the third-Sunday Twelve-Bell Practice at St Mary-le-Tower as it had subsequently changed time twice, but elsewhere others were partaking in the art in Suffolk, with the quarter-peal of Double Burton Pedwardine Bob Minor at Buxhall a first in the method for the entire band and the 5060 of Doubles at Great Barton for tower captain Sally Veal’s recent sixtieth birthday was a first peal inside for the birthday girl herself and Ben Keating. Well done to Sally and Ben and to Josephine Beever, Andrea Alderton, Lesley Steed, David Howe, David Steed and Stephen Dawson on their efforts in the 1260 about ten miles away. I hope they enjoyed it too and that it helped make those listening feel seasonal.
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Pettistree is – as I have frequently pointed out – a great example for rural six-bell towers to follow. The social aspect is a big plus, from going to the pub after practice night to outings and meals. Likewise the jovial atmosphere and the standard of ringing, the eclectic method range and adventurous approach means that Wednesday nights rarely seem stale or routine. All of which encourages ringers in and raises what can be achieved, as is shown by the weekly quarter-peals, this year’s victory in the Mitson Shield at Polstead and in the peals rung here. Especially this afternoon’s.
Our 5040 in 2hrs 44mins featured a band entirely made up of ringers who regularly ring at this ground-floor six, ringing seven quite different Surprise Minor methods and ringing them really well, with some extremely good striking at times. And although we were one hundred and forty methods short of the impressive effort at St Paul’s in Birmingham yesterday, that band – all of whom also rang in a peal of seven further Surprise Minor here last month – could ring any of the main forty-one Surprise Minor methods, at least with enough warning.
I was pleased to be able to ring the third, which along with the treble was one of the bells I needed to circle the tower to peals, but also meant that I avoided ringing the fifth, a tricky bell compared to the others here. On this occasion, that honour went to South-East District Chairman Mark Ogden, who also had to contend with a new old rope when steeplekeeper Chris Garner discovered that the rope was being cut up by a mysterious nick. With that in mind, they weren’t about to ruin one of the brand new ropes which arrived yesterday, but it did need replacing, so well done Mark on adapting so well!
We finished just minutes before The Greyhound next door opening, but whilst I was tempted to nip in with the others, I needed to be back with Ruthie going out to The Crown for her work’s Christmas meal and Ufford ringers Susanne Eddis and Pete Faircloth popping over.
Whilst I’m not a fan of afternoon peals, the 3pm start did allow me to accompany my family to Messy Church at St Andrew’s in Melton, where there was a distinctly festive theme to the event, with angels made, an ad hoc nativity performed (with Mason being a sheep, Alfie being Joseph and Joshua again refusing to play along!) and a feast devoured afterwards.
Meanwhile, there was other ringing in Suffolk, with a quarter-peal of Doubles rung at Rougham rung in thanksgiving for the life of Ernie Bishop and a 1260 of Grandsire Triples rung at The Norman Tower for the Carols by Candlelight.
All great examples to follow!
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I’m not sure I would like work’s Christmas meal to be preceded by a general election every year. However, I think I could cope with following every general election with a Christmas meal! There was some talk of politics when myself and my fellow employees of John Catt Educational gathered at the East Coast Diner in Woodbridge for our annual company seasonal celebration, which was again very generously paid for by JCEL down to every last morsel and drink, but primarily the talk was – as it usually is – of festive plans and other topics we don’t usually get the chance to raise in the working office situation.
It was preceded with a quiz back at base with Christmas jumpers on show (with myself and my colleague Ian turning up in the same jumpers!) and followed by a cocktail-making master class which was good fun, although I had to leave slightly early to accompany Ruthie with the usual Friday evening gathering of the family for the weekend, whilst elsewhere others were busy ringing Suffolk’s bells, most notably at Aldeburgh where a rare non-second Sunday peal was rung and it appears followed by a well-earned lunch in my favourite pub in the county! And judging by the footnote, I expect politics accompanied their meal!
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For all that they’ve thrown today’s general election into the mix, it tis the season when minds are more on the joys of Christmas rather than the mundane everyday, but with the 25th falling on a Wednesday there will be cancellations of Tuesday, Wednesday and probably most Thursday night practices that week and to a certain extent seven days later around New Year as we plan to move from one decade to another. However, there will also be additional ringing.
At Pettistree last night for example, I noted that (not surprisingly!) the weekly practice in just under a fortnight will not be taking place and on New Year’s Day (which is also a Wednesday) there is due to be a practice in the afternoon from 3.30-4.30, whilst there are plans to be ringing – as there will be at so many towers across rural Suffolk – from 11-11.30pm for Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve and then from 11.40pm a week later to ring in 2020 and on Christmas Day ringing is pencilled in for the normal Sunday morning times of 9-9.30am.
Meanwhile, I have also previously mentioned that the plan for St Mary-le-Tower over the festive period where it is hoped to ring from 6-7pm for the Nine Lessons and Carols on the 24th and then at the later Sabbath ringing times of 9.45-10.30am the following day.
Today though, I received updates from Bruce Wakefield and Stephen Pettman. The former was in regards to ringing at Woodbridge, with additional ringing pencilled in from 6-6.30pm on Sunday 22nd for the Carol Service and then on Christmas Eve from 5-5.30pm and then 11-11.30pm for the Service of Light and then Midnight Communion respectively and on Christmas Day with the normal Sunday ringing times of 9.30-10am. They have had their last Tuesday night practice of the 2010s though, with the 17th cancelled due to the Woodbridge School Carol Service and then the following two for obvious reasons.
The latter details from twice Past Guild Ringing Master Mr Pettman were in regards to Ashbocking, Burgh, Clopton, Grundisburgh and Hasketon, which are all a part of the Carlford Benefice. On Christmas Day itself, only Burgh (8.55-9.25am) and Ashbocking (10.30-11am) are planning on ringing, but God willing the day before, there will be an opportunity to ring at Hasketon from 2.30-3pm, Grundisburgh from 4-4.30pm and Clopton from 5.30-6pm, before returning to the county’s lightest twelve between 11-11.30pm for Midnight Mass.
All of this is a mere snapshot of ringing at a handful of towers over Christmas and New Year, so please do look up the ringing times of towers near you (or near you at the time!) to see where you can help out at this time when bells are considered such an integral part of people’s celebrations.
Talking of celebrations, well done to one-time Debenham ringer Robert Beavis, now long-time of Bristol, who yesterday rang his first of forty-one Surprise Minor methods spliced at St John on the Wall in the South-West city.
Not that it was feeling overly seasonal today, as despite finding time in my lunch break to get a present for Ruthie, I also had to fit in casting my vote on a miserably wet and windy day, but other ringers were finding the opportunity to ring, with my wife going to the monthly second-Thursday Surprise Major practice at Ufford (with some particularly well-struck Yorkshire a particular highlight for her) after choir practice and before voting and a 1440 of twelve Surprise Minor methods spliced was rung at Tostock, whilst another brace of quarter-peals were rung at Worlingham. Rona Sporle was ringing her first of Norfolk Surprise Minor in one and along with Sarah Plummer her first of Double Court Bob Minor in the other, the latter also being Rona’s eightieth in the medium in 2019. Well done to both Rona and Sarah and congratulations Rona on a fantastic return on her year’s ringing. And there should hopefully be plenty of opportunity to add to that figure over the next two or three weeks!
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Another (planned) afternoon off work, this time primarily to take in Alfie’s school nativity. This year he was being one of the soldiers knocking on Mary’s door to inform her she needed to go to Bethlehem and he performed with immense gusto, with much waving of arms and loud singing!
I was delighted to tell the Garners and Harpers all about it in The Greyhound at Pettistree at the end of the day, having been to the practice on the ground-floor six in a chilly church currently full of scaffolding as decorating is undertaken. The ringing itself saw an eclectic mix that mainly benefitted Bredfield ringer Vince Buckman, from Grandsire Doubles for him to ring inside to Cambridge, Netherseale and Norwich Surprise Minor for him to either ring the treble to or watch others ring the treble to as we gave him a tutorial on treble bobbing on a useful evening for him.
Beforehand, the first quarter-peal of a method the band would like to call Save The Children Surprise Minor was rung (with nearly birthday girl Elaine Townsend standing in at the last minute!) and the line was rung again when I entered the ringing chamber.
That wasn’t the only QP rung on Suffolk’s bells today, with a 1280 of five Surprise Major methods spliced completed at Horringer by a band of wise men and women following the star Brian Whiting.
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With some odd days of annual leave at work left and just a fortnight until John Catt Educational intends on shutting its UK office (it now has one in the US) as independent education winds down for the Christmas break, I have reached the point where I need to use up that annual leave. I am trying to use it when it is most useful and with Alfie going to an appointment in Ipswich this afternoon a half-day today allowed me to help Ruthie manage both the boys.
However, it also allowed for a bit of Christmas present shopping and the annual purchase of the seasonal edition of the Radio Times, once my wife’s friend Val had dropped some music off for her, but it involved no ringing. Indeed the closest I got was some text banter between myself and Birmingham ringer Fran Dodds as her team Coventry City knocked Ipswich Town out of the FA Cup.
Other Suffolk ringers were busier though, with a pre-practice quarter-peal of eight Surprise Major methods spliced rung at Offton. Good to see others using their time wisely too.
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This evening’s practice at St Mary-le-Tower was really rather good. The only piece to go belly-up was some Stedman Cinques and that was immediately followed up with a successful rerun. There was also an extremely well-rung touch of Cambridge, Lincolnshire, London No.3 and Yorkshire Surprise Royal spliced as well as some decent Grandsire Cinques, call-changes on twelve and some Little Bob Royal. Somehow I ended up on the tenor for much of the night and at one point Amanda Richmond claimed that it was turning into the Colin Salter conducting show, but proceedings were excellently overseen by Stephen Cheek in usual Ringing Master David Potts’ absence. As ever the atmosphere was focused but jovial, further enhanced on this occasion by the appearance of the Christmas card box and mine and Sue Williamson’s (ultimately successful) attempts to get the ringers’ Christmas tree up the staircase to the ringing chamber at the end of the session.
It was all topped off with a drink in The Cricketers and nice to catch-up with Cathy Colman and I would encourage others to join us at SMLT to brush-up on their higher number ringing as Cathy was doing tonight at a really rather good practice.
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The subject of how many twelve-bell towers rang all twelve bells together this morning came up on the Bellringers Facebook page today. I suspect that Grundisburgh did not, but Jonathan Williamson and Alex Tatlow were happily able to confirm that all the bells were rung together at St Mary-le-Tower and The Norman Tower. There was even a quarter-peal of Erin Cinques at the latter for Evensong to boot, whilst I was delighted that the former rang all twelve – as we usually do on a Sabbath morn – despite our absence.
Our absence to ringing wasn’t restricted to SMLT as we continued our weekend in Wisbech and with only three-and-half current ringers and two former ringers out of our twelve-strong crowd at Wainman House we didn’t join the local ten-bell tower for their service ringing. Rather, it was a leisurely morning that began with a rare lay-in, late breakfast and wander around the town’s Christmas Fayre, returning collectively laden with new toys, beer, cheese and copious amounts of meat. Our stay in this stunning Georgian townhouse (where when cooking the kitchen door had to stay closed as if the fire alarm is set off the fire brigade are instantly called out, such is the importance of the house and its neighbours!) was brought to a climax with a hearty lunch – thank you to Kate for a fabulous couple of days in this wonderful building.
We returned home to a county where that aforementioned 1259 in Bury St Edmunds wasn’t the only success. Well done (I think) to Mark Steggles, Tim Forsey and Stephen Dawson on ringing their first QP on four in the 1272 of Plain Bob Minimus at Ampton and whilst I’m not sure why the second-Sunday peal at Aldeburgh wasn’t rung at its usual location on the coast, it was nice to see the first peal at Leiston for a couple of years, with the 5152 of Orlingbury Surprise Major being the first in the method for all the band and the Guild. Well done to all.
And well done to Suffolk’s twelve-bell ringers.
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When one arrives at unfamiliar accommodation in the darkness, I always find it interesting the following morning to see the views from the window. On this December morning, from the top floor of the four-storey Georgian townhouse we slept in overnight, we awoke to views of Wisbech, the River Nene and the tower of St Mary & St Peter church which holds a 20cwt ten. I’ve woken to worse views in my time!
It set us up nicely for a lovely day out at Church Farm in Stow Bardolph, with the church in question being The Holy Trinity, the tower that overlooks the scene holding a 10cwt eight. However, ringing wasn’t the purpose of our visit. Rather, the main reason for our trip over the border into Norfolk was the highlight of our weekend in the Fens – seeing Father Christmas!
The big man wasn’t a let-down either, with the five children thrilled not just with meeting him and receiving more presents, but with the magical grotto that had been set up at what is already a superb venue with lots of animals to see and pet and a wonderful indoor play area that kept the youngsters enthralled for quite some time!
On our return to our impressive home for the weekend, we were treated to a roast and some champagne as we celebrated brother-in-law Kev’s recent birthday and generally being together in such circumstances before we joked and chatted the evening away.
Back in Suffolk, a quarter-peal of five Doubles methods – Plain, St Simon’s, St Martin’s, St Osmund & Eynesbury – was rung at Woolpit and was Astrid Gale’s most inside in a QP. Well done Astrid!
And there was good news from Polstead, where despite the work still ongoing in the ringing chamber, ringing is due to resume on Sunday morning and then for practice on Monday night.
Meanwhile, we were missing the South-East District ADM at Debenham, where Jenny Scase replaced the outgoing Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson in the role. It is appropriate that she was elected at the tower where she has run the ringing so magnificently and like her son Tom before her I’m sure that she will carry out her duties in the role just as superbly. Jonathan is certainly deserving of thanks for his work over the last three years, carried out with enthusiasm and good humour whilst also running his business Wines of Interest very successfully.
We were sorry to miss what – despite it seemingly being unfashionable these days – I still find to be very enjoyable occasions, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy a visit to Santa Claus and those views out of the window!
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Tonight – as it is on the first Friday of December every year – was the St Mary-le-Tower annual ‘Christmas’ curry, something we love to go to if we are able.
On this occasion though, we were travelling across East Anglia in the dark and rain to Wisbech. The reason was a good one though, as accompanied by seasonal songs we were heading to the incredible Wainman House on this town’s North Brink for the annual treat of mother-in-law Kate for her grandchildren and their parents, with the primary focus being the children meeting Santa Claus to put their orders in. Therefore, we arrived at our stunning location with much excitement. And I mean stunning. I’d seen photos online in anticipation of this trip, but they don’t do justice to this four-storey Georgian townhouse, with nooks and crannies, secret doorways, a grand hallway, huge staircase and high ceilings.
Having been shown to our rooms on the top floor – which we are sharing with Ruthie’s Gran who has also joined us – and following some much received food, some early presents were opened, children eventually put to bed and drink consumed as we chatted the rest of the evening away.
We did hear some ringing as we arrived, emanating from St Peter and St Paul not far away in town and the scene of one of the Suffolk Guild’s best showings in the Ridgman Trophy of recent years when we came second to the competition’s dominant team of the period, the Ely Diocesan Association in 2015. I’m not sure what the ringing was for tonight as apparently Mondays are when they practice, but it sounded like they were ringing the front bells of the 20cwt ten. This isn’t uncommon in ringing generally and indeed one of the best things a band with a heavy eight can often do is augment to ten to enable bands to practice on a lighter but nicer sounding front six!
However, whilst there was no ringing for us today, back in the county we have left for the time being, there was much carried out by others. Well done to Tim Forsey on ringing his first of Treble Bob in the 1296 of Cambridge Surprise Minor at Brandeston, whilst the same band rang a 1260 of Plain Bob Minor at nearby Cretingham and the FNQPC were successful with Plain Bob Doubles at Earl Stonham.
And hopefully our fellow ringers at SMLT enjoyed their curry!
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Never work with children and animals,” so the old saying goes. In our case, never work with children pretending to be animals. Or more particularly not pretending to be animals. We love him dearly, but it’s fair to say we that after this morning we aren’t expecting a glittering career in acting for Joshua, as having taken him to The Victory Hall at Hasketon, invited all his grandparents and his great-grandmother for his starring role as a cow in his nursery nativity, he stubbornly refused to put on the costume specially purchased for the occasion and once reluctantly handed over to the teachers on the ‘stage’ he sat grumpily refusing to partake. Only once the ordeal was over and biscuits were offered did he break out into a smile and regain his enthusiasm to dash about with his friends at the afterparty. You have to laugh I suppose...
Still, it was all part of an otherwise productive and enjoyable day off work, primarily taken for the performance that never happened but also to get some chores done like tidying up the house and clearing out the car and to do some Christmas present reconnaissance.
We even briefly popped down to St Mary-the-Virgin in Woodbridge to see if anything was happening with the work that Taylors have been doing on the 25cwt eight. Except – pleasingly – it has already been done, with the first ringing on the bells since the work due to take place this Sunday morning.
Meanwhile, the cremation of former Bacton ringer Sheila Franks is planned to take place at the crematorium at Weeley in Essex in precisely a fortnight on 19th December at 3.30pm. Many will be intending to go for this popular member of the SGR I’m sure, so if you know someone who might want to go and may not have received Winston Girling’s email today then do let them know.
Ruthie’s day finished on the high of playing the flute to an audience for the first time since university eight years ago this evening at a WI concert in Grundisburgh, although sadly at the same time as the practice night, so she couldn’t take that in as well! Indeed there was no partaking in the art at all for us during this busy day ‘off’, but I was impressed to see the 1388 of seven spliced Maximus methods at St Michael Cornhill in London that saw half of the band ringing their first of David Pipe’s cyclic six.
At least they didn’t try to ring it with any children or animals...
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Even small talk about how much my dentist’s wife disliked the foot spa he got her one Christmas couldn’t distract me from how unpleasant my latest appointment was with him this morning.
It was in sharp contrast to the pleasurable experience I had at the other end of my day as I went to Old Stoke to partake in an extremely enjoyable peal of Vaternish Surprise Major at The Wolery, a first in the method for us all and for the Guild. This was perhaps a little too trippy to be described as a classic, but there were periods of ringing that were amongst some of the very best I have enjoyed this year. When we get it right here, it really is a joy and almost hypnotic.
Our 1hr 58mins of ringing in the little blue shed was a great way to end what has been a short year for this regular fixture, which didn’t – bar a peal and quarter on the usual Good Friday get-together – didn’t get going until August. As I imagine pretty much everyone reading this will be aware, that is because almost a year ago David Salter – our host along with wife Katharine – suffered a stroke and it has been a real highlight of my 2019 to see his recovery from the dark days in the immediate aftermath of what happened to much better health, return to ringing and especially peal-ringing. Quite apart from naturally being pleased at seeing a good friend back doing something he loves doing, I have to admit to being pleased from the selfish point of view of returning to a little pleasure that I thought might be lost, if not for good than for a lot longer that it actually was.
Part of that pleasure is usually the post-ringing refreshments and that was no different tonight with tea, biscuits and cake giving us much-need sustenance following a cold session in the ringing chamber, with notes exchanged between Nigel Gale and Tom Scase on their trip to the DUSCR dinner in Durham over the weekend and news from Public Relations Officer Neal Dodge of potential PR for ringing Bury St Edmunds and – as things stand – definite PR for the Christmas Ringing in Ipswich planned for later this month.
Elsewhere in the county, it was a busy Wednesday of QPs, with four rung within our borders. Two of those were on The Millbeck Ring in Shelland with a brace of seasonal offerings as a 1282 of Christmas Time Delight Major and a 1312 of Ba Humbug! Surprise Major were rung at Janet Sheldrake and Gordon Slack’s. Meanwhile, the usual pre-practice quarter was rung at Pettistree and one of Cassiobury Surprise Major at Elveden.
All far more enjoyable than a trip to the dentist I imagine.
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This evening we got to see some photos of fittings for Woodbridge’s 25cwt being brought back recently. As always in such circumstances, it is a fascinating snapshot of a rare moment in the centuries old history of a set of bells and their tower – these things only tend to happen every few decades at their most frequent!
At another Suffolk eight the bells were in full flow tonight, with a quarter-peal of the ‘standard’ eight Surprise Major methods rung on the ground-floor octave of Offton before the weekly practice night.
For us though, it was a contented but unremarkable night as we instead took in the more interesting goings on at the county’s eights.
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It was a bit of a hit and miss practice at St Mary-le-Tower tonight, but still useful. For some reason we really struggled with Little Bob Maximus, which wasn’t overly helpful to Karina on the treble, whilst a touch of Stedman Cinques was decent enough but saw two bells either side of me on the fourth swap over which caused much looking from side-to-side in confusion! However, we also rang some Yorkshire Surprise Maximus and very reasonable Cambridge, Lincolnshire, London No.3 and Yorkshire Surprise Royal rung spliced. Of course in the coming weeks and months there will be increased focus and practice on Cambridge Surprise Maximus and band placements as we approach March’s National Twelve-Bell Contest eliminator at Walsall, but for now with one or two away it was a productive evening.
As usual it was all carried out in an upbeat atmosphere, with David Stanford back after his trip to Australia that even saw him ring a quarter-peal whilst over there and we welcomed Julian Colman for a visit and I left with a Makka Pakka toy in my pocket.
The conviviality continued on into The Cricketers where we briefly found ourselves sat in the dark before finding another table where South-East District Secretary – don’t forget to book your tea if you can make it to their ADM at Debenham on Saturday – Abby Antrobus regaled us of tales of lively weekend in Durham for the DUSCR 60th Anniversary Dinner. I’m not sure many of those present there were too sure of how hit and miss it might have been!
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I probably compare ringing with football too often, but it feels apt today.
For if Ipswich Town ever did make it back to the Premier League, I think the general consensus would be that they would be unlikely to stay up. One would imagine that the quality of the opposition would be too much for them and that it might be a brutally tough experience. And yet how wonderful would it be for the Tractor Boys to again take on the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City and some of the best players in the world?
After today’s draw for the 2020 National Twelve-Bell Eliminators, I felt much the same way about Ipswich’s place in the biggest ringing competition around. We were already going into this with our eyes wide open and expectations fully in check, but our placing in a group where our fellow competitors have thirty-two triumphs between them has further cemented our view that we will be travelling more for the experience than to actually qualify for the final at Sheffield on Saturday 20th June next year. How wonderful though it would be to compete with Birmingham, the most successful (by miles with twenty-four wins to their name) team in the history of the contest, who along with Cambridge and St Paul’s Cathedral are the teams who have won the Taylor Trophy previously and in the same competition as some of the best ringers in the world. I imagine that trio will be favourites to qualify, but they may be pushed by previous finalists Southwark, whilst Hampshire’s Hursley cannot be discounted after building up the kind of experience on and off over the last few years that I hope we may be able to build up in the next few years.
Apart from the invaluable experience though, it should be a good social opportunity. I was privileged to do my ringing with the Brummies for a few years and indeed helped contribute to two of their victories – in 2001 at South Petherton and 2003 at Surfleet – so I hope to be able to catch up with some longstanding friends, whilst of course our neighbours just across the Cambridgeshire border will have some familiar faces I imagine. Hopefully also in the other bands, including Hursley who tend to feature Stephen Pettman’s sister and brother-in-law and therefore regular visitors to Suffolk, Christine & Peter Hill.
I’m also pleased with our venue for 28th March, which is due to be Walsall. Geographically we were hoping for one of the two West Midlands twelves rather than Chester Cathedral and of the three the 25cwt twelve we have been drawn at are arguably the nicest. Familiar too, at least when I used to live and ring just down the road and I rang three peals there in a two year period.
In the other eliminators, one imagines that the College Youths and Cumberland Youths will qualify from Aston, but after that it could be anyone from Guildford, Melbourne, Norwich and Towcester, all of whom have been in the final over the course of this decade. Meanwhile the defending champions Exeter will hope and even expect to qualify in the North-West in order to try to retain the trophy they so memorably won on home turf in the summer. However, they will have stiff competition from Bristol, Leeds, Oxford and High Wycombe, who again have all partaken in at least one final in the 2010s. It will be tough for Chilcompton and hosts Chester in only their third appearance, but following Exeter’s surprise – but entirely deserved – victory in the 2019 Final, don’t discount anything. Even Ipswich getting through!
It all distracts from the fact that I didn’t actually partake in any ringing today. I joined Ruthie at church with the boys in Woodbridge, but of course the 25cwt eight are out of action currently, a Taylor’s sign outside the door to the stairs up to the ringing chamber reminding all inside the church of the fact.
And our afternoon was spent putting the Christmas tree up with our excitable sons, whilst others in the county were ringing, with a 270 of Grandsire Caters rung at the Norman Tower in solidarity with those affected by Friday’s events on London Bridge alongside a quarter-peal of Lincolnshire Surprise Royal rung for the Advent Procession Service and in memory of long-time Bury St Edmunds ringer Ernie Bishop who died a fortnight ago and whose funeral is planned for 2.30pm on Wednesday 18th December at the Cathedral.
Meanwhile, the service of celebration for the twentieth anniversary of the
installation of the bells and ringing gallery at Tostock was marked by
1320
of Plain Bob Minor. I’m sure it was a champion bit of ringing worthy of a
Premier League ring of six!
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Disappointment at St Mary-le-Tower this morning, as a peal attempt of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus was lost. It was being rung for the Christmas Tree Festival in the church – hence the much more favourable pre-lunch timing instead of the afternoon slot that messes up the whole day and doesn’t appear to be the optimum period for concentration. Sadly it never really got going and before it really got settled it imploded and conductor David Potts quite rightly set it up.
On the plus side we weren’t too far in – only into the second of nine-and-a-half courses and about thirty minutes into what would’ve been about 3hrs30mins if we’d been successful – but with Ian Culham needing to get away, there wasn’t time to start another peal attempt, even if there was the appetite. Therefore, with my usual reservations about ringing quarter-peals after lost peal attempts overcome by there being a specific reason for us ringing and people having travelled some distance to ring, we went for a QP of the same method we’d attempted to peal, which was successful and allowed us to claim our free refreshments in the bustling church downstairs afterwards with a clearer conscience. Thank you to Stephen Cheek for stepping in at late notice and commiserations to some of the band who had lost a peal attempt at Offton on Wednesday and then one yesterday at Lowestoft when the tenor wheel was broken in apparently spectacular style!
Our unintended quarter therefore joined three others rung in Suffolk today, including one of Grandsire Doubles at Campsea Ashe and one of St Andrew Place Doubles at St Andrew in Great Finborough on St Andrew’s Day. Well done to all of the band on ringing their first in the method. However, the headline act was at Wissett where the 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles saw Philip Gorrod circle this lovely little ground-floor six, was Sal Jenkinson’s fiftieth in the medium and Mike Bostock-Smith’s first. Congratulations to Philip, Sal and especially Mike – hopefully the first of many!
More good news came in the form of good publicity as the East Anglian Daily Times reported on how villagers watched over the six bells at Hitcham as they sat on the floor after being lowered from the tower and ahead of them being transported to Taylor’s for restoration and augmentation. I think it is generally accepted that for a bell project to stand its best chance of success that it needs the support of its community and happily this one seems to have that in abundance!
Elsewhere, the impressive 10,080 changes of eighty-four Treble Dodging Minor methods spliced at Bermondsey with David Pipe and Alan Reading alternately putting in the calls and change of method was all the more so for the very last minute change of venue, with the key to their planned venue of Garlickhythe stuck at St Magnus-the-Martyr, which sadly was behind a police cordon following the tragic events on nearby London Bridge yesterday. Having had to call off his peal attempt at Trowbridge last week for the same reasons, Alan must have been feeling slightly cursed! Such circumstances must have tested the focus needed for such a performance to the extreme, so much credit is due to this talented band, whilst thoughts are with those who have suffered from what happened in the capital twenty-four hours earlier.
Having collected the boys from my parents (who had very kindly looked after them with Ruthie working, so thank you ma and pa!) Alfie showed his talents as I spent the extra time today helping him to make an Advent calendar for his mother. The early loss did have some benefits...
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Mason appears to be a bit of a dab hand at speaking German, getting straight As in the subject on his report!
I learnt this when collecting him for the weekend on an otherwise very quiet Friday night, with no ringing in Suffolk to report.
Alles war ruhig, as Mason might say.
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Tostock are one of my favourite rings of bells in Suffolk. A lovely, easy-going light gallery-ring of six that I had the pleasure of ringing a peal at in 2007, which was the first of seven Surprise Minor methods for the Reverend Geoffrey Clement (the very good ringing rector once of Hollesley and more recently Holbrook & Stutton, who extremely kindly put me up when I was temporarily homeless many years ago and who is now the vicar of the Wychwood Benefice in Oxfordshire which includes the 14cwt eight of Shipton, although his benefice blurb suggests he hasn’t had much chance to ring!) and Louis Suggett (whatever became of him?). However, my fondest memories were of the Young Ringers Practices held there and run by the Monk sisters Claire (now Roe) and Sarah when I first became Guild Ringing Master and they are regularly quartered, with thirteen there this year thus far – the latest being today of a Surprise Minor method named after the village. Therefore the celebration planned for Sunday of the twentieth anniversary of their restoration and augmentation is well deserved.
It also kicks-off December’s programme of events in the county, with the Beccles Ten-Bell Practice next Wednesday, South-East District ADM at Debenham on Saturday 7th, Second Tuesday Ringing at Gislingham and Thornham Magna on the 10th, North-West District Practice and Christmas Do at Pakenham on Saturday 14th, ringing for Eglantyne Jebb Day three days later, Hemingham Monthly Practice on Friday 20th and the Christmas Ringing in Ipswich due to follow and round off 2019 for the Guild. Please do support what you can as much as possible.
Meanwhile, that 1320 at Tostock wasn’t the only QP within our borders today. Well done to Tess Blower and Hilary Stern on ringing their first of Stedman, Sarah Plummer on ringing her first of the Doubles version of the principle and – surprisingly – to Past SGR Chairman on calling his first quarter of Stedman Doubles in the 1260 at Worlingham. Also, following Monday’s quarter at Rushmere St Andrew celebrating fifty years of ringing, it was lovely to see fifty (and forty-eight!) years of ringing for another four lovely members of the Guild. Congratulations to Elizabeth Christian, sisters Jenny Scase and Janet Clarke and – in comparison – the relatively inexperienced Simon Curl, who appropriately marked the occasion with a 1344 of Plain Bob Major at Henley, the tower that they all learnt to ring at.
There was no ringing for us today, although Ruthie went to choir practice. Instead, I read with interest Simon Linford’s search for a 5cwt or lighter six for an attempt at a long length of 25,000 changes. I’m not sure the residents of Tostock would agree, but I can think of one 5cwt six that would be suitable...
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Ruthie got the best of both worlds this evening.
Although she doesn’t usually work on Wednesday’s, John Ives were setting up their sale tonight and she had gladly volunteered to come in after I’d returned from my day at John Catt Educational. However, having banked those brownie points, she was then informed at lunchtime that she wasn’t needed and so with her new-found spare time she joined her mother in going to Pettistree’s weekly practice.
That practice was preceded – as is the norm – with a quarter-peal, which this week was a 1272 of Woodbine Delight Minor, which is Kent/Oxford Treble Bob below the treble and Norwich Surprise above, but as notable as that was, the QP which really caught my attention was rung in Shropshire at Clunbury, which managed to squeeze 165 methods into 1440 changes. An impressive effort, especially as it doesn’t appear to have been rung in barely distinguishable variations of the same method as can sometimes be the case with such efforts. I can sense Mike Whitby getting ideas...
For tonight though, he seemed happy with a smaller – though still for a rural six an eclectic – repertoire in a session that was followed for my wife, mother-in-law and others with a drink in The Greyhound, before Mrs Munnings returned home to help me bottle our homebrew!
It turned out to be a very enjoyable evening for her!
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That our evening was spent following (me perhaps more than Ruthie to be honest) Ipswich Town on the radio and online drawing 0-0 (although with an incorrectly disallowed goal and wrongly given penalty there was more entertainment to it than the scoreline suggests!) correctly suggests that this wasn’t the most memorable night.
Even from a ringing perspective, one of the pieces of local news was that there will be no practice at Rushmere St Andrew this Friday due to a number of known absentees, although Bruce Wakefield also imparted the news to me that Taylors returned to Woodbridge yesterday to reassemble the bells and their fittings, with a view to them ringing out again in about a fortnight, with a planned visitation from the Loughborough firm in the spring to strip and repaint the frame.
There was action on ringable bells in Suffolk today though, including an impressive peal of eighteen Surprise Major methods at Ixworth. Although only one resident member – Maximillian Drinkwater – was ringing and it was for the Ely Diocesan Association, it can be no bad thing that the public in the county were treated to what would surely have been 3hrs3mins of superb ringing.
I expect those living in Offton were equally treated by
the pre-practice
quarter-peal on the 8cwt ground-floor eight in the village and the session
that followed and at least they heard more ringing this evening than we did!
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The mathematically astute of you will have noticed that it is precisely a month until many of us God willing gather with family to enjoy each other’s company, exchange gifts, eat far too much food, maybe enjoy a tipple or two and hopefully spare at least a thought as to the deeper meaning of the season. It is beginning to look a lot like...Well, you know the rest.
Perhaps appropriately therefore, it felt pretty festive today. Before I left for St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice, mother-in-law Kate generously dropped off Advent calendars at the same time as dropping off the boys’ cousins, whilst I returned home with a cheese version very kindly bestowed upon me by my mother and father. On my way into Ipswich for ringing I noticed how many decorations appear to have suddenly sprung up at people’s homes and when I arrived at SMLT I was greeted by the uplifting sight of the Christmas Tree Festival – which begins on Wednesday with a private opening event and ringing from 6.15 - 7pm if anyone is in the vicinity and fancies helping out – being prepared. Across Suffolk at towers, as December progresses there will likely be additional ringing for carol services and the like and of course on Christmas Day itself and with next month’s 25th falling on a Wednesday towers that usually practice on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday will have to change their usual weekly routines. ‘The Tower’ is no different in most respects, as although – as far as I’m aware – the practice on 23rd December is planned to go ahead, there will be ringers required for the Nine Lessons and Carols on Christmas Eve (again from 6.15 - 7pm), whilst service ringing for the following morning will be later than the usual 8.45 - 9.30am Sunday ringing, instead running from 9.45 - 10.30am.
Although such finer details won’t be open and available on it, other useful information for visitors can be found on the new website for the St Mary-le-Tower Society of Change Ringers which was unveiled today and seems a super idea. We do attract ringers from far and wide, not just regularly but also from holidaying ringers who find themselves drawn to the heaviest twelve in the county and this strikes me as a good way of making them aware of the parking situation for example.
There were no visitors tonight and although the way that a couple of pieces of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus collapsed and Stedman Cinques needed two attempts was disappointing, there was some decent stuff night, from call-changes on twelve to a well-rung bit of Cambridge Surprise Maximus before we retired to The Cricketers for refreshment.
Meanwhile, the reason that Mrs Eagle had left her granddaughters in our care for a while this evening was because she was calling a quarter-peal at Rushmere St Andrew to celebrate local ringer Linda Sager’s fifty years of ringing. Linda is a lovely lady and well deserving of this recognition, so I am delighted that this was successful.
On an upbeat day, it was also nice via the
Guild’s Twitter feed and
Facebook page to see photos from yesterday’s
filming at Kersey for a BBC documentary about Hilary Mantel’s novel The
Mirror and the Light which was adapted on TV as Wolf Hall. The Arena
documentary is due to air next year. There’s a lot due to happen before
then, including Christmas of course!
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It is twenty-eight years to the day since my paternal grandfather Jack Munnings passed away. Not a significant number of years, but it was at the forefront of my mind today, partly because my father mentioned it to me when I saw him at St Mary-le-Tower this morning. Also though because it happened on a Sunday morning, as he waited for a bus into Ipswich for ringing at St Margaret’s. I vividly recall the concern when he didn’t arrive and subsequently us going round my Dad’s sister Marian that afternoon once she had given us the news.
He was remembered fondly at the time with quarter-peals at his home tower as well as SMLT, but long since, with various stories and a peal we rang on the 14cwt eight that ring out over Christchurch Park on the one hundredth anniversary of his birth in 2009. I often wonder what he would make of his great-grandchildren and what my brother Chris and I have achieved in ringing.
I have always known the broad brushstrokes of his ringing life, but I have to be truthful and say I’ve never looked in depth at it and so this evening I found myself looking back at what I could find. For example, whilst I knew that he started ringing at Holbrook in the early 1920s, first appearing in the Annual Report of 1926, I never knew he was tower captain at the 8cwt six on the Shotley Peninsula, as outlined in George Pipe’s obituary in the 1991 report and in the members’ list in the 1932 report. It was at St Margaret’s that he is most associated though, being listed as member under them from 1947. And although I couldn’t quite pinpoint his first peal (Pealbase doesn’t quite go that far back yet), his last was rung at Beccles in 1972, featuring names of Guild members still ringing today in the form of Maurice Rose and Owen Claxton, as well as the late, great Frank Arnold who I was privileged to ring a number of peals with myself. On this day of remembering him, I thought it fitting to put it on BellBoard.
My research – once I’d put the boys to bed – was undertaken whilst Ruthie was at the Pettistree Ringers AGM at Chris & Mary Garner’s wonderful abode where they were also looking back, albeit just on the last twelve months and looking ahead with provisional plans for much from Christmas ringing to the annual meal to outings.
Elsewhere, well done to Ben Keating on ringing his first quarter-peal of Grandsire Triples inside in the 1260 rung on the front eight at the Norman Tower, whilst an appropriate length of Grandsire Doubles and Plain Bob Minor was rung at Barrow for the ninetieth birthday of local chorister Pam Cant.
And again nationally David Pipe’s famous cyclic six-part was part pealed another couple of times to mark the twentieth anniversary of it first being rung, one at Shoreditch and a second in the last few days at what is now the composer’s home tower, Great St Mary in Cambridge, with his wife and both sons ringing. Sadly though, an attempt that was due to be made at Trowbridge in Wiltshire was called off due to the police cordoning off the church following an incident nearby in the early hours.
Earlier, Mason, Alfie, Joshua and myself had been to the aforementioned ringing at ‘The Tower’ for ringing that included some Stedman Cinques prior to post-ringing refreshments at Costa Coffee, before the brothers and I went on to Grundisburgh where my eldest son continued the family ringing tradition by bonging behind to some Plain Bob Minimus on the front five. I hope Grandad would be chuffed.
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Thus the misery begins for Alfie. Well hopefully not. Taking the boy to his first Ipswich Town match today seemed ideal timing if one is to take their child to their first ITFC game. Last season’s gloom, doom and constant defeats have been replaced by an upbeat atmosphere, big crowds and a winning team, which make for an altogether more pleasant introduction. Of course it is at a lower level, but such nuances are quite rightly lost upon a five-year-old.
Yet you can never be sure how anyone – let alone a child – will react to such an occasion. There is very little – if anything – that can compare to live sporting action at the higher levels for the spontaneous, ebbing and flowing noise thousands make collectively following something that most are heavily invested in, both financially and emotionally. When the Tractor Boys scored just eight minutes into his first match at Portman Road, with little opportunity up to that point for him to really gauge his surroundings, and 20,000 people around him erupted in a cacophony of instant and simultaneous noise, I think he was a little overwhelmed and he spent the first half pretty subdued.
However, in his own version of a game of two halves, he returned for the second half with a bag of sweets and renewed energy, taking in proceedings with a boyish joy, with lots of “come on you blueberries” in support of the home team and “boo carrots” aimed at our opponents Blackpool who play in orange. And he was most amused at the balls lost on the roof. Come the end of the 2-2 draw, he said he had enjoyed himself, but whether this is the start of a lifetime of ups and downs (let’s face it, probably mainly downs) or he never returns to the home of East Anglia’s most successful football team, time will tell.
It was part of a family day out, as we were accompanied to the stadium by Mason and Ruthie, with his mother accompanying Alfred to collect his ‘First Match’ certificate from Bluey the club mascot at pitchside, whilst we travelled into Suffolk’s county town on the train with Joshua, his Granny Kate and the boys’ cousins Katelynn and Anna. After lunch at McDonald’s, they made their way off to an afternoon of soft play and Christmas shopping as we watched football, before we met afterwards on the packed, but stationary train. Which remained stationary. For some time. About half an hour after its advertised departure time. The reason was understandable, as some disruptive – and apparently very aggressive – passengers refused to leave when asked and so we had to wait until the police arrived to remove them. Even taking into account the incident on Norwich Road which presumably took up some officers though, I’m not sure why we had to wait so long for police in Ipswich town centre in an area already crawling with police there for the footy. Sadly it continues my experience of public transport messing up arrangements again and why I remain reluctant to rely on the medium for anything time sensitive.
Still, it was a fun day out, although it didn’t include any ringing and there doesn’t seem to have been much in the way of peal or quarter-peal action in the county today, according to BellBoard anyway. To continue with the national ringing theme of the last couple of days though, David Pipe’s “Classic” 11-part composition of six Maximus methods spliced was again marked today twenty years after its first performance, with peals of it rung at St Magnus the Martyr in London, Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham.
That composition has given much joy to many people. As God willing that following Ipswich Town may give to Alfie in the coming years.
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It is late notice, but hopefully Guild PR Officer Neal Dodge will receive a good response to his request today for ringers at Kersey on Sunday morning as part of filming for a BBC history documentary. Once broadcast, I expect this will be repeated frequently for many years, so it would be wonderful to see Suffolk ringers recorded on TV for prosperity at a location that also featured in an Escape to the Country episode over a decade ago but is still repeated occasionally.
Nothing quite so exciting for us today, with the family gathered from many corners for the weekend, but elsewhere in the county other ringers were busier, with the FNQPC notching up another success with a 1440 of Cambridge Surprise Minor.
Meanwhile, the twentieth anniversary of David Pipe’s classic cyclic composition was further marked by a handbell peal of it featuring five of the six who rang in the original peal on 21st November 1999 in hand in St Albans. Young Tom Hinks – one of the finest ringers of his generation – stood in for Pete Townsend (one of the finest ringers of his generation) who no longer rings peals.
Perhaps one day there might be a documentary on this musically-charged composition that changed ringing at the top level, but if they want people to partake I hope they give them more than a couple of days notice!
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Brewing beer which mother-in-law Kate recently very kindly got me for my birthday last month is as close I can get to linking our own activities to ringing today. Well, bellringers like the making and drinking of ale, don’t they?
It was much the same with the county’s ringing generally, with the closest I can get being the switching on of the festive lights in Ipswich, which precedes the lights being turned on in Stowmarket tomorrow, which in turn precedes the start of the town’s Christmas Tree Festival on Saturday at St Mary and St Peter, when the plan is for the front six of the due-to-be-augmented eight to be rung from 2-3pm to mark the occasion. It has been that kind of day.
Not so nationally where the headline performance was only just beyond our borders at Great St Mary in Cambridge where a peal of David Pipe’s “Classic” 11-part composition of six Maximus methods was rung to mark the twentieth anniversary of its first outing. This really is special stuff and its cyclic influence is the backbone of so much that is rung at the ‘elite’ or ‘black zone’ level and is explained more eloquently and in greater detail by Philip Earis at Changeringing Wiki. Suffice to say, as well as the considerable and significant musical elements to the composition, ringing it is a tremendous challenge, so very well done to Exning youngster Jimmy Yeoman and Alfred Pipe – great nephew of Suffolk’s very own George and Diana – on ringing their first of the cyclic six.
I would love to ring in such efforts again one day, but for now I was very satisfied with a spot of homebrewing!
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It has diminished somewhat in its prominence since the days when Mark Murphy at BBC Radio Suffolk first began promoting it enthusiastically ten or fifteen years ago, but St Edmund’s Day seemed to gain a bit of a renaissance today, with Mark’s colleague at the Beeb Luke Deal reporting from Hoxne where legend has it St Edmund was slain.
Quantity of ringing marking the day has followed a similar downwards trajectory. When Mr Murphy first contacted us about using bells to celebrate the 20th November in 2008, we attempted simultaneous peals in each District for the two or three years after that. Gradually that dwindled until last year there was no mention at all in the footnotes of the performances in the county precisely a year ago. Today, two quarter-peals were rung to mark the day, with a 1296 of Double Norwich Court Bob Major on The Millbeck Ring in Shelland and 1280 of four Surprise Major methods – Bristol, Cambridge, Rutland and Superlative - spliced rung at Horringer.
That wasn’t the only ringing within our borders today though, as a 1260 of Grandsire Doubles was rung at Redgrave to celebrate the forthcoming anniversary of treble ringer Adrian Ing’s birth, whilst Ruthie and her mother Kate rang in the pre-practice QP of Armistice Centennial Surprise Minor at Pettistree.
The session that followed was apparently another useful and varied one on the ground-floor six and followed by a drink in The Greyhound afterwards.
Meanwhile, I was at home listening to commentary of Ipswich Town’s astonishing victory at Lincoln City which was their first win in the FA Cup for almost ten years on a day of celebration for the county.
Next year plans are apparently afoot to make an even bigger deal of St Edmund’s Day to coincide with the one thousandth anniversary of the abbey at Bury St Edmunds being founded. God willing ringing will make a bigger deal of it too.
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After thirty-three quarter-peals and six peals were rung on Suffolk’s bells over ten consecutive days up until Sunday, today was the second day in a row with no ringing performances within our borders recorded on BellBoard. Nor was there a practice at Offton. And in keeping with that, neither Ruthie or I partook in any ringing, although that is the norm for us on a Tuesday.
One ringer could be heard across the county today though, albeit not for her ringing prowess, as North-East District member and one-time Guild representative on the Central Council Veronica Downing appeared about 1hr 38mins 45secs into Stephen Foster’s BBC Radio Suffolk show this afternoon in a report about the reopening of The Rehability Independent Living Centre.
The lack of ringing activity in the county was not too dissimilar throughout the world of ringing, with nothing particularly spectacular making it on to BB. However, on a quiet evening I was fascinated looking into the finer details of the very impressive 10240 changes of forty Surprise Major methods rung at St James Garlickhythe in London two days ago. It was the longest peal yet rung of variable treble spliced, which means that the treble (purposely!) swaps with one of the ‘inside’ bells at various points and rings the line. On this occasion it was also ‘all the work’, meaning all eight bells rang every single bit of line of all forty methods and that even David Brown on the treble couldn’t relax over the 5hrs 28mins of ringing! There was some familiarity with seven of the ‘standard’ eight included in the forty and I’m sure many of the others were familiar to this superb band of ringers, but even then to ring that many methods over that length of time with the added complication of changing around the treble which usually acts as a reassuring landmark in unsure moments is a phenomenal feat from a physical and mental perspective. Although I can’t imagine with this band there were too many unsure moments! Take a look at some of the methods though, such as Newlyn, Rook and Gaskill or Northampton and imagine learning them as a one-off. Then try to picture yourself learning dozens of others and then do it without the same bell being the treble!
Incredible stuff, even more so set against an extremely quiet day of ringing.
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One was preparing for a job interview in London tomorrow. Another was writing a report. Yet another was in Australia on holiday.
All entirely reasonable reasons for not attending a ringing session, but it meant we were missing a few regulars this evening at St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly Monday night practice and thus there wasn’t an opportunity to build upon yesterday’s preparation for our entry into the 2020 National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest, but that’s not to say it wasn’t still useful in that respect.
Ringing was carried out and well on twelve with Grandsire Cinques and Stedman Cinques and that done on ten was of a high quality, including a touch of Cambridge, Lincolnshire, London (No.3) and Yorkshire Surprise Royal spliced.
It was all topped off with a drink in The Cricketers afterwards as we reflected on a satisfying evening of ringing, but after a busy few days of ringing in Suffolk, there was nothing recorded on BellBoard within our borders.
Perhaps everyone is doing something else, like preparing for job interviews, writing reports or holidaying in the Antipodes.
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Game on!
For years we have been talking about re-entering St Mary-le-Tower in the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest as a pipedream. For months we have been working towards an entry as an ambition. Today it got very real as David Potts entered Ipswich into the 2020 competition, along with the £96 entry fee. From here we are now part of a process that if all goes to plan will see us put into a draw along with the likes of Birmingham, St Paul’s Cathedral, the College Youths, Cumberland Youths and the 2019 winners Exeter on 1st December to determine if we are due to ring at Aston, Chester Cathedral or Walsall on Saturday 28th March. Before that we will also be asked for preferences on which Sunday afternoon slot we would like to visit the tower we are drawn at, arguably the most important aspect of our preparations.
Those preparations felt like they started in earnest this afternoon. We have been meeting at SMLT for evensong ringing on the third Sunday pretty much every month for some time now. Originally they were started as a means to focus on more advanced twelve-bell ringing away from the necessarily eclectic Monday practices and in recent times we’ve primarily rung quarter-peals, but as we’ve gone along they have become the focus of a potential entry into ringing’s biggest striking competition and in my opinion the biggest event in ringing full-stop. Our session today was the first proper all-out practice focused solely on preparing for 28/3/2020, as we worked at practicing the start of Cambridge Surprise Maximus – the test piece for the 2020 contest as we rang the first two or three leads a handful of times before ringing a half-course, stopping to discuss and analyse each time. This may seem like overkill for a ringing competition, especially as we head into an eliminator for the first time since 2007 with our expectations well and truly kept in check. We know that – barring a very unexpected turn of events – we aren’t going to qualify for the final at Sheffield Cathedral on Saturday 20th June, but having travelled to the other side of the country to partake, we want to give the best possible account of ourselves.
It wasn’t perfect, but that is what we will be aiming to improve with further, concerted and focused practice. And it has to be said that the preparations for our preparations didn’t go to plan on this occasion as we only became aware on Monday night that we wouldn’t be able to ring in our usual 5-6.30pm slot with evensong moved to 5pm, thus meaning that we had to ring earlier and some of the band couldn’t make it. On the plus side though, it proved the worth of the squad that one has to have in this contest and one of the side effects this focus will hopefully have is that others who might not end up in the competing twelve in just over four months time will still benefit from our practicing for the competition. It was certainly good thirds-place practice for one of those present...
It definitely benefited Ruthie and me, if nothing else because it was the first ringing either of us had done today. With no ringable bells at Woodbridge currently due to the work being carried out by Taylors, my bi-weekly attendance at church this morning wasn’t preceded with a climb up the many steps to the 25cwt eight.
Elsewhere in Suffolk it was another busy day of ringing, with the visiting band currently quarter-pealing in the area notching another brace of quarters within our borders, as they rang a 1344 of Cambridge Surprise Major at Boxford and 1332 of Oxford Little Bob Major at Wilby. Well done to Emily Vallow on ringing her first of Treble Bob Major in the former.
Well done also to the entire band who rang their first blows of Jacobs Ladder Bob Minor in the 1320 at Buxhall, whilst half of that band also rang in the QP of Cambridge Surprise Minor at Pakenham.
Meanwhile, the county’s Cumberlands were again partaking in the society’s Peal Weekend with a 5130 of Grandsire Caters at Grundisburgh and like all the others rung for them this weekend that I have seen, it was dedicated to Past Master of the SRCY John Barnes who passed away last month. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the dedication of St Margaret’s bells in Ipswich last year and found him an extremely knowledgeable and affable chap who judging by the many performances rung in his memory over the last few weeks was clearly held in high esteem by not just the Cumberlands but throughout the world of ringing.
It was a good day of ringing for the art he obviously loved, especially in our county, where there was also some great PR too. North-West District Ringing Master Maureen Gardiner joined Lesley Dolphin – who had a go at the art for a radio feature a few years ago – on her show on BBC Radio Suffolk 2hr 45mins 10secs in to talk about the project to augment the eight (which were rung as an eight in their current state for the last time on Remembrance Sunday and were recorded for posterity) at Stowmarket with a new ten. It was an excellent interview in which Maureen came across extremely well.
It is very much game on for Stowmarket’s ambitious plans!
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St Mary-le-Tower is where I consider my home tower to be. It is where I do most of my ringing, I go to practice night every Monday that I can, every other Sunday alternating with my junior church commitments at Woodbridge, it was where I was Ringing Master once and – along with Grundisburgh, Offton and Sproughton – one of the towers that set me on my way in a hobby that has taken me behind the scenes at the cathedrals of the UK and to obscure little fives and sixes in the middle of nowhere, on holiday to beautiful places off the tourist trail that I would probably never have gone, overseas, to big posh formal dinners, into millionaires houses, enabled friendships across the world that I simply wouldn’t otherwise have made and introduced me to my wife.
However, since my return to Suffolk over fourteen years ago, Pettistree has become a second ringing home, enticing me in partly because of its proximity, but also for the eclectic method repertoire and high standards and particularly for its social activities, from the post-practice refreshment in The Greyhound, to meals out and outings. In other circumstances we would both be at the weekly session on a Wednesday pretty much every week, I have rung more quarter-peals here than anywhere else (nine out of the sixteen I have rung in 2019 thus far) in recent years and I was chuffed to be a member of the band that won the Mitson Shield at Polstead for the tower earlier this year.
Therefore, I felt privileged this afternoon to ring in the one hundredth peal on this ring of six where the fifth is actually the heaviest bell in the tower, with this being the seventy-seventh on the bells since they were restored and rehung in the mid-1980s. Along with the many quarters rung here, it is a testament to how things are done here, with good relations with the village at the heart of its success.
The 5040 itself was appropriate in more ways than just that it was rung by a band of ringers who regularly ring on this ground-floor six. The seven Surprise Minor methods were representative of the sort of thing usually rung at a practice night, with most of the lines arguably not commonplace at most rural six-bell practices. What is more, it was rung to a high standard that is the norm here.
After our 2hrs 35mins of highly enjoyable ringing, I was grateful to Peter Harper for a lift home via Chris and Mary Garner’s abode for a gratefully received cuppa and biscuit and band photo, with Ruthie needing the car to let in and then lock-up after ringing friends David Matthews and Simon Webb and their bandmates at Ufford for their 1344 of Eastern Bob Major, which began just after we’d finished less than two miles up the B1438, was Bjørn Bradstock’s 250th quarter-peal just this year (congratulations Bjørn!) and the climax of another busy day of quarter-pealing that earlier saw them ring five QPs in Suffolk. Across the day, a 1272 of Grandsire Maximus at Grundisburgh, 1280 of Helmingham Surprise Major at the eponymous tower and a 1260 of Plain Bob Royal at Stonham Aspal were rung, as well as a brace of successes in Ipswich – a 1320 of Undershaft Doubles at St Lawrence and 1296 of Nightingale Treble Place Maximus at SMLT.
I actually heard and recorded part of the latter performance, which sounded very nice, particularly in a straightforward though unfamiliar and potentially tricky line on bells that they weren’t used to, whilst I was on an errand to get tickets from Portman Road at the start of what was at times a logistically difficult Saturday that ended with the boys’ cousins coming round for a sleepover.
Meanwhile, it wasn’t just me and our welcome guests to the county ringing within our borders today as Suffolk ringers contributed to the Cumberland Youths’ Peal Weekend with a 5120 of Cambridge Surprise Major at Elveden.
It was a busy day of ringing from Elveden to Pettistree to my home tower of St Mary-le-Tower.
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I don’t have as much of an aversion to ringing Pudsey as most others seem to have, even once ringing a quarter-peal of Pudsey Surprise Sixteen for Children in Need. It is generally disliked in ringing though for its lack of music, but it is nice that it has been dragged out for some ringing for the charity which Pudsey Bear is so famously the face of. Indeed there have been a few performances recorded on BellBoard rung for the occasion of CiN today and throughout the week and not just of Pudsey Surprise, including a peal of Stedman Cinques at Liverpool Cathedral, the heaviest ring of bells in the world hung for change-ringing.
For us today though, our involvement in this worthy charity was dropping Joshua off at nursery in his pyjamas, a pleasure that saw CiN £1 up, plus buying some rather nifty Pudsey ears. I have to admit that we then largely avoided the TV ‘spectacular’ this evening, as this tends to be fairly dreadful viewing, preferring our first viewing of The Theory of Everything. Such is our life on a Friday night these days!
There was no ringing in Suffolk rung for the cause, but actually this was one of the busiest days of the year for ringing in the county as eight quarter-peals were rung within our borders. It has to be said that half of them were rung by the visiting band quarter-pealing in East Anglia currently, with David Matthews, Simon Webb et al responsible for the Cambridge Surprise Royal at Beccles, 1344 of Rhenium Surprise Major rung at Bungay, Double Norwich Court Bob Major at Leiston and 1259 of Grandsire Caters at Stradbroke.
Meanwhile, the other 50% were rung by another – but this time local – band. Well done to the entire band on ringing their first QP of Stonea Bob Minor at Redgrave and congratulations to David Steed on ringing his 1900th in the same performance, whilst almost the same band rang a 1320 of Bourne Surprise Minor at the same tower. Congratulations also to Neal Dodge and Maureen Gardiner on ringing their fiftieth quarter together in the 1260 of Buxton Bob Minor at Wickham Skeith.
However, I was sorry to see from their footnote to the 1296 of Cambridge Surprise Minor at Bacton that Sheila Franks died today. It is tempting again to recall the time Ruthie and I judged the North-West District Striking Competition at this tower in 2007 from the Franks’ caravan when a five-month -old Mason required a – ahem – pitstop whilst one band were in full flow, but beyond just this happy memory Sheila and her husband Peter – who passed away three years ago – elicit fond memories from many in the North-West District in particular. This is sad news.
I’m sure she would’ve been delighted with the success at her and Peter’s home tower and indeed at so many throughout Suffolk today. And perhaps others will have been happy at the lack of Pudsey rung!
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Tonight saw the one thousandth official match involving England’s senior men’s football team. Cue stats and numbers galore that reminded me of the analysis of a ringer who has just rung their one thousandth peal. Indeed, it is interesting to compare the facts and figures shared about the Three Lions and the latest person to ring a thousand peals, Rambling Ringer and long-time ringing friend Mike Dew, who reached this landmark last week.
Location first. Unsurprisingly, the footballers have played their most fixtures at Wembley Stadium (289), but they have played at 280 venues in total, including Suffolk’s very own Portman Road. Meanwhile, also unsurprisingly, Mike has rung his most peals on the Plantagenet Ring (172) on the 2cwt twelve in the garage of his and Janet’s home in the Warwickshire village of Church Lawford, which I was privileged to ring in the first of almost eleven years ago to the day. In total he has rung at 399 venues, including Suffolk’s very own Grundisburgh.
1,244 different players have played for England’s men’s side, whilst MJD has rung peals with 912 different ringers, with Peter Shilton playing the most games (125) and Paul M Mason (221) having rung more peals with Mr Dew than anyone else. 412 players have only played once for England, 425 ringers have only rung one peal with Mike. There have been 122 England captains across their one thousand games, whilst 129 people have conducted peals with Mike in.
No doubt we could find out the number of times Mike has rung a peal on a Thursday and many, many more equivalent facts and figures, but you get the drift.
In the end, England’s 7-0 win at their most-pealed stadium against Montenegro felt a little like an extremely well-rung peal of Plain Bob Minor by a band of Surprise Maximus ringers. The success was expected, but achieved in excellent style that was highly enjoyable to take in.
As could be said of the quarter-peals rung in the county today, with a visiting band (including David Matthews and Simon Webb who I know from my days ringing in the West Midlands) ringing a 1264 of Plain Bob Major at Bures and another brace of quarters at Worlingham, with two 1260s of Doubles – one of Grandsire and one of St Simon’s Bob.
On a sorrier note though, it seems that ringing at Earl Stonham is about to stop, at least on a frequent basis. Like so many rural towers, it is getting increasingly difficult to maintain a band at this lovely, easy-going, light gallery-ring six, but there seems to be willing, with people wanting to learn and in response to John Taylor’s announcement offers of advice and help pointing to the Recruitment & Training Committee and the superb facilities at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre in Norwich.
Also not ringing currently but hopefully soon again is Polstead, where the new plaster on the ringing chamber walls is taking longer than anticipated to dry and so the hoped-for return of ringing on Monday 18th November will now not happen. Hopefully it won’t be delayed too much longer.
There was ringing at Ufford this evening as the monthly Surprise Major practice took place, although Ruthie wasn’t able to make it on this occasion as her choir practice was followed by drinks and nibbles to see off a departing chorister, leaving me to watch England’s footballers and take in stats footballing and ringing.
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Whilst Ruthie was carrying out ringing in the present day this evening, I was following the online debate on the future of ringing. Not the usual type mind, where people bemoan insular tower captains, aging bands and the problems of recruiting new ringers to somewhere that is usually not overly cosy and far from any toilet facilities.
Rather this was in relation to the consequences of climate change, both in regards to combatting it and its direct effects. On the latter, the conversation on Facebook started with reference to a map showing what land could be below water at least once a year by 2050. I couldn’t actually open it on my laptop, but I suspect that it doesn’t look great for Suffolk and East Anglia and prompted the question of what will happen to ringers and ringing at towers and churches that look set to be drowned beneath rising waters in the coming years.
It also led someone to share an article written by John Harrison in 2011, the last of ten that can be found via his website, which speculated on the future of ringing generally, but also particularly in relation to factors beyond our control. This included mention of how much ringing relies on cars and his thoughts of what might happen if travel by motor vehicle were restricted by attempts to combat climate change.
Visiting other towers for peals or outings almost invariably involves travel by car, but so does everyday ringing for many at practice nights and on Sunday mornings. Therefore, not being able to use cars as much (either as a precaution or through necessity) would have an extremely negative effect on our art, although also on most other aspects of life in the countryside.
That is particularly the case in rural counties such as ours. For example, without a car, how does one practically get out to Offton on a Tuesday night if you don’t live in the village, which most who regularly attend don’t. And at Pettistree, if the weekly Wednesday night sessions were restricted to those who could walk there then it would only be Chris and Mary Garner present on most occasions.
Which would be a pity (no disrespect to Chris & Mary, just purely from the perspective of numbers!), as this evening’s practice attended by my wife was apparently another typically eclectic and productive one, with Grandsire and Stedman Doubles rung, spliced Doubles and Minor and pieces of Surprise Minor of the Annable’s London, Beverley and London amongst much else and followed on from a quarter-peal of Carlisle Surprise Minor. And all topped by a drink at The Greyhound, where I suspect a number of the clientele travelled in by car, be it their own or taxi.
Whatever the future holds for Pettistree and many other rural towers in this ever-changing world, the ringing in the here and now is in good health.
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Happy eightieth Birthday to Pat Ward, a ringer at Rattlesden. Pat and her husband David were staples of my ringing youth and very cheery ones at that, both with a tremendous supporters of Suffolk ringing over the years and so I was delighted to see Mrs Ward’s significant anniversary of her birth celebrated today with a peal on the ground-floor six of her home tower (which will be familiar to those who rang there in the Mitson Shield and Lester Brett Call-Change Trophy striking competitions four years ago) by an impressive collection of SGR members.
Later in the day meanwhile, the practice at Offton was not untypically preceded by a quarter-peal on a good news day for the county’s ringing.
It was a good news day for us College Youths too as Susan Apter was elected as the Society’s new Ringing Master at tonight’s meeting. Typically this is a job for just the one year (over its 382-year history only a handful have done consecutive years of Mastership and not since Paul Carless did it from 1999-2001), before the Senior Steward is then traditionally elected to the role, but of course this is a huge honour, well-earned and it couldn’t have happened to a lovelier lady. ‘Swaz’ – as she is affectionately known - is one of ringing’s nicest and knows how to have a good time!
Congratulations Swaz! And Happy Birthday Pat!
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It is easier for more people to mark the end of the eleventh hour of Remembrance Sunday in silent reflection when most are off work and many find themselves drawn to ceremonies held at the war memorials of the country at a time when church services are usually being held anyway. Less so at 11am on Armistice Day when the 11th November falls on a working day. As I took a couple of minutes this morning to reflect upon those far, far braver than I, life generally went on around me. In the distance the sirens of the emergency services wailed urgently (as they had to of course, regardless of the time), I could see workers walking about as normal in the offices opposite and in the same room as me it seemed quieter than usual, yet there was still the sound of gentle tapping on computer keyboards accompanying my thoughts. I expect it was much the same in so many other places or work.
All this isn’t meant as a criticism though, pity as it was. After all, the sacrifices of those who died in conflict were made so that our way of life can continue, the wheels of commerce can turn and indeed that us normos can choose to mark the silence or forget about it. And I’m glad to report that ringing did its best to remember those lost in conflict.
A brace of half-muffled quarter-peals were rung in Suffolk today to mark the commemorations, with a 1260 of Doubles at Nayland and 1320 of Plain Bob Doubles at Pettistree and bells up and down the land were half-muffled. The bells of St Paul’s Cathedral in London for example, which can be viewed on YouTube, as can St Mary-le-Tower’s tonight, both outside in the rain (although of poor quality and short as I struggled to get the car parked and out of it in time to catch much of the end of whatever was being rung!) and inside whilst Colin Salter called a touch of Stedman Cinques from the eighth. Whether it is the famous 61cwt twelve in the capital, the sixteen at the Bullring in Birmingham when I rang there regularly or SMLT, I love the sound of heavy rings of bells being rung half-muffled, with the muffles turning big booming tenors into mellow solemn echoes and the smaller bells into almost silent entities and it is fantastic that modern technology allows us to capture it for posterity.
That Stedman Cinques wasn’t all that we rang, with Little Bob Royal, call-changes on twelve, Kent Treble Bob Maximus and Cambridge Surprise Maximus also rung as the needs of ringers of all abilities were catered for, from those still relatively early in their learning to those preparing for our planned entry into the 2020 National Twelve-Bell Contest, all climaxed with a lower of the bells – including the back ten in peal for the second week running – in anticipation of the muffles being removed again. It was all made possible by a large turnout as about twenty-five squeezed safely into the ringing chamber, including the visit of Ian Holland from Bury St Edmunds, one-time regulars here Mary and Roger Whittell and the return of David Sparling from the Cumberland Youths’ recent USA Tour that saw the group as a whole ring a QP and fifteen peals.
After our efforts this evening, we went for a convivial drink in The Cricketers
where despite still being Armistice Day a Christmas tree was already sat in
the corner of the room. Life goes on...
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I have never even contemplated joining the armed forces, coward that I am. No one in my immediate family has fought in a war since my maternal grandfather landed on the Normandy beaches seventy-five years ago and swept through continental Europe helping to liberate it. And I count myself incredibly fortunate not to have known anyone killed in conflict.
Perhaps it is because of this that I feel that Remembrance Sunday is so important. Not to glorify warfare, nor to go into the reasons behind it, but rather to reflect that there are people prepared to sacrifice their lives to ensure that the comfortable lives most of us have. And for all the trials and tribulations we may have, ultimately the majority of us in this country lead comfortable lives, thanks to those prepared to fight against those who would threaten that way of life.
Not ideally, the two-minute silence of 11am was marked as we were trying to turn onto the A12 with a car-full of children, of whom Joshua was most amused by the chiming of Big Ben as the airwaves – and much of the UK – fell silent, but we – including Ruthie who joined us with her and her choral colleagues unneeded for the Remembrance service on the Market Hill in Woodbridge – had at least rung on this important occasion. That was at St Mary-le-Tower where Suffolk’s heaviest twelve were half-muffled at handstroke and manned by another huge crowd for the morning of the Sabbath that saw us ring some well-struck call-changes and Stedman Cinques before we joined the crowds in Costa Coffee. Sadly the lengthy queues meant that any notion of getting to Burgh to ring for the ceremony there went out of the window, but did at least mean we caught the end of the procession heading for Christchurch Park before we headed home for one of those necessarily mundane days, especially following the construction work of yesterday. That meant a fair bit of tidying up and a trip to the tip to get rid of Joshua’s now old bed and later looking after the boys’ cousins again as my wife resumed her singing duties with Evensong.
Meanwhile, others in the county were ringing quarter-peals. Well done to the entire band who rang in the 1260 of Marshaw Bob Minor at Buxhall on ringing their first blows in the method and there was also a QP of Minor at NDA Suffolk tower Lowestoft to help Usher in the new Bishop of Norwich, a 1298 of Grandsire Cinques rung at The Norman Tower and a 1288 of the Triples variation of the same method at Halesworth, whilst the second-Sunday peal at Aldeburgh was successful and as usual the 5088 of Zerere Surprise Major was a first in the method by all and for the Guild and rung half-muffled for the fallen.
And it seems to have been a notable weekend for women’s ringing. It seems patronising to highlight performances just because it happens to be by a band of a certain gender, but of course this is an art that – much like many aspects of society – has been restricted to females in the past. In the scheme of things, it wasn’t all that long ago that women weren’t even allowed to attend the College Youths’ Anniversary Dinner, let alone to be members and what, where and who with ladies were permitted to ring was at one time a limited list. Therefore, I think those who rang in today’s all-ladies peal 147 treble-dodging Minor methods spliced at Milton in Oxfordshire can be excused shouting about their phenomenal achievement! Likewise in this context, yesterday’s first ladies’ peal for the Durham University Society of Change Ringers rung at Islip (also in Oxfordshire) and featuring St Mary-le-Tower ringer and South-East District Secretary Abby Antrobus is worthy of mention. Well done to all concerned.
All carried out in a country free thanks to the sacrifices of those in our armed forces.
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It was a busy day that incorporated some ringing, activity for the children, the practical, childcare and a treat.
The ringing came courtesy of a quarter-peal that Ruthie rang in at Pettistree in memory of Peter Schurr ahead of his funeral, which my wife and her mother Kate then attended.
Meanwhile, the boys and I popped down the road to Messy Church at St Andrew’s in Melton for a Remembrance-themed occasion and lunch.
Following that, the practical saw mother-in-law Mrs Eagle and the boys’ grandad Ron come to erect a new bunk bed for Alfie and Joshua, with a little ‘help’ from us.
Whilst all this happened, the boys’ cousins arrived whilst their mother went to work.
And at the end of it all, the treat was a Chinese takeaway after a long afternoon and evening of construction and childcare!
At some point whilst all this was going on, a peal was taking place at Debenham, which apparently sounded very nice according to an eminent cycling ringer who happened to go past on their bike whilst they were ringing!
It was a busy day for more than just us!
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Not only were my two latest peals relatively rare for their proximity to each other, but also for being rung on a couple of dates that I’d never rung peals on. With another planned for later this month on another date that I have never rung a peal on, it got me thinking about how far I have got to go to have rung a peal on every date of the calendar, with the information all to hand due to Andrew Craddock’s superb Pealbase. It’s not an ambition as such and so I haven’t followed it particularly closely, but it seems I have seventy-seven dates left to reach the full three-hundred-and-sixty-six days of the year. With my annual totals only being in the teens currently and most rung on dates I have already pealed, it is unlikely that I shall reach the landmark that others in Suffolk have reached (indeed Stephen Pettman, David Salter and Jeremy Spiller have all conducted peals on every date) for some years yet, if at all, but having never thought much about it, it suddenly seems an achievable target.
If it comes to it, I imagine certain dates would be left until last, such as New Year’s Day (although at fifteen, there is no date I have rung more peals on than New Year’s Eve), Valentine’s Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but God willing there will be plenty of opportunity to pick up the rest of the dates as soon as possible.
I have already rung a peal on 8th November (for the record, in 2006 at Grundisburgh of Mahoganous Surprise Major in honour of my brother Chris’ twenty-sixth birthday) and so there was no need to arrange a peal today and indeed I partook in no ringing at all today. Others were ringing today though, with a quarter-peal of Yorkshire Surprise Major rung at Coddenham. Although I have no idea how many times the band had rung a QP on the 8th November previously.
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The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s generous grant to help the project to augment Stowmarket’s eight to a ten has reached the local media, with a super article on the East Anglian Daily Times’ website covering the good news. There are one or two little errors (they haven’t got ten bells to replace for example), but generally it highlights all the important elements of the project, most notably the most public-friendly aspect which is that they are tying it in with a recruitment drive. Great PR, so well done to all concerned.
On a related note, plans to put a ten in at neighbouring Combs have apparently gone back to the drawing board after the withdrawal of a donation of a number of the bells that were going to make up the ring. However, there are still ambitions for a new ring of bells here, even if it isn’t a ten. It will be intriguing to see what happens next.
Meanwhile, an extremely successful project that is well-established since last year is what is now the gallery-ring octave of St Margaret’s in Ipswich, but if you are planning on going there on Sunday morning then please don’t as due to the Remembrance commemorations taking place in Christchurch Park next door there wont be any service ringing.
Talking of ringing for Remembrance Sunday, if you have plans to ring in the morning in particular then do check when and if they are ringing. For example, where there would usually be ringing at Grundisburgh up until 11am, ringing will be taking place up the road at the ground-floor six of Burgh until 10.50am.
Meanwhile there won’t be any ringing at all at Woodbridge, but not because of the commemorations. Rather, Taylors started dismantling the fittings today for the refurb of the bells, with the plan apparently being that they will return on 25th November to reassemble everything.
Ruthie spotted a couple of their employees finishing up this evening when she got to sing for this evening’s All Soul’s service, a service which is always very moving, especially if one has lost a loved one in the last twelve months.
Also moving, but for happier reasons, was this morning witnessing Alfie performing in his first school assembly as he and his classmates sang songs about colours, continents and Mexico and the country’s famous painter Frida Kahlo. He did superbly at reading his line, but all his peers did well during a heart-warming performance.
From Stowmarket to Woodbridge to school assemblies, it was a feelgood day.
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Speaking to Edd Colliss either side of Saturday’s peal at The Norman Tower, I asked him if he was having to leave a gap in his peal-ringing calendar around his wife Lizzie’s due date for the birth of their first child. Before Ruthie gave birth to Alfie and Joshua, I was quite rightly given instructions not to commit to any peals for the weeks around their due dates, but it didn’t mean forsaking too many. Five weeks ahead of the Colliss’ firstborn’s expected arrival, Edd commented that he ‘only’ had another five or six to ring before taking a break and last night he rang his one hundredth in the medium this year, commenting on Facebook that it was likely the last time that will happen for some time.
I can certainly empathise, as although I’ve never rung the amount this talented young chap does (the most I ever rang in a year was sixty in 2007, which ironically in this context was the year Mason was born), before the 24/7 parenting required for AJM and JBM I tended to ring around thirty or forty a year. Since Alfred’s beautiful arrival in 2014 though, I have only once reached twenty peals over any 1st January to 31st December period and so ringing a peal within a few days of the previous one is a bit of a rarity these days.
That was the situation I found myself in tonight though as I popped into Ipswich to ring a rare peal on the back six of The Wolery, with one of the usual band unable to make it due to family illness and Katharine Salter stepping down. And I was jolly glad that I did, with the first extent – a 720 of Plain Bob Minor – some of the best ringing I have partaken in for a very, very long time. Brisk, well struck and consistent – almost metronomic in fact.
It was nice of the band to dedicate the performance to my brother Chris’ birthday today too. Although I didn’t get the opportunity in between work, parenthood and peal-ringing to speak with him, I was keen to have a footnote for someone who quite apart from being my sibling is a ringer whose talents we are fortunate to have in Suffolk.
As is Peter Harper, whose birthday today was also marked, this time with the pre-practice quarter-peal at Pettistree. Happy Birthday Peter and Chris!
The 1341 of Bourne Surprise Minor on the ground-floor six of St Peter and St Paul was one of a trio of QPs rung within our borders today, with a 1280 of eight Surprise Major methods spliced at Elveden and a 1296 of Norwich and Cambridge Surprise Minor at Ixworth.
Our efforts were followed as they usually are after peals in Old Stoke, with a chat over a cuppa, cake and biscuits, with interesting plans for next year’s Guild Striking Competitions amongst the subjects discussed – watch this space!
It’ll be interesting to see what more we know when God willing we’re back in Rectory Road next month for another peal.
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It is the time of year where notable occasions come through thick and fast on the calendar. The abundance of sweets that the boys collected trick or treating less than a week ago at Halloween are still being worked through. We rang all the bells down at St Mary-le-Tower (including the back ten in peal) last night so that the 35cwt twelve can be half-muffled for Remembrance Sunday in six days time. And today is Guy Fawkes Night, as witnessed by Joshua, Alfie and myself as we sat in the car on an Ipswich retail park after work watching fireworks, whilst Ruthie popped into a shop to collect some presents intended for Father Christmas to deliver for the morning of 25th December.
It
all meant that we partook in no ringing, but others in Suffolk were, most notably
at Offton where the practice was preceded by
a quarter-peal of
Erin Triples. Not dedicated to Halloween, Guy Fawkes Night, Remembrance
or Christmas.
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With Saturday being the first time I had rung Bristol Surprise Maximus for nearly seven years (and it showing at times!) and yesterday’s attempt of the Royal variant at Stonham Aspal coming to a premature end due to difficulties with the method, it highlighted what little opportunity there is to ring such things in Suffolk. It seems strange to say that when the band which superbly rang the hand bell touch – which can be watched on YouTube – at this weekend’s annual College Youths Anniversary Dinner was made up of a Cambridge band past and present, but although Great St Mary is only just beyond our borders it is quite a distance to regularly travel to, especially from the east of our county and particularly as it practices on the same night as St Mary-le-Tower. And yet I believe the talent exists within our borders if the chance to get enough people together regularly enough.
Tonight’s practice at SMLT -once I had joined Ruthie at Joshua’s parents evening at nursery first - was a prime example. We were short for much change-ringing on twelve, although Grandsire Cinques was rung. Yet we rang a piece of spliced Cambridge, Lincolnshire, London (No.3) and Yorkshire Surprise Royal almost faultlessly, both from the perspective of sticking to the lines and with striking. On such occasions, Bristol on higher numbers seems eminently possible and perhaps aimed for. God willing circumstances will allow us.
Our efforts this evening were rewarded by ourselves with a drink in The Cricketers afterwards. Whatever the level, ringing can be a thirsty activity!
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No peal recorded at Stonham Aspal on BellBoard, so presumably the attempt of Bristol Surprise Royal was unsuccessful, which is a pity as it would have been nice to have peals of Bristol Major, Royal and Maximus rung for the Guild in one weekend. Although the bands for those three attempts were not all resident members or even a majority thereof, I think they will have been of benefit to local ringers. I certainly found the opportunity to ring the Maximus version yesterday for the first time in years useful and speaking to Ian Culham this morning he commented on how good it was to ring in such a brisk and well rung peal of the Major variant at Horringer later in the day. Other Suffolk ringers were in the band for this afternoon ringing a method that they don’t usually get the chance to ring within our borders.
Success or not on the much-maligned 23cwt ten today, I wouldn’t have been able to justify ringing as having spent much of yesterday away from the family (I’d left the house at about 8.15am and didn’t return until after 3.30pm) I felt it important to spend some quality time with Ruthie and the boys. With conditions outside very pleasant for the time of year, that involved accompanying the boys as they cycled down to the local park for a kickaround.
Earlier I had spent the morning with the three brothers as we joined a huge crowd at St Mary-le-Tower. Including them and Laura Davies’ boyfriend Joe, twenty-five crammed safely into the famous ringing chamber and encouragingly it was an attendance made up of regulars too, with only Lucy Williamson who could be counted as a visitor and it enabled us to ring a very decent few leads of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus.
So large were the numbers that we were able to send a deputation to man the bells of St Lawrence for the first Sunday ringing as many of those remaining rang some call-changes on twelve and then wandered to Costa Coffee accompanied by the sound of this ancient five ringing out across Ipswich. Indeed our refreshments were neatly sandwiched by that and then the sound of St Margaret’s bells calling parishioners to worship as the boys and I returned to our car to head onto Grundisburgh, where numbers weren’t so great as at SMLT but still saw ringing on the back eight.
Later in the day, a quarter-peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal was rung at The Norman Tower in Bury St Edmunds, meaning there was at least some success on the county’s bells, regardless of the outcome at Stonham Aspal.
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When I realised following England’s victory against New Zealand last weekend in the semi-finals of the rugby union World Cup in Japan that the final would be this morning, I felt some disappointment. Although not a massive rugby fan, watching the national team triumphing at the pinnacle of their sport is something to be remembered. Therefore, with memories of that glorious victory for the cricketers over the summer fresh in the mind, I don’t mind admitting to a slight pang of regret that I was due to be in a ringing chamber completely devoid of any interaction with the outside world for three-and-a-half hours rather than taking in every twist and turn of this morning’s showdown against South Africa.
Still, this morning’s attempt at The Norman Tower was a rare opportunity for me. With today’s success, Bristol Surprise Maximus is joint second in the list of what I have rung peals to and there was a time when it was almost a failsafe in peals I was ringing when part of the Birmingham ringing scene many years ago. Indeed, it was a relief to get to it in spliced! However, by my reckoning, the 5040 I called of it nearly seven years ago on the same bells was my last peal of it and I think probably the last blows I rung of the method at all.
Some of us did catch some of the proceedings in Yokohama, courtesy of my brother Chris having a live stream on his phone, but with the score already 12-6 to our African opponents when we pulled off, we were probably better off partaking in our 3hr 28mins. Not that it can be said to have lived up to expectations, although that can be partly explained by a mixed band not used to ringing together, including Malcolm Turner who very generously stepped in at the last minute when one of the original band realised on receiving the reminder email last week that they were going to be in another country! For some these were unfamiliar bells of course and it has to be pointed out that I wasn’t the only one who doesn’t ring Bristol Max regularly. The younger Munnings brother was also ringing his first peal of this since that success at the start of 2013 and Nigel Gale was ringing his first ever peal of it – well done Nigel!
Therefore it was unsurprising that the start was unsettled and although I hardly covered myself in glory, there were long periods of settled ringing as we got further along, it blew away the cobwebs and I was delighted to score, especially as it was also my one hundredth peal of Maximus.
Afterwards, now in full knowledge of the rugby score but buoyed by our own score, we retired up the hill at the Dog & Partridge where the visitors from Bristol’s plans to peal Stonham Aspal tomorrow prompted a debate on the best rings of bells in Suffolk. One of those that can now be featured in that list is Horringer, where some of the band headed afterwards for Alex Tatlow’s 250th peal. Congratulations to Alex, but for me it was back home after leaving Ruthie to look after the three boys, including taking Joshua to a birthday party, although I wasn’t back in time to make the South-East District Practice at Ufford. Happily it seems there were plenty there for a successful session.
Elsewhere meanwhile, another peal was rung for the Guild on bells within its borders, with the peal of Grandsire at Boxford being the first of Triples on the bells and rung in memory of David Jessop who along with his wife Ann – who listened to today’s effort – were part of the project to restore this 21cwt eight in 1996.
At least ringers in the county were more successful today than the country’s rugby union players.
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More Halloween shenanigans today, this time as a theme for tonight’s disco at Alfie’s school. Much like last year, it was crowded, noisy and full of lots of games for Alfred to win prizes on. This time though, we were accompanied by Joshua – who had been very keen to come along – and therefore Ruthie too and there was no need to take the youngest son to hospital to remove peas from his nostrils afterwards this time!
It meant there was no time to partake in any ringing of course, but as is usually the case on a Friday, the FNQPC were more than making up for our absence, this time with a 1272 of Norwich Surprise Minor on the lovely 9cwt gallery-ring six at Earl Stonham. And not a skeleton or ghost in sight I imagine.
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During my childhood, Halloween was just a fairly notable date in the calendar in the UK, probably marked to the same extent as St George’s Day. I remember tales of ghosts, ghouls and witches doing the rounds and it getting a mention on TV, but that was about it and I was happy for it to stay that way, as I am now. These days, costumes and merchandise are in the shops for weeks on end beforehand, parties are held and decorations adorn several houses. And then there’s trick or treating and with parenthood forcing me to alter my approach to the occasion and mother-in-law Kate offering to take Alfie and Joshua out to knock on doors in her neighbourhood, I found myself accompanying them this evening in trudging the streets of Woodbridge, whilst Ruthie went to choir practice.
Actually, I quite enjoyed it. The boys loved being dressed in their scary costumes and politely asked for and accepted sweets on a dark but reasonably mild and dry evening, all carried out in an excited but polite atmosphere as we and the dozens of other children wandering the same pavements as us appeared to stick by the general rule of not approaching a house unless they were decorated. All lovely quality time spent with the sons.
Elsewhere meanwhile, the month in Suffolk ringing ended with a quarter-peal of Bamborough Surprise Minor rung at Tostock which was a first in the method for Andrea Alderton and David Howe. Well done Andrea and David!
For all the fun I had this evening though, I’m glad that they didn’t ring it for Halloween!
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There is a real sense of winter closing in. With the clocks going back over the weekend, darkness is already falling as I and many others leave work in a dazzlement of bright lights piercing the black, all long before most of us arrive at evening ringing practices. And it is getting colder, so much so that at Pettistree’s weekly session tonight some teamwork saw the curtain put up over the west doors that are occasionally flung open to let in air and light during those bright, warm summer evenings. After securing a platform to reach the hooks that hold the rail, Mary Garner and Chris McArthur managed to hang it with the help of Mike Whitby and God willing this ground-floor ringing chamber was insulated pretty much as best as it will get for those cold months ahead, with heaters also contributing to a cosy room for our three hours there.
This operation was carried out in a slight lull between scoring the pre-practice quarter-peal of Ipswich Surprise Minor and the first of a reasonably big crowd for the practice itself. That QP was a very decent effort, well struck throughout, an impressive effort from conductor Mike and dedicated to Peter Schurr, who passed away yesterday just weeks ahead of what would’ve been his 99th birthday. Although not a ringer himself, as the husband of the late Susan who contributed so much to our band until her own passing eight years ago, he was a tremendous supporter of ringing and ringers and a lovely chap in his own right.
Eventually others did arrive and contributed to another eclectic practice that saw us ring Grandsire Doubles and a range of Surprise Minor methods, with London, Norwich, Surfleet and a superbly rung course of Carlisle of which I imagine very few rural six-bell towers anywhere are ringing as well as we rang it on this occasion. It was also rung in some spliced to boot, along with Chester and Munden.
Our productive session was topped off with a drink in The Greyhound afterwards, where a sizeable crowd got to talking about the new ‘Barclay blue’ Ringing World Diary for 2020 and even Christmas and New Year! I know I said there was a sense of winter closing in, but still...
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After she had helped out her work by popping into the shop on her day off at short notice, Ruthie hadn’t had the opportunity to do the weekly shop today and so we were a little short on food for tea tonight. Therefore, I found myself in Woodbridge town centre ordering and collecting a takeaway and was impressed by how vibrant the town’s many eateries along its ancient streets were. It’s no London, but for a chilly, dark autumnal Tuesday evening I thought it was fairly impressive. Everywhere was busy as I passed by, creating a lovely atmosphere and overseeing it all was the sound of the town’s bells ringing out on their practice night. It is a weekly session that we don’t usually make as it is important that we have at least one evening a week together if we can, especially now it is rare for us to get out with each other, but it was lovely to hear them ringing out.
Otherwise it was a fairly unremarkable day, bar helping the boys carve a pumpkin in readiness for the planned Halloween ‘celebrations’, but less so for Stephen Rabong who rang his first quarter-peal of Painswick Surprise Major in the 1250 at Hopton – well done Stephen! Meanwhile, most of the band also joined Kay Lucas at her home tower of Gislingham to celebrate last week’s birth of her and Peter’s third grandchild Evie with a 1280 of Uxbridge Surprise Major. Congratulations Kay and Peter!
I hope the sound of their ringing also helped to contribute positively to their surroundings!
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It seemed like a fair swap.
After a day off, Ian Culham popped along to St Mary-le-Tower practice this evening, but had to leave early to meet someone. Minutes later, in walked Andrew Ogden from Staffordshire, who is in the area working for Taylors fixing the damage caused to the wheels and Ellacombe Chimes at Woolverstone. ‘Oggy’ is an extremely good ringer and someone I used to ring with frequently when I lived and rung in the Midlands, so it was great to catch up with him in the ringing chamber and then afterwards at The Cricketers.
Messrs Culham and Ogden may not have crossed paths tonight, but they both contributed to a productive session, from Call-Changes on Twelve and Plain Hunt on Nine for our learners Karina and Sonia to some really well-rung Stedman Cinques and some decent pieces of Yorkshire and then Cambridge Surprise Maximus, all again in a jovial but focused atmosphere.
Earlier, there was a pleasant distraction from the current mess in Westminster, as interviews with the people of Halesworth 2hrs 13mins into Stephen Foster’s BBC Radio Suffolk show (albeit with Jon Wright – who has done much to promote ringing on the station – sitting in) on the prospect of a 12th December General Election were accompanied by the sound of the 18cwt ground-floor eight of this delightful little town ringing out! I have to admit that my attention was swapped from politics to ringing by this unexpected bonus.
It seemed like a fair swap though.
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With an extra hour to get ready with the change of clocks this morning, we made it to St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge in no rush, allowing plenty of time for me to ascend the many stairs of the tower with Alfie and Joshua and help man the front six for a couple of pieces of call-changes.
It may be my last opportunity to ring on the bells before they are due to be unavailable in November whilst refurbishment of the bells is carried out by Taylors. As yet though, Bruce Wakefield is yet to know when precisely the Loughborough firm are coming. So there may still be a chance to ring on the 25cwt eight before they’re out of action!
Whilst they are silent, the ringers are planning at carrying out their practicing at other towers nearby, as is the case with the ringers of Bardwell, whose own octave are temporarily unringable whilst the builders are in and so they will be going to nearby Ixworth, according to their Facebook page.
Also on FB – this time on the Guild’s page – there was a welcome report and pictures on yesterday’s South-West District ADM at Bildeston from SGR PR Officer Neal Dodge, with Nigel Gale becoming the new Treasurer, Tim Forsey the new Secretary and David Lee the new Ringing Master, whilst very encouragingly there were eight new members elected! With the nostalgia generated from my reminiscing around the recent anniversary of my first blog entry, it took me back to my time as Guild Ringing Master when I tried (though never succeeded in any one year!) to make all the District ADMs, in the process catching up with friends, meeting new faces and ringing at towers I rarely got the chance to ring at, so thank you Neal for the update. It is also worth noting that at the North-West District’s ADM at Stowmarket just over a week ago that Mildenhall’s David Everett became their Secretary and Maureen Gardiner the Ringing Master. Well done to all who are stepping into roles and a reminder that at the South-East District’s ADM we will have to find a replacement for Jonathan Williamson as Ringing Master.
Meanwhile, some of the Guild’s members have been in Italy this week for Stephen Pettman’s biannual ringing trip to Italy. The only one I went on in 2005 was an extremely social occasion, with magnificent hospitality from our hosts and judging by the video (just on Facebook again as far as I can tell, so apologies to those not on social media) of them enjoying the bountiful drink from the ringers of Modena and some handbell ringing from the visiting English ringers, it seems that this hasn’t changed, I’m glad to say!
In more sober and English surroundings today though, other Guild members were ringing upon the county’s bells, especially at The Norman Tower where a 540 of Grandsire Caters and 1280 of the ‘standard’ eight Surprise Major methods were rung for a pair of weddings from yesterday, including that of Julian and Catherine Colman’s daughter – and of course therefore Nathan’s sister – Esther in Leeds. Well done to Clare Veal on ringing her first of eight-spliced in the latter success. And there was a quarter-peal of Plain Bon Doubles rung on the back six at Kersey.
I am pleased to see Suffolk’s ringers using their extra hour so wisely!
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I’ve never quite fully understood why ringing on seven should sound any more unlikeable than ringing on five, but to my ear it does. And I don’t seem to be alone as it is rare to ring on an odd number of bells above five, although it does happen from time to time in my experience. It is probably why the peal on fifteen bells at Ossett elicited such a stir today. Although the initial claim that it was the first peal on fifteen was quickly debunked by reference to a peal rung on that number at the Bullring in Birmingham in 2004 (and incidentally was an 88th birthday compliment to the now late, great Sylvia Pipe of Grundisburgh), it is still the first peal of spliced Fourteen and Septuples. Congratulations and more power to them, but I’m not sure it’s a way I’d fancy passing 3hrs 40mins of a Saturday, even if the weather was fairly dreadful as it was on this occasion!
Peals rung today on more traditional numbers caught my eye though, mainly because it fitted in well with a theme of yesterday’s over-indulgent mammoth anniversary blog, as the Salter brothers Colin and George rang in a 5056 of Bristol Surprise Major at Sherborne Abbey in Dorset, at 46cwt the heaviest ring of eight in the world hung for change-ringing – an impressive effort from tenor ringer Alan Reading in particular.
Meanwhile, Exning youngster Jimmy Yeoman was ringing round the back for a 5080 of Whistler Delight Royal at St Clement Danes in London and St Mary-le-Tower Davids Potts and Stanford were partaking in a 5024 of Cambridge Surprise Major just over the Norfolk border at Thetford.
And whatever people were ringing today, at least they were ringing, unlike ourselves. Instead, the highlight of our day was an evening of looking after the boys’ cousins as they came round to create an extremely lively atmosphere! It was good fun, but I hope I’m ringing again soon, preferably on even numbers!
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25th October 2007 was the first day of this blog. Long before Brexit was ever coined as a phrase, Labour were in government with Gordon Brown as Prime Minister, Ipswich Town were in the Championship and managed by Jim Magilton, Sugababes (about twenty-seven line-ups ago) were number one in the charts with About You Now pop pickers whilst Ed Sheeran was still playing in local pubs, Colin Turner – who rang his 7658th peal yesterday - was ‘only’ ringing his 5030th peal and I was Ringing Master of the Suffolk Guild.
That last one is of course the most pertinent to this blog and is the reason it started at all. I would never have started writing a blog on the Guild’s website because I thought people might be interested in what Richard Munnings was up to. However, inspired by Joe Garner, the UK Head of my then employers HSBC who wrote a company blog that offered a fascinating – to me at least – insight into everyday life at the top of the organisation, I felt that SGR members might be interested in learning about the everyday life of the Guild’s RM. The plan had always been to stop writing it when I finished in the role. That came over eight years ago when I stepped straight into the job of Public Relations Officer and it seemed appropriate to continue with it from a PR perspective. Even when I stepped down from that half a decade later, it continued. Partly because people asked that it did and partly because I enjoy writing it, finding it quite therapeutic.
Therefore, I am still writing it and have provided an entry every day from that first one twelve years ago. The focus is less on what I do these days, although my daily activities are what I see first-hand all the time! Rather, I have enjoyed focusing on what Suffolk ringers have been getting up to and to that end well done to Guild Secretary Kate Gill, Chrissie Pickup, former Report Editor (that role still seems to be vacant by the way!) Michelle Rolph, Peter Lock and Past Guild Chairman Philip Gorrod on ringing their first quarter-peal of Hull Surprise Minor in the 1296 at Reydon, whilst the FNQPC (a name that only I with this blog have ever called them!) notched up another success with a 1260 of Plain Bob Minor at Ashbocking.
However, I also like to highlight achievements of those who have left the county and continue to flourish. Most of them seem to have gone to Bristol, with Robert Beavis, Philip Moyse, George Salter, Alex Tatlow and Molly Waterson all enjoying much success in the south-western city. Most recently Philip and George have been up in Scotland on a ringing trip, with Mr Moyse then following that up with an impressive quarter-peal of Stedman Cinques at York Minster. Indeed, all of these Suffolk Bristolians have flown the flag for us superbly with peals of 23-spliced Surprise Major, 41-spliced Surprise Minor, 147-spliced Surprise Minor methods, first peals in Singapore and participation with Bristol’s band in National Twelve-Bell Finals.
That’s not to say our other exiles haven’t impressed. Louis Suggett’s work in the non change-ringing parts of the continent account for his downturn in actual ringing, but his compositions continue to be rung across the country, Nicole Rolph has been active up in Manchester this month, whilst down in the capital her one-time fellow North-East Districter Maggie Ross was today ringing her first QP of Zanussi Surprise Maximus in the 1440 at St Magnus-the-Martyr, the latest of a number of opportunities she’s taken since moving to Berkshire. And Jimmy Yeoman promises to be a fine export when he is due to leave for his studies judging by his ringing exploits in Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and beyond, including in the centre of ringing excellence, Birmingham.
As ever, thanks has to go to Chris Garner for putting my ramblings up on the website, to his wife Mary for her patience whilst he does that and of course to Ruthie for putting up with me writing this whilst I should be carrying out chores!
Today just about sums up why not so much of our own ringing exploits are included though, as we didn’t do any. With the collection of Mason for the weekend and therefore a busy evening of parenting rather than partaking in the exercise, it meant a bell-less day for us, although Ruthie did sing for a wedding at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge. Twelve years ago we would’ve probably gone to Hollesley practice, but then we only had the one eleven-month old to look after, I lived in the village and we were younger and perhaps had a bit more energy, so getting up and going out was a lot easier then.
More has changed than just politics, the Tractor Boys’ status, music, Colin Turner’s peal totals and the purpose of this blog!
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After ringing on every evening this week, there was no ringing for me or Ruthie tonight.
As indeed will be the case for Rendham on Friday nights until the spring, as instead they revert to fortnightly Saturday morning sessions aimed at specific ringers and skills. With darkness now falling earlier (and even more so from the early hours of this Sunday when the clocks are due to go back an hour) and it being less appealing to travel out in, it seems a sensible approach at this rural idyll and I would certainly encourage members to support them if they can. Do contact Suzanne Stevens for further details.
Meanwhile, there was ringing elsewhere in Suffolk today, with a quarter-peal of Norwich-above Surprise Minor method Bacup at Tostock, whilst the peal of Ely Surprise Major at Alloa in Scotland was interesting for the footnote congratulating one-time Burgh ringer Anne Brechin on achieving a Master of Arts in Screenwriting – well done Annie!
I’m glad to see others continuing with the art whilst we were having a break!
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Having chosen the method, David Salter admitted after our peal of Scholfield Bob Major at The Wolery that it had been a mistake to select it and to be fair most of us – myself included – agreed. It was a pretty dull variant of St Clement’s College Bob Major and didn’t turn out quite as musically satisfying as I think the conductor had hoped. And yet, good ringing is good ringing and for substantial periods there was some very good, brisk ringing as the bells hunted at pace but with accuracy and although the line wasn’t exciting we still had to concentrate, especially at the speed we were ringing at. I was also touched by the belated birthday wishes in the footnote – thanks guys!
Having left a busy household with the visit of the boys’ cousins with half-term in full swing, it was part of an enjoyable evening out, bar Ipswich Town’s latest defeat just down the hill that also delayed the arrival of one member of the band with the sheer volume of traffic as over 20,000 fans descended into the neighbourhood. In keeping with the general theme of this week there was also post-ringing refreshment, which as usual was some very welcome tea, biscuits and cakes.
On a sadder note, we were all sorry to hear of the death of Stoke by Clare tower captain David Smith, who as Christine Knight pointed out in her email announcing his passing played a huge part in ringing at his home tower, Clare, Haverhill and the South-West District generally. There is due to be a memorial service for him at the church where he ran the ringing at 2pm on Monday 4th November.
Elsewhere and on a happier note, things returned to normal at Pettistree after last Wednesday’s unfortunate late quarter-peal loss as the pre-practice QP was successfully rung on the ground-floor six. Hopefully the method selection was spot on!
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No pub after ringing today, but that was partly because this evening’s trip to Ufford practice was an addition to our usual weekly ringing calendar and we probably shouldn’t resort to drinking every night of the week! Plus there wasn’t any post-ringing refreshment on offer anyway!
However, I did still enjoy my little trip up the road to help cover mother-in-law Kate’s absence tonight, with seven of us present and a decent repertoire for the circumstances, as Plain Bob Doubles, Grandsire Doubles, St Simon’s Bob Doubles and Surfleet Surprise Minor all rung on the front six. There was a jovial atmosphere and hopefully our ringing aided the recovery of whichever neighbour needed an ambulance whilst we were practicing.
Meanwhile, please do support Eglantyne Jebb Day on 17th December if you can with some ringing. This is the anniversary of the death of one of the co-founders of Save the Children and is aimed at raising awareness of and money for this most wonderful of charities. More info can be found on this very website.
God willing there will be more ringing recorded on BellBoard than today, with no quarter-peals or peals recorded within our borders on this chilly autumnal day. Hopefully the pubs of the county didn’t suffer!
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For me, an ideal way to end a practice night is in the pub. Indeed, I’d almost go as far as to say essential. Not for some kind of booze-up, especially as most of the time I – and many others – have to drive home afterwards and of course the post-ringing refreshments needn’t be in a tavern or involving alcohol at all. Sometimes a cuppa round a willing local’s house can serve the same purpose. Either way, I think it is important to encourage as many ringers to a session as possible, giving an added reason for someone to travel to a tower, especially as the evenings get darker and colder and going out to stand in a chilly ringing chamber becomes less appealing. So much ringing – especially the ‘elite’ ringing that helps drive the art forward and give ringers something to aim for – is done around a social gathering, from a drink in an inn afterwards to being a part of a weekend or even week away. Ringing in the ringing chamber, socialising and renewing/making friendships over a drink afterwards. Ringing done without that social element can often feel more like a duty, rather than something to be enjoyed.
St Mary-le-Tower does the social side of ringing very well. The first reference – albeit fleetingly and in jest – was made to the annual ‘Christmas’ curry, but more regularly Costa Coffee is frequented after Sunday morning ringing and every Monday night the weekly session is followed by an attendance usually numbering a dozen or so pulling together some tables at The Cricketers for a drink and chat.
Tonight was typical of that, as a jovial practice continued on in the pub. And not all of the conversation was ringing-related (although why the well-rung touch of Stedman Cinques at the end didn’t come round on the front occupied some of the early discussion over an array of pints), with a particular highlight being a discussion on TV comedies!
The ringing which preceded all this was also a highlight of the evening, with some Yorkshire Surprise Maximus rung and although this week’s attempt at Grandsire Cinques silent and non-conducted wasn’t as successful as seven days ago, it was another productive – and enjoyable – night.
God willing we will be back next week for another pleasurable session, but another Monday night practice was held for the last time for now tonight. The builders are apparently going to be at Polstead – the lovely ground-floor six that the many who attended this year’s Guild Six-Bell Striking Competitions will be familiar with – and so there isn’t a session planned until 18th November.
For a few years, my regular ringing haunt on a Monday night was St Philip’s
Cathedral in Birmingham for peal attempts, often of some quite exciting stuff
(though not really on a par with what is being achieved at the very top these
days, but I quite enjoyed the
Orion-above stuff we were doing at one point!) with the likes of Rod Pipe,
Peter Border, Michael Wilby, Stephanie and John Warboys and many others. It
is a breeding ground for some of the best ringing and ringers, so extremely
well done to Exning ringer Jimmy Yeoman on ringing his first peal of spliced
on twelve-bells in
the 5030 of
Stedman Cinques,
Bristol,
Phobos and
Zanussi Surprise Maximus spliced at the famous 31cwt twelve in the heart
of the UK’s second city. I can pretty much guaranteed that most (if not all)
of the band ended up in a pub afterwards. As it should be.
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After not ringing at all over the last two Sundays, it was wonderful that this busy Sabbath was bookended with plenty of ringing personally. Little Bob Max and Stedman Cinques were rung at St Mary-le-Tower (and Amanda Richmond offered a permanent spot on everyone’s favourite eleventh...) and following refreshment at Costa Coffee I helped Mason ring on the front five and partook in some Plain Bob Doubles and Grandsire Doubles, plus called some call-changes on the back six at Grundisburgh (all carried out remarkably well to the background of the boys being largely uncooperative and noisy!), before I returned to SMLT later minus the children, but with Ruthie for a quarter-peal of Cambridge Surprise Maximus.
That 1346 was part of our continued preparation for a planned entry from Ipswich into the 2020 National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest, with particular emphasis on this familiar method now it is confirmed as the test piece for the eliminators lined up for Saturday 28th March and (probably less relevant to ourselves, but you never know!) the final pencilled in for Sheffield Cathedral on Saturday 20th June.
It can’t be said that this was our finest effort, with the striking not as good as we would’ve wished for, but there was a good rhythm and a frame in place and two or three absences from what might be considered our full-strength band. Nonetheless, it seemed generally agreed that our best way forward from here would be to focus on the first half-course of Cambridge that will likely make up the competition piece.
We were extremely grateful to my mother and father on looking after and feeding the boys whilst we were ringing in the QP, which followed on from my sons and I picking my wife up from church, another visit to our friends Charlotte and Gregory and then mother-in-law Kate that occupied us pretty much from ringing in the morning to ringing in the late afternoon and early evening.
Meanwhile, there was excellent news from Stowmarket where work can now get underway to replace the current frame and eight with a ring of ten in a new frame after the project was awarded £95,100 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. With plans for a ten at neighbouring Combs too, there are some potentially exciting opportunities for ringers in the area and I hope for others throughout Suffolk in the years to come and so I’m delighted that they have reached this important point.
Elsewhere, although the quarter-peal at Lowestoft was rung at an NDA tower, it was a 150th for Guild North-East District member Christine Pickup – congratulations Christine! Well done also to all the band who rang the 1260 of Dolphinholme Bob Minor at Great Barton for ringing their first blows in the method and to Ben Keating on ringing his first QP of St Clement’s College Bob Minor in the success at Buxhall.
There was plenty of ringing going on in the county today and we were delighted to be a part of it on this occasion!
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No ringing for me today, but I did try! Having dropped Ruthie off at work and attended to some chores at Tesco, I decided on the off-chance to pop up to Campsea Ashe for their weekly 9-10.30am practice whilst I was out and about. However, there was nothing happening when I got there. No noise, no other cars, no ringers and even the trees that had surrounded the car-park last time I went there were gone! Whilst it was no biggie as it wasn’t far out of our way, but it was a pity not to ring on this lovely little six and a reminder that if you intend to go to a practice that you don’t usually go to – and especially if you are travelling a long distance out of your way – that you ought to check with the tower correspondent beforehand!
Elsewhere in Suffolk there was better luck, with a peal of Cambridge Surprise Royal rung on the back ten at The Norman Tower and a quarter-peal of twelve Surprise Minor methods spliced rung on the back six at Bardwell, the latter of which was rung for the eightieth birthday of local ringer Tim Cavell – Happy Birthday Tim!
However, our trip out to CA’s gallery-ring was as close as I got to any ringing today, with our afternoon instead taking me and the boys to our friends Charlotte and Gregory’s place for cake and tea for a very pleasant few hours.
Not every Saturday can be about ringing, even if I do try!
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Another quiet day, but after the events of last Friday that was a relief of sorts! And it meant that we got to see Mason again after his necessary absence last weekend.
Nothing from a ringing perspective though and so I turned to an old favourite – the ‘Random’ button on BellBoard and a couple of activities to occupy myself.
One was to see what came up when I searched and that was an interesting entry from many years ago featuring some familiar names.
The next was to see how soon a random Suffolk entry would come up with and it was a notable one for Ruth Suggett from nine years ago and nine clicks into my ‘game’.
I gave up after 350 clicks to find one featuring me though. Like I said, it was a quiet day.
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In eight days time, it will have been exactly twelve years since the first of my blog entries on here and thus far I have managed to put an entry up for every single day, with the considerable help and patience of Chris Garner (and to an extent his wife Mary too!), but there have been days where it has been very hard to find anything ringing related to write about.
Today was one such day. Ruthie went to choir practice which meant neither of us could get to Grundisburgh – or any other Thursday – practice and there was nothing recorded on BellBoard from the bells of Suffolk or indeed anything much further afield, with only four peals recorded on BB from across the UK. There aren’t even any events this weekend to make people aware of, although the Helmingham Monthly Practice is due to take place on Friday evening.
God willing there will be lots more exciting and positive ringing news from the county to report on here over the next eight days!
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We try to support as much ringing as possible, despite the need usually for one of us to be at home on an evening looking after the boys. Occasionally parenting catches up on us and tonight was one such time that one of us could’ve made ringing but didn’t.
It came at the end of a day that felt long as we took a trip into Ipswich this morning to sort some business that included trying to get new shoes for an extremely reluctant Joshua who was clearly – and understandably - very unhappy about being dragged around a drizzly town centre.
Come this evening, the brothers were adorable, but bedtime therefore became a lengthy and exhausting process and Pettistree practice was already well underway and so neither of us made it out.
By that point they had already lost a quarter-peal attempt there that was apparently going to be very kindly dedicated to my birthday yesterday, with the rope on the fourth breaking 1,176 changes into a QP of Woodbine Delight Minor. Thank you for trying anyway!
There was some success on the county’s bells today though, with a peal of Uxbridge Surprise Major rung for the Essex Association at Coddenham and a 1280 of Bristol, Superlative and Cambridge Surprise Major spliced rung at Horringer.
Meanwhile, our evening at home did allow me to watch a clip of Monday’s This Morning on ITV Hub from about 38mins in. It was a piece on a lady who claimed to have a fear of church bells. Although bizarre in its own right on the face of it, seemingly made all the odder for actually having been started by an experience involving her mother and a windmill, it was an interesting report and it seems to end well with the lady in question having a chime on a bell with much glee and it would appear, cured.
Much more fascinating to me though were the interviews that Suffolk Guild PR Officer Neal Dodge put on the SGR Facebook page yesterday, but which I didn’t get the opportunity to listen to until tonight. They consisted of well known collector of oral history George Ewart Evans speaking to three Blaxhall ringers – Alderman Ling, Molly Mayhew and Sheila Shaw – in 1956. Alderman explained about the mechanics of ringing and this 8cwt anti-clockwise gallery-ring of six and an outing to Hertford, Molly expressed her hopes of ringing a peal after time off ringing through illness (although sadly it doesn’t seem that she achieved this ambition) and Sheila recounted her recent success in ringing her first (and according to the wonderful Pealbase, her only) peal, rung on 3rd June that year at her home tower. An absorbing insight into the art round here over sixty years ago and well worth a listen.
God willing we can support that same art again in the near future.
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Last year my fortieth birthday was celebrated with gusto by a weekend away, a family get-together, fizzy and ultimately dinner with footballing superstar John Wark. My forty-first birthday today was a little more low-key, but nonetheless extremely enjoyable.
Day-to-day life is contentment itself and I don’t seek compliments and praise and don’t usually get them, but I can’t deny that for one day it was nice for people to go out of their way to impart birthday wishes, whether it was in person, via messages on Facebook or cards that now sit on the window sill. Thank you everyone.
Whilst it was nice that the car’s back windscreen was finally refitted (with instructions from the fitter not to wash the car for a couple of days, which I think we should manage), the cat had a positive trip to the vets for a check-up and Alfie was complimented on his academic progress at parents’ evening at school after work, the main highlights were waking up to presents and cards to open (though that was mainly done by the youngest sons who seemed more excited than I was!), a card from my colleagues at John Catt Educational, a cuppa round Ruthie’s Gran’s (after she had very generously looked after the boys whilst we went to speak with Alfred’s teacher) and then a super meal cooked by my wife and accompanied by a bottle of red whilst we watched a Fawlty Towers DVD that was one of my gratefully received gifts.
There was no ringing involved, although the Pettistree ringers had very kindly given me a card and although there were no performances in Suffolk recorded on BellBoard today, nationally there were some notable peals rung, with an impressive 5040 of twenty-three Major methods spliced rung in Oxford and featuring a number of firsts and a 5750 of Stedman Caters rung at Westminster Abbey.
It was a memorable day therefore for more than just me!
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It was teeming down with rain on what is now a dark arrival at St Mary-le-Tower, but after missing out last Monday, I was delighted to be there for the weekly practice.
Perhaps unsurprisingly on such a miserable evening we were slightly low on numbers, but even without Ringing Master David Potts, it was possibly one of our best sessions for a while, ably led by Stephen Cheek. Karina gave Little Bob Maximus and Plain Hunt on Nine a good go as she continues to progress, Sue Williamson and Peter Davies were amongst the band that not only brought a touch of Grandsire Cinques silent and (nearly due to the conductor instinctively calling “that’s all”!) non-conducted round, but rung it very well and all who partook in a decent half-course of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus and a superbly rung piece of Stedman Cinques confidently conducted by Colin Salter as a climax to the ringing.
With England’s male footballers winning 6-0 in Bulgaria (albeit in very unpleasant circumstances) on the TV, there was an upbeat atmosphere in The Cricketers for our post-ringing drinking to compliment our upbeat mood. It was a good night. Even in the rain and darkness.
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Ruthie and I were privileged to become Godparents again today, this time to Ava and Beatrice, the daughters of our friends Charlotte and Gregory, held at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge during the morning service. It meant getting dressed unusually smartly, something that in my case appeared to draw much surprise from fellow churchgoers, as well as the bellringers when they had descended the stairs from ringing!
Having highlighted how unusual it was to not ring on a Sunday a week ago though, the same was the case today as my wife and I helped our Goddaughters’ parents to ready the feast put out for the congregation after the ceremony, but again others in Suffolk were making up for our absence. Not just in the many towers that would’ve been ringing for services across the county, but at The Norman Tower where a quarter-peal of Grandsire Caters was rung for the County Harvest celebrations being held immediately outside and at Aldeburgh where the usual second-Sunday peal at this coastal eight was – as it normally is – a first in the method for all the band and the Guild, with the tune on this occasion being Beerisa Delight Major.
The latter was also Richard Rapior’s five hundredth peal, appropriately rung at his home tower, where more than half of his peals have been rung and where he is a stalwart of this band which has a – deserved in my experience – reputation for quality. Congratulations Richard!
Meanwhile, having become Godparents, it was ironic and quite sad that we couldn’t share the moment with our children. However, with being less than forty-eight hours since their respective unpleasantness, we didn’t want to risk them passing it on to the many others present and with Mason stopping with his mother this weekend to avoid catching anything, we felt strangely lost without having to constantly keep tabs on them. Thank you to mother-in-law Kate on looking after them, in the process taking them to Pettistree and Ufford for morning ringing and allowing us to partake in the special occasion of becoming Godparents again.
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Although tired and would’ve been appreciative of a little more kip, we were mightily relieved after yesterday’s worries that both Alfie and Joshua came bounding into our bedroom and onto our bed as they usually do when we want an hour or two’s extra sleep.
Despite their welcome new lease of life though, it seemed prudent to keep them away from others and spreading their respective illnesses and with both of them happily munching on breakfast, I felt content to help out at today’s St Mary-le-Tower Open Day and so travelled in to Ipswich.
I arrived in the town centre to the sound of St Margaret’s bells sounding superb during a seemingly decent peal attempt of Bristol Surprise Major as I sat at the traffic lights just across from the church. It was my intention to catch some of it for posterity once parked up, so imagine my surprise when just two minutes later I got out of my vehicle to silence emanating from the tower next to Christchurch Park.
That was a pity, but it did allow me to get straight over to SMLT where I was greeted by a soggy looking Ralph Earey trying to tempt people in, aided by the Vestey Ring in the churchyard. It was a sorry scene in the miserable weather and hopes were not high of a big turnout of visitors.
We were all delighted therefore when eleven gathered in the ringing chamber for the first tower tour, which began with Amanda Richmond giving a brief and typically energetic talk on what we do, continued with a demonstration of the art on the middle six with some call-changes and then Plain Hunt, before I then led all bar a couple of them upstairs to the bells where I gave them a bit more information and the 35cwt tenor was turned over a couple of times.
With that tour over, I briefly helped Colin Salter out on the mini-ring with a rush on – despite the abysmal conditions getting even worse – and then had a cuppa and chat down in the church that took in subtitles on TV, job interviews and Abby Antrobus recounting Joan Garrett’s recent ‘Not at Loggerheads’ quarter-peal tour of Shropshire and a little bit of Cheshire which took in thirteen QPs. Refreshed, we then returned to the famous ringing chamber for a repeat of the earlier tour for another – albeit smaller – crowd, although David Potts took them up to the bells this time as I returned home, conscious of not leaving Ruthie at home with the youngsters for the second Saturday running.
Hopefully the afternoon at Suffolk’s heaviest twelve was as successful as the morning, which I thought went pretty well in the circumstances. With the weather so miserable, there weren’t as many in town generally as there usually is on the first day of the weekend and even if they were out and about I expect most would have been keen not to hang around any longer than necessary, so well done to Ralphy in particular on attracting so many in, Colin on spending so much time out in the rain looking after the Vestey Ring, Amanda on entertaining and informing those who came in and thank you to all who turned out to help. I have no idea if we will get any recruits from it as we have done on previous open days, but as always with these events, whilst extra numbers is the main aim, increasing understanding and awareness of what we do is also very important and there was certainly plenty of that today.
Those who do choose to take up ringing after this will enter a world of limitless learning and achievement, something highlighted by those who today at Our Lady and St Nicholas in Pier Head, Liverpool rang the longest peal of Cinques and Maximus spliced. I have rung a handful of peals of odd bell/even bell spliced (including one of Cinques & Maximus) and can testify to how disorientating the change from one stage to the other can be and so as well as the physical endurance required for 7hrs 34mins ringing on a 41cwt twelve, everyone in the band needs to be on the ball mentally all the way across all 10,018 changes. Some of the ringing I’ve heard on Facebook (including of one of the change of methods) was unsurprisingly, but still impressively good. Well done to all concerned.
And well done also to Alex Brett-Holt on ringing her first of St Simon’s Bob and her most methods inside with the 1260 of Doubles she rang at Woolpit, which was also conductor Pam Ebsworth’s six hundredth quarter. Congratulations Pam!
I’m glad they were all well enough to ring!
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It should’ve been quite a leisurely evening. Having been on a slightly – and now rare – earlier shift at work to reach some of those further afield who had been difficult to get hold off, I was in a position to pick Alfie up from school, get him home long enough for him to change, take him to his classmate’s birthday party at Bredfield Village Hall, hang around a bit for a cuppa and chat with parents of AJM’s friends and fellow partygoers, leave the boy there for food to pick Ruthie up from work, Joshua from nursery and Mason from his mum’s and then eventually collect a tired but exhilarated Alfred from the party before a typically quiet night in with a well-earned end-of-week tipple of some sort.
That was the plan, but it went awry pretty much from the very beginning, for as I arrived at school for the first part of the schedule, I received a call from my wife who in turn had been rung up by nursery to say that Josh needed picking up ASAP as he was sweaty, running a high temperature yet was cold to touch, was very tired and complaining of a belly ache, which had bothered him slightly yesterday and overnight but seemed to be worse.
Therefore, instead of taking his older brother back to Chez Munnings for a change of clothes that we only just had time for even if everything had been going to schedule, we had to make a detour to get the poorly child and then return home. Already running behind time for the 4pm start for the party, I phoned the doctor to see if JB could see someone and was asked to get him there for 4.30. A quick dash was required to almost literally throw Alfie out with a present for the birthday girl and get to the doctor’s for half-past. We made it and then.... waited. And waited. It was a busy surgery and with time edging very close to when Ruthie needed picking-up and the rest of what was left of our plan to be undertaken, we were very grateful to my mother-in-law Kate on doing that for me.
The youngest son and I finally got to see the doctor, who then worryingly – though in a reassuringly calm manner – requested that I take the tired and confused three-year-old to Ipswich Hospital for some tests. Thus another dash, this time to the Paediatric Assessment Unit (PAU).
Meanwhile, unbeknown to me and my wife at work, Alfred was being sick at the party, worryingly before he’d had any food. Concerned parents were trying to get hold of us, but of course his Mum was on the shop floor without any communication and I was otherwise engaged with my unexpected and urgent mission. If everything had been going to plan, I would’ve either have been there or returned to get him, but as it was the first I heard about it was from Ruthie once she had got there and discovered him in a change of clothes, via a text that I read as I sat in the PAU in a ward bedecked with toys that worryingly Joshua wasn’t interested in as the wonderful staff of the NHS asked questions, poked and prodded the upset patient and checked his ears and throat. Eventually it came down to us needing him to do a wee to test and with him unusually not touching his drink, it appeared likely that me and him were going to be in overnight and Mrs Eagle very generously agreed to bring supplies and necessities from home where by which time AJM was being looked after by his Mum, feeling very sorry for himself.
However, as she arrived, her youngest grandchild had done what was needed of him and was seeing a third – and as it transpired final for today – doctor who diagnosed viral tonsillitis and was happy to release the patient child with some spray. Our leisurely evening eventually ended way past the boys’ usual bedtime, with our helper Kate sipping her much-deserved cuppa, but with no end-of-week beer.
Hopefully those who rang in the peal of seven Treble Dodging methods at Kettleburgh and the quarter-peal of Little Bob Major at Henley got the refreshment they wished for after their efforts and I hope their days were more leisurely than ours!
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Another brace of quarter-peals rung on the same day at Worlingham, with one of Hull Surprise Minor (sixth-place Bourne) which was Rona Sporle’s first in the method and one of Norwich Surprise Minor. Well done Rona!
No ringing for me meanwhile, but following choir practice with her choral colleagues, Ruthie went straight to the Surprise Major practice at Ufford where Bristol was a particular focus.
A useful day of ringing for many then, especially at Worlingham.
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Someone finally came to fix the back windscreen on our car today. Except they had the wrong window, so couldn’t. What they could do was a stop-gap solution which makes the car secure and more importantly allows us to safely drive it.
Therefore, I headed out to Pettistree this evening with an exhilarating sense of freedom and I’m jolly glad that I did. Not only was I able to partake in a really enjoyable pre-practice quarter-peal of London and Cambridge Surprise Minor, I was also able to take in the session that followed. One of the many aspects I love about the weekly practices at this ground-floor six is that ringers with a variety of abilities come here and make a request and we are usually in a position to at least give it a go and normally to make a really good job out of it.
On this occasion, Sam Shannon was able to have concerted efforts on the treble to Grandsire Doubles and Vince Buckman visited from Bredfield to do likewise inside. Elaine Townsend got some useful spliced experience. Anne Buswell asked for London Surprise and we rang it and rang it well. Jane Harper requested Beverley Surprise and did superbly too. And whilst I’m not sure who suggested that we try Woodbine Delight (Kent/Oxford Treble Bob below the treble, Norwich Surprise above), we gave that a go too, at first with much hilarity as two ringers conspired to fit in with each others mistakes (much to my confusion!), but then later with a well-struck touch.
It was also nice to hear about the brisk but seemingly well-rung peal at Falkenham this morning from participant Mark Ogden and that the Second Tuesday ringing went well yesterday, with a predictably large crowd appearing for a ring on the new six of Little Cornard, whilst it was interesting to read the article in the latest edition of the Ringing World in the ringing chamber on former Framsden and Helmingham ringer Leslie ‘Lester’ Brett. He was a phenomenal ringer – and particularly peal-ringer – of his time and although I don’t ever recall ringing with him, I was privileged to accompany my mother in visiting him before he died in January 1991. My favourite story about him was when he was moved from one home to another and the message that was passed to Amanda Richmond via a phonecall taken by her colleague read “Leicester has been moved”, apparently much to Amanda’s puzzlement!
My reading of this fascinating piece was a brief interlude from a wonderful atmosphere, another aspect I love about this practice, with much joking and laughter amongst the professional attitude with which the eclectic range of ringing was undertaken.
This continued on into The Greyhound after ringing with Sam and the Garners as we got a seat this week in a still busy pub. I was delighted to be able to make it all in our car!
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We don’t tend to go out ringing on a Tuesday anyway and so our lack of a mobile car didn’t affect us in that sense, but with a bit of the afflicted window caving in this afternoon it has set the car’s alarm off on a regular loop, proving annoying for both our neighbours and us.
Meanwhile, other ringers were getting out to ring in Suffolk and in the case of the peal at Horringer most of them from beyond our borders, with an impressive 5024 of Cornwall, Glasgow, Bristol and Buckfastleigh Surprise Major spliced. I imagine (with a lack of a railway station in Horringer) courtesy of working cars at some point.
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The issues that severely disrupted our weekend also had an effect on our return to the working week.
Mercifully and most importantly, Joshua – God willing – seems absolutely fine, but nursery and school insist that after such unpleasant illness as our youngest-born had just in the early hours of yesterday morning that children stay away for at least forty-eight hours. Hence Josh ended up sitting patiently next to me at work for a short while whilst Ruthie took Alfie to school, before she took a day off to collect the poor little mite from me and look after him at home.
Meanwhile, with our car still sat outside our house out of action and no practical alternative way to get to St Mary-le-Tower practice and back with two small boys to feed, bath and bed and a last train of 10.17pm (if it ran at all, which with my general experience with public transport was a chance I wasn’t willing to take), it was an unplanned night in instead of Surprise Maximus, silent and non-conducted Grandsire Cinques and a drink in The Cricketers.
Still, it allowed for an interesting discussion on small ringing chambers that started in the ‘Bell Ringing’ Facebook page with the query following the footnote to Friday’s quarter-peal at Welby in Lincolnshire claiming that it has the second smallest tower (presumably with bells rung full-circle one assumes) in the country, of where the smallest was. The general consensus appears to be Grace Dieu Chapel in Leicestershire, where the 1cwt six is rung from a ringing chamber apparently measuring 4’3” round, but it got me thinking about where the smallest ringing chamber in Suffolk is.
Places like Holbrook, Rushmere St Andrew and Stutton came to mind, but when I put it to the Guild FB page other suggestions that hadn’t come to mind so readily (or at all in some cases) were offered forth, such as Ampton, Elmsett, Fornham All Saints and South Elmham St Cross, whilst the mini-rings of Mindinho and The Wolery could also be considered. It would be interesting to know if anyone has a definitive answer.
Elsewhere there was also encouraging news for ringing from a part of the world once very familiar to me, as the 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles at Brierley Hill in the West Midlands was rung by a band consisting entirely of graduates from the Birmingham School of Bell Ringing.
Back here within our borders there was also ringing recorded on BellBoard, with a peal of seven Minor methods rung at Higham.
I’m glad that their plans weren’t disrupted!
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Unusually for a Sunday, I partook in no ringing today.
Due to our incapacitated car my plans to go ringing at St Mary-le-Tower and Grundisburgh had already been scuppered. However after a night of Joshua being very unwell and us being up for much of it clearing up after him, our new plan to go to church and the Harvest Dinner afterwards, with a ring for me on the bells upstairs before the service also needed altering. We thought it prudent not to expose him – and most particularly his illness – to others and so I stayed at home on a very rainy morning whilst Ruthie and JB’s older brothers went to St Mary-the-Virgin with my wife to partake in proceedings.
There was also no ringing in Suffolk reported on BellBoard on this wet Sabbath where many places round here suffered flooding, especially on the A47 in Norfolk which became a very familiar route for us when we were up there on Rambling Ringers a couple of months ago, but I am sure there was plenty done across the county this morning. Hopefully not too affected by disturbed nights and poorly children.
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Wheathampstead. Their long draft with no guides out in the open of a ground-floor chancel ringing chamber means that the name sends shivers down the spine of many ringers, including some of the very best. The lack of guides means that if you fail to pull your backstroke straight down (and I am as guilty - if not more so – than most of floating my backstrokes when trying to drop my bell in the right place), then it will mean having to chase your sally around the tiled floor. Every stroke needs maximum concentration, which makes the peal of twenty-three spliced Surprise Major methods rung here three weeks ago over a period 3hrs39mins (and apparently to a tremendous standard of striking according to the local who met us here) all the more impressive. As indeed was the same peal rung on the back eight of the 48cwt twelve of Worcester Cathedral today!
However, the 14cwt Hertfordshire eight’s daunting reputation detracts from what is actually a really nice ring of bells that go well and sound lovely, but the locals – and I – wouldn’t have them any other way. They are part of ringing’s rich tapestry that helps keep the art interesting, especially those unable to partake in peals of spliced and other advanced stuff and it was a welcome part of today’s South-East District Outing to the area. Apart from a course of Plain Bob Minor on the back six we were understandably cautious to our approach and only rang rounds and some call-changes, keen not to overstretch ourselves and produce substandard ringing on someone else’s bells, with video on the Guild’s Facebook page showing us in action. The approach worked too as we made a decent job of these.
As I think we did on the other five towers we visited to varying degrees. It has to be said we struggled a little with the intricacies of Hertford’s 25cwt ten at All Saints (rung from a cavernous ringing chamber) and 15cwt eight at St Andrew (in complete contrast rung from a cosy, compact ringing chamber), as well as the 23cwt ten of Hatfield, where the non-guided draft seemed almost as long as Wheathampstead’s. However, when on the wonderful eights of Codicote (for many years the home tower of now Suffolk Guild stalwarts Jane and Peter Harper who also joined us this morning) and Essendon, we produced some quite superb ringing at times and a repertoire that included spliced and Bristol Surprise Major. Many thanks to outgoing SE District Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson for organising a wonderful day out, especially the lunchtime venue of The Brocket Arms in Ayot St Lawrence, one of the most delightful and character-packed pubs I’ve ever been to and in an unexpected pocket of beautiful rural isolation in an area generally overrun with main roads, railway stations and suburbia. Great food too, especially the apple and strawberry crumble!
There were some disappointments, not least that due to our car being out of action Ruthie, Alfie and Joshua couldn’t join Mason and me. Mum and Dad very kindly went out of their way to pick myself and the eldest son up and drop us off as well as taking us to all the towers and lunch, but of course there wasn’t room for all of us in their car and whilst others very generously expressed that they would’ve given the other three members of my family a lift, it would’ve been unfair to whoever had to drive them to have their start delayed (there’s no way we could guarantee getting the younger boys ready for a set time that early in the day) and possibly their day curtailed if we needed to get away early with them.
It did mean that we were one very good ringer down though on a trip that was sadly lacking on numbers. I know of some who are on holiday and others who were on the other side of the country quarter-pealing in Cheshire at Northwich and Tarporley and there would’ve been other reasons why members couldn’t come along, but we could really have done with at least another five or six others and it is a pity that of the 300 members or so from the SE that a few more who could’ve come didn’t. It meant that for the fifteen or sixteen present (which dwindled as the day went on until when my parents, Mason and I left them at the last tower there were just eight ringers and two dogs left) it was at times a tiring day as many had to ring in almost every single piece of ringing, especially at the ten-bell towers. Granted it was some distance, but having gone to a lot of effort to get down to Hertfordshire in trying circumstances myself, it was a shame that more couldn’t have made it in what – in the main I imagine – would’ve been easier circumstances. These events can be really satisfying, useful and fun occasions for ringers of all abilities if enough go on them and it was unfortunate that Jonathan’s efforts weren’t rewarded with more people attending.
Back in the homeland – albeit in the North-West District – other ringers were also ringing, with a quarter-peal of Doubles rung at Buxhall, whilst further afield it was nice to see former Suffolk ringers achieving, most notably at Hursley in Hampshire where Maggie Ross rang her first peal of spliced Surprise Maximus. Congratulations also though to Alex Tatlow on circling the eight of St Philip and St Jacob in Bristol to peals, which he is thrilled about judging by the footnote.
Another eight for him to circle Wheathampstead though...
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Congratulations to Will Bosworth, who has been appointed editor of The Ringing World. Will is currently the editorial assistant and has done fine work in that role, so it seems a natural progression and he is an affable and intelligent young man. His appointment is therefore encouraging for ringing’s main publication’s future.
Less encouraging – but entirely understandable - news for the art comes from Lowestoft, where Diana Leach has announced that this lovely ground-floor eight will now only be holding their practices on the first and third Mondays of the month due to falling attendances. This may be an NDA tower, but it is in Suffolk and of course within easy reach of many SGR members who may feel moved to pop along from time to time, so this is worth noting, if a sad situation. It should also serve as encouragement to those who are easily put off attending their local practice to keep supporting them, otherwise others suffer and potentially ringers are lost to the art.
Hopefully that’s not the reason behind the quiet day on the ringing front within our borders today, at least on the quarter-peal and peal-front, meaning nothing for new RW editor Will to report in the columns of his publication from our part of the world.
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Words cannot express our frustration today. Or at least words that I can put on this blog!
In a stroke of misfortune, a gardener mowing a neighbour’s grass accidently
kicked up a stone which by pure fluke flew at our car’s back windscreen and
shattered it. The gardener in question was good to tell us (if he hadn’t we
would have been none the wiser!) and apologetic to the extreme, offering to
cover it with his insurance, but with us unable to get an appointment to fix
it (what with work and the like) until next week, it means that our plans for
the weekend in particular are totally scuppered, as the car isn’t safe to drive
as it is and certainly isn’t secure, though for now it is free of valuables
and hemmed in by another car.
Sunday morning ringing in Ipswich
is out of the window (so to speak) and I’m unsure if I will risk public transport
in getting to and (more to the point) from St Mary-le-Tower practice on Monday
night, but the biggest effect it has already had is our attendance on Saturday’s
South-East District Outing to Hertfordshire. With no car and no one – as far
as I’m aware – attending from our direction, there is no practical way of getting
all five us down there for the day. Thanks to the generosity of my parents I
have wrangled a lift for Mason and me, but finding another lift for his younger
brothers and Ruthie who was prepared to wait whilst we readied the small boys
is unlikely and largely undesirable.
Most immediately it left us relying on my wife’s sister Clare to kindly take Mrs Munnings to collect Alfie and Joshua from their respective seats of learning, but mercifully didn’t prevent her getting to one of nearest pubs The Coach & Horses for a meal with her work colleagues.
Meanwhile, other ringers presumably had less in the way of car troubles today, with complete bands making it to Barrow for a quarter-peal and Tostock for one of Burslem Delight Minor, which was a first in the method for them all. Well done Josephine Beever, Andrea Alderton, Maureen Gardiner, David Steed, Stephen Dawson and Lesley Steed!
There was also a peal rung in Suffolk by members of Saint James’ Guild at Boxford on the same day as they completed a 5184 of Bolton Surprise Major over the Essex border at Ardleigh.
And congratulations to Vicky De-Vries on ringing her two hundredth QP in
the 1260 of Plain
Bob Minor at Bures. Whether they rang on seven because an eighth band member
also had some unfortunate car problems, I couldn’t possibly say!
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Tomorrow night, Ruthie is due to go “out out” (those familiar with the comedian Micky Flanagan will know what I mean!) and so she insisted that I go out to Pettistree practice this evening.
Therefore I found myself at a session with a typically eclectic range of methods, from Grandsire Doubles to Kent and Oxford Treble Bob Minor ‘laminated’ to Beverley, Durham, Surfleet and York Surprise Minor spliced amongst much else, with the Kent and Oxford in particular producing some really good ringing.
Afterwards I joined the Garners and Sam Shannon in The Greyhound – which was reassuringly busy - for a drink and a chat, topping off a lovely evening.
Earlier my wife and I played host to and fed my wife’s best friend – and bridesmaid at our wedding and Godmother to Alfie - Fergie as we caught up and she enjoyed entertaining the children over vegetable lasagne.
Whilst we were doing that and before the practice that I later attended, a quarter-peal was rung on the ground-floor six to celebrate the forthcoming anniversary of mother-in-law Kate’s birth, whilst elsewhere in Suffolk the fiftieth QP on the wonderful new eight of Horringer was rung with a 1272 of Tranquility Base Major, a fantastic endorsement of the time, effort and money that went into this superb project.
I hope everyone involved in ringing today enjoyed going “out out”.
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It is too late to be of any use today of course, but the weekly eight-bell practices of Offton and Ufford were both cancelled tonight, but it is worth noting that the session at the former next Tuesday has also been cancelled, before they hope to resume on the evening of the 15th. Although as that’s the anniversary of my birth I may be otherwise occupied!
With Ringing Master of the latter octave Kate Eagle not about on this occasion, we were primed for one of us to go along and help as we like to be able to do in such circumstances to help make up for the absence of my mother-in-law, but its cancellation meant instead we had a night in, complete with a brief visit from our friend Matt who also advises us on our financial matters.
Today’s blog entry isn’t entirely about a lack of ringing though. The fundraising to augment Stowmarket from eight to ten is now £626.77 better off thanks to Saturday’s quiz (for those on Facebook who would like to follow their efforts more closely you can do so on ‘Stowmarket Bells’) and a quarter-peal of Pudsey Surprise Major was rung on the back eight at The Norman Tower. Well done to Ben Keating on ringing his first of treble dodging Major.
As far as I know, there will be a practice there next Tuesday, so those missing out on Offton have (amongst other places of course!) somewhere else they can go!
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I’ve never made a secret of my dislike of ringing the eleventh at St Mary-le-Tower. It is in the context of a fine ring of twelve that I and my fellow bandmembers are privileged to regularly ring on, but within that context it is a pain to ring. Being a reasonably heavy bell at 25cwt it naturally needs some work putting in anyway, but it does drop and go over frequently but randomly, meaning that it can be a struggle to get into a rhythm on it.
Something else I rarely enjoy is ringing Grandsire Cinques. I couldn’t really tell you why, but my heart sinks a little when it is called for. Perhaps it is the many New Year’s Eve peals of it at Grundisburgh (twelve in total) or that the boredom of it is inevitably only interrupted by someone missing a dodge at the leadend when a call is not made. In my experience (not just at SMLT) it is rarely rung very well. It isn’t snobbery (at least I hope not!) as I think it is an extremely useful tool, especially for people finding their way into ringing on twelve, but I just can’t build much enthusiasm for it.
Imagine my joy therefore when I am asked to ring the eleventh at the Tower to some Grandsire Cinques...
This evening, such a scenario occurred at the weekly practice. However, on this occasion, Ringing Master David Potts unleashed an experiment. Understandably fed up of the aforementioned issue of missed dodges at plain leadends, he decided to try a bob course (with a bob at every lead) rung silent and non-conducted. For those not familiar with the lingo, this meant that we rang it with the bobs being actioned, but without anyone calling them out. I could see what he was trying to achieve, aiming to get people thinking about what they are doing, rather than simply reacting accordingly when a call is made. It didn’t succeed this time around as it collapsed only a couple of leads in on both attempts, but hopefully it’s given people food for thought.
And it was the exception on a good night of ringing, where although we were low on numbers we were high on quality, with David pronouncing at one stage that we were on a “hot streak.”
I certainly think that we earned our post-ringing refreshment in The Cricketers afterwards where the conversation and atmosphere – much like up in the ringing chamber – was jovial. Coming here is a very enjoyable experience, even when I do have to ring Grandsire Cinques on the eleventh!
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Church week this morning and on this occasion we were accompanied by Ruthie’s Gran Janet, as she wished to go to church on the Sunday after her husband Derek’s funeral. Happily it seems that by the end it had shifted from a one-off to the start of a regular fixture. From the moment we entered the church until she left, she was greeted by many people who know her and so she felt instantly at home and has even been lined up for a return to the Mothers’ Union!
The boys certainly enjoyed her being there, although Joshua still insisted on joining me upstairs at Woodbridge for ringing and clearly we didn’t put her off as she then invited us to hers later for a roast dinner!
It all made for a very pleasant day, as I hope it was for those ringers were quarter-pealing in Suffolk. Well done in particular to Alex Rolph on ringing her first of Bourne Surprise Minor in the 1296 at the 7cwt ground-floor six in the round tower of Wissett, but also more broadly to those partaking in that performance and the 1260s of two Minor methods at Buxhall and Rougham – St Clement’s College & Badgeworth Bob at the former, Single Oxford & Plain Bob at the latter. And Happy Birthday to Guild stalwart Maurice Rose.
Meanwhile, it was a significant day for change-ringing in France, as the first peal was rung at Vernet-les-Bains, the first permanent ring of bells rung in the English style in the country and the first on ten tower bells on the continent, rung on the day of their dedication.
Our day may not have been quite as exciting and notable from a ringing perspective, but it was a pleasant one nonetheless.
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There have always been lost peal attempts, but in the past you never really heard about them. I know some ringers who kept/keep a record of peals gone for but not completed, but generally no one except for their participants and their close relatives and friends would ever know that they were attempted.
These days, social media not only lets us know what some people are eating or shares video of the latest goals almost as they go in (there was a fair bit of that going on from Portman Road this afternoon on another good day for the Tractor Boys), but also keeps us posted on failed peal attempts and what the band subsequently does with their extra time and which pub they spend it in.
However, I don’t recall reading about quite so many losses as I did today. One attempt at Marsden in Yorkshire featuring the likes of Tom Griffiths, Simon Poole, John Thurman and Michael Wilby (and therefore likely to be something pretty special) was curtailed after only a few minutes by a broken clapper. Another involving Sue Marsden (coincidentally given the location of the other loss) at Coventry Cathedral was cut short by her rope snapping on her, whilst others were in an attempt at Exeter Cathedral that came to a premature end due to good old human error after 1hr15mins. Judging by the Facebook timelines of those involved, it doesn’t seemed to have impacted on the enjoyment of their day though, with many simply extending the social aspect that is as much a part of the occasion as three or four hours of (hopefully) tremendous ringing.
Nonetheless, there were successes elsewhere, notably at Wimborne Minster in Dorset, where in an incredible feat of mental endurance, John Pladdys was ringing his five hundredth consecutive peal of Stedman, a run seemingly going back to when he trebled to a peal of Surprise Minor at Maker in Cornwall way back in 2010! I enjoy Stedman as much as the next person (actually, seeing as that’s Ruthie, a lot more than the next person), but I love the variety of ringing and therefore I find this dedication to one single principle absolutely staggering, but he clearly enjoys it and so more power to him.
And here in Suffolk there was also success with 1hr45mins of ringing on handbells in Bacton for the Society of Stowmarket Youths.
We too could’ve done more ringing than we eventually did today. In fact, we didn’t do any, but had been invited on the Pettistree outing to Norfolk, which would have taken us – amongst other towers of course – back to Swanton Morley where we spent a week’s camping last month. However, with the boys invited to the birthday party of one of the daughters of our close friends from church Gregory and Charlotte and having spent the last three or four Saturdays undertaking varying amounts of ringing and more planned for those due to come, we decided it would be unfair to deprive them of some partying with their peers for yet more ringing.
Therefore, we found ourselves at Hasketon Victory Hall opposite the round tower of St Andrew church which houses the ground-floor 9cwt six, helping set-up, participate in and tidy-up from the fifth birthday party we attended. Sorry as we were to miss the outing, it was good fun and at least we weren’t losing a peal!
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Congratulations to past Guild Chairman Philip Gorrod on ringing his five hundredth quarter-peal as conductor in the 1296 of Bourne Surprise Minor at the 10cwt ground-floor of six of Blythburgh, which was also a first in the method for him, Sal Jenkinson, Michelle Rolph, Sarah Plummer and Peter Lock. Well done to them all.
Well done also to the entire band on ringing their first peal of Falmouth Surprise Major in the 5088 rung at Offton and there was also a quarter-peal rung at Ashbocking, whilst also worth mentioning is Wednesday’s 1260 of Doubles rung at Buxhall.
Meanwhile, lots more achievements and landmarks from Hilary’s Hackers Suffolk Tour, most particularly at Falkenham, where the 1296 of Braunston Surprise Minor was a first in the method for all bar one, Leslie Perry’s four-hundred-and-fiftieth tower to a quarter and Beverley Perry’s fiftieth with Richard Shere and her two hundredth with Donald Carter. As has been the norm with this trip, there was another in the same method being rung nearby, which on this occasion was at Hasketon and was a first in the method for Stephen Taylor, Jane Dunn and Philip Dunn, with the latter also ringing his six hundred-and-fiftieth in the medium. There were further footnotes amongst the four QPs of Major also rung, with the 1272 of Hollesley Little Delight Major on the eponymous eight being a first in the method for the entire band and Lesley Tucker and Leslie Perry’s fiftieth together, Susan Sawyer and Donald Carter rang their 1900th together in the 1280 of Rutland Surprise Major at Felixstowe and the latter rang his fiftieth quarter-peal this year in the six Surprise Major methods spliced at Ufford, whilst there was also forty-four minutes of Gainsborough Surprise Major rung at Orford.
No such opportunities for us today, as with Alfie poorly and unable to go to school today and all other childsitting options unavailable, it was left to me to look after him. That mainly involved my patient employers allowing me to take AJM into work with me, although he was impeccably behaved, managing nearly three hours in the office as I strode not to leave too much of a backlog of work, before we spent the afternoon and evening at home.
God willing there are busier days of ringing ahead, with October due to be a busy month. Notably it marks the start of ADM season, with the North-West District planning on holding theirs on Saturday 12th at Stowmarket and the South-West due to hold theirs a fortnight later at Monks Eleigh, whilst the North-East hope to hold theirs at Beccles on Saturday 9th November and although the venue is TBC, keep Saturday 7th December free if you would like to attend the South-East’s.
Back to next month and all being well it kicks-off with the Beccles Ten-Bell Practice next Wednesday evening, followed by the SE’s outing to Hertfordshire on Saturday 5th, Second Tuesday Ringing at Boxford and Little Cornard (still a grab for many I imagine!),the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice on Monday 14th, the Helmingham Monthly Practice on Friday 18th and although the third-Thursday practice is currently on at St Matthew in Ipswich on the 17th, there is definitely not one on next week for the first Thursday of the month.
Hopefully there will still be time for Philip to conduct a few more quarter-peals!
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After a day off yesterday, our visitors on Hilary’s Hackers Suffolk Tour were back on it with a busy schedule today. Having yesterday spoken with my mother who let them in at Sproughton on Tuesday and judging what they have done thus far, it seems that the general plan each day for the twelve ringers on tour is a brace of quarters on six rung simultaneously – in the same method it appears – and four rung on higher numbers, with a fair sprinkling of unusual methods, presumably to avoid ringing fatigue in the same way as Rambling Ringers have a variety of lines up their sleeves on Tour.
That daily schedule was maintained today, with two QPs of Mullecotes Surprise Minor – one at Dennington where it was Jane Dunn, Hilary Beresford, Donald Carter and Philip Dunn’s first in the method and one at Tannington where Rachel Taylor, Richard Shere, Stephen Taylor, Beverley Perry and Leslie Perry were also ringing it for the first time – on top of three on eight and one on ten, with a 1280 of Floccinaucinihilipilification (the action or habit of estimating something as worthless apparently) Surprise Major rung at Fressingfield, Llandoger Trow Delight Major at Horham and Skopje Delight Major at Wilby, plus a 1259 of Grandsire Caters rung at Stradbroke. I expect some may turn their nose up at such activity and it isn’t at the cutting edge of ringing (not that I imagine it is meant to be), but clearly this group are enjoying a holiday together in a nice area doing something they all love doing. It is one of the many ways that helps this ancient thrive in certain pockets, so long may it continue and I hope residents of our county have a pleasant time listening to them.
I imagine those living near the 8cwt six of Worlingham do, as today’s 1260 of Doubles was the thirteenth of 2019, the majority of which have been made up of braces of performances rung on the same day.
For us though, there was no such activity, instead having a quiet night in once Ruthie had returned from choir practice.
More power therefore to our visitors for being so active in the exercise.
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Twelve days after his sad passing, today was an important day for Ruthie and her family – and indeed those of us who have been privileged to be welcomed into the family – as we gathered for the funeral of my wife’s Grandad Derek. And if I hold to the notion that the extent to which one touches other lives and what one has achieved in life can be measured largely by the turnout at one’s send-off, then we can all be assured by this morning’s attendance that Derek has done extremely well in those respects, as there was standing room only for his funeral at Seven Hills, both along the sides of the chapel and out in the foyer. As well as his vast family, there were people who used to holiday with his wife Janet and him, who walked with them, played bowls with them and who simply knew him from the local community where he was well respected, but also from in-laws of his children and grandchildren, including my mother and father. It was certainly a comfort to see so many there and afterwards at St Audrey’s Club in Melton for the wake afterwards.
By that point, having taken Joshua to the service – where he behaved impeccably – we had collected Alfie from school for what turned into a celebration of their great-grandfather’s life as the many present shared happy memories of him and caught up with friends and family not seen for some time.
Elsewhere of course, life went on. Not a reference to the disgraceful scenes
in the House of Parliament, but on a much more positive note the appearance
of one-time ringer Jo Brand – but for many years since a comedienne and TV presenter
of much renown – at Croydon Minster for filming of a TV programme. It involved
a couple of ringing acquaintances of mine, but they were in the dark as to what
the programme is about or when it is likely to air, so watch this space.
After a tough day though, my wife and her mother Kate were pleased to sample
a more routine ringing experience at Pettistree practice (although I imagine
Mrs Munnings would’ve been delighted if QI regular and The Great British
Bake-Off: An Extra Slice presenter Jo Brand had turned up at the ground-floor
six), where they were touched by the footnote to
the pre-session
quarter-peal of Durham Surprise Minor.
We will miss Derek, but we know from that QP and the turnout at his funeral, he won’t be forgotten by us and a good many people.
RIP Derek.
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The Supreme Court rules that the Prime Minister had acted unlawfully. The Queen’s position is called into question. To trump that, our American friends begin an attempt to impeach the President. It is tempting to point out how life continues on as normal despite all this, but all this is now a normal of sorts!
Carry on unaffected life did though, especially ringing and especially ringing here within our borders, even if we didn’t partake in any on a typically quiet Tuesday personally. Our friends on Hilary’s Hackers Suffolk Tour notched up another six quarter-peals on our soil. As with yesterday, four of those were of Surprise Major, with Yorkshire at Boxford, a 1280 of Lindum at Hadleigh, Umbridge at Kersey – a first in the method for all the band and Donald Carter’s 1100th of Surprise Major as conductor – and Ding Dong at Stoke by Nayland which was also a first in the method for the entire band. In addition, they rang a brace of 1272s in Westminster Surprise Minor at Bramford and Sproughton, the latter of which was Beverley Perry and Philip Dunn’s one hundredth together. Congratulations and well done to our achieving visitors again!
There was also some local input to ringing in the county though, with a peal of Chertsey Surprise Major rung at Elveden by an impressive band.
Whatever mess those at the ‘top’ of society might be getting into, at least ringers are able to get on with things.
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Lovely to see former Grundisburgh ringer Molly Waterson at St Mary-le-Tower this evening on a flying visit to the county where she grew up. She was full of exciting tales of her recent trip to Singapore – where she rang in the first peal of Maximus on the bells – and what the various Suffolk ex-pats in Bristol are up to, whilst we also learnt how far round the ringing circle she was prepared to go. The tenth for those who want to know.
She contributed to an upbeat atmosphere that also saw Nigel Newton continue his recovery and ringing return and Melvyn Potts impart his thanks to those who rang for and signed a card for his and Pat’s impressive recent Golden Wedding Anniversary. There was more Plain Hunt on Eleven for Karina, through to Stedman Cinques and Yorkshire Surprise Maximus with varying degrees of success, all topped off with a drink in The Cricketers where we reflected on just what a tremendous skill ringing at any level is, not just the ‘elite’.
Meanwhile, congratulations to Stephen Pettman on fifty years of peal-ringing, which was appropriately celebrated with him calling a peal at the aforementioned little wobbly red-brick tower where he runs the ringing. It can’t be understated what Stephen has achieved through his peal-ringing, not just for himself but importantly for so many others, including Ruthie and myself. I’m delighted that he was successful with this 5040 of Cambridge Surprise Royal today.
Although not as significant, I expect there was just as much quality and certainly greater quantity from the quarter-peal tour visiting Suffolk this week. There were two QPs of Advent Sunday Surprise Minor rung at a pair of our ground-floor sixes – 1272 changes of it at Blythburgh, 1320 at Wenhaston, with Donald Carter, Susan Sawyer and Richard Shere the only three out of the twelve ringers not ringing it to a quarter for the first time. On top of that there was a further quartet of successes on eight, with Superlative Surprise Major rung at Halesworth, Cambridge Surprise Major rung at Kelsale (which was Philip Dunn and Donald Carter’s two hundredth together), a 1344 of Morning Dew Surprise Major at Rendham (which was also Graham Tucker and Donald Carter’s six hundredth together and the latter’s three hundredth-and-fiftieth different Surprise Major to a QP) and four Surprise Major methods spliced at Southwold. Well done and congratulations to our fellow members of the ringing family on their achievements. It’s lovely to see visitors such as them and Molly enjoying Suffolk’s bells!
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Twice Past Suffolk Guild Ringing Master Stephen Pettman was absent from Grundisburgh – the tower where he has long been RM – this morning, down in the south-west of the country at the wedding of his and Liz’s niece Katie Hill to Tom Waterson. Katie will be familiar to many here from her many visits over the years to see family that also includes her grandparents Dick and Daphne Pegg and I have known her for many years myself now. One of my earliest recollections was her being dragged around seemingly quite reluctantly as a teenager by her Uncle Stephen on a sort of mini peal half-week that I had arranged locally just before Christmas 2006. She rang her first of Rutland (along with current SGR Ringing Master Tom Scase) at Rendham, her most Minor methods at Falkenham and then partook in a 5000 of Yorkshire Surprise Royal at the aforementioned little wobbly red brick tower, but she showed quite clearly even then what a talented ringer she was and of course still is. As is her now husband Tom who only last weekend impressively pulled in the 59cwt tenor at York Minster to a peal of Cambridge Surprise Maximus. They are a lovely couple and I’m sure I’m not alone within our borders in congratulating them on their marriage.
Mr P wasn’t the only one absent from ringing on the lightest twelve in the county this morning. Indeed, when I joined Jo Crowe there as the second trained ringer, that was as good as it got. No one else arrived.
However, this opened the door to an unexpected opportunity, as after years of flatly refusing to do anything but backstrokes when ringing, Mason actually requested to give handstrokes a go. Clearly he’s been paying more attention to the timings of catching a sally than I give him credit for, as he instantly got into the groove, so much so that he and I then had no hesitation in going for both strokes. This was a little less smooth, but it certainly wasn’t as hairy as I imagined it might have been and broadly the boy knows what he’s doing! It could’ve been an even more productive use of the time as both of his younger brothers expressed a desire to have a go, before then going off the idea when stood on top of the tower of boxes that needed to be piled up for them to reach!
Earlier there were mercifully a lot more ringers present at St Mary-le-Tower where we rang call-changes on twelve and then Yorkshire Surprise Royal, both using the new rope on the tenor. It’s been a while in coming – as new ropes usually are – but worth the wait. The old, interim rope has certainly served its purpose, but it wasn’t easy to ring. This one on the other hand is a dream in comparison, with no spring at all, although it could do with being pulled up quite a bit!
Afterwards we popped to Costa Coffee for mid-morning refreshments, just making it out before the arrival of the 4,000 runners on the Great East Run on our way to that productive but unplanned training session six miles north-east.
That wasn’t the end of ringing in Ipswich today though, with a group of visiting ringers – including fellow Rambling Ringer Richard Shere from Devon – beginning a quarter-peal tour of Suffolk with four in the county town, as they rang Reverse Canterbury Pleasure Place Doubles at St Lawrence (a first in the method for Philip Dunn), London Surprise Major at St Margaret (Leslie Perry and Hilary Beresford’s one hundredth together), Cambridge Surprise Minor at St Matthew and Lincolnshire Surprise Major at The Wolery. Well done and congratulations to those who achieved something on the end of a bellrope today. Especially Mason!
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Climate change is a hot topic at the moment, in many senses and quite rightly so. Whatever the rights and wrongs of children taking the day off school to protest as so many did around the world yesterday, no-car days as there was in many streets in Woodbridge today and the difference us as individuals or even as a nation can make in the scheme of things, it is broadly (though not universally, especially with certain people in powerful positions) accepted that things need to change and change drastically.
Personally, we appear – on the face of it at least – to have a relatively low carbon footprint. It is almost six years since we last took a flight and we try to avoid getting the car out if we can help it. Pretty much every journey that we have to make on a daily basis – going to work, taking Alfie to school – is done on foot, with only taking Joshua to nursery impossible to do without a car.
However, even apart from the instances where we need to make unplanned trips to places (emergencies, needing to get something that you hadn’t realised you needed) we still really need a car instantly to hand - especially with two or three young children in tow – to get out to ringing. There is no way of getting to St Mary-le-Tower by public transport in time for Sunday morning ringing and although feasible to get there on Monday nights by train (bus could get me there, but couldn’t get me back!), without leaving the practice early, there is only one train left to catch to return. Considering that public transport has let me down on pretty much every occasion I have dared to rely on it in recent years, I don’t much fancy those odds! As for getting to anywhere more rural that we might like to enjoy...
Today was the perfect example of why our current lifestyle – by which we mean just leaving the house – beyond work and education simply couldn’t be supported by public transport. There is no way that we could’ve got to Rendlesham at 11am, then St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge for 1.30pm and then Holton for 3.15pm, even without undertaking the actual activities that we found ourselves at those places for.
Ultimately, even with our motorised vehicle (and we would purchase an electric one if they were made genuinely affordable and there was anywhere to charge them up), it was probably a mistake for me to volunteer us for ringing for the wedding which was our middle engagement. Having left celebrations for the second birthday of our friend Toby and Amy’s son Oscar early to get there, it would have been a tight schedule if the marriage ceremony had run to time. Not unrealistic here as Kev the Rev is a real stickler for brides getting to church on time and isn’t overly keen on allowing proceedings to drag out, but with him on holiday and a visiting vicar leading things, the star of the day was ten minutes late and – as Ruthie later related having gone downstairs to sing after ringing – it was then imparted that his weddings tended to last about fifty-five minutes. In the end we had to very reluctantly leave our other six ringers to – eventually – ring the happy couple out, but it was nice at least to get all eight bells ringing beforehand.
And ultimately, we couldn’t really delay our arrival at the final part of our day, the Guild Social in the North-East District. The format for this was a treasure hunt starting at the village hall of the aforementioned Holton, where we were to get our first clue that was to guide us to our first tower, where ringers would be waiting for us to man the bells of said first tower. Guided by the clue ‘Not the East Albert’, we made our way to the nearby ground-floor five of Westhall, the sort of rustic sounding ring of bells that I love ringing at because they offer a variety which helps make ringing so interesting.
Having had a ring here, we then had twenty minutes to complete a quiz where the answers were dotted around this quaint church and rural churchyard, before we were then given the identity of the next tower. That transpired to be the six of Wenhaston where after calling some well-rung Plain Hunt on Five with a band featuring the young Rolphs of Matthew and Rosie, the process was repeated. Although being the tailenders there wasn’t the opportunity for us to ring on the five bells in Bramfield’s detached round tower, we still filled in the quiz here to the best of our abilities before doing the same again at Halesworth, the final tower of this adventure where I partook in some Grandsire Triples as George Pipe watched on, the boys enjoyed the play area and many others milled around the church and its surroundings looking to find answers to the clues set them.
Everyone then converged back upon where we started in Holton for the results, a picture quiz and a vast supper with a bar! Well done to the Busby and Rapior families on winning the treasure hunt and picture quiz, but most of all well done and thank you to the NE District, especially Ed and Michelle Rolph for the treasure hunt and SGR Secretary Kate Gill and their team on putting on such a fantastic event. It was a great way of exploring some beautiful places in a lovely part of the county and this corner of our membership always knows how to put on food! I’d be delighted to be able to feed us five so well for £35 every time we ate out, let alone get a treasure hunt thrown in too!
Meanwhile, whilst our busy day was unfolding, elsewhere in the county a peal of Cotton Delight Major was being rung at its eponymous tower by a Derbyshire Association band and the North-West District were ringing a quarter-peal of Norwich Surprise Minor before their practice at Redgrave. I imagine they enjoyed exploring our wonderful countryside as much as we did today. I just hope we haven’t done too much damage to the planet in the process.
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An even quieter day today than yesterday from a ringing perspective as in addition to our lack of ringing, there wasn’t anything to report from the county on BellBoard.
Instead, nice to see College Youths Peal Weekend get underway, with successes across the UK – from Exeter to Edinburgh – and beyond, with a 5184 of Essex Surprise Major rung in the USA at Raleigh. Suffolk is a predominantly made up of Cumberland Youths and so it is difficult to mobilise the ASCY members within our borders altogether at the same time, especially when some of them are called upon beyond our borders for other peals being rung for the occasion and as far as I’m aware there is nothing lined up for here, but hopefully I’m wrong!
It would be nice if this weekend is not as quiet as today on the ringing front!
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Apart from a quarter-peal of Stedman Doubles at the lovely 5cwt gallery-ring six of Tostock, there wasn’t anything to report from a ringing perspective in Suffolk today, especially personally.
Well done therefore to the band at Tostock for giving me something to mention!
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Ringing at St Margaret’s in Ipswich has understandably become more popular since the superb project to rehang, refurbish and lower the eight and its ringing chamber down the tower and they are very keen to welcome visitors at their weekly practices on Tuesday (note, not Thursdays as they used to be) evenings and on Sunday mornings between 10.15 and 11. However, if you were planning on joining them on the morning of 29th September, don’t, as they won’t be ringing.
Somewhere there was definitely some ringing at this evening was Pettistree, where the boys and I dropped Ruthie off at for the pre-practice quarter-peal, which this week was very kindly dedicated to her grandad. At the session that followed where Woodbine Delight Minor (Kent/Oxford Treble Bob below, Norwich Surprise above) was amongst the eclectic range of methods rung, she was joined by her mother Kate who was able to bring my wife home via a drink in The Greyhound.
Meanwhile, a brace of quarter-peals in the North-West District wished young ringer Joshua Watkins farewell as he leaves the county to study at the University of Southampton, with a 1260 of Doubles rung at Bardwell and 1280 of Quedgeley Surprise Major rung at Horringer. Best of luck Joshua!
Hopefully he’ll find somewhere to ring at on Sunday mornings!
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Another evening of Bake Off and football in our household, but on this occasion we were both satisfied, as I listened to Ipswich Town’s latest victory (we have now already won as many league games this season which started just last month as we won in the entirety of last season!) on the radio whilst carrying out chores in the kitchen, as Ruthie watched Paul Hollywood et al in the living room.
We still partook in no ringing though, but at least other ringers in Suffolk were ringing, with a 1312 of Cassiobury Surprise Major rung at Gislingham, whilst the practice at Offton was preceded by a quarter-peal of Woodstock Surprise Major as the band there followed up their success with eighth-place Cambridge last week with eight-place Yorkshire this week. I’m intrigued to see what they come up with next week. Countesthorpe? Doncaster? Water?
Whatever they ring next Tuesday, at least it won’t have to compete with football and Bake Off!
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Wonderful to see Nigel Newton at St Mary-le-Tower this evening, the first time I’ve seen him since his horrific cycling accident in Spain over five months ago. He apparently made it to the ringing chamber yesterday morning in a reconnaissance mission to see if he could make the stairs first and foremost and having successfully carried that out, he was back tonight to do his first ringing since that fateful day in April.
Lovely as well to celebrate his return with a drink in The Cricketers afterwards. Normally I would be working on early shifts this week, but in the last fortnight have taken the decision to revert to just normal working days from this week, albeit probably interspersed with the odd flexibility in hours where necessary. Primarily it is because it has become exhausting and I haven’t really been as effective at work, home or at ringing in that time, but also because the way I contact schools these days has become more reliant on emailing, thus removing the necessity of full-on weeks of coming in pre-dawn or stopping into the evening to phone them. However, a pleasant side effect is that it does allow for some of the simple weekday pleasures, like a social drink in the pub post-practice and not having to worry about getting to bed early.
It all made the whole session before my tavern visit all the more relaxing and enjoyable, especially as despite a relatively low turnout, Laura Davies – running proceedings in the absence of David Potts – fashioned a useful practice, from Call-Changes on Twelve and Plain Hunt on Eleven for Karina through to some Yorkshire Surprise Maximus.
All very good, but most of all, welcome back Nigel!
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Got good news when I climbed the many stairs to the ringing chamber at Woodbridge this morning, as Ringing Master Bruce Wakefield revealed that Taylors have finally given them a date for working on this 25cwt eight. Nothing tremendously exciting is due to happen, such as my ambitious – and I imagine largely impractical – dream of augmenting this ring and lowering the bells and the ringing chamber down the tower (don’t ask me to justify it, it is pure fantasy, such as Ipswich Town ever playing in the Premier League again or receiving a few million pounds inheritance from an as yet unknown Lord or Lady Munnings), but the refurbishment of the bells and their fittings is very important. It does mean that they will be out of action in November, but at least it means that they should be back in action for Christmas and Kev the Rev’s planned retirement in February!
I was pleased to grab a ring on them today though prior to attending the service downstairs and partaking in another busy Sunday.
Our first port of call following lunch was the town’s library, where Alfie was deservedly picking up a medal in a ceremony being held for those who partook in a reading challenge over the summer holidays. Encouragingly there was a huge crowd of youngsters there, most of whom then stayed on to watch the magic show put on for them afterwards.
Having taken that in and dropped the boys off at Mum and Dad’s, we were then hoping for some magic ringing at St Mary-le-Tower. And to a certain extent we did, as although our quarter-peal of Cambridge Surprise Maximus suffered a little in very warm conditions towards the end, we did get some really good ringing, showing what we are capable of. With this all being part of our preparations for a planned-for entry into the 2020 National Twelve-Bell Competition, it was encouraging that the first half-course – which of course is all we’ll be asked to ring in competition conditions - was our best of the two-and-a-half courses rung.
Many thanks to my parents for feeding their grandchildren before we collected them on a day when there was plenty of ringing going on elsewhere across Suffolk. Well done to The Revd Carl Melville and Maureen Gardiner on ringing their first blows of Oswald Delight Minor in the 1320 at Henley, whilst a quarter of Plain Bob Triples was rung for the Harvest service at Halesworth and a 1296 of Cambridge Surprise Minor was rung in memory of Alan Feaver at Rougham.
It has been a good news day for Suffolk ringing.
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St Mary-le-Tower’s annual outing tends to be a different affair to many others, especially in the last couple of years or so. Fewer towers, lots more ten and twelve-bell ringing, longer visit times and much more travelling! It all seems very leisurely.
Today was the perfect example. Only three towers, but nearly forty miles travelled between those towers and 4hrs 30mins ringing on the ten of Beccles and twelves of Great Yarmouth and Norwich’s St Peter Mancroft. Along the way, the lengthy sessions at each tower allowed for plenty of call-changes for Karina who did extremely well on her first ringing outing on what was hopefully a useful day for her, as well as lots of Surprise Royal & Maximus and Little Bob, Grandsire & Stedman.
It’s always lovely to go to Beccles, with its magnificent tower overlooking Norfolk in one direction and this pretty market town in the other and a real sense of privilege in providing the sound emanating across this fine setting from this grand location.
Nice also to go to Great Yarmouth again. There was a time when we were relatively frequent visitors here and indeed I have rung five peals on the bells, with three of those coming in a sixteen-month period over a decade ago, but its been a while since we last travelled up the coast to this 30cwt twelve. Although indistinct in places, they go really well and are always a pleasure to ring and I think that Bel Rivers – along with her late husband Ray – have done superbly to keep a band going here in this geographical outpost.
We had only visited Mancroft a month-and-a-half ago on Rambling Ringers, but following lunch at Acle Bridge Inn in its picturesque waterside setting, we were delighted to be back again, with former SMLT Ringing Master Simon Rudd joining us, whilst it was also nice to – albeit briefly – see Gill Knox and David Brown outside. Despite being surrounded by thousands of yellow shirts ahead of Norwich City’s admittedly impressive victory against Manchester City and having to drive past their ground just before kick-off, it was a pleasant trip into a fine city at the end of a wonderful day out – thank you ever so much to Stephen Cheek for organising it!
Elsewhere, it was nice to see The Vestey Ring welcoming visitors to St Clements in Ipswich for the Heritage Open Day and hopefully there were lots coming through, having a go and maybe even considering taking up the art.
Meanwhile, whilst there were no performances in Suffolk recorded on BellBoard today, I was impressed by the peal of twenty-three Surprise Major methods spliced at Wheathampstead. Not just for what they rang, which is superb in its own right, but also for reasons that will be clear to those who have rung there before! And if you haven’t and you have no idea what I’m talking about, it will become obvious if you join the South-East District there on their Annual Outing on Saturday 5th October!
These outings can be very different affairs!
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We received some expected but sad news today, as Ruthie was informed of the passing of her maternal grandfather Derek. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer earlier in the year and had been in hospital for almost a fortnight, with the sad expectation being that he wouldn’t be leaving and so we were all as ready for it as I think we could be. And there are lots of wonderful memories, especially the family gatherings at Christmas and such as their Diamond Wedding Anniversary last year, which we rang a quarter-peal for at Hasketon. Personally I was privileged and lucky to have known him, seeing as the first time we met was when he was in hospital after a previous near-death experience. In the thirteen years since, he has witnessed the birth of four further grandchildren and five great grandchildren, so in that sense he and we were fortunate to enjoy that extra time.
Yet for all that, it is a sad loss for this large yet close family and today was a subdued one, albeit lightened by a visit from mother-in-law Kate and the children, for whom we’re not sure how much the news has really registered with them.
And reassuringly, life elsewhere was continuing, not least in ringing, with a peal of Cornwall Surprise Major rung at Helmingham and a quarter-peal of Plain Bob Major on one of my favourite Suffolk eights, Wilby.
However, our thoughts were mainly with Ruthie’s gran Janet.
Rest In Peace Derek.
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For various reasons the second-Thursday monthly Surprise Major Practice at Ufford was cancelled and so we had a cuppa round mother-in-law Kate’s before I took the boys back home to bed and Ruthie went to choir practice.
Our lack of ringing was made up for by a busy day of quarter-peal ringing in Suffolk as four were rung on the county’s bells. Two of those were scored at Worlingham with a 1320 of Beverley Surprise Minor and then the same number of changes of Oxford Treble Bob Minor, whilst there were a brace of 1260s of Doubles in the west of the county, with one at Horringer and one at Nayland.
Meanwhile, it was interesting to see a viewpoint of mine related in much more eloquent fashion than I could ever muster. It was a brief article quoting a New Zealand principal who in turn was quoting a judge in relation to the perpetual whine “there’s nothing round here for the youth to do.”
Always we hear the cry from teenagers: 'What can we do, where can we go?'
My answer is this: Go home, mow the lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit the sick, study your lessons and after you've finished, read a book. Your town does not owe you recreational facilities and your parents do not owe you fun.
The world does not owe you a living, you owe the world something. You owe it your time, energy, and talent so that no one will be at war, in sickness, and lonely again. In other words, grow up, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbone not a wishbone. Start behaving like a responsible person. You are important and you are needed. It's too late to sit around and wait for somebody to do something someday. Someday is now and that somebody is you!
Typically I espouse this sentiment when reading or hearing of the reason for some children misbehaving being that there is nothing to do when they are typically in earshot of a ring of bells crying out for new ringers to partake in a cheap, multigenerational lifetime activity.
It may be pie-in-the-sky to expect many of these youngsters to suddenly take to the art, but I’m glad that at least someone was making the most of the opportunities ringing offers, even if we weren’t today.
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Ruthie attended Pettistree’s weekly practice with her mother Kate tonight, who had popped round ours for a cuppa in between trebling to a lost quarter-peal attempt of the twelve Cambridge Surprise Minor methods spliced on this ground-floor six and then returning there with her daughter. What followed was an apparently productive session with the usual variety of Doubles and Minor methods rung and a trip to The Greyhound afterwards.
I meanwhile had been on a late shift at work which allowed me to accompany Mason to an appointment and then settle down to an evening in whilst Mrs Munnings had her night out!
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Tuesdays tend to be quiet on the ringing front for Ruthie and me, even without a late shift at work for me and so there was no participation in the art for us this evening. Instead, it was a night in which tested who has control of the TV remote. Turns out that on this occasion it was my wife, as with one of the most exciting England matches for years as we beat Kosovo 5-3 unfolding on one channel, I witnessed precisely one of the eight goals scored as the new series of The Great British Bake Off on another channel took precedence!
Meanwhile, it was interesting to see a quarter-peal of Primrose Surprise rung in its Major form before the practice at Offton this evening. It is frequently rung in Minor of course, but the principal – that it is Cambridge Surprise with the bells plain hunting at the lead-end rather than dodging – is the same on eight as it is on six and so I sometimes wonder why it isn’t rung more often for a bit of variety.
At least it spared them competing for the TV remote!
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With a late shift at work taking my time in the office into the evening, there wasn’t an opportunity to make it to St Mary-le-Tower practice and so it was a quiet evening in without anything ringing related to report, both from a personal perspective and across Suffolk.
Indeed, the closest I got to anything ringing related was watching a Channel Five report on the fundraising for the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust’s attempts to restore the famous buildings that house Taylors’ operations. The report included interviews with well-known ringing personalities Andrew Wilby and David Potter and will hopefully help them in reaching their daunting target.
Sadly there wasn’t time to ring on some of their finest bells in Ipswich tonight though.
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Sunday. A day of rest. Not for bellringers though of course. And certainly not for us today.
Whilst Ruthie was carrying out her choral duties at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge for morning worship, the boys and I were out and about as I rang at two of the county’s twelves, first at St Mary-le-Tower – where the concept of floating boxes was introduced with much hilarity – and then Grundisburgh, sandwiching the usual trip to Costa Coffee in Ipswich.
My wife collected from church, we then headed up to the town’s Kingston Field for a junior church picnic. The weather held, the children enjoyed themselves in the playground and us adults generally relaxed and chatted, before we five then continued on to mother-in-law Kate’s for a gratefully-received roast dinner for us and her mother Janet and Grandad Ron.
Elsewhere within our borders, the second-Sunday peal at Aldeburgh was as usual a first for the band and the Suffolk Guild, on this occasion with a 5088 of Northamptonshire Surprise Major, a line briefly familiar to us as a method of the 2011 Rambling Ringers Tour to the eponymous county and not exactly straightforward, so well done to all ringing on the 11cwt eight on the coast this afternoon.
Meanwhile, nearly fifty miles away in Bury St Edmunds, a quarter-peal of three Surprise Major methods spliced was rung on the Collings 8 at The Norman Tower.
Sunday is definitely not a day of rest for us ringers!
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There was an element of sod’s law in evidence today.
For I had committed myself to a brace of weddings this afternoon, first at Woodbridge and then at Grundisburgh.
The former seemed a good place to ring the first of two in a row. Kev the Rev – sadly soon to retire – is very strict about brides turning up on time and indeed when we got married back in 2012, Ruthie was so early I inadvertently found myself ringing her into the church! It was a surprise therefore when today’s soon-to-be Mrs hadn’t arrived as the start-time passed. Even more so as each minute went by, until we eventually gave up ringing her in. Still no sign of her. Eventually, as I took Alfie across the churchyard to the church centre half-an-hour beyond the advertised 1pm start, we spotted the bride walking through the gates. It struck me as odd, with most brides typically brought to the base of the tower as far as I’m aware, but it transpired it wasn’t the chosen means of entrance. Apparently – and perhaps unsurprisingly in this day and age – the root of the problem was the go-to choice of all those in charge of traffic ‘management’, the traffic light. Some temporary ones down in town had stopped working and brought the town to a standstill, something that I had been caught in when travelling to St Mary-the-Virgin myself, without realising what the cause was. Hence, on her big day, dressed in a wonderful white dress, she had to walk across town to her own wedding!
The knock-on effect was that with a spare, seventh ringer present, I scooped the boys up and got them back to where I’d earlier abandoned the car a few streets away and we made our way to the county’s lightest twelve, where this bride was also late, but only by a fashionable five minutes. Thus a decent afternoon of ringing drew to a close.
Hopefully that was also the case at Iken and Tunstall for the South-East District Meeting. I had intended to pop along after ringing for the matrimonial union at Woodbridge, but with Stephen Pettman struggling to get a band for proceedings at Grundisburgh, I felt I ought to help out. After all, our main purpose as ringers is to ring when called upon by the church where possible and so I put duty ahead of leisure, with the 4pm finish at the little red-brick tower nearly half-an-hour away from the 7cwt gallery-ring six just too late to have enough time to join my fellow SE members before they finished at 4.30pm. Hopefully they had a good turnout.
Meanwhile, members of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers were meeting down in London and it is worth noting that this gathering of the global ringing community is due to be hosted by the Suffolk Guild in 2022. It should be an exciting occasion for us, hopefully entirely untouched by sod’s law!
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I have often given much thought to how much longer I can keep up regular alternate weeks of early shifts at work. For all the understandable eye-rolling of my elders, I’m not as young (obviously!) as I was when I first started them over a decade ago and was able to almost treat them as a day off, even partaking in a pub crawl on one occasion after being in work pre-dawn! I may still have the time for such things, but not the energy too!
However, apart from their work benefits (which of course is the main purpose of doing them), they have been useful outside of the office, including for sneaking in extra midweek afternoon ringing, such as peals, weddings and the Second Tuesday Ringing. They are also handy for those unexpected things that need dealing with and would normally involve those awkward conversations with the boss about needing to pop out of work, although John Catt Educational have always been very good and generous in such circumstances.
So it was today, when it became necessary for someone to take Charlie our cat to the vets. With Ruthie at work, it was fortunate that I had been in on an early shift, thus allowing me to take a reluctant feline to get checked over this afternoon. Mercifully there is nothing seriously wrong with him, although he is now very grumpy at not being allowed outside!
It also allowed me plenty of time to do the usual collection of our family members for the weekend, drop them off at mother-in-law Kate’s and for Ruthie and myself to pay a visit to my wife’s grandad Derek in hospital. The poor chap hasn’t been very well at all and yet remains remarkably upbeat and in the circumstances we had quite a pleasant chat about family, football and the weather, before we returned to Mrs Eagle’s, where we spent a while with all his great-grandchildren present.
Meanwhile, other Suffolk ringers were active on the county’s bells, with
quarter-peals of Plain Bob Doubles and Cambridge Surprise Minor rung
at Earl Stonham
and Rumburgh
respectively. I’m glad they all had the time and energy!
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Yesterday Lesley Steed sent an email to the Guild’s membership informing of the death of one-time Woolpit and Norman Tower ringer Alan Feaver earlier this month. I didn’t really know him, though when we visited my Aunty Marian yesterday she commented on how she had seen him only a few weeks ago at the Veteran’s Day in Debenham and others will have also have been saddened by his passing. They may wish to know therefore that his funeral is due to be held at West Suffolk Crematorium in Bury St Edmunds at 2.30pm next Tuesday.
Mercifully there was no such sad news today, with the main ringing headlines being the 1296s of Cambridge Surprise Minor at Horringer and Braintree Delight Minor at Tostock, with the latter being rung to celebrate treble ringer Maureen Gardiner’s fifty years of marriage to her John and also a first in the method for Andrea Alderton and Nigel Gale. Congratulations Maureen and John and well done Andrea and Nigel!
Hopefully Alan would’ve approved of the activity in his part of the world!
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People who don’t want an election getting annoyed about not being able to have an election because the people who do want an election won’t have an election. A Prime Minister with a losing streak that would’ve made Ipswich Town blush last season. Deselections of MPs. Complete and utter deadlock in the place that should be running the country. It was brave of anyone who locked themselves in a room to ring a peal today, lest they exit to find piles of burning tyres and mass looting, even for those of us who rang in the 5148 of Weldon Surprise Major at The Wolery, the quickest of all the peals recorded on BellBoard on this Wednesday where all eyes were again on Westminster.
Regardless of the risks, I am very glad we rang this, as conductor and member of our hosts David Salter continues his impressive recovery from last year’s stroke. He was cautious ahead of this, wary that the quick-thinking which he is so associated with when calling peals doesn’t come quiet as readily and easily as it once did, but standing next to him I got the impression he was entirely on top of proceedings throughout the 1hr58mins, even when a cat invasion in the second part briefly distracted the band from an otherwise very enjoyable and assured performance! Congratulations to Neal Dodge on ringing his one hundredth peal and to George Thoday – who rang in the very first peal on these bells in 2002 - on ringing his two hundredth on the bells. We celebrated afterwards with refreshments in the Salter’s living room, with their kitchen nearing completion and usual reception room still full of boxes.
Our success wasn’t the only on Suffolk’s bells recorded on BB today, with three quarter-peals rung within our borders. Congratulations to Maurice and Anita Rose on their recent wedding anniversary, which was marked with a 1260 of Single Oxford Bob Triples rung on the back seven of the ground-floor eight of Offton, whilst three of the band – including conductor Brian Whiting who called both – also rang in the 1280 of Cornwall Surprise Major over thirty miles away at Elveden. Meanwhile, as usual the practice at Pettistree was preceded by a QP, which on this occasion was a 1271 of Ipswich Surprise Minor.
It was very brave – or perhaps wise - of them all to hide themselves away for all that time!
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Westminster Surprise Minor initially seems appropriate. However, when surprising things in Westminster no longer seem surprising, tonight’s events in the Houses of Parliament seem better suited to Westminster Differential Bob Minor. Either way, I think we can all agree that Westminster Delight Minor isn’t suitable. Will there be a general election (on my birthday at that)? Who is in charge? The squabbles on our MPs return put even the worst ringing chamber disputes in the shade!
These are extraordinary political times, but even for those times, tracking the goings-on at the seat of democracy were captivating. In fact I found myself more interested in this than I did in following Ipswich Town’s debut in a competition just for clubs in the lower divisions that we now find ourselves in and which I – and many other Town fans judging by the tiny attendance at Portman Road – would rather that we didn’t have to bother with. Indeed, it was more interesting than trying to follow the ringing activities of the county today, with no performances in Suffolk recorded on BellBoard, although I’m sure there was plenty going on at the numerous practices being held within our borders this evening.
And being a Tuesday, there wasn’t any ringing for us either. Leaving more time to follow the goings-on in Westminster. For better or worse.
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It was a mixed evening at St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice tonight. Yorkshire Surprise Maximus completely collapsed, whilst we struggled with some Grandsire Cinques and yet rang half-a-course of Cambridge, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Surprise Royal really well. Beyond that, there were opportunities for our three most inexperienced learners Leonie, Karina and Sonia, especially the latter pair who both trebled to Little Bob Major on the front eight (in separate pieces of course!) and it was all carried out in a jovial atmosphere as final arrangements for our forthcoming tower outing were made, reminders made about Saturday’s South-East District Ringing Meeting at Iken (again, please note the parking arrangements) and Tunstall and Guild Chairman Rowan Wilson warned that more people need to buy tickets for the Social in the North-East District on Saturday 21st September to make it viable.
Sadly, following an early start at work and another due tomorrow, I passed upon a social drink in The Cricketers post-ringing and so a pleasant night out ended prematurely. As I said, it was a mixed evening.
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It was an afternoon of reading.
First, a walk – and for most of the way for the boys, a cycle – to the library and back for Alfie to complete his impressive reading challenge for the summer holiday. Well done Alfred!
On our return home, it was an opportunity to read some copies of the Ringing World which Mum had very kindly passed to us from Aunty Marian. As usual, most of it was stuff readily available online or common knowledge to us already, but actually I’m a big fan of a couple relatively recent innovations.
One is Will Bosworth’s What’s Hot on BellBoard, which gives a Top of the Pops style countdown of that week’s leading performances on BB’s leaderboard of most liked performances which also gives a little bit of background to some of them.
The other is the series of interviews with various personalities of the exercise. It has been fascinating getting an insight into the life-stories and thoughts of ringers that I know of, but don’t know, such as Peter Bevis, Richard Pullin and Claire Roulstone, whilst finding out new things about people I have often rung and socialised with over the years, such as David Brown and Paul de Kok. All very relaxing after much walking.
If the afternoon was one of reading, then this morning was one of ringing, as Ruthie – with her and her choral colleagues stretching their August break into September – and myself (and Peter Shipley who is also in the choir) enabled the band to ring some Plain Bob Doubles before we attended the service that followed.
Ours was not the only morning of ringing of course, but the most notable was that at Ingham where the ringing there was the first on this 12cwt five for a service “in at least a generation.” Well done to all concerned!
Meanwhile, well done also to Ben Keating on ringing his first of Major in the 1264 of Plain Bob on the Collings Eight at The Norman Tower, Alex Rolph, her brother Matthew and Peter Lock on ringing their first QP of Lincolnshire Surprise Major in the 1252 at Halesworth and Jimmy Yeoman on not only ringing his first peal of Triples in the 5040 of Grandsire at Ixworth, but also calling it into the bargain! And whilst not featuring any firsts, the quarter-peal of Plain Bob Minor at Pettistree – the forty-first of 2019 there – is also worthy of mention.
I enjoyed reading all about it!
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We often find ourselves juggling parenthood and ringing and to be honest I think parenthood usually wins, with much of what the children need hard to justify usurping with a ringing jolly. This afternoon though, Team Munnings was able to satisfy both parties in the long-running parent-child face-off.
For I had put my name down to ring for a wedding at Woodbridge a while back, before we then realised that a birthday party that Alfie had been invited to was going to overlap with the ringing times for said marriage ceremony. Fortunately on this occasion the choir weren’t called upon and so Ruthie wasn’t required there. Therefore she took the car and Alfred to Hasketon for his classmate’s celebrations and myself, Mason and Joshua walked into town to partake in what was some very decent ringing for quite a posh do at St Mary-the-Virgin, before my wife and AJM picked us up afterwards.
Ours was the only change ringing from the county to report on today as well, with nothing recorded on BellBoard from within our borders, although the peal of Bristol Surprise Royal at Lichfield Cathedral featuring former Suffolk ringers Philip Moyse and George Salter plus some familiar names from my time ringing in Birmingham caught my eye.
However, other ringers closer to home were undertaking notable activity as Phil Day and Val Mayhew from Barking appeared on BBC Radio Suffolk with Phil’s children and twelve handbells. They appear from 2hrs9mins50secs into Sarah Lilley’s show (sitting in for Wayne Bavin – that’s not her in the photo!) and were the focus of a weekly challenge where she and her colleague Johnnie Wright partake in an activity that they are unfamiliar with and ’compete’ to do better at than each other. This time, it was handbells and particularly tune-ringing, which the ringing quartet are very adept at and they came across extremely well with some great PR for bells and bellringing. Phil and Val were both familiar faces in my early days of ringing, especially the latter who rang regularly at Sproughton as I learnt the art there, sometimes bringing her son Wayne for a ring and so it was great to hear them on the airwaves and particularly to find the time to listen in amongst our juggling of ringing and parenthood!
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Once again we were grateful to Alfie’s grandparents for enabling us to go to work whilst he is off school. Primarily to my Mum and Dad for looking after him for the day, but also to Ruthie’s mother Kate who picked him up on the way back from a work-related trip to Kent. We have used up a lot of babysitting credits since the summer holidays started, thus further highlighting why it isn’t easy for us to commit as readily as we would like to many ringing requests.
Mercifully others in the county are able to accept ringing requests more easily and that was very much in evidence today, most particularly at Henley where the 1344 of Lincolnshire Surprise Major was a first in the method for a trio of Scases – well done to Jenny and her husband Robert and their sister-in-law Tracey!
Meanwhile there were quarter-peals at Buxhall to celebrate the Golden Wedding Anniversary of treble-ringer Rachel Tunbridge’s parents and on handbells in Bacton, whilst the first peal of Deva Surprise Major for the Guild was rung at Gislingham in 2hrs55mins.
Also worthy of mention is Suffolk youngster Jimmy Yeoman’s first towerbell peal as conductor in the 5088 of Yorkshire Surprise Major at Campton in Bedfordshire, just over a month after his first as conductor in hand, rung in Cambridge. As with others such as George Salter (who incidentally called a peal of forty-one spliced Surprise Minor methods in Bristol earlier this week that also featured one-time Reydon ringer Philip Moyse, so well done them too!) and Louis Suggett before him, it has been encouraging to see him proactively furthering his ringing, with other people and other places across the country, especially as being a youngster he has to rely on others to get him to places. Although at least he doesn’t have to arrange babysitters!
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A very quiet day from a ringing perspective for us today.
With September due to arrive shortly (unless Boris Johnson decides to cancel it to bring 31st October even closer), there is more ringing planned, starting straight away on the first day with the Re-dedication of Redgrave bells, before hopefully the Beccles Ten-Bell Practice on Wednesday 4th, the South-East District Ringing Meeting at Iken (please note the advice/instructions on parking) and Tunstall on Saturday 7th, the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice at Bungay two days later, the Second Tuesday Ringing (on the 10th) at Buxhall, Great Finborough and then – after lunch – Rattlesden, before the Helmingham Monthly Practice is pencilled in for the evening of Friday 20th. The following day is due to be a busy Saturday, with a Taster Day at Halesworth ahead of the Guild Social at Holton Village Hall, with the North-West District Practice at the aforementioned Redgrave (although as I write this the venue is still to be confirmed) and a week later, all being well the South-West District Practice will be held at Kersey, with a focus on Kent Treble Bob Major.
There was ringing today though, in the form of
the 1272 of
Durham Surprise Minor, which was a first in the method for Philip Gorrod,
Peter Lock and the Rolphs Michelle, Matthew & Nicole – well done all of
you! If nothing else for giving me something ringing related to write about
today!
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Ruthie made it out to Pettistree on our behalf this evening as she joined her mother Kate at a practice night preceded by a quarter-peal and which took in an eclectic repertoire of methods that included Wooler Surprise Minor (Bourne below, sixth-place Carlisle above), before going for post-ringing refreshment at The Greyhound.
Elsewhere another QP in Suffolk was rung at Great Finborough, whilst an impressive peal of ten Surprise Major methods spliced was rung on the front eight at St Mary-le-tower, the most Surprise Major methods to a peal for Rowan Wilson – well done Rowan!
Meanwhile, if you plan to go to Grundisburgh practice on Thursday, then don’t, as there won’t be one due to repair work. However, sessions on a Thursday night are now a regular thing after a lean period a few years ago, so please do consider going on another week and maybe you’ll have as nice a night out as my wife did tonight!
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Much is made of footballing rivalry and it is true that it occasionally brings the worst out of the worst type of people, sometimes in quite a dangerous fashion. However, it is in the main pantomime. Most friendship groups include people who between them support a variety of teams and will often mock each other’s teams quite amicably.
This evening’s expulsion of Bury (from up north, not St Edmunds!) from the football league (for reasons far too complicated to go into on here and which I don’t fully understand anyway) and their likely subsequent liquidation is a case in point, with fans of all clubs from across the country saddened by their demise. Whilst expressing that “it’s like a death in the family” is a bit extreme (albeit mainly as a metaphor for the sense of loss), one can’t help have sympathy for their fans. For me, Ipswich Town have given me so many memories from a young age and give a sense of identity. They are a link to our late Uncle Eric, who first took my brother Chris and I along to Portman Road. We have travelled the country watching them and would love to do so more regularly if circumstances permitted. They are a big part of the community I grew up in. We don’t have any particular rivalry with Bury, although we are (or rather now, were) in the same division, but I wouldn’t wish their predicament on even Norwich City and their supporters.
Much is also made of the rivalry between the Ancient Society of College Youths and Society of Royal Cumberland Youths, the two ‘elite’ London-based non-territorial ringing organisations that one isn’t allowed to be a member of both of at the same time. Achievements are often compared, as are drinking abilities and members from each side can often be found taunting each other. However, much like footballing rivalries, it is mainly pantomime and banter. As a College Youth, I count many Cumberlands amongst my ringing friends and am even married to one. Indeed, I used to be one before circumstances made changing allegiances logical. And of course we all ring together.
Therefore, I was delighted by today’s SRCY peal at Horringer, it being Suffolk-bred John Loveless’ 1000th peal for the society (with his first peal of any kind not in Singapore since the very beginning of the month!) and Suffolk youngster Jimmy Yeoman’s first for them, following his recent election. Congratulations Jake and Jimmy, absolutely wonderful to see such a significant peal rung within our borders.
One of the ringers from that band, Brian Whiting, was having a busy day of ringing as he later conducted the pre-practice quarter-peal at Offton (and presumably ran the session that followed), but not unusually for a Tuesday there was no ringing for us. That was in part due to a late start – and therefore late finish - at work, although it also allowed me time to accompany Ruthie in getting the boys’ haircuts.
Our evening was a quiet one then, albeit appreciating all we have in life. And even their ‘rivals’.
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There was a weekly practice at St Mary-le-Tower on this bank holiday Monday evening, but I didn’t make it. Not because of a packed Ipswich centre from the final concert of Ed Sheeran’s run at Chantry Park and indeed of the most successful tour in history. Rather, feeling a little under the weather and after an exhausting, hot weekend looking after the boys single-handed in the main and with the opportunity to spend some time with Ruthie who has been at work for two-thirds of the long weekend meant I couldn’t quite muster the power to travel to Suffolk’s county town.
However, we did see one SMLT ringer today as we hosted Laura Davies and her boyfriend Joe for a BBQ and a leisurely afternoon of catching up properly for the first time since her relatively recent return from Slovakia, as well as getting to know Joe.
On a busy day of peal-ringing across the country – with notable twelve-bell peals rung at Redcliffe in Bristol, Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire and the cathedrals of Chester, Exeter and Winchester – there was remarkably little recorded on BellBoard from within our borders.
I hope there were others more proactive than us elsewhere in the county though, not least at St Mary-le-Tower!
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A decent crowd at St Mary-le-Tower this morning, with three visitors including former local, but now York ringer Tina Sanderson, enabled us to climax with some Stedman Cinques, before a trip to Costa Coffee where the visiting Tina exposed my hot chocolate habit and it was lovely to exchange memories with Ralph Earey of recent ringing trips to Norfolk following our week on Rambling Ringers and Brian Whiting’s quarter-peal week north of the border.
The attendance wasn’t quite as substantial at Grundisburgh afterwards, although there was some very well-struck ringing on the back six as we arrived and although some Double Bob Minimus (as the name suggests, Plain Bob doubled, so with dodging at the half-lead as well as at the leadend) with Mason bonging behind with my ‘help’ on the front five initially flummoxed some, that went eventually went well before we finished with some call-changes on eight.
The rest of my day was a ringing-free one though, as the boys and I relaxed at mother-in-law Kate’s with Ron and our host and then – once I’d picked Ruthie up from work – enjoyed a BBQ. Thanks Mrs Eagle!
Elsewhere, other ringers were busier in the art. Well done to Nathan Colman on ringing his first of eight spliced Surprise Major methods in the 1280 at The Norman Tower and to birthday boy Ben Keating on ringing his first St Simon’s and St Martin’s Bob Doubles in the 1260 at Preston St Mary, as the South-West District Quarter-Peal Month notched another success.
It seems they also had a decent crowd for their ringing!
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With Ruthie at work, it was my turn to occupy three young boys for the day and with the sunshine out and the weather roasting, staying at home wasn’t really an option. Which meant that with the three brothers going through an admirable phase of wanting to ride their bikes and Alfie partaking in the library’s reading challenge over the summer holidays, we combined the two to cycle into Woodbridge so Alfred could further his participation. Well, cycle most of the way as I ended up carrying Joshua’s bike and at times Joshua too!
It was a leisurely process, lengthened further by bumping into lots of friends and acquaintances, popping into John Ives to see my wife at the shop and a visit to the park on the way home which was extended due to the presence of one of AJM’s classmates.
All this left no time for any ringing on this occasion, which included being unable to ring in the peal of Blue Sapphire Surprise Royal at Grundisburgh for the sixty-fifth wedding anniversary of Dick and Daphne Pegg. In a day of throwaway marriages, theirs is one to be celebrated and I’m glad it was in this style, although sorry that I couldn’t join them. That said, I enjoyed occupying my sons for the day!
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Tonight was the first of four nights in Ipswich’s Chantry Park that bring Ed Sheeran’s Divide world tour to an end after more than two years travelling. After being watched by nearly nine million people in forty-three countries, it is apparently the highest grossing and most attended tour in history. Not bad for a lad from Framlingham. Over the Bank Holiday weekend, there are due to be around 160,000 people watching and so Suffolk’s county town is and is expected to be absolutely heaving, with folk travelling in from across the country and indeed the world, by train and car and space is going to be a much sought after commodity.
However, please do not be put off heading to St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice on Monday evening, which is still going ahead despite being a bank holiday and the presence of tens of thousands of people and the globe’s biggest music star on its doorstep. Although it may be worth getting in touch with Stephen Cheek, 01206 230429, in regards to parking permits for the car-park we use!
For today though, ringing within our borders seemed mercifully unaffected
by events in Ipswich. Well done to Sal Jenkinson, Matthew Rolph, Peter Lock
and Guild Secretary Kate Gill on ringing their first quarter-peal of Double
Oxford Bob Minor in
the success at Blythburgh,
whilst there was
a 1274 of Cambridge Surprise Minor rung at Ashbocking and
a 1250 of Superlative
Surprise Major scored at Elveden.
Meanwhile, I collected Alfie
from my parents, who had very kindly taken him to the
Suffolk Owl Sanctuary at Stonham
Barns on a beautiful sunny day, that whilst perhaps not perfect for ringing
was ideal for visiting owls and watching popstars in the park.
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My early shift at work allowed me to pick Alfie up from holiday club, but an early night ahead of an other early start tomorrow meant there wasn’t much time for anything else.
Other ringers were finding more time though, with 1260s of Doubles rung at Blythburgh and Redgrave, with five methods at the former and Stedman at the latter, which was also a first for Zoe and Carmen Wright – well done both of you, as well as to Betty Baines’ grandson Bill on passing all his GCSE’s!
Hopefully he’s got enough time to celebrate!
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Having bemoaned about not really getting to do anything enjoyable yesterday, it was nice to do something different today, as we and the boys made our way around Ipswich on Elmer’s Big Parade. For those who have been generally oblivious to goings on beyond their own four walls (and frankly many might say with good reason!) in recent months, this is the follow-up to the Pigs Go Wild trail of three years ago, encouraging people – especially youngsters – to come into town and walk around. It is something that we’ve been hoping to take the children on before it closes next month, although Mum and Dad have kindly taken them round some of them.
This afternoon therefore, we picked up a map from BBC Radio Suffolk, marked the elephant outside there off and went on to collect a further twelve big ones and a herd of little ‘uns via the Cornhill, Town Hall and Sailmakers and – having parked down Portman Road – a quick trip to Planet Blue so the boys could take in the pitch and inside of the stadium. All jolly good fun!
There was more quality family time later as their Granny Kate brought them to Pettistree with their cousins having volunteered to look after them whilst Ruthie and I partook in the weekly pre-practice quarter-peal attempt together. Sadly the attempt was lost as after ringing an extent of Canterbury and Morpeth Surprise Minor spliced excellently, we fell apart as we went into Sandiacre and Wooler. However, the main point of these attempts are to give invaluable focus and to ensure a core of ringers are present for the session that follows and so having given the children an opportunity to run around in the churchyard as I rang some spliced Doubles and Minor and then Ruthie some London Surprise Minor, we didn’t feel too guilty about leaving the remaining bandmembers and those who had subsequently joined us to get on with things whilst we returned home to get the brothers to bed.
Meanwhile, our failure to reach the end of our QP was offset by Paul Mitchell’s first quarter-peal in the 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles at Great Thurlow, another success for the South-West District Quarter-Peal Month. Well done Paul! I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did ‘hunting’ elephants!
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Accompanying the boys and Ruthie to a birthday party.
Watching Ipswich Town win against Wimbledon with an exciting injury time winner.
Ringing in the quarter-peals of Glasgow and Belfast Surprise Major at Gislingham and Palgrave respectively.
These are all things I would’ve quite enjoyed participating in.
Instead, after a pre-dawn start at work, Alfie, Joshua and their mother being absent from the house for a couple of hours to celebrate the anniversary of the birth of one of Alfred’s schoolfriends offered me the opportunity of some much needed sleep.
With another early start in the morning, attending Portman Road this evening as the Tractor Boys get used to playing in League One and then getting away along with nearly 19,000 others afterwards was probably going to make it too much of a late night.
And I wasn’t invited in the QPs, although they clearly don’t need me and I don’t expect in my sleep-deprived state I would’ve been much use to them anyway! Well done to Heather Dobson on ringing her first of Glasgow Surprise Major in the former quarter.
God willing, such pleasures for me can wait until another day.
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This evening felt a little subdued personally.
Not for the atmosphere at St Mary-le-Tower practice, with that being its usual jovial self. When calling some spliced, I and others were amused that one member partaking asked me to clarify which method I had called, when there was only a choice of two. And we were already ringing one of them. The identity of a vegetable that my mother had mistakenly grown and thus brought in led to much speculation and hilarity. And lighthearted comments followed when one ringer smiled at the person they were supposed to dodge with, but didn’t dodge.
Despite the visit of Lesley Barrell and return of Ian Culham and a sizeable crowd of eighteen, we were missing quite a few of our more experienced higher number ringers. It was useful for those feeling their way, but with more of them having to be put in than one would usually throw in together, quite a lot of stuff didn’t come round. That said, a fairly impressive method repertoire was managed in the circumstances, with Cambridge, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire Surprise Royal spliced, three leads of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus and a plain course of Stedman Cinques rung across the course of the session.
However, it was mainly a subdued evening for me as after the start of a week of early shifts (although I did get some brief kip at home this afternoon whilst Ruthie took Alfie to see The Lion King at the Riverside Cinema) and another pre-dawn start planned for tomorrow, my night out finished as most of my ringing colleagues headed on to The Cricketers for a social drink, whilst I returned home for an early night. For me a beverage and a chat after ringing really makes an evening for me and I believe is an important aspect in attracting more ringers to a practice, so leaving without even setting foot in the pub always makes the night feel shortened and takes the gloss off seven the best night of ringing.
Hopefully there will be more enjoyable Monday nights ahead.
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Disappointingly, an alarm clock malfunction (in as much as I forgot to set it!) meant we missed ringing at Woodbridge this morning. They were ringing the front six - as is understandable with a mature band manning a heavy ring of bells with a long draft – well when we arrived, but it would’ve been lovely to help them ring all eight.
Still, having made it to the service there, helped take some tables out for the church fete and spent the afternoon doing some odd jobs around the house, we made up for the missed ringing by partaking in the quarter-peal of Grandsire Cinques at St Mary-le-Tower this evening. On paper, not a particularly notable performance, but with the band being a scratch one, the score – and especially the quality of it – was impressive, most of all for wife and husband Sue and Jonathan Williamson who were ringing and calling their first QP on twelve respectively. Well done Williamsons!
Unbeknown to the rest of the band, it very nearly didn’t happen, as having invested so much time in arranging child-sitters for whilst we are at work during the school holidays, it had slipped our minds to sort any for the duration of this 1254! We were most grateful to my Mum and Dad for stepping in this morning!
Elsewhere meanwhile, well done to the entire band who rang in the 1260 of Abram Bob Minor at Buxhall for ringing their first in the method. Thankfully it was rung for Evensong, so I imagine wasn’t likely to be disrupted by alarm clock malfunction!
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I haven’t subscribed to The Ringing World for years. In a household of four – and at weekends five – spare pennies have to be prioritised in their use and in an age when most ringing news and performances can be seen instantly through social media and/or BellBoard then it is hard to justify forking out to see it repeated several weeks later in a journal, whether it be in paper form or online.
However, I occasionally enjoy flicking through belfry copies at towers when the opportunity arises and I was particularly pleased to have done so today having rung the bride in at Woodbridge this afternoon and before ringing her and her husband out. There was lots of stuff that I was already aware of and with this being the 26th July edition news and performances I had known about for a couple of months, but two things leapt out. One was editor Robert Lewis announcing that he will be stepping down from a role he has held for many, many years in the autumn. I don’t really know Robert and having not been a subscriber to the RW for most of his editorship I can’t really comment with any authority on how successful he has been, but suffice to say I don’t envy anyone carrying out this job. It is impossible to please everyone and in this day and age it is incredibly difficult to make such publications relevant and so if nothing else he is to be commended for his longevity and for keeping it going when others have folded.
More of interest though, was the interview with Dutch Rambling Ringer and long-time friend Paul de Kok. Having known Paul since my brother, parents and myself went on our first Ramblers’ tour in 1994, pretty much all of the information was known to me, but it was fascinating to see someone we know well being interviewed and I would certainly recommend that those who don’t know him have a read. Paul can arguably be placed as the start of ringing spreading beyond its traditional countries, as having established himself as an extremely good ringer he set up the eight at ‘t Klockhuys in Dordrecht which has – in part at least – inspired the rings of bells at Ypres and Vernet-les-Bains in Belgium and France respectively and even therefore the twelve in Singapore. He has shown how someone can excel in the art in almost any circumstances, with his only opportunities when he was learning being when he was able to travel to the UK.
Either side of reading this I was delighted to help make the couple’s happy day even more special with some nice call-changes on six, which was preceded by some of the best ringing up I have partaken in for quite a while!
Afterwards, Ruthie – who had been singing in the choir – joined me and the boys before we headed off to Rendlesham to visit my Goddaughter Maddie, her brother Oscar and her Dad Toby, who of course is another long-time friend and Godfather to Mason.
It was nice to catch-up and nice also to see another success for the South-West District Quarter-Peal Month. Well done to Tim Forsey on ringing his first of Minor inside by ringing the fourth at Edwardstone to a 1260 of Plain Bob. Perhaps I will read about it again in The Ringing World in a few weeks!
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You’re never too old...
Well done to Brian Owen who at the age of seventy-one rang his first peal as conductor in the 5088 of Yorkshire Surprise Major rung today at Heptonstall in Yorkshire. If you feel you’ve started too late or that the more mature learner that has started out at your tower won’t be any use to you, think again! At Pettistree we benefitted considerably from the skills of the much-missed Susan Schurr who started late in life and yet was a talented mainstay of the band for many years, including ringing a number of quarter-peals. Stick at it, whatever your age!
It seems that Whitechapel Bell Foundry isn’t too old to attempt to save. Despite being closed for a couple of years, the old buildings apparently in a deteriorating state and planning application to turn it into a ‘bell-themed boutique’ hotel currently active, there is a concerted campaign to retain a foundry element to the spot. The campaign made it onto BBC Radio London this morning as presenter Vanessa Feltz interviewed – at 1hr18mins into her show - famous historian Dan Cruickshank and former employee of the foundry and Essex ringer Nigel Taylor about it. To be fair, Dan and Nigel expressed support of sorts for the hotel, which apparently plans to include a foundry, but would like to see a foundry play a bigger part. Apart from anything else, it was interesting to hear Nigel’s thoughts on the reasons behind the foundry’s closure in 2017.
God willing it isn’t a fate that will befall their one-time competitors Taylors of Loughborough, but coincidentally an article appeared on the Church Times website today about how this foundry is seeking to raise a staggering £4.7m to save it from closure. More particularly it is needed to restore and update the Grade II listed buildings and whilst hopefully £3.7m of that will come from the Heritage Lottery Fund, that of course still leaves £1m, so here’s hoping the ringing community will rally round.
For all this talk of age at the more mature end of the spectrum, our main focus was as usual on those of the younger age as we had a night in with the three boys, but with the hope that there is are plenty of years for them to call peals and/or see foundries in Whitechapel and Loughborough.
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My late shift at work enabled to drop Joshua off at nursery, Alfie at holiday club and Ruthie at work, but left no time for ringing this evening, even with Ruthie and her choral colleagues still on their annual break.
A reminder therefore that tickets are still for sale for the Guild Social in the North-East District!
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Thank you to the band – including mother-in-law Kate – who rang in the pre-practice quarter-peal at Pettistree this evening for dedicating it to mine and Ruthie’s recent wedding anniversary.
My wife of seven years and three days was able to join them later once I had returned from a late shift at work and Mrs Eagle had popped round to pick her up and although the session they attended was a little low on the attendance side there was much rung, with some Surprise Minor including Ipswich, whilst Mrs Munnings was chuffed with pushing her conducting skills with a touch of Grandsire Doubles!
It was all topped off by a visit to The Greyhound next door, where at least Ruthie was able to raise a glass to our wedding anniversary!
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When the main thing to report from a ringing perspective today is something that isn’t happening tomorrow, you know it has been a quiet day. Please note that there is no practice at Otley tomorrow.
Otherwise though, there was little of note bar some unpleasant background detail to the otherwise hugely exciting project in Singapore that is already seeing a couple of the locals ringing unaided thanks to the incredible efforts of those ringers who have been there over the last couple of weeks.
All quiet here in Suffolk though, both today and – in Otley at least – tomorrow.
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South-West District Quarter-Peal Month continued today with John Game’s first QP of Doubles inside as he rang the fourth to a 1260 of Doubles at the 8cwt five of Stradishall, complete with band photo afterwards. Well done John.
There was no ringing for Ruthie or me though as we returned to work after our fortnight off and with me launching straight into a week of late shifts for our latest international campaign at John Catt Educational, I was unable to make St Mary-le-Tower practice, as is usually the case with these. It begins a couple of months of shift work that will generally disrupt a fair bit of my ringing, but work has to come first of course! Although I only just made that as with Melton in gridlock (the powers-that-be rather smartly not only closed one of the main streets through the village but also put temporary traffic lights on another) I was a bit rushed for time after the weekly shop and dropping Alfie off at his aunt and uncle’s for the day.
I’m glad John had the time for his achievements though and hopefully more will follow before the South-West District Quarter-Peal Month ends.
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It is seven years to the day since Ruthie and I were married at St Mary-the-Virgin in Woodbridge with ringing done by friends and family (and even briefly by Best Man Chris and me) and followed it up with a reception at The Abbey School next door as we took full advantage of the expansive grounds (which look more like a building site currently) and a roasting hot day.
Not being a particularly significant number of years (copper apparently) we didn’t do anything overly special, indulging in some home-cooked curry, Eton Mess and a bottle of fizzy, but we did unusually get to ring together on a Sunday morning with Ruthie and her choral colleagues having their annual August break. Therefore we turned up en masse at St Mary-le-Tower for some call-changes on twelve and Little Bob Maximus (although Amanda Richmond’s attempts to call some further call-changes after the latter had come round caused some confusion and led to about half the band setting their bells prematurely!) before a trip to Costa Coffee for refreshments and then joining the Twissells and their grandson Rob on one of his earliest ringing expeditions (and very well he did too!) at Grundisburgh.
Other married couples were also ringing together today, with Christine & Richard Knight and Katharine & David Salter all partaking in the second-Sunday peal at Rendham, which was another step forward in his recovery for David following his first peal of the year on Wednesday.
Across the county in Bury St Edmunds meanwhile, a quarter-peal of four Surprise Major methods was rung on the back eight at The Norman Tower.
For us though, our day’s ringing was over with assisting in lowering the back six of Suffolk’s lightest twelve, instead enjoying the company of the boys and then each other. Well done and thank you to my wife for putting up with me all of these years, showing incredible patience with me as I undertake my ringing whims and whilst I write this blog, sometimes whilst juggling a displeased child or two!
Happy Anniversary Ruthie!
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Within a fortnight, the hanging of the bells has been completed, first service ringing undertaken, the teaching of a band started, a quarter-peal rung and today two peals rung at Singapore, one of Stedman Cinques and one of Cambridge Surprise Maximus, the latter featuring one-time Suffolk ringers John Loveless and Molly Waterson. To say this has been a productive trip for those ringers who have travelled there to make this possible would be the biggest understatement since saying last season didn’t go very well for Ipswich Town. Very well done to all concerned, especially with the extremely hot conditions.
It was busy there, but also here in Suffolk, especially in the North-East District with their Quarter-Peal Day. Judging by the quartet of QPs rung for the occasion, it appears it was a success. Well done to all the band who rang their first of Childwall Bob Minor in one of the brace of quarters rung at Blythburgh – with a 1260 of Plain Bob Minor also rung on the ground-floor 10cwt six today – and particularly to Paul Ashton on ringing his first inside in the Plain Bob Doubles rung at Wenhaston, whilst there was also a score at Reydon. Congratulations to all on such a successful event.
No ringing for us though as instead we welcomed our friends Charlotte, Gregory and their girls for a playdate for the children and catch-up over a cuppa or two for us adults.
Meanwhile, there was also a peal of seven Surprise Minor rung on handbells in Bacton in 1hr40mins and the QP at Woolpit added to the numbers for the South-West District Quarter-Peal Month on a good day for the art here within our borders and in Singapore.
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Following yesterday’s query of whether Ed Sheeran was once a bellringer, the subject of ‘celebrity’ bellringers past and present came up on Facebook and it made for interesting reading today, especially as several names new to me arose. I knew of the likes of former politician and Strictly Come Dancing contestant Ed Balls, comedienne Jo Brand, TV personality Timmy Mallett, wife of one time Prime Minister John Major, Norma, radio presenter Simon Mayo and gardening expert Alan Titchmarsh, but I never realised retired goalkeeper Nigel Martyn and the late Victoria Wood were too. An interesting (though I don’t know how accurate) list can be found on Changeringing Wiki.
Other less famous ringers were meanwhile managing to partake in the exercise despite a widespread power cut, although there is nothing to report from Suffolk’s bells. Not even from Ed Sheeran.
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A rare opportunity for me to attend the monthly Surprise Major Practice at Ufford this evening, as with the choir taking a break Ruthie was free to stop at home child-sitting whilst her mother Kate picked me up for the short journey to the 13cwt eight.
The session was a pretty productive one in the face of adversity. My impromptu lesson on Superlative and Yorkshire with Hilary Stearn was more disruptive than we intended, before a cup of water went flying, I pronounced “go Superlative” as “go Bristol” and someone nearly went flying over a box. In amongst this, Hilary had a good go at Cambridge and the whole thing was rounded off with a respectable piece of Bristol.
Elsewhere, the line “And I could play a guitar just like ringing a bell” from Ed Sheeran’s 2014 song ‘Nina’ got someone on a ringers Facebook page wondering if he had once been a ringer. I’m not aware that he was, but seeing as the global superstar grew up in the Framlingham area, perhaps ringers from the town’s 16cwt octave or the nearby towers of Badingham, Dennington, Hacheston, Parham and/or Tannington might know better?
Some superstars who are definitely ringers are those who rang the 1320 of Marple Delight Minor at Tostock, whilst it has been interesting to note how busy the Rambling Ringers have been on the Tour we departed at the weekend, with the second and third quarter-peals of the fortnight-long visit to Norfolk rung at East Raynham and on handbells in Beetley churchyard today added to the one rung on the campsite on Sunday and the peals rung at Gressenhall a week ago and on handbells in Bylaugh on Tuesday.
Such performances are clearly not such a rare opportunity for our fellow Ramblers this year!
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A significant day from a ringing perspective, both on the other side of the world and closer to home.
In Singapore, a band of UK ringers – including John Loveless who learnt to ring in Suffolk – joined local Andrew Reynolds and Taylor’s bellhangers in doing the first change-ringing on this brand new twelve. There is a video on Facebook (I haven’t found a more shareable version anywhere yet) of the sound of English change-ringing floating across this busy corner of South-East Asia and the first quarter-peal on the bells was also rung. Even more importantly, they began teaching what is planned to be the cornerstone of a local band, much as they have been at Vernet-les-Bains in France and Ypres in Belgium. It really is wonderful to see the art spreading its wings across foreign shores.
However, arguably it is nicer from my point of view to see it thriving here in Suffolk and one who has done more than most to enable that is twice Past Ringing Master of the Guild David Salter. I imagine all reading this will be aware of what happened to him just before Christmas last year and from an uncertain prognosis it has been wonderful to see him gradually recovering and returning to ringing. Peal-ringing is his great love in the art, something he excels at and which has been of a huge benefit to the SGR and its members over many years and this evening saw him make his return to the peal columns in a 5040 I was privileged to partake in. The performance was sensibly at The Wolery at the top of his and Katharine’s garden and was an impressive effort for the conductor after an eight-month absence! I suspect the QP in Singapore and the Project Pickled Egg peal at Orton in Cumbria will prevent this seeing the light of day at the very top of BellBoard’s ‘like’ board, but it would be nice for it to get as much recognition as possible for this dedicated servant of the exercise.
As does another effort on the county’s bells today as the 1200th quarter was rung on the rededicated bells of Pettistree before this evening’s weekly practice. There is no denying how useful the huge numbers of QPs on this ground-floor six have had on a band that are currently Mitson Shield holders and indeed to many others who are welcomed to ring with us.
Meanwhile, well done to Guild Chairman Rowan Wilson on ringing her first of Ashtead Surprise Major in the 1280 rung at Elveden, whilst earlier in the day she had also heaved the tenor in at The Millbeck Ring for a 1312 of Cambridge, Lincolnshire, Superlative and Yorkshire Surprise Major spliced.
Back in Old Stoke, things are generally turned on their head a bit, with a new kitchen being put in at the Salter’s abode and the usual reception room full of big boxes – some of which myself and Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase helped to move after our 1hr48mins of ringing – and so we were received in the living room on this occasion, but either way there was no disguising that this was a significant day of ringing, both here and overseas.
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A breakthrough for Joshua in his potty training and a trip to the library to start Alfie’s summer holidays reading challenge were all very positive, but didn’t involve any ringing.
There is much ringing planned on Suffolk’s bells for August though, with the Beccles Ten-Bell Practice pencilled in for the evening of Wednesday 7th, the North-East District Quarter-Peal Day lined up for Blythburgh, Reydon and Wenhaston on Saturday and the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice is due to take place next Monday, a day before the Second Tuesday Ringing is planning to go to Ardleigh and Stratford St Mary on either side of the Essex border, whilst the Helmingham Monthly Practice is lined up for Friday 16th.
Meanwhile, don’t forget that the Guild Social is planned for Saturday 21st next month with a fun treasure hunt in the NE District– please do get your reasonably-priced tickets!
For today though, the only ringing recorded on BellBoard within our borders was at Ufford in memory of Hollesley ringer Nigel Bond’s wife Ann. A nice touch on a quiet day for ringing, both across the county as well as for us. For varying reasons I’m sure.
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With us both at home on holiday this week, we decided some time ago that this was to be when we hoped to start potty training for Joshua. And so it begins...
Actually, it wasn’t horrendous. No breakthrough yet, but also not a huge amount of mess yet either.
Still, I was quite pleased to get out to St Mary-le-Tower to ring with already toilet-trained ringers at the weekly practice. There were a lot there too, although with quite a few feeling their way on higher numbers, much of the twelve-bell ringing was of the call-changes and Grandsire Cinques variety, all done well. That said, there was some well-rung Surprise Royal too, including some Cambridge, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire spliced on a positive night finished off with a pint in the beer garden of The Cricketers. Just what is needed ahead of more potty training tomorrow!
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Rambling Ringers may be finished for us for another year, but we’re still on holiday for now and so we took full advantage with a now unusual afternoon at the pub, as we sat in the beer garden of The Cherry Tree in Woodbridge with our friends from church Gregory and Charlotte. The main appeal of the location was the play area that allowed our boys and their girls to play happily within sight and sound whilst we socialised, the occasion was essentially that we had already started with the post-service cheese and wine party at Kev the Rev’s rectory.
It meant there was no scope for ringing this afternoon and having walked into town we didn’t make it in time to man the 25cwt eight of St Mary-the-Virgin this morning, but it was a relatively busy day of quarter-pealing on Suffolk’s bells, with a second in a week at Pettistree and third in a week at Redgrave, whilst South-West District Quarter-Peal Month – running across the course of August – kicked-off with a 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles at Poslingford.
Hopefully that’ll be the first of many in the SW before September comes along, but for us it is holidays for now.
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Although not as bad as just about everywhere else in the UK, the weather has at times been pretty dreadful. The campsite has been beset by problems (not of its own doing it has to be said) culminating in a loss of water pressure this morning. Camping ringers have been split across the site, making the social side of things more logistically challenging. I failed to pack enough chairs. We were short of cutlery, having forgotten that last time we went camping without Kate & Ron there were ‘only’ four of us. There were many squabbles. It was done on more of a budget, so there were fewer of those wonderful pub meals. And I was violently ill.
Yet we have still had a lovely week, spent in great company. And I include the boys in that believe it or not! For all of their exhausting demands, strops and arguments, it has been genuinely delightful to spend such precious time with them. Mason has been super helpful, Alfie has had his first handling lesson and Joshua seems obsessed by bells, insisting on joining us in pretty much all of the ringing chambers to watch, even those with some tricky entrances!
It has been great catching up with ringing friends from across the country and indeed beyond, with the multiple generations of Crabtrees particularly good fun on the campsite, as well as taking in much ringing of a high standard with a wide method repertoire undertaken in all sorts of places that one wouldn’t otherwise visit in the beautiful county of Norfolk.
Fantastic also to see the youthful feel to the Tour this year. When my brother and I joined Ramblers with Mum & Dad exactly twenty-five years ago as youngsters, we were just two of many under eighteen-year-olds, but it has been a pity in recent years as we have taken a growing Mason that he has been the only one. This time though, there have been plenty, from the very small to those like Finley starting out in the art and the slightly older like Alex and Luke Riley excelling at it.
We would always like more members and I would certainly encourage other Suffolk ringers to join us, but this is currently a thriving Society, with nearly fifty having been on Tour thus far this year and I expect more are joining in its second week, with members coming from as far north as Durham, far south as Cornwall and from as far afield as France, Ireland and the Netherlands.
All of it culminated for us today with a brace of fives, as having got the tent down and packed away we unsurprisingly missed the first tower (again!), with Honingham missing out on our presence this time. Instead, Barnham Broom was the first of our day, seemingly missing a tenor but only done up last year (as the superb display in the church outlines) and so therefore went very well. Nice here to catch up with one time regular Jemma Mills who along with her fiancé Ben Meyer were visiting for the day. I’ve known Jemma all her life and whilst she has a famous father in Andrew, she has made her own mark on ringing, with her and Ben both ringers at St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
Our final contribution to the sixty-ninth Tour came at Intwood, where I rang some Grandsire Doubles, before some lunch and then short, informal meeting – led by President and St Mary-le-Tower ringer Chris Birkby – in the churchyard that quite rightly recognised the contribution of the officers Chris Woodcock, Geoff Pick and Roger Riley. However, its main purpose is the vote for where the Society goes next year. Herefordshire & Worcestershire was tempting, but Ruthie and I voted for Dorset, an area we haven’t really done. It was Leicestershire which won through by a single vote and so the seventieth tour is due to go to the centre of the country!
Whilst our Rambling ringing was over with, our ringing for today wasn’t as we made the short trip home to drop Mason off at his mother’s, unpack what we could and reacquaint ourselves with TV and sturdy walls before then almost immediately setting out for Bramford, where I was partaking in a quarter-peal for the fabulous South-East District Quarter-Peal Evening whilst Ruthie and the boys went round the home of my wife’s schoolfriend Vicky and her husband Gavin in the village. Having got there late, then discovered I was conducting, spent a while faffing with Ralph Earey clarifying compositions and then had two false starts, we eventually scored what I hope was a useful success for those partaking, especially Alison Looser and Ellie Earey.
It meant we were late for the post-ringing meal at The Sorrell Horse in Barham for what turned out to be a disappointing evening. For having got our meals, those who ordered curry were almost entirely united in their disapproval of what they received, albeit for differing reasons. Some claimed there wasn’t enough spice, another had hot and cold patches and suspected it had been microwaved. At this stage, it is worth noting that this establishment has an excellent reputation for food and indeed is typically the go-to place for meals after ringers events in the area, but it did rather mar what was an otherwise lovely occasion, highlighted by other successes alongside our 1260 of Plain Bob Minor, with a 1288 of the Triples variation rung at Coddenham and a QP of Stedman, Grandsire, St Simon’s Bob and St Martin’s Bob Doubles and Norwich Surprise Minor rung at Sproughton, something that sounded very well rung in the background whilst we were waiting to start at Bramford!
Meanwhile, congratulations to two stalwarts of the Guild Brian Whiting and Alan Mayle on ringing their one hundredth peal together in the 5040 of Minor rung at Cavendish.
We’ve enjoyed ourselves this week, but it’s nice to be home.
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When on a campsite in conditions like we endured last weekend, there is a long list of places I could list without any thought that I would rather be at. Considering one of those is at Portman Road watching a dull 0-0 draw in full Norwich City kit, you know where I’m coming from..
However, when camping on a beautiful sunny evening like this and with fellow Rambling Ringers and my family close to hand, there is almost nowhere I’d rather be. The boys in bed satisfied with tea and their hour or two at the site’s playground, we gathered at the neighbouring tent with its occupants Jim and Janet Crabtree and their son Chris and his wife Ellen for a few drinks, nibbles and plenty of conversation, whilst the sound of bells from Swanton Morley’s practice night – attended on this occasion by Mike & Janet Dew and my parents – wafted across the busy site.
It was just a pity that this was our final night here and we prepared for departure tomorrow by packing up the ‘kitchen’ and enjoying some fish ‘n’ chips purchased from The Railway Tavern in nearby Dereham on the way back from a very enjoyable day of ringing on the Tour.
As usual that was minus the first tower of the day, which on this occasion was the ground-floor 6cwt six of Whissonsett, but with my illness of yesterday seemingly passed, we bounded enthusiastically on to the second tower, North Elmham, another tower from this week only rung at on last year’s South-East District Outing. Here we had the first of what was to be three goes at
Anglia Cyclic Bob Major, a highly enjoyable and musical method well worth ringing more often.
There was of course no scope to ring it at the next tower which was the six of Great Ryburgh, a place well-known for its marking of the centenary of the First World War, with the death of each villager lost in that terrible conflict remembered by a meal in the church and a peal a century on from their death, with all bar three of the forty-four peals rung for them between 1st November 2014 and 4th January this year rung in this church. Many of them involved Suffolk ringers, with one even rung for the SGR and the magnificent exhibition recounting the community’s commemorations includes a photograph of Pettistree Ringing Master Mike Whitby.
However, it was outside that the highlight of the day occurred as we bumped into one-time St Mary-le-Tower ringer Peter Trent who was working on the wonderful-looking new kitchen and toilet facilities that are due to be opened in the next few weeks. Lovely to see such a nice chap again after a long time.
Our catching-up sent us merrily on our way to the first tower of the afternoon, Fakenham (another tower visited ten months ago with the SE) via a spot of lunch outside the next tower after that, the six of Sculthorpe, before we enjoyed a return to the fantastic gallery-ring 9cwt eight of East Raynham where the cows in the neighbouring field hopefully enjoyed our final and best ringing of Anglia Cyclic Bob Major.
In Suffolk meanwhile, Happy Eightieth Birthday to Bernard Pipe, whose significant landmark was celebrated by a 1320 of Cambridge and Norwich Surprise Minor spliced at Earl Stonham, whilst a 1250 of Cambridge Surprise Major was rung at Horham.
God willing we’ll be back tomorrow to partake in more ringing on the county’s bells, but for now we’re simply enjoying this summers evening. Where else would we want to be right now?
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Today was a bit of a blur. I’d been excited about getting back to some ringing, but I woke feeling unwell. Very unwell. In fact, very unpleasantly so.
Without going into specifics, it delayed us further in our usual leisurely efforts to get out on Tour. Indeed, we contemplated not going out at all before I realised that would’ve meant spending the day in a hot tent with three bored children across the campsite from the nearest toilet and so we instead headed off towards Aylsham – where the last tower of the morning was lined up - to get medication.
It meant missing the day’s first two towers Hevingham and Marsham, but did at least mean we were in situ well ahead of time for ringing at the 17cwt ten of St Michael’s church. However, I still didn’t feel right and having declined the offer of calling the spliced Plain and Little Bob Royal I had just grabbed hold for, I felt quite bereft of energy or strength in my arms, despite only ringing the 8cwt seventh for a few minutes. I therefore went down to the church for a spot of rest and recuperation and reassured myself that at least I didn’t feel as bad as the person whose funeral people were gradually gathering around me for.
Still, I was disappointed not to partake in our Royal method of the Tour, Anglia Surprise and indeed that they didn’t get to ring it at all, but nonetheless, the ringing was still of a high standard, especially as the Society’s forte isn’t ten and twelve-bell ringing.
That high standard continued on into the afternoon, by which time I had had a revitalising sleep and even a small carefully-chosen lunch in the car as we sat with other Ramblers in the church car park outside the first tower of the afternoon, Erpingham and managed another ring before we dashed off to the next tower, Saxthorpe where I was running the ringing. Although a 9cwt clock bell sits in the same sizeable tower, this ground-floor six weighs in at just 2cwt and on what seem to be quite small wheels, making them quite a challenge! Once settled in though, they were quite a lot of fun and we made a pretty good job of them, ringing the eponymous method of the day, some decent Surprise Minor spliced and whilst young Finley pulled the fifth in to some Plain Hunt on Six, little Chloe helped her grandfather ring the same bell down.
I felt like I was getting better, ringing in the spliced for example and then pulling the tenor in to a course of Primrose Surprise Minor at the next tower Heydon, but whilst I held onto Joshua at this ringing chamber at the top of many stairs as his mother pulled that same tenor into some Bourne Surprise Minor, I began feeling very light-headed. Considering handing our youngest to unsuspecting Society President (and now St Mary-le-Tower band member) Chris Birkby who was standing next to me, I held on and having passed the boy to my wife and had a lay down on the grass outside.
It was a good job therefore that I wasn’t partaking in the RR peal rung today at nearby Gressenhall in memory of four former members who have passed away in the last few months, including one-time Ringing Master Roland Cook whose funeral was held yesterday. Along with Sue Marshall who also left us recently after a brave battle with cancer, he rang (and indeed conducted) the Ramblers’ fiftieth peal which today’s 5040 replicated and which my brother Chris and I were privileged to ring in. I remember that effort at Beeston in 2001 and the satisfaction that we had pipped the band at All Saints in Loughborough to the landmark, albeit mainly because the tenor there was almost twice the size of ‘our’ tenor! Happy times and so sad that Sue, Roland and also Robin Worsdall and Peter Minchin should all pass away in such a short period of time.
There was also lots of ringing going on in Suffolk today recorded on BellBoard, with a trio of quarter-peals rung in the county. Well done to Josephine Beever, Andrea Alderton, Lesley & David Steed and Stephen Dawson on ringing their first of Abbeyville Delight Minor in the 1296 at Tostock and congratulations to Joshua Watkins on circling the bells of Horringer by trebling to the 1260 of Grandsire Triples which our sister-in-law Becky bonged behind to, whilst there was also a 1264 of Double Norwich Court Bob Major rung at Gislingham.
For me though, it was an early night. I can currently only dream of the constitution to manage such feats.
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Another day off from ringing to entertain the boys, but not quite so much fun as Monday’s trip.
We were back at the seaside, this time at Hunstanton to visit the Sea Life Centre. There was nothing wrong with the main purpose of our visit itself, offering a couple of hours of ocean-based interest and intrigue for the brothers in particular, but also for us adults. However, it was located in an area that could most politely be described as tacky and looked at its very desolate worst on another chilly, wet and windy day.
Despite having a (successful) little drive around to reassure ourselves that Hunstanton had a nicer side to it, we did feel the need to find something else to take us from the sorry scene we had just left and also to take up a bit more time to hold off our return to the damp campsite, particularly with our fellow ringing campers not due back for a few hours yet from their day’s ringing.
And so we went about as cultured as we could possibly find and headed to the Sandringham Estate, the Christmas and New Year home of the Royal Family. Although we opted out of seeing the main house and gardens, there was a nice opportunity to see the estate’s church, St Mary Magdalene, a surprisingly small but incredibly ornate place of worship, but sadly with nothing more than a clock bell up the tower and so therefore an unlikely grab!
No ringing for us then, but back in Suffolk the norm was maintained as the weekly pre-practice quarter-peal attempt at Pettistree was scored, with a 1320 of Netherseale Surprise Minor rung.
I’m glad not everyone was taking a day off ringing!
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Our first full day of ringing on this year’s Rambling Ringers Tour. Or at least as full a day that we usually make, with the normal leisurely approach to getting up on holiday and the lengthy routine of getting everyone ready meaning that we missed the first tower of the day Cromer, but from then on in it was ringing all the way, all just off the north Norfolk coastline, with a varied repertoire of methods and good ringing in spots one might not necessarily visit if it wasn’t for ringing.
I partook in some Bristol Surprise and Double Norwich Court Bob Major spliced (a bit of a focus for this year’s tour) at Nothrepps, despite the distraction of Society Ringing Master Chris Woodcock’s paperwork falling from the gallery with a big clatter, whilst Ruthie even rang in a touch of Stedman Triples! Strange goings on indeed.
Though it was always going to be hard for the towers that folowed to top such excitement, we enjoyed them nonetheless, with some Northrepps Doubles (a variation which is Reverse Canterbury Pleasure Place which turns into Plain Bob for a lead when bobs are called) at the ground-floor five of Gimingham and after lunch and a drink with fellow Ramblers in the stunning beer garden of The Ship Inn overlooking the beach at Mundesley, some London Surprise Minor and the first six-bell spliced of the sixty-ninth Tour at the ground-floor six of Paston. Joshua impressively climbed the ladder to the ringing chamber at Knapton and promptly watched me call a course of Norwich Surprise Minor from the treble, before we went on to the final tower of the day Southrepps where I repeated the feat, this time from the tenor in a gallery ringing chamber bathed in glorious sunshine through its huge west window.
By that point though, the wind had really got up. Hats were going flying (half-filled glasses outside the lunchtime pub even tumbled!) and when we returned to the campsite the side of the Riley’s tent was blown over with much damage to their tomatoes though thankfully not their wine glasses! We are fortunate that we merely have the residual conditions on the edge of the storm which is having an dreadful affect on just about everywhere else in the UK bar East Anglia, but it made for more discomfort on Park Farm and despite the welcome arrival of another child of ringing with Alfred bringing his parents Chris and Ellen down from Durham and a drink with them and Chris’ parents Janet and Jim next door, it was mainly another night to get back into the tent as soon as possible.
Meanwhile back in the homeland, well done to Judy and Martin Farrimond on ringing their most methods in the second quarter-peal at Redgrave this week and best wishes to former Suffolk ringer Tim Stanford for his marriage to Megan on Saturday, as marked by the pre-practice QP at Offton featuring his father David.
Seems it was a fairly busy day of ringing south of the River Waveney too.
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When on the Rambling Ringers Tour with the boys, we like to do stuff that they really enjoy, in order to compensate them for the larger than usual number of churches and bells they are subjected to across the week. We did a bit of that in Norwich yesterday, but today was an entirely bells-free day.
On this occasion, our chosen alternative destination to Tacolneston, Besthorpe, Attleborough, Shropham, Great Ellingham and Caston - where our fellow Ramblers were ringing today – was the North Norfolk Railway, the line that takes steam trains (and some diesels) between Holt and Sheringham. It is one of my favourite lines, primarily because of the stunning views across Weybourne and out to sea, but also because it is so well run. On our first day of nice weather on this holiday though, it really came into its own.
We parked up at Holt Station and were able to wait for the train in sunshine (although we also popped into the model railway there), had lunch outside at Sheringham and then spent some time at the town’s beach, before returning, the scenery upliftingly bright and colourful.
Along the way we had to get a new airbed for ourselves with the old one now no longer able to stay inflated for a night and with this new-found comfort, a drink outside our tent with neighbours-for-the-week Jim & Janet Crabtree in the warmth of a lovely summers evening and the arrival of Jim’s brother Tony on the campsite, it was by far and away our best night at Park Farm thus far.
Meanwhile, they were hopefully managing at St Mary-le-Tower without the five Monday-night regulars who are currently on Tour, but bar that and other weekly practices, our lack of ringing appears to have been mirrored back in Suffolk, with no performances from there recorded on BellBoard today.
Perhaps everyone else was finding something other than ringing to do?
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Rambling Ringers tours aren’t typically a place for teaching learners. There is a fine balance that the Society tries to tread, between instilling a high standard of striking befitting of the privilege we have of ringing bells in other people’s communities across a two-week period and a variety of method repertoire that helps stop ringing fatigue setting in over that time. As such, a certain ability is expected before joining. There is a degree of flexibility to that as - like most ringing organisations – we look to maintain and increase our numbers and we have always been happy to help with the progress of members’ relatives who are starting out, as we have done with the de Kok family and as evidenced today with nine-year old Finley who has come along for the ride with his parents Simon and Helen over the last couple of years but today was mastering Plain Hunt under the guidance of Geoff Wells.
However, it was a pleasant surprise that Alfie got the opportunity to have his first handling lesson as the Tour took in Norwich today. The main reason for this chance was that being in Norfolk’s county city we visited St Peter Mancroft and after ringing upstairs on the twelve in the new ringing chamber, local ringer Gillian Knox very kindly took us down to the superb Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre to show us around. I have raved about this place from afar and so it was marvellous to finally see it first hand and of course to see Alfred take advantage of it, with a box stood on its side and the aforementioned H G Wells holding onto him!
By that point, we had already been ringing north of the River Wensum at St George Colegate where Faith Pearce, Jon Spreadbury and Ben Trent were amongst the locals ringing before us, but whilst other RRs went on to St Michael & All Angels Coslany Street, we took the boys off to Castle Mall for some lunch and then to the Disney Store. And following AJM’s ringing exploits, we went to look around the wonderful castle whilst the others went to ring on the simulator at St Giles and then All Saints Westlegate, which we heard as we departed from the ancient fort.
For all the pantomime footballing rivalry, this is a city I enjoy visiting and we had a fun day, although the chilly, wet conditions made it harder work then one would hope for the end of July.
Those conditions continued on our return to the damp campsite and although it was another evening sheltering in the tent, we were heartened by the arrival of fellow Ramblers Janet and Jim Crabtree from Nottinghamshire on the pitch next to us and the promise of more ringing neighbours in the coming days.
Meanwhile, back south of the Waveney a brace of 1260s in Plain Minor were rung on Suffolk’s bells, one at Kersey and one at Redgrave. All those partaking will have started somewhere, but I’m not sure any will have done so in quite the same way as Alfred Munnings did this afternoon!
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Thursday might still be declared the hottest day ever recorded in the UK, subject to a check on a late recording in Cambridge. Those thunderstorms at the end of the day naturally brought the temperatures down and true to form, just forty-eight hours after conditions that had felt like standing next to a heater, we found ourselves putting up a tent in a chilly windswept field as it gently, but uncomfortably drizzled upon us.
To be fair, it was nothing compared to the conditions we had when undertaking the same task in Devon a year ago and at least it followed a much shorter journey today with this year’s Rambling Ringers Tour – it’s sixty-ninth in total – being held just up the A140 in Norfolk. That shorter journey time allowed for a more leisurely late morning departure and even allowed time for us to ring at the last couple of towers of the day. A quick ring and lower at Saham Toney where my Mum was running proceedings in a ringing chamber that seems to have made the exercise a spectator sport judging by the rows of seating set up in the room was followed by a grab at the round tower of Watton (once we were sure our car and its newly-acquired roofbox could get under the height limiter to the car-park there!) before we returned to our campsite at Park Farm near Swanton Morley.
With the main appeal of camping – apart from being eminently affordable accommodation for a family of five – being based alongside other Ramblers on site and the social side which that usually entails, it is a sorry situation that we are the only members on the site thus far, apart from the Riley family from Yorkshire who are too far away for us to pop in for a drink and keep an eye on the children and that sense of isolation was further heightened by a truly dreadful evening and night of rain, rain and more rain.
Hopefully other Suffolk ringers were having more fun than us this evening and particularly Cretingham ringers Carol and Eric Brown on their Golden Wedding Anniversary, which was today celebrated with an appropriate length of 5050 Yorkshire Surprise Major across the border in Cambridgeshire at Histon, the place they met, were married, ran the ringing and were instrumental in the augmentation of. Congratulations to Mr & Mrs Brown!
Meanwhile, well done to The Reverend Carl Melville on ringing his first quarter-peal of spliced Treble Bob in the 1296 rung on the treble, third, fifth, sixth, seventh and tenor at Henley.
I’m glad the weather didn’t put them off!
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For several months now, us staff at John Catt Educational have been eagerly anticipating today, as our ‘social committee’ had been promising a treat for us. We had no idea what it was going to be until minutes into this afternoon when they revealed to us that we were to be split into three teams of four and dispatched from the office into Woodbridge for the afternoon, with only a cryptic clue to guide us. For we were off on a treasure hunt that took us first to the Market Hill beneath the tower which holds the town’s only ring of bells hung for change-ringing, to the library, via the Thoroughfare and even a fish hut, before the final clue in The Anchor led us to our ultimate destination of The Table where lunch and liquid refreshments – not for the first time by a long chalk – were generously paid for by our employers.
It was a nice way for me to round off work ahead of a fortnight off, although it was followed up by the necessary packing of the car ahead of our planned traverses tomorrow, an increasingly challenging task thus far with three growing boys accompanying us!
Even without the usual Friday evening pick-up of Mason, it left no opportunity for ringing, but mercifully other ringers elsewhere in Suffolk were more active. Firstly, well done to Joe Findlay on ringing his first quarter-peal of Minor in the 1260 of Plain Bob at the 10cwt six of Ashbocking. Lovely as that was and to see a peal from within our borders remembering Sue Marshall on the day of her funeral at Kineton in Warwickshire, as the 5120 of Lessness Surprise Major at Felixstowe was and that it was a first in the method for Julian Colman and his son Nathan (well done guys!), the main ringing headline from the county’s ringing today was Tim Forsey ringing his first peal in the 5040 of Grandsire Doubles rung at the lovely ground-floor six of Polstead that will be familiar to anyone who partook in the Guild Six-Bell Striking Competitions there a couple of months ago. Congratulations Tim!
And something I am sure he had been eagerly anticipating.
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There was a very real possibility that today was going to be the hottest day recorded in the UK, but although the temperatures were in the high thirties (centigrade) and it felt literally like standing next to a heater when out in the sun, it was ‘only’ the second highest in history known of on these shores. And inevitably it was followed by possibly the biggest and longest thunderstorm I remember witnessing, with the power briefly going off (though thankfully only for a few seconds, as I was cooking tea at the time!) and the rain pelting down.
Mercifully by that point, Alfie had enjoyed his day with my Mum and Dad as they took in the Ipswich Town Open Day and Ruthie’s mother Kate and the boys’ Grandad Ron had fixed a roof-box to our car, but the conditions seemed to have put paid to any prolonged ringing on Suffolk’s bells today, with no quarters or peals recorded on BellBoard from the county.
Just imagine if it had been the hottest day recorded!
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Those who remember the late Simon Cottrell, who was instrumental to the augmenting of the bells at Parham into the lovely little six that they are now and was a memorable – and for many years now, much missed – character, will be pleased to know that his son John has been learning to ring as part of Ringing Remembers. Even more pleasingly, although currently living in London, he is planning on moving to Suffolk in the near future, but he is already ringing fairly regularly up this way when visiting the area.
I don’t think he has had quite as much of a ringing workout as he had at Pettistree this evening though, as he benefitted from a relatively low turnout at this ground-floor six. Mike Whitby had him doing lots of trebling to Grandsire and Plain Bob Doubles, leaving his head spinning, but hopefully also something that may help him in his progress.
That he managed it on such a hot evening is to his credit, with the conditions today so warm that a planned peal attempt at Coddenham was sensibly called off. The conditions didn’t make ringing the pre-practice quarter-peal easy, especially with the method – Palmer Bob Minor – being a tricky little blighter featuring various elements I generally dislike in an even-bell method, such as leading for three blows in a row and making seconds on the way in and out. Still, even in such circumstances we managed to fashion some pretty decent ringing which I hope was a fitting tribute to Pippa’s mother Ruth who recently passed away.
It can’t have been easy for the band ringing the front-eight peal of the ‘standard’ eight Surprise Major methods at St Mary-le-Tower either and it was hot work at the session that followed our successful QP. That didn’t stop us managing a good repertoire of methods, with much Surprise Minor, in spliced and individually, including my favourite of the forty-one Morpeth and a faultlessly-rung course of Netherseale, but I was pleased to have a cooling pint in The Greyhound afterwards!
It was an evening that I hope helped John and which I imagine his father would’ve approved of.
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Will there be performances of Boris Doubles and Johnsonville Delight Minor or Armageddon Treble Bob Minor over the next few days? Or will the ringing community – perhaps sensibly – remain largely apathetic to today’s announcement that tomorrow Boris Johnson is due to become the UK’s next Prime Minister.
For today though, the eulogies and demonization of BoJo through footnotes
placed somewhere between the humorous and extreme support/opposition eluded
BellBoard, with the only entry from Suffolk being
a quarter-peal of
Doubles rung at Redgrave more sensibly for the fiftieth anniversaries of
the first Moon landing and the birth of Betty Baines’ son Neil!
And for us – not unusually for a Tuesday – there was no ringing at all. Although
not in a ringing sense, I imagine Boris Johnson was having a busier day.
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There were some blisters on show at St Mary-le-Tower for the weekly practice on Suffolk’s heaviest ring of bells. Some were mine following the peal at Ufford on Saturday, but the majority belonged to Karina and Sonia following their impressive efforts six days ago in ringing their first two quarters on the same evening. The former had since been to Latitude (in fact I feel like the only ringer and/or work colleague who hasn’t been!) and lost her voice, but none of this appeared to have a negative effect on any of the ringing, although the humidity did a bit I think.
Still, despite being worries that with holiday season now upon us that numbers might be down, there was a decent sized crowd in attendance which managed Surprise Royal of the Cambridge, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire variety and Stedman Cinques with varying degrees of success.
And it was all topped off with a drink outside the back of The Cricketers in almost Mediterranean conditions, all of which was lovely, but I suspect was less fun to ring today’s 5050 of Yorkshire Surprise Major on the 17cwt eight of Elveden in. Congratulations to Joan Garrett on reaching fifty years of peal-ringing, a well deserved landmark for a lady who is always willing to help out where she can. Congratulations also to past Guild Ringing Master Stephen Pettman and past Guild Peal Secretary Alan Mayle on ringing their one hundredth peal together in the successful 3hrs6mins of ringing.
I wonder if there were many blisters afterwards...
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I have grown up going to the annual Offton BBQ. As a kid who loved the huge lawn that one could play games on. My early (failed) attempts at drinking homebrew, once with spectacular consequences, which host Brian Whiting quite rightly reminds me of almost every year! When I returned from living in the West Midlands, it was an event that helped really confirm that I was right to come back to my home county, with Brian and Peta’s lovely old home set in their large, beautiful gardens surrounded by a cricket pitch on one side and Suffolk’s wide expanse of fields, woodlands and pretty cottages of many colours on the other sides. And in recent years it has been a real highlight attending with Ruthie, Mason and now Alfie and Joshua too.
Like ringing and life generally, there are reassuring dollops of continuity and change. For the first time, the boys each partook of games of boules with varying degrees of success, but with local ringer Doug Perry umpiring as he has done for years, complete with measuring sandals! There were various characters present who have only started coming in recent years, but also many who have been fixtures at this for almost as long as I can recall, such as the Perrys, Roses, Knights and Pipes. And despite a new footbridge which generated much interest, the wonderful setting remains pretty much the same thirty years on.
Being designated driver this year, I couldn’t get stuck into the homebrew, but I still immensely enjoyed the vast amount of food, listening to handbell ringing, winning a bottle of wine on the raffle, making new friends and catching up with familiar faces. It was particularly nice to see Maggie Ross and Tim Palmer who are visiting the county for the weekend, but also to see George Pipe enjoying the sunshine and company, even employing his own beer carrier, David Stanford! Thank you to Brian and Peta and their various helpers – including Jonathan Williamson on the BBQ itself – for a fabulous few hours!
However, apart from my wife partaking in some handbell ringing in the Whitings’ garden, the only actual ringing either of us partook in all day was when I managed a quick burst of well-struck call-changes on six at Woodbridge before the service that we all attended as I struggled to find somewhere to park nearby, but elsewhere within our borders other ringers were busier with three quarter-peals rung in Suffolk, albeit one was at the NDA tower of Lowestoft. Well done to the entire band on ringing their first of Ashton-in-Makerfield Bob Minor with the 1260 at Buxhall, but the headline-maker in the Guild today was Margaret Weeks who rang her first in the medium with the Plain Bob Doubles at Hollesley. Congratulations Margaret! Meanwhile, congratulations also to Anne Buswell on the birth of her grandson Reuben, whilst our thoughts have been – and remain – with her fellow local ringer Nigel Bond with the unexpected death of his wife Ann last week.
God willing the ringing family can help him at this difficult time, but it was also in evidence at the Offton BBQ this afternoon. As it has been for most of my life.
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I like to arrange a peal of an appropriate length and/or number of methods for each of the boys’ birthdays every year. It means little to them at the moment, but God willing one day they will find it touching at least that I went to the effort of arranging these attempts and that people have taken the trouble to ring at length for their special day. Indeed, Mason in the last couple of years has found it interesting reading up on them, especially the one we rang last year that included a method named after him!
Joshua’s is probably the most difficult to arrange though, attempting to find a date in amongst a busy time of holidays and BBQs not just for ourselves but for lots of others too, not to mention in amongst celebrating his mother’s birthday. Particularly this year!
All the more pleasing therefore to have rung this morning’s 5184 of three Surprise Major methods spliced at Ufford, the tower where his grandmother Kate is Ringing Master. Appropriately, said Mrs Eagle rang and although Stephen Pettman had to abandon his attempts to fashion/find a decent 5030 of three methods, we of course also rang it for Ruthie’s recent significant birthday. And it was a very decent 2hrs56mins of ringing. This 13cwt are enjoyable to ring, but noticeably enough oddstruck to mean that concentration is needed for every blow and this talented band pretty much managed that with some very good striking.
Most of us retired to The White Lion round the corner afterwards to contribute to the local economy with some post-ringing refreshments and much convivial conversation. Some went on to more ringing – Mike Cowling was off to ring for a wedding at Little Glemham for example – but I returned home via my Mum and Dad, who had very kindly been looking after the boys whilst I was peal-ringing, with my wife at work.
Meanwhile, there was an even more significant performance in ringing terms at Wenhaston, as young Rosie Rolph rang her first quarter-peal, appropriately with her sisters and brother – including Alex who is to be congratulated on her recent graduation – and the ringer who helped her begin her ringing odyssey, Maggie Ross who was ringing on a return visit to the area which was once home for her.
My day finished with a spot of child-sitting of both our boys and their cousins, the return of Mrs Munnings from the shop and a relaxing evening in, relieved that Joshua’s (and Ruthie’s) birthday peal went well.
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I wasn’t feeling all that great this evening with a blocked up nose and headache, which is worrying with a busy weekend of peal-ringing, child-sitting and barbecuing planned for the next couple of days.
My subdued mood was not helped by hearing of the sad news of the passing of Roland Cook from Leicestershire, who died earlier this week. I rang a couple of peals with him and he and his wife Sylvia very kindly came to help us ring for our Uncle Martin’s funeral at Misterton in his home county a few years ago. He was always a lovely chap and an extremely talented ringer. RIP Roland.
My mood was lifted somewhat though, both by an extraordinarily good report for Alfie as his first year at primary school drew to a close and the brace of quarter-peals rung on Suffolk’s bells on this summer’s Friday. Well done to all the band bar conductor and treble-ringer Philip Gorrod – so therefore Nicole Rolph, Sal Jenkinson, Matthew Rolph , Rona Sporle and Peter Lock – on ringing their first of Berwick Surprise Minor in the 1272 at Blythburgh (and indeed on getting anywhere near the area during Latitude!) and to The Revd Carl Melville on ringing his first of Kent Treble Bob Minor in the 1320 on the back six at Henley.
God willing I’ll be feeling well enough to do my own ringing this weekend!
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Part of this blog’s purpose is (increasingly) highlighting how we fit our ringing in around our circumstances. Or rather don’t. As was the case today, as instead of joining Grundisburgh practice as we once did regularly on a Thursday evening, Ruthie went to choir practice and we then had a night in waiting for Joshua to get to sleep (it took a long, long time by the way) and then had to unblock our toilet. I shall leave it to others to decide whether that was better than going ringing at Grundisburgh.
There was other ringing in Suffolk though, most notably with the impressive 5760 of forty-one Surprise Minor methods spliced rung on handbells in Bacton to Alexander Holroyd’s composition that sees each bell ring every bit of line for all the methods.
It certainly sounds more fun then unblocking a toilet.
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For the latter half of her twenties, Ruthie ringing a quarter-peal with me became a bit of a rarity due to our willingly taken-on parental duties, but in her thirties her QP record with me is 100%, courtesy of this evening’s pre-practice 1440 of nine spliced Surprise Minor methods (Cunecastre, London & Wells and then Beverley & its sixth-place version Berwick, Cambridge & its sixth-place version Primrose and Surfleet & its sixth-place version Hexham) at Pettistree.
It wasn’t planned though, as I was a very last-minute stand-in for mother-in-law Kate who wasn’t feeling well enough to guarantee making forty/forty-five minutes of continuous ringing and so instead looked after the boys at home whilst we rang. We then returned to relieve her of her duties, with Mrs Munnings then going back to the ground-floor six armed with a cake of her own making which she then shared with others who attended the weekly session, including the very welcome annual visit of the holidaying Harriyotts from Sussex.
Meanwhile, our success wasn’t the only one on Suffolk bells recorded on BellBoard today, with more spliced Surprise, this time at Henley of the Major variety as Bristol and Cambridge were woven together to form a 1344 on the gallery-ring eight just north of Ipswich.
Hopefully the first quarters of many to be rung within our borders in Ruthie’s thirties – and God willing including even more of featuring both of us!
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A year ago today I bemoaned that Ruthie failed to celebrate herself, despite her considerable talents in ringing, singing, playing musical instruments and motherhood. This year, on her thirtieth birthday, I hope that we have celebrated her sufficiently on her behalf and gladly so.
She has deserved to be spoilt and treated on this long weekend away and today – on her birthday itself – we rounded it off with a visit to the Rare Breeds Centre near Woodchurch, before we all made our way back to Suffolk (for the second time in three days for myself!) and - once I’d collected Mason and our brother-in-law Kev had joined his family – gathered at the Coach & Horses in Melton on home territory!
We returned to a county of busy bellringers.
Quarter-peals of Ruthenium Surprise Major (appropriate for today!) and Uxbridge Surprise Major at Gislingham and Hopton respectively, with the former being the first in the method for the entire band. Well done to them all.
Meanwhile, a 5040 of Minor was rung at Hartest to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Past Guild Ringing Master Amanda Richmond’s first peal on the same bell at the same tower and to the same method arrangement, although with no rockets launched for the Moon to accompany it today. Congratulations Amanda, who rang in my first peal and played a big part in me learning the art and has helped countless others too. Including most recently Sonia Docherty and Karina Wiseman who today not only rang their first quarter-peal by ringing the treble and tenor respectively to a 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles at Sproughton, but then immediately followed it up with their second quarter having swapped bells. Congratulations Sonia and Karina, whose achievements deserve many more likes on BellBoard!
It is a day of celebration, but especially for my wife – Happy Birthday Ruthie!
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Today was the final well-meaning deceit of a weekend of well-meaning, as Ruthie spent the day as a zookeeper at Port Lympne Safari Park, a fantastic present from her mother and Ron which had been kept secret from her until yesterday. Whilst she enjoyed mucking out a rhino house and feeding giraffes, the rest of us took a safari ride around the wildlife park and wandered the dinosaur forest, although we did have lunch with her.
She excitedly imparted every detail she could about her day as we wiled the
evening away back in East Guldeford, although our presence down here meant that
I couldn’t make St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice back in Ipswich. Hopefully
they survived without me (and I fully expect they did) as there was very little
to report from a ringing perspective in Suffolk otherwise. Unless BellBoard
is deceiving me.
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England becoming world champions in the men’s forms of the UK’s main sports are scarce, always dramatic and down to the wire. The footballer’s victory in 1966 famously came down to a questionable decision on whether the ball had crossed the goal-line for our third goal and had already gone into extra-time following a last-minute equaliser from our West German opponents. And the destination of the trophy was in doubt right up until Geoff Hurst completed what is still the only hat-trick scored in the men’s World Cup Final.
In 2003, the rugby union team’s victory in Australia to win the WC against the hosts was only decided by that last-ditch drop-kick from Jonny Wilkinson in one of the most dramatic endings to a World Cup final in any sport. At the time...
They were by their nature – but especially in how they panned out – real “where were you moments.”
Of course, I wasn’t born in 1966, but I remember being in my living room on a Saturday morning watching the rugger in 2003 and as long as I have my faculties, I can hope I will always remember where I was taking in today’s incredible, staggering English victory in the cricket World Cup final at Lord’s. East Sussex, Kent, Greater London, Essex and Suffolk and then in reverse, before taking in the amazing last over and ‘super over’ in the sitting room of a sixteenth century house near the Sussex coast.
The reason for my considerable traversing was that I needed to get Mason back to his mother’s in readiness for activities week at school and so having enjoyed a visit to Bodiam Castle – where the boys and their cousins partook in a spot of archery – and bade farewell to the others, I spent the next few hours negotiating the dreadful driving of outside lane-hoggers (including one who spent the whole way between in that lane from Ipswich to Chelmsford, apparently oblivious to their wing mirror being folded in and presumably to the rest of us who had sit behind them or break the law undertaking them) and speed restrictions that merely served to further clog the roads and make driving conditions even edgier, all mercifully accompanied by BBC Radio Five’s commentary of an absorbing cricket match.
However, I couldn’t complain much about how well it all went, with minimal hold-ups and having initially thought it might be late evening before I got back to East Guldeford, I was back in time to join the others for a BBQ overlooking the stunning countryside surrounding us and for the end of the cricket. It was nice to be back to enjoy that and to take in tales of a sports day for the children on the lawn of ‘our’ ancient property.
It all meant there was no opportunity for ringing. We can see the tower that holds the 19cwt eight of Rye across the fields from our abode and I always feel strange not ringing on a Sunday morning, but with only three of our twelve-strong party ringers and a tight schedule today, it was never really an option on this occasion.
Back in the homeland that I briefly returned to this afternoon though, there were a couple of notable quarter-peals rung, with the 1260 of Single Platt Bridge Bob Minor at Great Finborough being the first blows in the method for the entire band and the 1296 at The Norman Tower being the first of Stedman Caters for Deborah Blumfield. Well done Maureen, Josephine, Lesley, Andrea, David, Stephen and Deborah!
And of course, very well done to England’s men’s cricketers!
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More well-meaning deceit today in our endeavours to make Ruthie’s forthcoming thirtieth anniversary of her birth as memorable for her as possible.
Not so much the train rides on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, as she knew that was coming, once she had become aware of the existence of the weekend away as a whole. Although she was worried that was going to end up driving one! Rather, another element of our trip away that had been planned for some time without her having even the slightest notion came to fruition as we were met by my wife’s long-time schoolfriend Beth. She now lives in Kent with her husband Roderick and daughter Rosie who we were meeting for the first time on this occasion arranged via Facebook between me and Beth.
There were further surprises not planned by us, such as the film crew filming a documentary for Channel Five and the train we were on breaking down, but that didn’t spoil what was a special day as four generations of my wife’s family and one of her best friends came out for an afternoon of journeying on a lovely line and a picnic on a roasting hot day. The children in particular enjoyed themselves, but so did the rest of us.
Back in Suffolk a quarter-peal was rung at Woolpit, but we merely returned to East Guldeford and that beautiful big old house for another enjoyable evening of playing, eating – especially her Harry Potter birthday cake - and drinking, whilst Ruthie pondered what else we have planned for her...
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I don’t do deceit well, which I suppose is a good thing. For one, I am a dreadful actor, secondly I don’t really like lying and thirdly I have always found that eventually it’ll come back to bite one on the bum.
For the last few weeks and months though, I – and indeed many others, from work colleagues, school, nursery and ringers – have been involved with hiding something from Ruthie. On Tuesday, it will be the thirtieth anniversary of my wife’s birth and in form typical of her mother Kate, Mrs Eagle had arranged for a surprise weekend away for the birthday girl, with other surprises along the way. It has meant arranging days off for myself, the boys and indeed for Mrs Munnings herself without her getting wind of anything and finally this morning it all came together.
First up, despite having booked the day off work (unbeknown to my wife of course), I got dressed as if I were going to the office and left as if to take Joshua to nursery, only to simply drop him off at his gran’s where Grandad Ron would look after him whilst I pretended to go to John Catt and then my mother-in-law collected Ruthie and Alfie (who had to pretend to be poorly to give him a reason not to be going to school who had authorised his time off) and dropped my wife off at John Ives for what she thought was going to be a normal Friday in the shop. Meanwhile, I had been for a walk in the countryside we are so fortunate to have nearby, before I was confident that the unsuspecting star of the weekend had left the house and awaited to hear that her sister Clare had collected her from work (where she had already sold a pair of shoes!) and it was finely revealed to her that she was in fact going away for a few days with the family.
As she and the others travelled down to the location for the festivities, I stayed back to pack the bags that I had been unable to previously so as to not arouse suspicion and wait for Mason to finish school so that we two could make our way to a big house in East Sussex to join my wife, the boys, her sister and her girls, her mother, Grandad Ron and her grandparents.
And what a house! A sixteenth century, seven-bedroomed, timber-framed home absolutely oozing Tudor character in the tiny village of East Guldeford near the coast, just a mile from the delightful small town of Rye next to the border with Kent. St Mary’s church sits just across a busy road, but with it being built at about the same time, it is easy to picture these two buildings sitting together serenely for centuries looking almost the same as they did this evening on this sunny summer’s evening.
The children were already dashing about the sizeable gardens, the grandparents were in one of the sitting rooms watching the end of another classic from Federer and Nadal at Wimbledon, whilst the other adults were sat sipping tea watching the trains pass on the nearby railway line. And Ruthie was still slightly shocked!
Meanwhile, back in the county we had just left, ringers were still busy, with a quarter-peal of Yorkshire Surprise Major rung at Henley and a 5184 of Lindum Surprise Major at Horringer, which was a first in the method for all the band and a three hundredth peal together for Christine Knight and Alan Mayle. Well done to them all!
No ringing for us though, but nonetheless an immensely relaxing evening sipping fizzy outside in the yard rounded off an exciting day as my wife speculated what might yet be coming this weekend. There is still a little well-meaning deceit to be carried out!
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In some senses our circumstances didn’t change all that much on this day three years ago when our youngest son Joshua was born. Following the birth of his older brother Alfie two years earlier, we had adjusted to a lifestyle that meant we couldn’t just go out whenever we liked when my eldest son Mason wasn’t with us and accepted that going ringing was something that is largely taken in turns rather than a collective activity.
Yet of course life did change a huge deal for us. I think we were guilty of underestimating just how much work having two young children together under our care all the time was going to be, but of course the trade-off is watching Josh and Alfred’s relationship with each other – and Mason – blossom. And in his own right, Joshie is a blessing we wouldn’t change for anything.
Today was therefore definitely a day for celebration and once we’d all got back from our respective places of work and before Ruthie went to the Surprise Major practice at Ufford with her mother Kate, that is exactly what we did, as Granny Eagle, Grandad Ron, Aunty Clare and cousins Katelynn and Anna came round for cake and games.
Elsewhere there were further celebrations, this time for North-West District Chairman David Steed, who celebrated his birthday with a 1368 of seventeen Surprise Minor methods spliced.
Also celebrating were England’s male cricketers, who exactly one year after the men’s football team lost their World Cup semi-final were winning their World Cup semi-final at Edgbaston against Australia.
Therefore a day of celebration all round, most particularly for us for that life-changing event exactly three years ago. Happy Birthday Joshua!
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This evening’s pre-practice quarter-peal attempt at Pettistree was on paper a relatively ambitious one for a rural six-bell tower, even the current holders of the Mitson Shield. Nine Surprise Minor methods, with an extent of six Norwich/Westminster above methods – Rossendale (London below), Stamford (Wells below) and Annable’s London (King Edward – essentially Cambridge – below) of the Norwich above set and Lightfoot (London below), Wearmouth (Wells below) and Netherseale (King Edward below) of the Westminster above group – and then London, Wells and Cunecastre (King Edward’s below and London above) to finish.
We did not get the quarter, but it would be harsh to call it a failure, with the first extent successfully negotiated with the ringing improving as we got more and more confident and it all proved to be useful, prolonged practice at a wide range of methods which it isn’t always possible to ring on a regular basis, which is one of the main purposes of these weekly attempts. And ultimately it came down to one method alone that brought the ringing to a late but premature end – Cunecastre. Therefore, there was much practicing of that line in the session that followed, as more ringers came to join us and by the time I left we seemed to have got the hang of it!
Earlier, some of the participants of our QP attempt had been to Debenham for the annual Veteran’s Day and reported another hugely successful event with a bumper crowd. Well done to Jenny Scase on organising the event, a worthwhile celebration of those who have helped make the exercise what it is today.
Meanwhile, my early departure from the ringing was to help Ruthie as we prepared the house for the third anniversary of Joshua’s birth and the subsequent celebrations planned for tomorrow, which hopefully won’t be too ambitious!
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There were quarter-peals rung at Bures and pre-practice at Offton of Plain Bob Triples and Double Norwich Court Bob Major respectively and the Second Tuesday Ringing was at Framlingham and Earl Soham, but it was a typically quiet Tuesday for us personally from a ringing perspective. Well done and thank you to others for producing something worthy of mention on today’s blog!
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It was slightly annoying to arrive at the car-park I have paid (an admittedly paltry amount) towards a permit for to enable me to park somewhere near St Mary-le-Tower and find it full this evening. With the neighbouring car-park which we were once able to park in for free until the OTT redesign of the spaces, mainly empty but out-of-bounds, it meant a bit of a walk in to the weekly practice this evening, once I’d found somewhere to park without forking out an additional fee for the privilege of contributing to Ipswich’s meagre Monday night economy.
The only silver-lining – so I thought – was that it surely meant a bumper crowd would await me in the ringing chamber. Except it transpires that the spaces were full of cars belonging to members of the Tower Chamber Choir practicing for tomorrow's concert and we were actually quite short of numbers manning the twelve bells upstairs.
Still, as is often the case in such circumstances, it gave some of our learners more time on the end of a rope than we might normally be able to offer them. And we nonetheless managed some Yorkshire Surprise Maximus and a quick burst of Plain and Little (well strictly speaking Baldrick Little) Bob Cinques that produces a useful three-lead touch in a productive session.
Afterwards we retired to The Cricketers for a drink to top off an enjoyable evening. Even if I couldn’t park anywhere nearby.
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I was very sorry to hear of the death this afternoon of Warwickshire ringer Sue Marshall. I’ve known Sue for several years from Rambling Ringers and my time ringing in Birmingham and so I was sad to learn that she had been diagnosed with a terminal illness at the end of last year. However, she took this terrible outlook and turned it into an inspirational few months as she aimed to make the most of what time she had left. This took the form of walking and visiting various places such as stately homes, but primarily with ringing. She managed to reach her much desired 2000th peal with a 5040 at Bletchingdon in Oxfordshire in March and before that partook in what is believed to be the first all-female band to ring a peal of the forty-one Surprise Minor at Milton of the same county in February, as well as persuading her talented daughter Rebecca back to peal-ringing and ringing in her son Tristan’s first peal, rung at her home tower of Kineton. And there was that incredible celebration of her in Birmingham in January with just some of her many friends in the exercise where a brace of peals and a quarter-peal were rung in the second city.
She was willing to help others in their ringing, no better shown than with her part in ITTS as Ruthie saw first hand when she attended a course at the aforementioned Kineton a few years ago, but also in her very kind act of ringing in Mason’s eighth birthday peal at Debenham back in 2015 when she happened to be in the area.
Also, she was a very good ringer, a leading light of the art, especially of the female element and I imagine she would have been chuffed that us chaps were outnumbered at St Mary-le-Tower this morning (and apparently at Woodbridge too, I was to hear later!), particularly in some call-changes on twelve where I realised I was one of just four males in the band!
One of the ladies present was Laura Davies, who we are pleased to see back in Ipswich after her year in Bratislava and lovely to have a natter in Costa Coffee afterwards, although with that following on from ringing at St Lawrence – where Karina trebled superbly to some Plain Bob Minimus – it meant there was no time to go ringing at Grundisburgh, with the bells being rung down at St Margaret’s as we left a town centre buzzing with people gathering for Ipswich Music Day.
By this point I only had Alfie keeping me company, as he had the birthday party of one of his classmates to attend this afternoon and with my wife at work my Mum and Dad had very kindly agreed to take his brothers in the meantime. Whilst they went to church at Sproughton and saw elephants in the county town, Alfred enjoyed himself immensely at a celebration that featured animals to pet for the children and beer for the adults. It was a fun afternoon.
With everyone gathered together, we then made an unusual collective visit to St Mary the Virgin’s evensong where we were enticed by an invitation from our friends Charlotte and Gregory and their girls on a nice summer’s evening, whilst a few miles away at Pettistree the evensong was preceded by a 1296 of Cambridge Surprise Minor.
All in all a very positive day, but severely tinged with sadness. RIP Sue.
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Since I moved back to Suffolk from the crowded, edgy West Midlands in what seems a lifetime ago, I have grown to appreciate a walk in our beautiful countryside. And of course, I love bellringing and am fond of a pint of ale in one of the countless character-filled ancient pubs within our borders.
Circumstances mean that we don’t get the chance to do as much of any of these as we would normally do, but this afternoon’s South-East District Practice at Grundisburgh and Hasketon, walking between them and then having a drink in The Turk’s Head in the latter village offered us the opportunity to combine all three.
It came with some restrictions for us though. The plan to walk both ways would’ve been ambitious with the boys in tow and so we ‘only’ did the walk back and of course the two of us sinply grabbing hold for ringing needs to come with the reassurance that someone is keeping an eye on the brothers, whilst wiling the hours away relaxing with multiple drinks is currently a rare treat. Add to that the rain which appeared at precisely the moment we wanted to hike through the fields and woodlands of this lovely part of the county and you might think we didn’t enjoy this as much as we might have.
Well you’d be wrong! The ringing at the twelve was really very good, especially for a disparate band not used to negotiating this number of bells, with a decent three leads of Bristol Surprise Major on the back eight, some lovely Grandsire Cinques and some well-rung Stedman Cinques interspersed with reasonable call-changes too. Our walk was soggy, but convivial, with District Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson and Secretary Abby Antrobus very kindly hanging back to keep us company and direct us the right way as we struggled to keep pace with an advanced party that included Mason! As usual, the scenery didn’t let us down and even though grey, those big wide East Anglian skies were an inspiring backdrop. Our bedraggled crew then produced some superb ringing at the ground-floor six in a round tower, with various Surprise Minor methods rung with no method mistakes and good striking, before a most welcome drink was enjoyed in a pub that has changed much over the years but remains one of my favourites. And it was all done in extremely nice company.
Meanwhile, up in Liverpool, an incredible twenty-four teams were taking part in the Ringing World National Youth Contest. Sadly that didn’t include a Suffolk entry, with the nearest competitors being Essex Young Eagles and the Cambridgeshire-based Fen Tigers, but it is heartening to see such a phenomenal turnout from the exercise’s youngsters. Congratulations to the Oxford Diocesan Guild on winning overall and therefore claiming the Whitechapel Trophy and well done to the Kent Young Ringers on earning the Ringing World Editor’s Trophy for Excellence. Hopefully we will soon have an SGR entry in the near future challenging for these trophies.
Meanwhile back here, a quarter-peal of St Clement’s College Bob Minor was rung at Great Finborough, deep within the beautiful Suffolk countryside that we are so fortunate to ring, walk and drink in.
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Well done to South-East District Secretary Abby Antrobus on ringing her first quarter-peal of Ipswich Surprise Minor in the 1298 on the gallery-ring of six at Earl Stonham.
Nothing quite so active for us on this occasion as after a few busy Fridays, the normal order of our current circumstances was restored with a quiet night in with an end-of-week beer or two, whilst elsewhere others gathered in Liverpool for tomorrow’s Ringing World National Youth Contest and in particular some superb ringing from those at the twelve of Pier Head in the city. Although there is no Suffolk band partaking, best of luck to all taking part!
I’m looking forward to hearing of more success stories tomorrow.
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Nobody has rung more peals together than Nottinghamshire and occasional Rambling Ringers Paul and Ruth Curtis with their 4754 as a pair in the medium. Paul Mounsey is a star of the College Youths and Frank Rivett of the Cumberlands, David Dearnley has judged at the National Twelve-Nell Contest more than anyone else, Claire Roulstone is one of the best female ringers around and Paul Cammiade is also a superb ringer, whilst Norwich ringer David Brown is one of the leading conductors in the world. Collectively they were ringing what I imagine was a fantastic peal of Keddington Delight Major at Kersey.
Other than that, there was nothing to report from ringing in Suffolk, other than that which usually occurs on a Thursday and certainly not from us as Ruthie’s choir practice prevented either of us getting out anywhere that was ringing this evening.
We’ll leave it up to the experts for today.
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Over the last couple of years there has been much concern that due to the lack of anywhere for them to go, the youth of Ipswich in particular are being dragged into gangs, sometimes with tragic consequences, with stabbings in particular causing understandable alarm.
It was a topic that the Guild’s President The Right Revd Martin Seeley – the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich – was discussing on BBC Radio Suffolk today and once again it prompted me to consider if ringing could play any – even small – part in the solution. I have long been frustrated when parents in rural communities moan about there being nothing for children to do in their community, when more likely than not there is a peal of bells within earshot which would gladly welcome new recruits, especially youngsters, thus giving those youngsters something truly engaging and good for body and mind, all for relatively little outlay.
The issues in gangland Ipswich are somewhat different, with more deep-rooted issues and more dangerous outcomes. However, I have often wondered whether it would be a good use of the bells in the redundant churches of the county town if they were the location for some sort of cross between a youth club and bellringing practice for those youngsters that might otherwise end up on the streets getting into gangs and knife-crime. And we might get some new recruits.
All a little pie-in-the-sky perhaps, with a dedicated and sizeable number of volunteers needed and probably perceptions to be overcome from both sides, but wouldn’t it be great PR and a nice thing for the art to do?
Pettistree – like pretty much every tower in the country – would gladly welcome new recruits, but at least they had a few more there this week than last, both for the ringing and socialising in The Greyhound afterwards. At least according to Ruthie who attended the session this week having been spared setting up the sale at John Ives at the last minute and had a very enjoyable evening on this ground-floor six instead.
That session was preceded as usual by a successful quarter-peal, which on this occasion was of three Minor methods and dedicated to Webmaster Chris Garner’s birthday, but it wasn’t the only QP of the day on the county’s bells. Get well soon to Richard Knight, whose health and spirits were hopefully helped along by the footnote to the 1260 of Stedman Triples at The Millbeck Ring in Shelland. And congratulations to all who were ringing their most of spliced Triples with the eleven methods rung at Elveden today.
There are a lot of youngsters who don’t know what they’re missing out on!
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It started with a chance glance at my blog from precisely five years ago and a comment I made about the Guild’s 10,000th peal. At the time I mused that if we’d continued at the rates of the previous year – 2013 – that we would reach that significant landmark in the year we now find ourselves and indeed with only a slight rise in that rate we might even have got there last year, appropriately in the ninety-fifth anniversary year of the SGR.
2013’s 155 peals proved to be a substantial peak, the most rung by the membership this century and the most since 1995 and ever since the annual total seems to have settled near the one-hundred mark and so I was aware that we weren’t going to be meeting number 10,000 in 2019, but it did prompt me to take a look at how far off we are. And it seems quite far off, at least at current rates. According to this year’s Annual Report, the 5024 of Bristol Surprise Major rung at Gislingham on Christmas Eve was the final peal for the Guild of 2018 and 9,725th in our name since its formation in 1923 and having not that long ago contemplated reaching number 10,000 for the ninety-fifth anniversary, I wondered if we were actually even going to make it by the one hundredth anniversary in 2023.
Well the good news is, that even at current rates, we ought to make it in the early part of 2022, but it does rather highlight the sharp fall in peal-rates and why it might be. This year’s particularly low total thus far compared to the last four or five years can be accounted for by the lack of peals at The Wolery due the Salters’ unfortunate – though happily now improving – circumstances, where the sole peal this year rung on Good Friday means that the totals in Old Stoke are eight or nine down compared to how many had been rung by this week twelve months ago. However, generally we have lost a lot of enthusiastic young peal-ringers and arrangers in the last half-decade, such as Louis Suggett, Alex Tatlow and the Salter brothers Colin and George and others who were once more active in arranging such as David Salter, Stephen Pettman and indeed myself have been less so in recent years.
God willing in the next two or three years, some of those named above might return to arrange regular peals again and/or some new names come to the forefront and that we reach that 10,000th peal much earlier than we are due to now. I know ringing for a named ringing organisation has become uncool for some and there are a few in the exercise who would lose no sleep if peal-ringing ceased to exist, but this is a medium that does more to raise standards across the art than any other element in my opinion (and without that raising of standards ringing would ultimately die), although of course like any medium of ringing, it can’t do it on its own. And I think it is good for the Suffolk Guild the more peals are rung for it. From a financial perspective most obviously, but also for less tangible reasons, such as what it does to inspire and motivate learners, especially youngsters, putting ringing in the county in a good light and giving a snapshot of what ringers in Suffolk are doing at any particular time. Reading through the peal columns from previous annual reports make for fascinating reading.
The Norwich Diocesan Association were adding to their peal totals today for reasons that the SGR haven’t had the opportunity to do for many years, as they celebrated Norwich City’s latest prelude to relegation with a peal at Ashill in a method named after the dirge that our friends from Carrow Road are famous for singing, On The Ball City. Congratulations to them, but kudos to Tractor Boy and Past Ringing Master at St Mary-le-Tower Simon Rudd, not only for taking part in good humour but also making sure there was an Ipswich Town representation to remind them that we’re not gone just yet!
However, there was nothing to add to our Guild totals today and indeed nothing of a quarter-peal nature and we didn’t help matters with a ringingless day, but hopefully we can start contributing to those peal totals on another day soon.
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With the weather cooling outside, I hadn’t really expected it to be quite as warm as it was in St Mary-le-Tower ringing chamber for this evening’s weekly practice. It perhaps shouldn’t have been a surprise in this relatively small, enclosed space with quite restricted ventilation, especially with another bumper turnout crowding in to man Suffolk’s heaviest ring of bells.
Nonetheless, it was once again a productive session, from Karina ringing Plain Hunt on Nine for the first time to those feeling their way through Stedman Cinques and the Surprise Maximus versions of Cambridge and Yorkshire, in the main with some success, before most of us retired to The Cricketers. I definitely needed my pint of Brentwood Blonde in these conditions.
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Thanks to an enquiry posted on a bellringers’ Facebook page by South-East District Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson, pet hates and pet likes in ringing have been a hot topic this weekend. I am pleased to say that there are many more things that I like about ringing than that which I dislike.
For example, I can readily reel off a list of enjoying visiting towers in beautiful places, the variety of bells available (rough as well as good!), trying new methods, peal-ringing, well-struck ringing... I could go on for days and very nearly have in this blog previously.
I have to admit that I have empathy with some of the dislikes that others listed off, especially that of general, vague instructions, although I also understand why they are sometimes necessary and I do get frustrated when people hold up to accommodate people going wrong, which only makes things worse.
Also, I don’t really like ringing on the front six of an eight, but it is a regular necessity at Woodbridge due to circumstance and so it was this morning for service ringing, although with the tenor down and only six ringers I managed to prevent the even worse prospect of ringing the front seven with the second missing! For all of that though, the result was some well-struck call-changes. I felt very conflicted! Seriously though, as I have already said a couple of times this week, good ringing is good ringing.
Despite the difference in ringing style, the same will be the case at East Bergholt. These are famous for not only being the heaviest ring of five in the world hung for change-ringing but the only ring of bells hung for change-ringing to be rung without ropes. ‘Traditional’ ringers were once allowed to ring these, some with quite painful consequences, but for many years now they have only been able to be rung by ringers specially trained to. Now they are recruiting with an article from the Harwich and Manningtree Standard shared via the Suffolk Guild FB page, so if you’ve ever fancied it, now might be the time! It’s a shame that they couldn’t find a picture of the unique set-up rather than a generic photograph of a bell, but good PR nonetheless.
Not that we have the time to add this to our current ringing commitments, as was exhibited by this afternoon. With Joshua invited to a birthday party at Wickham Market Village Hall and Ruthie accompanying him, the pressure was on for me to find something for his elder brothers to do. With it being another blistering hot day, cowering inside playing computer games and/or watching TV wasn’t really an option, so it was off down to Melton Recreation Ground for Alfie to practice riding his bike and then to get a spot of cricket in.
Other ringers found the time to ring though, most notably at Henley, where the 1272 of Oxford Treble Bob Minor was the first blows in the method for past Guild Secretary (a role incidentally now being carried out by Kate Gill) Reverend Carl Melville. Well done Carl!
And I expect quarter-peal ringing is a pet like for most – if not all – of that band!
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There are twenty-four hours in the day and of course at this time of the year most of them are daylight ones. Perhaps ironic then that there were three events that I wanted to attend today and all of them were on at the same time. One was ringing for a wedding at Woodbridge, something I’m always happy to do if I’m able. The other two were fetes, which the boys in particular were keen to attend. In the end, with Ruthie at work I was grateful to mother-in-law Kate for taking the brothers so that I could ring for the nuptials without them missing any of the fun of the fair.
That ringing was slightly unsatisfactory with only seven being able to make it, but we were able to man all eight for one piece beforehand when Tower Captain of 19cwt eight Wingham in Kent and guest at today’s proceedings downstairs, Jill Baker, climbed the many stairs to join us and treble to some call-changes. There are not many hobbies that allow its participants to just join in so seamlessly.
My duties carried out at St Mary the Virgin, I joined my sons and mother-in-law where we ended up hanging around too long to make the second fete as Alfie and Joshua discovered the bouncy castle. Two out of three ain’t bad I suppose!
Hopefully that wasn’t the case with the two quarter-peals of Grandsire Doubles rung in the west of the county, one at the 8cwt six at Great Barton and one at the anti-clockwise ring at Pakenham, the former of which was Tim Forsey’s first in the method – well done Tim!
I wouldn’t be surprised if they followed their efforts on this roasting day (albeit not as hot as the continent and its temperatures in the mid-forties centigrade!) with some refreshments and we certainly did as we enjoyed some takeaway pizza and a beer courtesy of more generosity from Mrs Eagle. We wanted to make the rest of those hours of the day!
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Having heard about the attempt on Wednesday, I was so pleased to see the peal at Cotton scored today. For those not aware, this 10cwt eight are – to the best of my knowledge – entirely unique (along with East Bergholt we do unique rings quite well here!) as they are rung from a ground-floor ringing chamber completely exposed to the elements on the west side. We ought to be making more of these and so I was saddened when I heard that they were out of action and therefore equally delighted when I heard that work had been done on them to make them ringable again.
Lovely that it was also rung to a 5072 for Arnie Knights’ recent seventy-second birthday, especially after the original attempt at Offton was lost in somewhat strange circumstances earlier this month. Congratulations to treble ringer and conductor Stephen Pettman on ringing his two hundredth peal of Bristol. Perhaps one day he can learn it inside!
It wasn’t the only performance in Suffolk today that made it to BellBoard. Indeed, there were four quarter-peals rung on bells within our borders as the temperatures started ratchetting up. Well done Alex Rolph, Rona Sporle, Chrissie Pickup, Sal Jenkinson and Nicole Rolph on ringing their first of Hexham Surprise Minor in the 1272 on the lovely little six in the corner of the tower at Rumburgh and especially to Sharon Peters on ringing her first inside in the 1320 on another lovely little ground-floor at Theberton. Meanwhile, the FNQPC rang what was presumably an extremely well-rung 1260 of Plain Bob Minor with a band eminently capable of ringing much more complicated methods. As I said the other day, good ringing is good ringing, whatever you ring.
There was participation in the art from our household too, with Ruthie travelling the short distance to Ufford for a 1344 of Versailles Surprise Major to mark the precise centenary of the signing of the treaty of the same name in what was an apparently very enjoyable (though warm!) effort.
She returned home where I had already got the youngest boys to bed, enabling us to take in a spot of music’s version of the National Twelve-Bell Contest, Glastonbury, especially taking on a new appreciation of Stormzy, a spectacular performance from someone almost as unique to this festival as Cotton bells are to ringing.
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Congratulations to the England team on reaching the semi-finals of the Women’s World Cup with a convincing 3-0 victory (plus a missed penalty!) over Norway.
Congratulations to Jim Towler on yesterday ringing a peal on the sixtieth anniversary of his first in the 5040 rung at Inworth in Essex and featuring a number of faces familiar to Suffolk ringers. Although based south of the Stour, both Jim and his wife Yvonne have always been willing to help out with peals up here when able, ringing faultlessly into the bargain and good company in addition.
No congratulations due to us today as with no ringing involved in our day it was fairly mundane in that sense, albeit perfectly contented, but at least others have had something to celebrate.
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Reading the Ringing World during a quiet moment of Pettistree’s weekly practice, it was pleasing to already see the report on the recent Ridgman Trophy at The Norman Tower in the ‘comic’. Pleasing also to see it online, complete with band photos, including ours of course. As some pointed out on the day, I was stood in the right place with an Ipswich Town shirt on!
It all ties in nicely with the theme of striking competitions and decent striking this week, which appropriately was continued at the aforementioned session and in the quarter-peal of Stamford Surprise Minor beforehand, which I really enjoyed partaking in. There were mistakes throughout the evening of course, but pretty much every piece of ringing – from pieces of Grandsire and Stedman Doubles to London and Norwich Surprise Minor – was well struck in a manner befitting of the current holders of The Mitson Shield.
That said, there were quite a few of those quiet moments already described, with – not unsurprisingly given the time of year – a number of regulars on holiday and others absent for various reasons and for a while it was just the QP band plus Hazel Judge – who no longer rings but who still carries out her role as birthday card monitor diligently – outside on a chilly evening. Eventually more did come, but only three and so we finished a few minutes early and ultimately it was only myself and Sam Shannon who popped to The Greyhound afterwards to chat all things ITFC and fetes. Tis the season.
Earlier, it had been remarkably relaxing waiting outside the church to be let in as horse riders rode and a tractor drove through this peaceful village, the sounds of birds carrying across the air. I am very fortunate that I can ring here, just a few minutes drive from home. And that the striking here is so good.
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Bar a peal for the Guild of the non-too-simple Yeading Surprise Major on the ground-floor eight of Horringer, there wasn’t too much to report from a ringing perspective in Suffolk.
As June draws to an end therefore, there are busier days of ringing planned for July in the county, God willing all carried out in wonderful weather.
It is all due to kick-off as it often does with the Ten-Bell Practice at Beccles on the first Wednesday of the month and if all goes to plan will be followed by the South-East District Walk and Ring between and at Hasketon and Grundisburgh on Saturday 6th July. The Bungay Eight-Bell Practice is pencilled in for the evening of Monday 8th, as is the Second Tuesday Ringing at Framlingham and Earl Soham the following day. The Helmingham Monthly Practice is booked in for 7.30-9pm on Friday 19th and the South-West District Outing to Ixworth, Pakenham and Great Barton on Saturday 27th. Meanwhile, the North-West District Outing is lined up as a walking affair in Norwich on Saturday 13th, but back within our borders, the highlight of the month should be – if previous years are anything to go by – the annual Veterans’ Day at Debenham on Wednesday 10th, a fitting occasion to celebrate the ringers who have contributed decades and decades of their service to the art before us to ensure it continues to be the thriving and engrossing pastime that it is today.
Please do support and enjoy where you are able and let’s make sure there are few days like this in July.
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The George W Pipe Twelve-Bell Competition at Saffron Walden back in February already seems like a long time ago, but with the photos suddenly appearing on the contest’s Facebook page today, it brought back good memories of a fabulous day. Along with Saturday’s National Twelve-Bell Final in Exeter – and especially the hosts’ magnificent victory – still very fresh in the mind, I went to St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice on this humid evening armed with a bottle of water and a renewed determination for well-struck twelve-bell ringing.
Not that we got that all through the session of course. Indeed, I’d be slightly worried if at this provincial practice which is usually many attendee’s only exposure to ringing on these numbers was perfect from start to finish, but we did produce some pretty decent stuff tonight, including some well rung Stedman Cinques at the end as well as some well struck call-changes on twelve featuring all three of our learners, Karina, Leone and Sonia. And importantly it proved to be a productive evening for all concerned, including – I hope – familiar visitors Mike Cowling and South-District Chairman Mark Ogden.
It was again topped off with a drink in The Cricketers afterwards, where the conversation mainly covered the National Twelve-Bell Striking Competition – Saturday’s events, Ipswich’s desired participation and the logistics of hosting it in Suffolk (which is long, long overdue). Twelve-Bell Striking Contests were very much in our thoughts.
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A couple of weeks ago I bemoaned the boys taking so long to get ready as we prepared to go ringing in Ipswich. This morning they were ready with their bags half-an-hour before we needed to leave and professing disappointment that we weren’t departing the house immediately. Such is the unpredictability I attempt to fit my participation of the exercise around.
Still, at least it meant I was at St Mary-le-Tower for pretty much all of this morning’s ringing, which incorporated much ringing on twelve from a crowd so large in number that twenty of us were counted in Costa Coffee alone for post-ringing refreshments. That included George Pipe who had been listening to our ringing outside and who – despite his frailty – still holds court magnificently and did so again on this occasion, once we’d managed to move enough tables together to fit the whole group round!
Sadly, it wasn’t quite so crowded at Grundisburgh afterwards where I helped to man the back six, although Mason did knock behind (still with my help as he continues to refuse to do handstrokes) to some brilliantly-struck Plain Bob Minimus on the front five. Good ringing is good ringing, whatever is being rung.
This was all followed by a brief pickup of Ruthie from church in Woodbridge, a visit to niece Katelynn on her actual birthday and a shopping expedition for Lego, but there was no more ringing for us today.
Not so for other ringers in Suffolk though, with four quarter-peals rung on bells in the county. The 1280 of the ‘standard’ eight Surprise Major rung on the back eight at the Norman Tower was the only one without any firsts or landmarks attached to it but was of course impressive in its own right. However, well done to Diane Leach and Peter Lock on ringing their first of Royal and Kate Gill on ringing her first on ten at all in the 1260 of Plain Bob at Beccles and then Peter again on ringing his first of York Surprise Minor in the 1272 at Wissett, along with Nicole Rolph who was doing the same on the 7cwt six rung from the ground-floor of this round tower.
Noteworthy as all that was (particularly for Mr Lock on a productive day for him!), the main ringing headline within our borders is reserved for young Saffron Burdett, who rang her first quarter-peal in the success at her home tower of St Margaret in Ipswich.
Hopefully she was as enthusiastic at going ringing as my boys were!
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Three years ago, Leicester City won the Premier League for the first time at odds of 5000-1.
This afternoon, Exeter won the National Twelve-Bell Contest for the first time.
Granted, if odds had been applied to the biggest ringing competition in the world, I doubt they would have been as long for the Devon band of ringers today as they would’ve been for the football team from the East Midlands in 2016. After all, they were one of ten teams (rather than twenty), money thankfully doesn’t play any part in striking competitions and they were hosts on a truly unique ring of bells, with their 72cwt being the second heaviest in the world hung for changing-ringing. They also had some tremendous ringers in their team. Jenny Sparling for example, who rang in many of the peals that I rang in Birmingham. Also Matthew Hilling, who conducted that astonishing record-length on twelve on Alderney just under a couple of years ago. And Past Master of the Royal Society of Cumberland Youths Ian Fielding, whose superb tenor ringing was particularly picked out by the judges.
Yet this was still a special achievement. For all that they had home advantage, as others pointed out, many teams have had home advantage down the years and not won, they are only the eighth different victors in this contest in its near half-a-century existence and they are the first new winners of the Taylor Trophy for twenty years when York also won at home on a roasting day that saw me get sunburnt, not a great look at the best of times, least of all with the bleached blonde hair that I had at the time!
They are also arguably the most geographically isolated band to win and as Leicester City did for many smaller clubs across the country (and indeed the world), this Exeter victory offers hope and inspiration to aspiring bands such as ours in Ipswich. Just as football teams across the land didn’t and don’t expect to win the Premier League just because of LCFC’s success, this doesn’t suddenly instil lofty ambitions of winning the whole shebang. Rather, it raises the bar of what one thinks they can achieve. After all, Exeter’s previous best position had been fourth in Norwich four years ago and although they have been in eight of the last ten finals, prior to that they had gone eleven eliminators in a row without qualifying. As we aim determinedly for an entry in the 2020 competition, we know full well that we aren’t going to qualify first time or indeed the next time or the time after that. This triumph shows that perseverance and hard work can win through and that qualification for the final is eminently achievable in the long-term.
Their first place certainly surprised me. When I spoke of today’s final earlier in the week, I thought that if Birmingham were going to be toppled, it would be by someone like the College Youths, the Cumberlands or St Paul’s Cathedral. Indeed I entirely overlooked Exeter altogether!
We were again disappointed not to be there, but as with the last few years, we experienced the next best thing by taking in the superb day-long broadcast by Matthew Tosh and his team. For over eight hours they followed proceedings, primarily by broadcasting the test pieces in their entirety, but also with interviews of some of the participants, those there just to listen and mingle and those who volunteered to help make the day happen, such as those providing food and beer, listened to by hundreds from across the world, with listeners from Japan, the UAE and Thailand amongst many others.
We did pop out for a while for a family photoshoot at our niece Katelynn’s request for her birthday, but we were still able to soak up the atmosphere, almost as if we were actually there, even going as far as cracking open some beer as we listened to the final band. And Joshua got his starring moment exactly two hours into the broadcast as a photo I’d taken of him watching the Leeds band was shown and he was given a wave by those in the studio.
Through the coverage and social media, we were able to see that there was plenty of Suffolk representation on view. The Cambridge band had the most, albeit tenuous, with former regular at The Norman Tower Phillip Wilding joined by David Pipe and his sons Henry and Alfred, whilst St Paul’s Cathedral’s Martin Cansdale and Bristol’s Tom Waterson are occasional visitors to Grundisburgh when their girlfriends Rosemary and Katie Hill come to the county for family gatherings. Meanwhile, Tom was accompanied in the Bristol band by Molly Waterson, daughter of the much-missed Pettistree and Wickham Market ringer Gill. Elsewhere, other ringers from within our borders were clocked, with glimpses of Philip Moyse and George Salter. Also see if you can spot Norman Tower ringers Cathy and Julian Colman on the live feed as the crowds squeeze into the Cathedral for the results near the end, whilst back at their home tower a band was impressively gathered for a peal of Maximus on a day when a large proportion were otherwise engaged! Congratulations to Vicki Chapman on ringing her 125th peal.
All in all it seemed a great day, even from afar. The sun shone brightly, the beer was (just about!) plentiful and consumed from the beautiful Bishop’s Gardens and the crowds were vast and extremely complimentary of the hosts efforts. God willing Suffolk will host another of these in the not too distant future as it is nearly thirty years since it last came here for the 1991 Final at St Mary-le-Tower. It is far, far too long.
The only downside to the day was the unfortunate premature finish for the Oxford team, with the one member losing the feeling in their arm partway through. Sad, but absolutely nothing that could be done about it and apparently all concerned felt better about it after a few beers!
I hope they will be back next year when the Final is due to be held in Sheffield on Saturday 20th June. Will we see another surprise?
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The third annual Suffolk Day saw much going on across the county, including ringing.
Much was listed by Guild PR Officer Neal Dodge, but that which reached BellBoard incorporated a 120 changes of Grandsire Doubles at Stowmarket and quarter-peals of Pudsey and Superlative Surprise Major at Bardwell and Horringer respectively, whilst the day was even celebrated beyond our borders in Derbyshire, where Suffolk ringers rang a 1320 of Doubles at Brassington, a venue we ourselves visited on Ramblers a couple of years ago.
Meanwhile, huge numbers of ringers were already gathering in the pubs of Exeter, comparing journeys (unsurprisingly on the longest day of the year, the A303 around Stonehenge seems to have been a challenge) and beer ahead of tomorrow’s National Twelve-Bell Final in the city. Don’t forget to tune into the live broadcast to keep up with proceedings!
Our evening was very different though, as is our circumstances at this time of our life. It was still enjoyable, as we popped to 4 Fun Play Centre in Saxmundham after work to help our niece Katelynn celebrate her birthday weekend. Since I last came here, this place has lost its roof, replaced it, changed hands and its name from Carlton Fun Factory, but it still contained the same amount of fun for the boys. And it was quite a nice way to spend Suffolk Day.
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We found out today that if all goes to plan, either Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson will be the UK’s next Prime Minister.
We also found out that the beer tent for Saturday’s National Twelve-Bell Final has been set up in Exeter in what looks like a prime listening spot!
We also found out what ringers are doing and where for Suffolk Day tomorrow, with the list of towers read out on the local BBC radio station.
What we didn’t find out was a way of me getting out to ringing whilst Ruthie is at choir practice and the boys are at home asleep and so it was another typically quiet Thursday on the personal ringing front. I look forward to hearing the next PM’s policy for helping us out with that.
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Wells Surprise Minor. It was but one of the one hundred and forty-seven methods that made up former Ipswich youngster George Salter’s most methods to a peal in an impressive performance in Bristol yesterday and it isn’t the most complicated method in the world. Indeed, it is London – one of the most regularly rung Surprise Minor methods – with just one simple change which has the effect of thirds and sixths place bells making an extra blow in thirds in place of a blow taken off the full lead (turning that into a point lead) and fifths place making Stedman-type places on the front between meeting the treble, rather than making thirds in the middle.
However, it is one of my favourite methods on six (Morpeth gets my vote as the favourite incidentally), offering up a modicum of excitement and movement and I always enjoy ringing it and so I was delighted to take up the offer of representing Ruthie and me in a quarter-peal attempt at Pettistree this evening. We didn’t ring it particularly well, but it was successful and more useful practice as Mike Whitby looks to extend the range of method repertoire here, with Wells being the basis of some variations – Wearmouth to the London-below Lightfoot, Stamford to Rossendale, Morpeth to Canterbury, Durham to York for example. Good experience for Elaine ‘Mrs Roger’ Townsend in particular.
I didn’t stop to the session that followed on this occasion, instead returning home to swap with Ruthie who then went on to ring as a daughter-mother partnership on the tenors to a 120 changes of Suffolk Delight Minor in honour of the planned third annual Suffolk Day on Friday, before heading to The Greyhound for a drink.
Meanwhile, well done to the entire band who rang in the QP of Quornden Surprise Major at Ixworth on ringing their first in the method, whilst not that far away in Bacton, a peal of forty-one Surprise Minor was rung on handbells for the Norwich Diocesan Association. Including Wells of course.
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In my humble opinion, there is no bigger, no more enjoyable event in the ringing calendar than the National Twelve-Bell Final. A leisurely day out with lashings of beer, catching up with friends and acquaintances from across the ringing world, typically in stunning locations and all set to the backdrop of some of the best ringing most of us are ever likely to hear.
It was once an annual fixture for me and indeed I was fortunate and privileged to have rung in three of them, but since I moved back to Suffolk in 2005, circumstances and geography have meant that I have only been able to make two, in 2009 at St Paul’s Cathedral and in 2015 at Norwich. It has been disappointing and frustrating not to make it to these events, especially missing the last two which had been close enough for daytrips (although missed for happy reasons), but at least in recent years we have had the magnificent broadcasts from Matthew Tosh and his team, covering the day extensively and in an incredibly professional manner. With interviews, lots of interesting facts and information and uninterrupted coverage of the test pieces themselves, it almost feels like one is present. Indeed, although it is short notice for this year, it is tempting to one day have a Twelve-Bell party, from bacon butties in the morning and beer throughout the day, sat out in the garden listening to the broadcast!
Even though such festivities aren’t possible this time around, with this year’s Final being held all the way down in Exeter on Saturday, I am delighted that Matthew & co are planning to be broadcasting from the Cathedral this Saturday from 10.45am and I caught the 2019 trailer for the first time this evening. As usual – for me at least – he will be covering an event of excitement and intrigue.
Again, it is Birmingham that they are all trying to catch. Incredibly, when I was a part of their winning teams of 2001 and 2003, those were their eleventh and twelfth victories, already more than twice that of any of their nearest competitors. Such has been their domination since then that in the fifteen competitions since that sunny day in Surfleet (where my abiding memories include briefly having possession of the Taylor Trophy after we had been presented with it and a mass game of drunken football!) the Brummies have doubled that total to twenty-four, with last year’s victory their third in the row. Will they make it four and bring up the quarter-century?
Well, it would take a confident person to say otherwise with any certainty, but as ever, there is stiff competition, particularly from the College Youths and St Paul’s Cathedral, the only other two teams competing this weekend in the South-West to have won the contest this century. Don’t rule out the Cumberland Youths either, who have a strong pool of ringers to choose from, whilst Bristol and last year’s hosts Cambridge have come close in recent years and can’t be easily dismissed. Hard as it is to imagine Leeds, Melbourne or Oxford coming out on top, there have been longer odds overcome in sport and politics this decade...
Either way, I shall be listening as much as I can, but as far as I am aware there won’t be any broadcast from Little Cornard where the South-West District Striking Competition is due to take place on the same day and if proceedings in Devon aren’t your cup of tea then I would strongly urge you to pop along and support participants in the beautiful little corner of Suffolk. And if you are a SW District member and your tower haven’t entered a band yet, then please do encourage your fellow bandmates to put a team in!
There was ringing in the county too and quite a bit at that. The pre-practice quarter-peal at Offton was successful, as were a further two QPs within our borders, with a 1280 of London Surprise Major rung at Gislingham and 1309 of Glasgow Surprise Major at Hopton. Well done to Heather Dobson on ringing her first in the method in the middle quarter.
Nothing quite as active for us on the ringing front though. Hence why I was watching National Twelve-Bell trailers.
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This evening, the 2000th peal was rung at St Philip’s Cathedral in Birmingham. This is a venue with Suffolk connections, particularly in the form of Roderick Pipe and his son David. Rod was the late brother of our very own George and learnt to ring at Grundisburgh and nobody has rung more peals here then RWP, whilst Mr Pipe junior – who also rang a couple of peals in the little wobbly red brick tower before ringing one at St Philip’s - has rung over two hundred at this twelve in the middle of the UK’s second city since 1979, despite having not lived in the area for almost fifteen years.
It was entirely appropriate that tonight’s landmark 5040 of Bristol Surprise Maximus was rung to one of Rod’s compositions, with David partaking. Indeed the entire band was appropriate, with ten of the band having rung at least one hundred peals there. Most of them I was privileged to ring peals with at this venue when I was living and ringing in the West Midlands and although my contribution of forty-one successes (putting me at only 110th in the list of leading peal-ringers as far back as Pealbase records go) pales into insignificance compared with the likes of Rod and Peter Border, I still feel honoured to have rung so many at such a centre of ringing excellence in the presence of some of the exercise’s greatest and best ringers. Congratulations to the Brummies!
Of course my twelve-bell ringing is mainly carried out at St Mary-le-Tower these days, but it is still a very satisfying experience in different ways, as we progress as a band in somewhat more restricted circumstances to that of the urban metropolis at the very centre of the country’s transport network. It was fully exhibited this evening at the weekly practice as a decent session was carried out on the county’s heaviest bells. There was an eclectic mix on twelve, from call-changes to Stedman Cinques to Yorkshire Surprise Maximus, all in the main rung very well.
Meanwhile, a quarter-peal and peal were rung within our borders for other ringing organisations today. The former was for the Essex Association at Nayland in memory of a member of their Monday afternoon band, David Cobb, whilst the latter was on handbells in Bacton for the Norwich Diocesan Association and celebrated the wedding anniversary of Past NDA Ringing Master Michael Clements and his wife Barbara. Congratulations to the Clements and well done to Richard Carter on ringing his first in hand.
Whatever they all did post-ringing, back in Ipswich we followed up our efforts with a drink in The Cricketers, where Abby Antrobus imparted tales of a weekend away with the Durham University Society which took in a peal at Wanlip in Leicestershire and Diana Pipe and I recounted our experiences of ringing open days!
I see from Facebook that unsurprisingly the ringers of Birmingham also followed up their ringing with a drink. They don’t usually need an excuse to go for a pint after ringing (and sometimes before it!) but it was with extremely good cause on this occasion!
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Ridgman Trophy done and dusted for another year, thoughts today turned back to ambitions for Ipswich to participate in next year’s National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest.
It is difficult for us get a squad together. We are a geographical outpost, that very few pass through on the way to somewhere else and with no established university pulling in lots of smart, young new ringers and our practice clashes with the two leading twelve-bell sessions in East Anglia at Cambridge and Norfolk which may be understandably more appealing and just as easy to get to for many budding and established twelve-bell ringers in the north and west of Suffolk. Yet we have got a good group prepared to give it a go, all of them regulars at St Mary-le-Tower. Getting most of them altogether at the same time and giving them the best possible opportunity to improve their striking therefore makes the third-Sunday gatherings very important.
Later in the year and as we get closer to the competition, I imagine we will endeavour to practice the test piece as often as possible with potential band placements, but there probably won’t be confirmation of that for some months (although with this year being Cinques, Surprise Maximus is probable for 2020) and so for now trying to ring on twelve as well as we possibly can with as good a band as we can put together is essential. Currently that is in the form of quarter-peal attempts, but it didn’t go so well this afternoon. One attempt fell apart early on. The second went further, but still sadly failed. With evensong not until 6.30 though, we turned this into an opportunity and attempted some half-courses of the method we’d been attempting to quarter, Cambridge Surprise Maximus, the ringing improving significantly as we went along. This was certainly not a wasted hour-and-a-half.
At the other end of the day, my ringing was done on the front six of Woodbridge for the morning service that I then attended with the boys, or at least when I wasn’t helping them make pretend flares in junior church!
And this was all carried out in amongst me enjoying Father’s Day as the boys each got me a bottle of beer (or at least Ruthie did on their behalf before someone informs the police!) and an abundance of self-made cards and gifts, whilst we also spent the afternoon at my wife’s grandparents with much of their vast family to celebrate the day with her grandad in particular. Although we only had the chance to drop cards off for my father Alan, now is also a good moment to reiterate my gratitude of all he has done for my brother Chris and me, as well as also now for his grandchildren. Happy Father’s Day Dad!
Meanwhile, another band were more successful ringing a quarter-peal for Evensong,
with a 1260 of Single
Oxford Bob Minor rung at Buxhall. God willing we’ll have some more QP successes
under our belt at SMLT before next year’s National Twelve-Bell Striking Competition.
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I’ve made no secret of my desire to win the Ridgman Trophy. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to have won striking competitions on six, eight and twelve bells and it would be lovely to manage it on ten for a clean sweep. I have come close with the Suffolk Guild, particularly in 2010 and 2015 when we came second, but I don’t think I have come as close as today at The Norman Tower.
We arrived without any particularly high expectations. Yes, we had home advantage, but our practices hadn’t been great. In fact, I’m not sure we got through a single half-course without making a method mistake. Yet from pretty much nowhere, our practice beforehand was superb, the best we’d managed as a band this year by some distance and importantly better than the three teams that already rung had managed and so we went into the test piece with renewed confidence and focus. The result was a very tidy bit of ringing and as the day went on, the general consensus seemed to be that it was between us and the Hertford County Association.
Then came the results in the Song Room across on the other side of the cathedral. To my mind, the judges Kate and Paul Flavell are the masters of ratchetting up the tension in these situations, going into great depth on their scoring systems and their overall thoughts of the ringing across the competition. Perhaps the best bit though is that they read the results out as they go through the comments, except for those who have finished in the top three. Their comments on our ringing were extremely complimentary, pointing out that the little bells and big bells rang well together, all ringing together at the same pace and that it got better and better, with no method mistakes and they announced that we were in the top three. Immediately after us the Ely Diocesan Association were also put into the top three, but the comments didn’t seem quite as glowing and so our hopes were raised further. They were briefly dashed when it came to the final team – and our ‘nemesis’ from that day in Cambridge nine years ago – the Hertford County Association, with the comments indicating that theirs was a seemingly faultless bit of ringing. That is until the last lead when there was a method mistake that they struggled to get over and which had been – in the words of Kate – “costly”. Instantly I sat up. There seemed hope. This made it a much closer call than it would’ve otherwise have been, maybe even having pushed them below our mistake-free piece.
Such hope lasted a matter of seconds as the results were then read out. Hertford had held out. Ruthie and I hadn’t heard their ringing, but it was by all accounts brilliant and clearly so if even after the kerfuffle at the end they came out on top. Only just though. As it transpired, Ely had marginally pipped us to second by a single point, but even then we were just four points behind the winners. My instant reaction was one of disappointment, my mind going back to what I personally could’ve done better, such as the first few changes when I struggled slightly coming down to the front from my tenths-place start, but on reflection it was a super effort, masterminded by Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase and our best performance for four years.
And overall the day was a huge success, hosted magnificently by the ringers of Bury St Edmunds. It is always a difficult occasion to host. Whilst doing the draw weeks in advance is useful for teams travelling sometimes quite considerable distances, it does mean that you don’t get that communal atmosphere of everyone gathered together listening to the ringing and mingling and so difficult to justify putting up facilities to entertain them. Yet there was still opportunity to catch up with people we hadn’t seen for a while, such as Alban Forster and Philip Wilding from the Ely DA, Richard Carter, Mike Clements, Faith Pearce and Jon Spreadbury from Norwich and Alan Marks from the Peterborough Diocesan Guild, all accompanied by some great ringing across the day. Even the weather played ball!
Next year the plan is to take the competition to Lincolnshire where the location is due to be Boston and its hundreds of steps! However, with the National Twelve-Bell Final pencilled in for a week earlier than usual next year, it means that this in turn will have to be a week earlier. Therefore, instead of the third Saturday of June, this contest for ten-bell teams from the East of England is lined up for the second Saturday – make a note of Saturday 13th June 2020.
That’s all to think about another time though. For today, we could reflect upon a successful and enjoyable day that also allowed us to use a pair of vouchers for afternoon tea at Harrietts Cafe Tearooms that my brother Chris and his wife Becky had got my wife for her birthday last year, whilst Mum and Dad occupied Mason. Thanks to Chris and Becky, it was a most pleasant experience!
It all ended via a well negotiated detour round Stowmarket with the A14 closed and a gratefully received BBQ at mother-in-law Kate’s, with Mrs Eagle and Ron having very kindly looked after Alfie and Joshua whilst we had been competing.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the band which was busy quarter-pealing across the county yesterday were at it again today, with another six notched up. Ten methods were rung at Campsea Ashe and Tunstall, with the former being of Treble Bob Minor and the latter of Delight Minor. Two Delight Minor methods – Charlwood and Willesden – were rung at Wickham Market, whilst a brace of methods apiece were rung at Parham and Pettistree in 1320 changes at the first tower and 1296 changes at the second. Even where just one method was rung, it wasn’t straightforward, with the forty-two minutes of Marple Delight Minor rung at Hacheston a first in the method for all except the conductor. Well done Betty Baines, Janet Garnett, Lesley Steed, her husband David and Mike Cowling!
For all that I am still waiting to win the Ridgman Trophy, I think today can be classed as a decent day for Suffolk ringing.
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Ian Culham has been a huge bonus at St Mary-le-Tower in recent years, progressing on ten and twelve as we have progressed, an extremely useful back-bell ringer and a great laugh. However, a new job means we will be losing him on Monday nights and although we will still see him on Sunday mornings, we will miss his presence at practice nights and it seemed entirely appropriate to see him off.
The date selected for this send-off was this evening, the occasion a curry, the venue the Maharani on Norwich Road, a location familiar to many of us having been here for our ‘Christmas’ curry six months ago. Like that midwinter’s night, this midsummer’s night was possible for Ruthie and I due to my parents generously putting us up for the night, as well as looking after the boys whilst we socialised, first at The Cricketers for a very quick pint with most of our fellow diners, the curry house and then an interesting pint at St Jude’s Brewery Tavern with the visiting Colin Salter.
Earlier in the day, another SMLT regular was providing some superb PR for tomorrow’s Ridgman Trophy being held within our borders at The Norman Tower, as Guild Chairman Rowan Wilson spoke at quite some length to Lesley Dolphin about 1hr23mins into the latter’s BBC Radio Suffolk show. The Beeb’s local radio station – and especially one-time ringing learner Lesley – are marvellous supporters of the art here, but I know that it can be quite an unpredictable experience, with no priming beforehand and occasionally some quite leftfield questions thrown at you. Rowan seemed in her element though, doing the main jobs of letting people know what is going to be happening and explaining the basics of ringing – which can come across as quite complicated – in a straightforward manner. Do well Rowan!
That said, we didn’t do any actual ringing today, but that wasn’t the case for other ringers in Suffolk today, with six quarter-peals and a peal rung within our borders. Five of those QPs were by the same group of ringers, as they rang 1280s of Cambridge, Superlative and Rutland Surprise and Double Norwich Court Bob Major at Framlingham, Fressingfield, Horham and Wilby respectively and a 1296 of Newcastle Surprise Minor at Earl Soham. Meanwhile, a quarter of St Clement’s College Bob Major was rung at Henley, whilst the peal was at Southwold and rung to celebrate fifty years of ringing for former Guild Peal Secretary Alan Mayle. It is fifty years of ringing excellence for the SGR, Essex Association and the College Youths and much excellence in conducting and so certainly worthy of a peal – congratulations Alan!
And farewell (sort of) to Ian – certainly worthy of a curry!
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With choir practice finished early this evening, Ruthie was able to make almost all of the monthly Surprise Major practice at Ufford on this occasion. If you are looking to get your Surprise Major up to speed or are in a position to offer your expertise, then I’m sure Mike Whitby would be delighted to see you on the second Thursday of each month, although I would recommend getting in touch with him first.
Tonight, the repertoire was wide-ranging amongst the ‘standard’ eight, with Cambridge at one end and an apparently decent piece of London at the other.
Pleasing as that was, I expect it was Alfie who had the most fun from our household today as he went on a school trip to Jimmy’s Farm, where he even met Jimmy himself!
For me though, it was a quiet evening in, once I’d got the boys to bed. One day I hope to get along to the Surprise Major practices again, God willing with the boys in tow, but for now I was delighted that my wife could represent us!
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The main appeal of Lundy Island for ringers over the last twenty-five years or so has been the chance to ring the bells at St Helena church and I have had the good fortune to visit there on four occasions, with the last two visits in 2007 and 2008 with Suffolk ringers documented on this website. God willing I shall go again as I would dearly love to ring a peal on ten there having only rung ones on eight before they were augmented and when circumstances conspired against us on our last trip there!
However, a Facebook post from Andrew Mills (who is currently on the island with numerous other acquaintances including former St Mary-le-Tower Ringing Master Simon Rudd) highlighted a stream of negative views from other visitors about the bells spoiling their trip, predominantly on Trip Advisor, albeit from many years ago. To an extent, these views are understandable. It would be difficult to escape the sound of the bells on this three-mile-by-one-mile bit of rock, although with the church situated at the far southern end of the island I can’t imagine you have to go too far north before they become inaudible, especially as this is more often than not a windswept location! And although it is only for a handful occasions a year, when ringers are there, the ringing can be pretty full-on. For example with the current tour ringing on this outpost in the Bristol Channel, there have been a brace of peals rung every day from Sunday onwards.
As was also highlighted on the TA thread though, sound control was put in some years ago and seems to have stopped this complaint dead in its tracks. Apparently now they can barely be heard in even the closest properties.
Although the perceived behaviour of ringers in the Marisco Tavern still seems a thorny issue, coupled with the island authorities apparently being clearer on when ringers will be about, this is the perfect example of a tower responding to the concerns of those nearby and one that more towers both in this county and beyond could do with following, rather than just shutting up shop.
It doesn’t all have to be about sound control though. At Pettistree – where Ruthie rang in the pre-practice quarter-peal this evening and joined much of the session that followed- they don’t have any sound control. Yet they ring at least one or two QPs a week and a handful of peals a year on top of the weekly practices and Sunday morning ringing without – to my knowledge at least – any particularly fervent complaint. What they do have though is a good relationship with the villagers, helped by some – most notably Chris and Mary Garner – being an active part of the community and most of the regulars drinking in The Greyhound post-ringing on a Wednesday. Although that pleasure was denied my wife and her mother on this occasion with the landlords Stewart and Louise taking a well-earned break, meaning Mrs Munnings was back a lot earlier than she usually is!
I expect the ringers currently on Lundy Island are making up for her abstinence in The Marisco Tavern!
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Some were enjoying Second Tuesday Ringing at Methwold and Hockhold cum Wilton in Norfolk, including my father Alan on his birthday. Happy Birthday Dad!
Some were ringing the pre-practice quarter-peal at Offton and very kindly dedicating it to his birthday (the length is in no way related to his age by the way) and that of his daughter-in-law Becky.
Some were ringing a peal at Woodbridge, heard in part by Ruthie on this afternoon’s school run and specially arranged in memory of Adam Gurdon for immediately after a memorial service held in his name downstairs in the church. As outlined in the footnote, the Brigadier was responsible for the band taught by Stephen Pettman and David Stanford – who were both appropriately in the band for today’s 5040 of Grandsire Triples – at Burgh for the Millennium and was a lovely chap and indeed a true gentleman. We were sorry to hear of his death and our thoughts are with his wife Gillian, a fellow Millennium learner on the 8cwt six rung from the entrance to the church on the hill.
No ringing for us however, but God willing we shall be more active in the art on Saturday when we are due to partake in the Suffolk Guild band ringing in The Ridgman Trophy, which this year is being held on home soil at The Norman Tower. Therefore, it would be great to see lots from the county present to support us but also to take in the occasion of eight (as far as I am aware) teams from across the east of England competing in this ten-bell striking competition from 10.30am.
For today though, I am glad some were able to partake in ringing today.
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Having only just come out of the late and early shifts at work, then Holy Week and the various bank holidays of the last few weeks, I was sorry that I was looking forward to getting into a more regular attendance pattern at St Mary-le-Tower (and the pub too!) on a Monday night. Therefore, I was disappointed – though accepting – that I wasn’t going to be going to SMLT this evening, with Ruthie pencilled in to look after our nieces and so therefore that meant I was to be at home with the boys whilst they slept.
However, a last minute change of plans meant that I was able to head into Ipswich after all and as usual I was pleased that I did. The ringing was slightly mixed, with some well-rung Yorkshire Surprise Maximus and Stedman Cinques rung in the same session as two leads of Cambridge Surprise Maximus took a couple of attempts, but those finding their way on this number had a productive night and it was all carried out in the presence of a good attendance and jovial atmosphere that made it an extremely enjoyable practice, before we even got to The Cricketers in convivial company and which allowed me to buy my father a drink ahead of his birthday tomorrow.
Elsewhere in Suffolk today, a quarter-peal of Single Oxford Bob and Plain Bob Minor was rung at Rougham.
Nothing quite as ambitious for me, but I was just relieved to get out to St Mary-le-Tower on this occasion.
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Getting to the 8.45 ringing at St Mary-le-Tower for Sunday morning ringing can be difficult, even ten years on from when the current ringing times were started. Well, especially so these days in fact. Mason may not be so much trouble to get ready nowadays, but his younger brothers Alfie and Joshua often are, with absolutely no concept of timekeeping at their tender age. Add to that the current weekend closure of the Tuddenham Road railway bridge that I usually go over to get in and out of Ipswich and the currently permanent closure of the alternative route via the level crossing in Westerfield and this morning I was worried I might not even make it to SMLT.
Yet there I was in time for a couple of pieces on the treble before joining a large crowd in Costa Coffee for post-ringing refreshments, before negotiating the diversions to get to Grundisburgh for more ringing on Suffolk’s lightest twelve, albeit primarily on the back eight.
That was it for my ringing for the day though. The eldest son was dropped off for a party in an escape room, whilst the youngest siblings and I joined Ruthie back at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge for the church BBQ at the bottom of the tower in which the 25cwt eight here hangs and a very pleasant afternoon was had, before my wife returned to sing for evensong.
Other ringers in the county were even busier, with two quarter-peals and a peal rung within our borders today. Being the second Sunday of June, the peal was of course at Aldeburgh for the Festival of Music and the Arts, whilst the brace of QPs consisted of a 1259 of Grandsire Caters at The Norman Tower and a 1296 of Cambridge Surprise Minor at Pettistree.
Hopefully all got to without too much difficulty!
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We have just marked the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day and this time precisely three-quarters of a century ago many were still landing in Normandy, including my grandfather Cyril. It was the beginning of the end for the foe whose defeat was considered the start of the freedom we all enjoy in the ‘free world’, for better or worse.
It is an indication of how much this conflict dragged on that it is still eleven months until the seventy-fifth anniversary of VE Day is due to be marked and of course then a further three months after that until the anniversary of VJ Day. Today though, it was announced that to mark the occasion of the former that the Bank Holiday originally planned for Monday 4th May 2020 will now be held four days later on Friday 8th. I suspect that some forward-planning ringers had already been putting together bank holiday ringing for the Monday, but at least St Mary-le-Tower won’t be affected by a BH!
More pertinently though, it seems the Central Council are already a part of a project called Ringing Out For Peace, which it says aims to see bells ringing out at 7pm on the 8th May. I expect it won’t end up being as narrow as that in practice, but if it is as successful as the Ringing for Peace for the one hundredth anniversary of the end of the First World War, it should be great PR for ringing. Note the date in your diaries and get planning at your tower!
God willing Ruthie and I will take part on the day as best we can, but today we weren’t involved in any, instead working around Alfie going to a birthday party at Bredfield Village Hall (where some recall going for the results of the South-East District Striking Competition on the 11cwt six across the road a couple of years ago) where his mother lucked out by being presented with booze! That’s my kind of children’s party!
Others from the county were busier in the exercise, with a video shared on the Suffolk Guild Facebook page of what appears to have been a successful joint North-West and South-West District Training Morning at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre in Norwich, whilst a quarter-peal of eleven Doubles methods was rung at Woolpit.
All enjoying the freedoms fought for seventy-five years ago. Let’s make sure we really honour that on Friday 8th May 2020.
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More detail of the disturbance at last Saturday’s Devon striking competition which has made national headlines has come to light, as we finally heard from the man who caused it and I have to say I have a degree of sympathy, if what he says is true. If his drive was completely blocked then that is selfish driving and if there had been no warning then it is unfortunate that on what was an extremely hot day his peace outside was disturbed for a few hours. And it appears that the bells at the centre of the event – Noss Mayo – were only rehung in 2017 and so they haven’t been ringing for decades or centuries as most have.
However, even if that is all true – and I don’t know if it is or not – then his alleged behaviour in a church and particularly in front of young children is on the face of it disgraceful and others have said potentially criminal. Even if bells aren’t ringing regularly when one moves into a house, then the bell-tower shaped building should suggest the potential of bell noise and it has been claimed that there was local publicity and so therefore the villagers (and this man is seemingly a big part of the community) should’ve known something about the competition one imagines. In addition, a photo has been shared seemingly showing the offending bit of parking and it has to be said that if it is genuine then I’m not really sure of what his problem was in that respect.
One assumes therefore that there are other deeper rooted issues going on there and reiterates the need for us to be considerate of those who have to listen to our ringing. I’m hoping that forthcoming striking competitions are busy making plans to publicise themselves, including here in Suffolk in the coming weeks with the Ridgman Trophy at The Norman Tower on 15th June and then the South-West District at Little Cornard a week later, where it has to be noted the bells are also newly rehung. Indeed, neighbours should be informed of any additional ringing, including outings, quarters and peals, especially lengthy pieces and regular communication with residents should be a given. Please also consider sound control, especially with new rings of bells where there hasn’t previously been regular ringing. We ought to be doing all we can to promote the art and do as much ringing as we can whilst also not impacting negatively upon those who live and work nearby.
Still, it is a pity that the chap in Devon had to be so aggressive and seems so determined to shut the bells down. We know this is an art that can offer so much, a sole social outlet for some, a lifetime of physical and mental stimulation at a time when loneliness, mental wellbeing and exercise are being given the importance they deserve. I just wish he and the local ringers could work together rather rail against each other.
Somewhere where the ringers appear to have a good relationship with local residents (although there aren’t all that many!) is Earl Stomham. Not only did this lovely 9cwt gallery-ring six host thirteen teams at last year’s Guild Six-Bell Striking Competitions, but the FNQPC ring quarters there on a near monthly basis, with the latest being this evening with a 1272 of Plain Bob Minor rung to celebrate the birthdays of ringers Liz Christian and Margaret Cherry – Happy Birthday Liz and Margaret!
Meanwhile, those not at work or ringing this afternoon and at a loose end now that Jeremy Kyle is no longer on our screens may have come across today’s episode of Flog It!, filmed at Glemham Hall and - if you look very carefully – featuring my mother Sally. Blink at 1min17secs (in the queue behind presenter Paul Martin) and 14mins9secs (in the second row) in and you’ll miss her in her green jumper and coat.
It is fleeting, but still more favourable PR than that from Noss Mayo.
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Not unexpectedly, it has been a difficult step up for Mason to Farlingaye. Despite the wonderful preparation that is carried out to gradually assimilate pupils moving into their next step of education, it is still a very daunting situation to go from a school of a few hundred where everybody is smaller than you and where the workload is less formal to a school of a couple of thousand where everybody is older than you and the workload is greater and more formal.
However, judging by tonight’s very positive parents’ evening at his school, the eldest son appears to be adjusting very well, with glowing reports from his teachers as we darted about between rooms dodging other parents doing the same and he is making new friendships.
His favourite subject is History and particularly the World Wars of last century, so it hadn’t escaped his notice that today was the seventy-fifth anniversary of the D-Day Landings that changed the course of the Second World War and of the future of Europe and the world. British politics is in an absolute mess and sadly racism and anti-Semitism still needs fighting, but if it wasn’t for the sacrifices made by those who put themselves into harms way to push back Nazism three-quarters of a century ago to the day, then things would be unrecognisably worse and on a huge scale.
Therefore, it was heartening in a society that becomes more and more distant from the events of 6th June 1944 with each passing year and the death of each soldier who experienced these horrors first-hand, that it spent today remembering those who lost their lives and celebrated the few who still survive, from Prime Ministers and Presidents to bellringers, including here in Suffolk where a 5040 of Yorkshire Surprise Royal was rung at Grundisburgh.
Sadly we didn’t manage any ringing, although of course I was pleased to partake in yesterday’s quarter-peal at Pettistree and even more so to have attended Mason’s positive parents’ evening.
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Our household is not at its best at the moment and it didn’t make life easy today.
With our cat Charlie injured, it was down to the vets this morning. However, Joshua was also needed at nursery for some photos not long afterwards and due to Ruthie’s illness she couldn’t take him along. It meant for a very early lunch break – which John Catt Educational were very kind in allowing – and an awkward collection of the boy from “Charlie’s doctors” so that he could go to his photoshoot.
My wife was getting better as the day went on, but she still didn’t feel well enough to take part in the pre-practice quarter-peal at Pettistree, especially as it was an ambitious attempt at sixteen Surprise methods spliced. Therefore, I stepped in to partake in what was a quarter-peal of two (near) halves. The first 720 was made up of four Norwich/Westminster above methods – Rossendale and Stamford of the former and Lightfoot and Wearmouth of the latter – and was arguably the harder of the two parts. Although both the first of each pair were London below and the second of Wells (very small variation of London) below, you really have to be on the ball and we were, ringing at a consistent pace, with minimal mistakes and with some of the ringing reminiscent of that which won us the Mitson Shield at Polstead a few weeks ago. Appropriate as the trophy sat between the tenor and treble throughout proceedings.
The 596 that rounded off the QP consisted of three times the methods with the ‘Cambridge Twelve’ (Cambridge-above methods) – Beverley and Surfleet and their sixth-place versions Berwick and Hexham, Bourne and its sixth-place version Hull, the London-below York and its Wells-below counterpart Durham and Cambridge and its three lead-end and half-lead variations Ipswich, Norfolk and Primrose – but more familiar lines and we appeared to relax a bit too much and sped up somewhat and yet we completed what was a very satisfactory performance. Lovely also to ring it for the seventy-fifth anniversary of the D-Day landings.
Sadly I couldn’t stick around after that, as with mother-in-law Kate not around today and Ruthie having not been well enough to attend to it this afternoon, I needed to get round to Mrs Eagle’s abode to water the garden and put her new chicks away, but I’m glad to see that the session that I left behind continued in good spirits with a course of Wall Surprise Minor rung in honour of President Trump’s state visit to the UK...
Meanwhile, news was coming out of an apparent brawl at a striking competition in Devon caused by a resident’s disapproval at the ringing, at least if you skimmed the article on Plymouth Live reporting the incident. The BBC report on it was more measured and revealed that whilst there was an ugly disturbance in the church, it was allegedly caused more by the local’s perception that a ringer had parked across their driveway. The local ringers seemed to have done the right thing in preparing by advertising the event in the weeks beforehand, but when the irate chap realised that the owner of the ‘offending’ car was up in the tower ringing, his apparent reaction at not being able to get to them was – at least judging from afar – entirely OTT, allegedly grabbing a ringer by the throat, causing much distress to the victim’s three-year-old son. One doesn’t know the stress that the alleged perpetrator was under or what urgent matter he needed to get to, but it doesn’t justify such actions and especially in front of young children. Particularly when by some accounts his family had in the meantime managed to get their car out.
There were apparently complaints over the prolonged ringing too, despite the warning that it was happening and of course by people choosing to live beneath a bell tower, but it is another timely reminder to try as far as we can to communicate with our neighbours and keep good relations with them.
I’m sure it is all being noted by the Norman Tower ringers ahead of several hours of ringing for the Ridgman Trophy on 15th June and I believe that publicity with the local media is being considered.
That would certainly give our poorly, injured and tired household a lift.
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It was quite a subdued evening in our household. Ruthie has been poorly the
last couple of days, even taking a rare day off work yesterday and Charlie our
cat limping in wet, bedraggled and injured didn’t help lift the mood. And I
was saddened to read of the death at just forty-nine years of age of Lee Southall,
a ringer from the Black Country who I rang with – including three peals – in
my time living and ringing in the area. He has already been remembered with
a peal of Superlative
Surprise Major at Mavesyn Ridware on Saturday. May he Rest In Peace.
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Whilst the arrival of President Trump for the start of his state visit to the UK was making the headlines, my main focus was Yorkshire Night at St Mary-le-Tower this evening. Bizarrely though, it was Yorkshire that we really struggled with on this occasion, despite all the preparation.
Perhaps fortunately in the circumstances, it wasn’t Yorkshire all the way and it was balanced out with a decent run-thru of the Ridgman Trophy test piece of Cambridge Surprise Royal with a sizeable proportion of the band present and a well-rung touch of Stedman Cinques, amongst a crowd of twenty-five.
Earlier in the day, more ringing was carried out in Suffolk, with a handbell peal rung in Bacton for the Norwich Diocesan Association.
I imagine that after that there was a very positive atmosphere, as there was after tonight’s ringing at SMLT as many of us retired to The Cricketers for a convivial pint and an insight into a short novel that has appeared on Amazon called A Short Touch of Bristol that features characters such as Muriel and Mr Beavis and a synopsis that reads;Sally is frustrated. She has been bell-ringing regularly at St James the Dismembered for as long as she can remember, and yet the experience always leaves her decidedly unaffected. Mr Beavis tries his best to stimulate her, but his touches lack finesse and as for Mike's efforts to bring her round with Onacock Treble Bob Major, the less said the better.Then, quite out of the blue, a tall, dark, handsome stranger appears with substantial peal experience and an international rugby career behind him. Will he sweep Sally off her feet in ways more thrilling and less painful than the broken stay incident at Cleobury Mortimer? Will Crispin ever get to grips with Tittums? And will Veronica finally tidy up her sloppy Reverse Canterbury Pleasure Place? Read on to find out...
A book for Mr Trump to enjoy?
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Ridgman Trophy day is nearly upon us. If all goes to plan, eight bands from across the East of England will compete in the ten-bell striking competition in this county at The Norman Tower on Saturday 15th June and all are welcome to come to listen, mingle and enjoy the day and particularly to support the Suffolk Guild band! As the judges aren’t supposed to know who is ringing when, I can’t announce on here when we’re ringing (the draw is always made ahead of the day), but if it helps with arranging your day then by all means ask me, the SGR Ringing Master Tom Scase or Chairman Rowan Wilson and we’ll let you know, providing that you don’t spread it around!
Even better, do come along for the whole day. It can be difficult to build an atmosphere for this competition. They did it brilliantly in Cambridge a couple of years ago, even setting up a bar and beer garden on the church premises, but generally it can be risky setting up something too elaborate as with bands knowing when they are ringing, there is a tendency for participants to turn up and ring and even then leave straight afterwards. Therefore I think the locals in Bury St Edmunds have struck the perfect balance. They are providing refreshments at the base of the tower, but in the info sheet released are also highlighting the places to eat, drink and see, which also includes St John’s Street Summer Festival, so if you are free and able to come along there is plenty for all to do – participants, supporters and non-ringers alike!
For the time being though, those of us ringing in the Guild team are busy practicing for the half-a-course of Cambridge Surprise Royal that is the test piece and that continued on the bells that are due to host the competition themselves, as we ran through it over and over again, analysing our efforts and looking through the results of Hawkear, a useful guide to how we’re getting on.
Earlier I had collected the boys at St Mary-le-Tower from Mum and Dad after they had very kindly looked after the trio overnight, before we continued on to Woodbridge where we attended the service and rejoined Ruthie ahead of that trip to BSE where we were grateful to my brother Chris’ wife Becky for looking after Alfie and Joshua at their abode whilst Mason played computer games with contemporary Henry Salter in the ringing chamber as we rang. Nice to catch up with the Bury Munnings in the sun-baked garden afterwards.
Meanwhile, not too away, a highly successful North-West District Quarter-Peal Week was rounded off with 1260’s of eleven Doubles methods and variations at Buxhall and Great Livermere, where Rachel Tunbridge and Simon Veal rang their most methods at the former and latter respectively. Well done Rachel and Simon and indeed to all who partook in NWDQPW19.
And whilst our sympathies go out to Chris McArthur for the recent passing of his mother Selina, it was lovely to see her ninety-three year life celebrated with a 1272 of Kent Treble Bob Minor at Pettistree.
It was a good day for Suffolk ringing. Here’s hoping it’s an even better day for Suffolk ringing on 15th June.
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Pretty every circumstance that goes toward making a peal attempt a dreadful prospect for me was in place for today’s peal at St Mary-le-Tower.
For a start, it was an afternoon peal. I may not be a morning person, but – depending on how far I have to travel - a 10am peal is often the ideal start time for me, allowing for a little breathing space in getting myself (and usually the boys too) ready but also time afterwards for a leisurely and refreshing pint and/or for getting stuff done. Evening peals do mean that an attempt is looming throughout the day and if successful finishes late of course, but do at least allow for a full day of doing other things. However, an afternoon peal cuts right across the day, eating into both morning and evening. It can’t be helped though as this is the stipulation of the church, but I couldn’t help but imagine that on this occasion we were probably disturbing more afternoon drinkers sat outside nearby pubs awaiting the all-English Champions League Final between Spurs and Liverpool then late morning coffee drinkers.
Secondly, it was on a heavy bell, indeed the heaviest in the county and the heaviest I have ever pealed. I am nothing more than a fairly competent tenor ringer and I suspect that I often get the job because I am the youngest and/or no one else wants to do it! It is extremely satisfying afterwards, but beforehand, it is something that doesn’t fill me with joy!
Worst of all, it was roasting hot, with temperatures hitting the high twenties centigrade as we gathered in the additional heat of downtown Ipswich. Great for a Saturday out and for what Ruthie and I were doing afterwards, more of which later. Not so much for ringing nearly two tonnes of heavy metal in an enclosed room for nearly three-and-a-half hours!
In all three cases, it lived down to expectations. The morning was very low key as we attempted to take advantage of the warm conditions to sort the gardens, as I tried not to overdo things ahead of my considerable physical efforts after lunch, that start time looming closer. And as predicted, the combination of weight and heat made this a tough afternoon. Although I have to say I felt completely in control until the end of the eighth of the nine-and-a-half courses, when the energy seemed to completely depart my arms after consistently taking twenty-two minutes a course up until that point. Still, by that point you somehow summon up the strength to get to the end, especially as quite a few had travelled some distance for this. However, it was clear that despite a marvellous effort in cooling the ringing chamber beforehand, the hot conditions had their effect on the band who as a collective didn’t ring this as well as we’d hoped.
That said, this was still a good peal, featuring some really decent stuff at times, especially in the circumstances and it was lovely to meet up – albeit only briefly – with Linda Garton and John Loveless and Vicki and Colin Chapman, as well as ring my first peal with Essex Association Ringing Master Andrew Kelso, who many will recall recently judged the Guild Striking Competitions so superbly with Brian Meads. Lovely also to celebrate the seventy-second birthday of Suffolk’s best ever ringers, Adrian Knights. And after a four year wait, it was nice to ring my ninety-ninth peal of Maximus – God willing my one hundredth won’t be such a long wait!
It also meant missing the South-East District Meeting that not only took in ringing, a tea and a brief bit of business at South-West District tower Stratford St Mary, but also a demonstration of the famous bells at East Bergholt being rung. Although that was disrupted by a clapper break that was actually caught on video by Mervyn Scase and can be viewed on the SGR’s Facebook page.
With sore hands and my energy sapped, I desperately wanted to sit back and have a refreshing pint and relax in the company of my fellow bandmates, but that awkward timing of the peal meant there wasn’t time in between David Potts calling “that’s all” and my next engagement.
It was a special engagement too. For this year, John Catt Educational is sixty years old and tonight we were celebrating! In keeping with the generosity of my employers (as has been highlighted in blog entries on here before), they had invited all the employees of the company and their other halves for an evening of free food and free drink at Woodhall Manor. What is more, there was an inclusive and large guest list, ranging from the postmen who come to the office on a daily basis, to former work colleagues to authors we have worked with, including former Education Secretary – and still current Tory MP – Nicky Morgan. Having now worked here for eleven years and seen how much it has grown and changed, it was fantastic to see the company that has been so good to me celebrated in such a jovial and convivial manner that is borne out by JCEL’s Twitter feed! Great to catch up with faces from the past and making new acquaintances in magnificent surroundings and was made possible by Mum and Dad very generously having the boys for the afternoon, evening and overnight – thanks guys! We felt privileged to have been at John Catt’s celebrations and thoroughly enjoyed it. Even if I would’ve preferred that peal to be earlier in the day!
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Yesterday’s article in the Wiltshire Times shared by the Central Council reporting comments (not official complaints as far as I can make out) made about the 24cwt twelve at Trowbridge ringing in the evenings stopping local children getting to sleep was actually heartening in so many ways. Those objecting seem quite reasoned in their approach, although it has to be said that it seems that the only evening ringing tends to be weekly practice on a Wednesday. And having been father to three children who all found little trouble in nodding off actually inside various strange ringing chambers, I still struggle with the notion that a child’s ears are so sensitive as to prevent them sleeping when at least several hundreds of yards away (although I am unaware in this case exactly how near or far the disturbed residents are) behind double-glazing that is shut for the majority of the year. However, they have at least made suggestions rather than simply calling for the bells to be burned to the ground as has been the vicious response from some in similar circumstances and it does raise the question of whether sound control is in place here and whether they perhaps should put some in if they haven’t and if it is practical. Whatever the answer to that is, the local ringers have responded perfectly in inviting those troubled by their ringing to come and speak with them, whilst also turning it into a recruitment opportunity. Most heartening of all though was the outpouring of support from the non-ringing residents of the town and even the comments – usually a cesspit of ignorance and intolerance when given this opportunity – are generally supportive as I write this.
Hopefully the residents of Bottisham and Burwell in Cambridgeshire and Dalham and Exning just inside our borders are as appreciative of their bells as the North-West District Quarter-Peal Week added another four to its numbers, along with yesterday’s 1320 of Ascension Day Treble Bob Minor rung at Great Finborough and 1260 of Double Oxford Bob Minor at Tostock. Well done to Serena and Mark Steggles on ringing their first in the method in that last performance, whilst from today’s successes, well done to the entire band in the effort at Bottisham for ringing their first of Newton-le-Willows Bob Minor and congratulations to Guild PR Officer Neal Dodge on ringing his 250th in the medium. And well done to SGR Chairman Rowan Wilson on her first Surprise Major as conductor in the Yorkshire at Burwell. Meanwhile, beyond the huge success story of NWDQPW, a 1344 of St Martin’s Bob Triples was rung at Helmingham.
For all that activity, our day was silent on the ringing front, with Alfie having the most fun as Mum and Dad very kindly took him to Mountfitchet Castle.
God willing we’ll have busier days of ringing ahead and Trowbridge will still be ringing on Wednesday evenings.
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East meets West is an annual peal tour, currently touring Dorset and Somerset and having not been to Suffolk since 2010, but it has strong roots in our county, not least that it was co-founded by Guild Ringing Master from 1969-1974, Howard Egglestone. Sadly Howard died over six years ago, but it seems appropriate that on its fiftieth anniversary tour that EmW rang the first peal of Egglestone Surprise Major in his memory in the 5152 at Bradpole.
No peals – or quarter-peals – were rung within the borders that Howard lived and rung in, but God willing there will be much happening here in June, starting with the South-East District Meeting on Saturday afternoon. It should be well worth the visit, taking in a demonstration of the unique bells of East Bergholt – where the world’s heaviest ring of five are rung from a ground-level cage without ropes - from 2 to 2.45pm, before members can then ring in a more traditional fashion at Stratford St Mary from 2.50 to 3.50pm, ahead of a brief business meeting and bring-and-share tea. Meanwhile, all being well there will be the monthly Ten-Bell Practice at Beccles on Wednesday, a joint Training Morning at Mancroft Discovery Ringing Centre in Norwich for the North-West and South-West Districts will be held on Saturday 8th June, the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice on the evening of Monday 10th and the Second Tuesday Ringing will be in Norfolk the following day at the eight of Methwold and six of the marvellously named Hockwold-cum-Wilton.
Suffolk Day is on Friday 21st June – and part of a weekend of celebrations that SGR Public Relations Officer Neal Dodge is quite rightly keen for us to get involved with – which is also when the Helmingham Monthly Practice is pencilled in for, with the SW District Striking Competition at the newly augmented and rehung six at Little Cornard due to take place on the Saturday of that weekend.
That is one of two striking competitions in Suffolk planned for the month ahead, with the Ridgman Trophy lined up to be held at The Norman Tower on Saturday 15th, where support for the Guild band would be much appreciated!
And hopefully bands and towers are thinking of marking the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day, such an important day (June 6th) in the history of our country’s freedom, whatever you think of its current state.
Maybe at some point we might even fit in a bit of Egglestone Surprise Major.
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He may now spend most of his time living and ringing in Norfolk and he himself will admit that in his forthright way of getting things done he has occasionally rubbed people up the wrong way, but I have a lot of time for Alan McBurnie. His marvellous work – now being continued and evolved by Peter Harper – at creating a sizeable, active and enthusiastic band at the geographical outpost of Hollesley is to be highly commended, he was a driving force on the Guild’s Recruitment & Training Committee and Ruthie and I have fond memories of the quarter-peal attempts of spliced (including at the half-lead) Surprise Major at his home tower and Ufford many years ago, which were as much about the social occasion as the ringing!
Mark Ogden has been a tremendous bonus since his return to ringing three years ago, also being a prominent member of the R&T Committee, since December 2017 the Chairman of the South-East District and a willing and capable participant in quarter-peals and peals, as borne out by the 5040 rung at Bacton today, which was Ian Culham’s 250th for the Essex Association. Congratulations Ian.
Entirely appropriate therefore that the significant anniversaries of their birth – eighty years for the former today and sixty years for the latter this coming Friday – were celebrated in this evening’s pre-practice QP at Pettistree, which Ruthie partook in before joining the session that followed and featured spliced and various Surprise Minor methods.
Those two aforementioned performances weren’t the only on Suffolk’s bells on this busy Wednesday, with a 1344 of Winchendon Bob Triples at Henley a first on eight for Ben Keating and first in the method for the entire band. Well done all, especially Ben!
Meanwhile, the North-West Quarter-Peal Week continued with another brace of quarters, as a 1264 of Double Norwich Court Bob Major and a 1312 of Yorkshire Surprise Major were both rung at Janet Sheldrake and Gordon Slack’s mini-ring, The Millbeck Ring in Shelland.
How everyone else followed their aforementioned efforts I can’t tell you, but my wife and her mother topped their evening’s ringing with a visit to The Greyhound next door to raise a glass to Alan and Mark – Happy Birthday guys!
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Haircuts for the youngest boys – for me too for that matter – and a successful MOT and service for the car. All very productive, but not ringing related I’m afraid. Although if we didn’t have a fully functional, safe car then much of the ringing we do wouldn’t be practical to get to, as the other Sunday nearly showed.
Good to see the entire band in the pre-practice quarter-peal at Offton made it to ring the 1280 of Cambridge Surprise Major, with most of them needing a car to get to this wonderfully isolated village. Though not necessarily haircuts.
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Another Monday, another bank holiday and another St Mary-le-Tower practice where numbers were uncertain. Yet, although Ringing Master David Potts had primed us to look up some Surprise Royal, we were again met with a bumper crowd that included the visit of Suffolk Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase.
We did try some Lincolnshire Surprise Royal, which despite the prep done didn’t really go to plan and yet we rang some really good Stedman Cinques and Cambridge Surprise Maximus. Although the poorly rung Lincolnshire was disappointing, with a view to our ambitions to enter the National Twelve-Bell Contest next year, the better ringing on twelve was very pleasing and saw many of us retire to The Cricketers in good cheer.
Earlier in the day, with Ruthie again at work and Mason returned to his mother, I took Alfie and Joshua to the third day of Framlingham Gala Fest, where they enjoyed rides, ice cream and candy floss beneath the towers of the castle and of course that of the church which holds the 16cwt eight here. I even managed to explore the craft fair in the church hall and the church itself, where cake was being cut and a draw made, although I missed out on Ed Sheeran tickets and numerous bottles of alcohol from an impressive prize list for a church raffle. Indeed, I appeared to miss out on all of them! Still, it was a fun day.
A fun day also in the North-West District I imagine, as their Quarter-Peal Week continued today with another brace of successes and more achievements. Well done to the entire band who rang their first QP of Golborne Bob Minor in the 1296 at Hinderclay, whilst the 1260 of Doubles at Walsham-le-Willows was a first multi-method quarter for Sally Veal and her first of St Simon’s Bob. Well done Sally and congratulations to NW District Chairman David Steed and SGR Public Relations Officer Neal Dodge on ringing their 125th together. Nice as well to see the medium being carried out on these enjoyable bells for the first time since another of Doubles was rung there back in February 2013.
Meanwhile in the South-West District, former Nayland ringer Pauline Horrell’s eightieth birthday was celebrated with Grandsire Doubles on the 15cwt six on the county’s border with Essex. Happy Birthday Pauline!
It transpires it was a good bank holiday to do some ringing.
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North-West District Quarter-Peal Week has got underway and in notable fashion, with a 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles rung at Bardwell and a 1294 of Cambridge Surprise Maximus at The Norman Tower, the latter of which was a first of Maximus for Nick Smith and first of Cambridge Max for Nathan Colman and his father Julian. Well done Nick, Nathan and Julian! And on a busy day for ringing in Suffolk today, a QP was also rung at Kersey.
We weren’t involved in any quarters or peals today, but I did do some ringing this morning as the boys accompanied me whilst I rang at St Mary-le-Tower and Grundisburgh, either side of the usual pitstop at Costa Coffee. It was lovely to be met by George Pipe as we descended the stairs at the former twelve and then watch him hold court over refreshments afterwards. He may be a frail looking figure compared to the man mountain he once was, but there’s no doubt that his personality still enthrals those in his company and although it is many years since he was able to ring with us, his views and thoughts on ringing are still invaluable to us.
My ringing on the back eight in the little wobbly red-brick tower later was the last of the day, as our afternoon saw us go round to mother-in-law Kate’s for an attempt at our first barbecue of the year and although rain prevented that ambition we still had a lovely afternoon – thanks Kate!
And at least rain didn’t stop the NWQPW getting off to a flyer!
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After a busy few Saturdays of striking competitions and the AGM, it was a ringing-free Saturday today, both for us and it seems the rest of Suffolk, at least judging by BellBoard.
I can’t vouch for what most fellow ringers in the county were up to instead of ringing, but I can impart that whilst Ruthie went to work, the boys and I did a spot of crabbing at Bawdsey Quay with their Aunty Clare, their cousins and a number of my wife’s sister’s friends and their children, before we returned to Woodbridge, collected my wife and then alerted one of the local residents to the fact that their car had somehow rolled off their driveway and was blocking the road!
Busy, even mildly interesting, but not involving any ringing.
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Theresa May hasn’t been Prime Minister all that long in reality. She came into power on the same day as Joshua was born – I was twelve before the first PM that I could remember left the job, when Margaret Thatcher famously stepped down.
Yet her premiership has felt a little like crashing through a bad peal. Periodically it threatens to fire out, but somehow recovers and we plough on to the end, perceiving the cause to be worthwhile. Perhaps it was arranged for a special occasion or it was a first for someone. But it felt a lot, lot longer. Whether you dislike Mrs May or feel sympathy for her, that’s how her time at the top has felt to many.
Well today, she told the world we are entering the final lead, with “that’s all” due to be called by the end of July.
Ironic perhaps after that analogy that there were no actual peals rung in Suffolk today or indeed any quarter-peals. And Friday evenings are rarely good for us personally from a ringing perspective, with the process of gathering the family from five separate locations for the weekend a lengthy one. It was made even lengthier this evening though, as the level crossing next to Melton Railway Station got stuck in the down position, causing gridlock in the rush hour just when that process of gathering the family in began!
The weekend is a long one too, as the final of the annual glut of bank holidays at this time of year takes place, but it is worth noting that it is planned to have a practice at St Mary-le-Tower on Monday night, so do please come and support us.
I won’t feel as tortuous as Theresa May’s time as Prime Minister!
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Today was the EU elections, a vote that wasn’t meant to happen and both Ruthie and I did our bit at the polls, with Alfie joining me whilst I placed my cross in a box after work so that he could see democracy in action.
However, a more direct effect on the day was that with mother-in-law Kate carrying out the duties she usually does on election day into the early hours, she was unable to look after our nieces as she had planned whilst their parents worked and therefore Ruthie stepped into the breech to go round to her mater’s abode to child-sit, whilst I stayed in to look after our own children.
It all meant that there was no time for ringing for us, although there is rarely time on Thursdays anyway with my wife’s choir practice and the need to also get the boys to bed.
Instead, I found myself engrossed in a Facebook discussion on whether ringing is good for the environment. Granted, we do a lot of travelling by car to get to ringing, although that is sometimes travelling that we might otherwise have done and if you take that out and consider the actual act of ringing is done with materials and fittings that can last for centuries with no electricity or gas used in the process, the art itself is carbon neutral.
Those from The Green Party looking for our vote today would be delighted with that!
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There was an understandably upbeat mood at Pettistree practice this evening following Saturday’s victory in the Suffolk Guild Six-Bell Competition at Polstead. Photos of those present with the Mitson Shield appropriately included Ruthie and her mother Kate, who – along with Mike Cowling, Mary Garner and Mark Ogden who were also there tonight – were in the actual winning band. It is worth noting that bar myself, Mrs Munnings and Mike Whitby (who was away over the weekend and therefore not in the victorious team on this occasion), this isn’t a band of twelve-bell ringers drawn from across the county, as is a (unjust in my opinion) criticism levelled at St Mary-le-Tower whenever they win the striking competitions. Rather these are mainly six and eight-bell ringers from a radius of only a few miles from this rural tower. The quality that has now won three Mitson Shields and the South-East District Striking Competition has been worked up to mainly through the hard work of Mr Whitby and Mrs Garner in raising standards on six through a diverse, interesting and flexible repertoire of methods and touches and a social element that many bands don’t seem to embrace. Pakenham have also showed what can be achieved in recent years and so I’m hoping this success can encourage more to take part in the Guild Striking Competitions next year and not be put off by the myth that “St Mary-le-Tower will just win it again anyway.” The gauntlet has been laid down!
My wife and mother-in-law’s visit to the weekly session at this ground-floor six was sandwiched in between attending a farewell party for Mrs Eagle’s pets’ vet beforehand and a trip to The Greyhound afterwards, whilst others preceded it with a quarter-peal of Annable’s London Surprise Minor.
That QP wasn’t the only in the county today either, with a
1280 of Plain Bob
Major rung at Halesworth for the Deanery service, whilst
a peal of
Turramurra Surprise Major was rung on the front eight at SMLT, with this
increasingly popular line being Method of the Month in the Project Pickled Egg
series. Happy Anniversary to George and Diana Pipe too – I imagine there was
quite an upbeat mood after that 5184 too!
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With mother-in-law Kate very kindly looking after Alfie and Joshua, Ruthie and I attended an extremely positive parent’s evening with Alfred’s teacher and we were visited by Mrs Eagle after she had run Ufford practice where a first quarter-peal for one present was almost rung, but my wife and I partook in no ringing.
Elsewhere, though, Mrs Munnings’ mater wasn’t the only active ringer in Suffolk, with a brace of QPs rung on the county’s bells. One was a 1296 of Cambridge Surprise Minor at Oakley, the other was a 1260 of Stedman Triples on the back seven at Offton before the weekly session on this ground-floor eight.
A generally positive evening all round then!
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Brakes on the car fixed at great expense, I was able to get out to St Mary-le-Tower practice and whilst the ringing was mixed, the night as a whole was a positive one. Although a half-course of Cambridge Surprise Maximus ended up going faster than even I would have liked, it started absolutely brilliantly (arguably some of our best twelve-bell ringing for a long time, even if it was for a relatively brief period), there was some very well rung Kent Treble Bob Maximus (despite a debate beforehand on the point of singles in Kent!) and a couple of leads of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus to complete the session was very useful to a number in the band.
Even beside all that though, the atmosphere was marvellous, with a decent number present celebrating Diana Pipe’s birthday both in the ringing chamber and in The Cricketers afterwards where we were joined by her husband George and the conversation included updates from Amanda Richmond on the conditions of Arnie Knights (sadly not very good) and Nigel Newton (improving and more upbeat), Nigel Farage’s unexpected milkshake and some very kind words about this blog (thank you!).
Nice that the car was able to take me there!
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Yesterday was about participating in striking competitions, today was largely about preparing for them.
On Saturday 15th June, The Ridgman Trophy – for ten-bell teams representing the ringing organisations of the east of England – is due to be held at The Norman Tower and I would certainly urge as many who can come out to not only support the Suffolk Guild band but also welcome our friends and neighbours from potentially as far and wide as Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire. As we all know, there is plenty to do in Bury St Edmunds, from shops, places to eat and of course places to drink and there should be some wonderful ringing, with the Ely Diocesan Association the team to beat in recent years.
However, home advantage gives us an opportunity to practise regularly on the bells where the competition is taking place, something we don’t usually get to do and so we are trying to make the most of it, which included this afternoon’s fifty-five minute session on the bells. It was curtailed somewhat due to an early evensong and it wasn’t the complete band, but most of the team fitted in two-and-a-half courses of the test method Cambridge Surprise Royal to compliment quarter-peals rung here on Easter Sunday and 7th April. Intricacies were tested, familiarisation with who we work with, the line, etc was continued. All jolly useful.
One week after the competition here, some of the best ringers in the world will gather in Exeter for the 2019 National Twelve-Bell Final, arguably the biggest ringing event on the planet and if you do fancy a weekend away then you could do a lot worse than soaking up the atmosphere. To that end, do check the day’s website for more info.
Ipswich won’t be competing and with expectations well and truly in check we are unlikely to feature in next year’s final planned for 20th June at Sheffield Cathedral or any in the very near future (unless we end up hosting one). However, we hope to be at one of the eliminators pencilled in for Aston, Chester Cathedral and Walsall in the 2020 Contest and with a squad prepared to give it a go, preparations have already begun, continuing this evening with another two-and-a-half courses of Cambridge Surprise, this time of the Maximus variety and rung consecutively as part of a quarter-peal. And excellent preparation it was too. Rung with life and pace and well struck, it wouldn’t be out of place at an eliminator in the competition. It was nice too to ring it for conductor David Pott’s father-in-law Alan, with our thoughts very much with him and particularly his wife Claire and their children.
Throughout our packed afternoon, we were very grateful to first sister-in-law Becky and then my Mum and Dad for looking after the boys whilst we rang and to mother-in-law Kate for lending us her car. For as we drove around and travelled back from the South-West District yesterday, our brakes made increasingly worrying sounds, meaning we didn’t really want to risk gallivanting around the county today in our usual vehicle, and so the use of her automobile allowed us to join in the important practicing for forthcoming striking competitions.
Some will consider striking competitions quite a frivolous use of church bells and out of context they are, but if the art becomes dull and ringers uninterested then progress stalls, we lose ringers and standards for service ringing suffers and striking competitions are one of the many mediums available to keep ringers entertained and interested and to encourage progress.
As are peals and so it was great to see the peal rung at Euston this afternoon, especially as it must have been very personal and special for Julian Colman. Not only rung for a good reason, but it will contribute to the raising of standards within our borders.
That said therefore, the most important ringing of the day was for morning worship at Woodbridge before attending the service downstairs, with a quick burst of call-changes on the front six once I’d parked the car in a busy town centre and all followed by the annual dash to get away before the 10k race – the reason parking was difficult - blocked us in!
It’s lucky we got out, as there was a lot of preparation to be getting on with!
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Andrew Kelso - Ringing Master of the Essex Association, but more pertinently for the purpose of this blog one of the judge’s for today’s Suffolk Guild Striking Competitions – echoed my sentiments entirely with his words of encouragement ahead of him and fellow judge Brian Meads announcing the results of the Lester Brett Call-Change Trophy. The general gist was that the act of controlling a heavy lump of metal going full circle to strike when you want it is already a considerable skill, even if it is ‘just’ in rounds. However, of course we should all be endeavouring to improve upon that and there was plenty of endeavour on show in what I consider to be one of the best and most fun mediums of the art for improvement.
Indeed, the 2019 SGR Competitions ticked all the right boxes in my humble opinion. They were held in the South-West District at two of the most wonderful locations in the county, with Polstead and its lovely ground-floor ring set on top of a hill overlooking the rolling countryside that this part of Suffolk has more of then anywhere else within our borders and the tower that houses the 21cwt octave of Lavenham literally towers magnificently over said countryside. A multitude of members from across the county mingled in slightly unexpected sunshine and many of them seemed to find it a useful and enjoyable experience. And it produced some absolutely super ringing across a morning and afternoon of competition, sandwiching a superb lunch at Polstead Village Hall where the results of the Six-Bell Competitions were announced.
Ruthie and I were delighted to be in the Pettistree team that won the Mitson Shield – the first time it has been competed for since the death earlier this year of Hubert Mitson who donated the trophy – for the third time and to have won it so convincingly ahead of some talented bands following 120 changes of complete and utter concentration which kickstarted a brilliant day of ringing. However, it was also a day of celebration for Great Barton who won the Lester Brett Trophy and the North-West District who won the Eight-Bell Competition, meaning a 2-1 victory for the NW District overall!
Personally we were grateful to those who kept an eye on the boys whilst we rang, with the trio of brothers particularly appreciating the large churchyard during the morning’s proceedings, whilst it was also great to see the Guild’s Patron George Vestey, who like last year spoke wonderfully before events got going. Thank you to judges Andrew and Brian for carrying out their duties so encouragingly and constructively, as well as to our hosts the South-West District and well done to Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase on what I know from experience is a draining – though incredibly satisfying – day when in that role.
The only downside was that despite tremendous turnouts from the South-East and North-West Districts and the runners-up of the Mitson Shield being the South-West’s Woolpit, there was otherwise a lack of representation from our host District and the North-East District. The absence of SW bands was disappointing as we were in their neck of the woods - although it has to be said that their hosting was magnificent – and having held an apparently terrific District Competition a week ago, it was a big pity not to see any of our friends from the NE. They were of course the ones with the furthest to travel - although it wasn’t a short journey for us or indeed Hollesley right out on the coast – and I expect the quarter-peal at Wissett made joining us prohibitive, but I am really hoping that their considerable talents (and I know there is plenty in that corner of the Guild) will be out in force when the Competitions are due to go to their part of the world in twelve months time, along with some more teams from the also talented SW. Well done also to Michelle and Matthew Rolph and Pete Lock on ringing their first in the method in the 1272 of Ipswich Surprise Minor.
After a spot of tourist business as we searched out Harry Potter’s childhood home, we left others to the post-contest drinking and returned for an evening of more competition, albeit in a more passive sense, as we took in Manchester City’s record-equalling 6-0 FA Cup Final defeat of Watford and then the latest Eurovision farce as local ringer Pete Faircloth came round to have a chuckle at it all. There was a considerable amount of talent on display in Israel tonight, but there was more – IMHO – in Polstead and Lavenham.
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A quarter-peal was rung at Exning today, Suffolk’s most westerly ring of bells, but everywhere to the east within the county, it seems to have been a lot quieter on the ringing front.
That included us, with the usual – but extensive - collection of the family
for the weekend making any ringing impractical, without any footnotes for
the passing of
Grumpy Cat. Even in Exning.
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Turville in Buckinghamshire is a real village with a real church with a real – recently augmented it appears – ring of six bells. It is more famous in many people’s minds for being the location that doubles up as the Vicar of Dibley’s eponymous community and of course its church. However, it is otherwise an entirely fictional place, with entirely fictional inhabitants. Yesterday’s quarter-peal purportedly rung yesterday at St Barnabas was causing some amusement amongst ringers who had noticed it today. Although the method appears to be a genuine one!
The 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles rung at Horringer today was real though, rung at a real place, by real people! And with it being Trevor Smith’s first QP it is more worthy of all the likes that chairman of Dibley Parish Council David Horton’s joke entry on BellBoard has garnered and more, although sadly as it hasn’t happened in Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge or London (or ringers from there) it is unlikely to. Well done and congratulations anyway Trevor!
We weren’t quite so active, although we both went to work, the children went to their places of education and Ruthie went to choir practice. All in real places with real people!
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After my night out ringing at St Mary-le-Tower on Monday, it was Ruthie’s
turn to go out ringing, joining Jane Harper’s birthday celebrations at Pettistree
practice and at The Greyhound afterwards, in amongst the ringing of methods
such as Lightfoot and London Surprise Minor, all of which followed
a 1272 of Norwich
Surprise Minor.
Elsewhere there was
a quarter-peal of
Turramurra Surprise Major at Horringer, but for me it was a quiet evening
in looking after the boys. Well, it was my turn...
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Teaching learners how to ring by counting places can be a big challenge. To my mind, ringing does call-changes – learners’ initial steps into change-ringing itself – incorrectly. We instruct them to swap places with certain bells, rather than telling certain places to swap. Instead of calling “two-to-three”, we ought to be calling “seconds-to-thirds”, as having taught them the art of finding their way by bell number, we then expect our learner to negotiate methods by place position. It’s only my opinion and it is unlikely that centuries of habit will be changed, so it is what it is.
Therefore, with that in mind, I found the video that was shared online this evening involving a character named Prof. Belfry explaining counting places an entertaining and useful introduction to the process and is well worth watching!
Not that we were using our knowledge of counting places today. Instead, despite
having a morning off to take Alfie to an appointment, our day was pretty mundane,
certainly from a ringing perspective, but other ringers elsewhere in the county
were busier, with the practice at Offton preceded by
a quarter-peal
marking Stephen Cheek’s forthcoming significant birthday. The Suffolk Guild
Treasurer – who very generously stood those of us who went to The Cricketers
following last night’s St Mary-le-Tower practice and AGM a drink each - has
been a huge bonus to ringing since returning to the exercise, not just at SMLT
but also the South-East District and the SGR, most notably in his current role
for the organisation, so the felicitations heading his way are much deserved.
And he’s quite good at counting too!
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Not every tower needs its own AGM, but over the last few years, we at St Mary-le-Tower has found ours to be particularly useful. On a regular basis, probably about thirty or so ringers man the heaviest twelve in Suffolk on Sundays and/or Mondays from across the county and even beyond our borders and so it is important that what we offer is democratically reassessed and those in charge of implementing it “held to account”, for want of a better phrase!
This last year has generally been a positive one. We have lost Laura Davies and Louis Suggett, but gained Chris and Jill Birkby. The broken eleventh clapper that prevented us ringing the twelve over Christmas was a blow, but it has been replaced by a different design similar to the tenor’s and one used at Winchester Cathedral that has a better record, so we should hopefully have more good luck with this troublesome and far-too-frequent issue! A hoped for entry into the National Twelve-Bell Contest didn’t come to fruition, but there are definite ambitions for it to happen in 2020 and in the meantime we have enjoyed success in the District and Guild Competitions and the George W Pipe Twelve-Bell Competition.
Therefore, this meeting – held downstairs in the church and again chaired by the Reverend Canon Charles Jenkin - was a positive one, all topped by a drink in The Cricketers. The officers David Potts, Stephen Cheek and Owen Claxton were quite rightly thanked for their efforts, as were Amanda Richmond and – in his absence - Jonathan Williamson for their work with our learners and an active programme was looked ahead to. And the general consensus is that whilst there is still work to do (as arguably there always should be if we are to progress), standards are rising.
As if to back this up, the practice which preceded it saw some Yorkshire Surprise Royal inexplicably collapse in a heap as I arrived, but finished with a superb touch of Stedman Caters, called by Richard Weeks for the first time and superbly at that.
Richard has been one of a number of positives at SMLT over the last twelve months. I am glad that our AGM gave us the opportunity to recognise them.
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Cotton bells are rung from a quite unique position, even for a county that includes East Bergholt (where incidentally the South-East District are planning to visit on Saturday 1st June), with ringers exposed to the elements as they ring this ground-floor 10cwt eight. Although I have always thought that more should’ve been done to look after this novel ring, it is perhaps unsurprising that with their open circumstances and lack of a regular local band that they became unringable. And subsequently with those conditions, I imagined that would be how things remained, for some time at least.
However, a chance discovery of a Facebook post from an acquaintance expressing his privilege at playing the bagpipes for the dedication of the war memorial in this village just north of Stowmarket today led me to see mention of “energetic ringing of the recently repaired church bells”. Let’s hope this will now be a regular occurrence – it would be nice to ring on these bells again.
I was ringing on more familiar bells from more traditional surroundings this morning, as I helped man the twelves of St Mary-le-Tower and Grundisburgh ahead of their services, either side of a visit to Costa Coffee with my fellow SMLT ringers. It was nice to see the return of the Birkbys and SE District Secretary Abby Antrobus back from their lengthy trips to exotic locations at the former, along with our learner Karina who is now joining us on Sundays, whilst at the latter we were boosted by the visit of Katie Hill, her fiance Tom Waterson and her sister Rosemary’s other half Martin Cansdale, a superb touch of spliced Surprise Major being rung as the boys and I arrived.
Meanwhile, the monthly peal at Aldeburgh was again a first in the method for the Guild and the entire band, this time a Yorkshire-above line called Jefford Delight Major, whilst yesterday’s quarter-peal of Edge Hill Bob Minor at Woolpit was a first for Pam and Paul Ebsworth. Well done to Pam and Paul yesterday and the band on the coast this afternoon.
Perhaps we might even soon see a first QP at Cotton for seven years...
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Congratulations to Halesworth ‘1’ on winning the Patricia Bailey Trophy (for method ringing), hosts Theberton on winning the Call Change Trophy and the Beccles teams on earning the Harry Archer Trophy for being the most improved band in this evening’s North-East District Striking Competition. Nine teams is a very decent turnout for a District contest and hopefully we will see the likes of the winners and other participants Rendham & Sweffling and Yoxford at Polstead in a week for the Guild Competitions, as there is clearly some enthusiasm and quality there that it would be great to see pitched against teams from across Suffolk.
Talking of next Saturday, teams and names for lunch need to be in by Monday to Ringing Master Tom Scase and I would again urge teams of all abilities to take part, especially with the Lester Brett Call-Change Trophy offering an opportunity for silverware for all. And if you’re not taking part, please do come along and take in the atmosphere, which is usually superb, with ringers from all over the county mingling, whether that’s whilst listening to the ringing from the churchyard, with a cuppa in the Village Hall or even a cheeky pint in The Cock Inn (which opens at noon), with both of the latter being up the hill on the Green.
God willing it’ll be a busy day, but for today it was a lot quieter, certainly on the ringing front, although we did pop along to Messy Church at Melton and were far too excited about making our first visit to the new Aldi at Martlesham Heath, where we bumped into another local ringer!
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that if you plan on visiting us at St Mary-le-Tower for the weekly practice (and as ever, all are very welcome!) this Monday, it is also our tower AGM, which means the ringing will finish at 8.30. Please do still come, but the earlier you get there the better!
We hope to prepare for the SGR Striking Competitions at Polstead and Lavenham, inspired by the efforts of those who partook so successfully in the NE District Striking Competitions!
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Today was the funeral of Janet Croughton (previously Stannard) at Barrow. She was a lovely lady and one of those reassuring constants whenever I returned to Suffolk whilst I was living in the West Midlands and so whilst I haven’t seen her for many years, I was disappointed not to be able to make it this afternoon. However, I was pleased to see a peal rung in her honour on the 11cwt six beforehand, as well as a quarter-peal dedicated to her memory at Horringer, five miles across the fields, woodlands and large estates of that lovely part of the county.
Elsewhere within our borders meanwhile, a 1280 of Kent Treble Bob Major was rung at Henley, whilst further afield a record length of Addington Surprise Major (a “not trivial” method in the words of one of the participants) at Walkden in Greater Manchester featuring various friends and acquaintances caught my eye, with the band apparently met with a tea put on by the ladies of the church afterwards. It is nice when ringing is appreciated, even more so after 10,080 changes and 5hrs58mins of it!
No ringing for us though, not untypically for a Friday, but our thoughts were with Janet’s family, especially her son Paul.
RIP Janet.
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“Ambassador, you are really spoiling us!”
I wonder how often this phrase associated with a certain chocolate and hazelnut confectionery was gleefully uttered this evening as one hundred and twenty selected ringers enjoyed the hospitality of the US Ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson at his official residence Winfield House in Regent’s Park. Although I’m still not sure what it was for other than a very kind gesture of appreciation for the exercise, it seemed that those present were very much enjoying a gathering of drink, canapés, speeches and of course handbells.
There was Suffolk and Suffolk-related representation at the glitzy event, with George and Diana Pipe’s nephew David there with his wife Cecilia and their boys Henry and Alfred (who both took part in the superb handbell ringing), John Loveless (who grew up and learnt to ring within our borders), St Mary-le-Tower band member Anne Bray and of course Guild Public Relations Office Neal Dodge. Well done all on representing ringing so magnificently and particularly Neal on representing the SGR brilliantly – again!
Our evening wasn’t quite as exciting, although Ruthie did go out with the girls from work at The Red Lion for a meal as I listened to more exciting European football on the radio (it has been some week for that!), whilst elsewhere in the county a quarter-peal of Plain Bob Doubles at Huntingfield which was a first inside for Keith Dennis – well done Keith!
I hope he was spoilt afterwards to reward his efforts!
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Good news and good PR for Woodbridge’s ringers, with an article on page three of the Melton, Rendlesham & Woodbridge edition of the In Touch magazines covering the Friends of St Mary’s Church – the organisation that raises money to help maintain and support the church that houses the 25cwt eight – handing over a cheque of £40,000 to Rector Keven McCormack (or ‘Kev the Rev’ as he is affectionately known) for the refurbishment of the bells. Nothing major. There isn’t going to be a ten appear in this grand tower just yet (although it has always struck me as something that would greatly benefit ringing locally and in Suffolk) and there is no recasting, but it is needed for work to help their go and this donation is hugely generous.
No actual ringing for us on this wet May day though, as neither of us made Pettistree practice this evening and no performances recorded on BellBoard from Suffolk either, even with the announcement today that Baby Sussex is now Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor and the general public’s first sighting of the newly born royal.
Nonetheless, we had a very pleasant afternoon in the company of Ruthie’s best friend Fergie, up from Brighton, taking in a spot of shopping, the school pickup and some veggie burgers for tea!
Not as exciting as appearing in Melton, Rendlesham & Woodbridge In Touch though.
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This Saturday the North-East District is due to hold the next of this summer’s local striking competitions. I haven’t been to it for some time, but I have some affinity with it. I have judged a couple of them, one in 2006 at Worlingham with my brother Chris and 2012 at Chediston with Ruthie (where our then impending wedding was nearly off as we disagreed about who won in a ridiculously close contest!), whilst I even partook in one as a reserve for Southwold in the 2007 version at Saxmundham, but as Guild Ringing Master I popped along to some of them as I tried to get to as many District events as I could, simply to take in the atmosphere and “show my face.”
One in particular that stands out in the memory was the 2009 Competition at Theberton. A big turnout on a beautiful sunny day in picturesque surroundings and superb ringing on lovely bells in the pretty thatched church. Ten years later, almost to the day, the contest returns to the same village and God willing once again a big turnout will enjoy a beautiful sunny day and I imagine some superb ringing on what remains a lovely 6cwt ground-floor six. Even if the weather isn’t as nice, the Church Hall is very close to hand!
My experience of the North-East’s contests – in line with the other Districts I have been to – is that there is ringing of a very high quality from a wide range of teams and an enthusiastic membership and so I’m hoping that despite being the District geographically furthest from proceedings at Polstead and Lavenham on 18th May, there will be a big contingent from this corner of the county for the Guild Competitions in eleven days time, with Rendham amongst the winners of the Mitson Shield in recent years and Halesworth also putting in good showings, whilst the District band have won the Rose Trophy five times, all within the last thirteen years. It would be great to see more bands flying the flag for the NE at a Guild level though.
Likewise for all the other Districts too. It’s no secret that the South-East District tends to put in the most entries, but there are other teams from the SE capable too, with active bands at various towers around the District, whilst the North-West has put forward winners in the six and eight-bell competitions recently, most notably Pakenham just two years ago. And being held in the South-West District, it would be fitting to have entries from towers here, especially as towers such as Lavenham and Clare were among the early winners of the competition, whilst Woolpit have been runners-up in two of the last three contests for the Mitson Shield.
As ever, reasons abound for why people don’t enter, including of course the practical, with wedding ringing or holidays often preventing bands being able to enter, although allowances can be made for the former if teams want to arrange ahead of time a particular time to ring.
Some bemoan ringers ringing for several bands, but whilst some ringers – myself and Ruthie included – might ring for two towers where they regularly ring, I’m not aware of anyone ringing for more than that. Indeed, it is positively discouraged, with the South-East District nobly going to considerable lengths to ensure that they don’t have to ask anyone already in another band this year.
Some point to the same teams winning all of the time, but as alluded to above, it is not always SMLT who win or even a band from the SE District.
Some seem to have been put off by their past performances, but very few towers will ever do very well by just entering every now and then.
Some fear negative comments from the judges, but that rarely happens as it is very much frowned upon.
Some feel they shouldn’t enter because their tower has more bells than the competition level, but my personal view is that the six-bell is a contest between six-bell bands, not six-bell towers and in fact Pettistree have even entered the eight-bell in the past despite only have six bells at their home tower!
Besides, all of these reasons (again just in my opinion) are negated by the fact that the whole point of striking competitions – especially at this level, but even with the Ridgman Trophy and National Twelve-Bell – is to bring friends new and established together in a social and fun environment to help progress the striking of those partaking. It isn’t professional sport.
Therefore, please do put an entry and names for lunches in to Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase by Monday 13th May.
The fact that I have rambled on here about something happening another day rightly indicates that there wasn’t much to report from today, at least from a ringing perspective. No quarter-peals or peals reported on BellBoard from within our borders and we didn’t do any ringing ourselves, though that is not unusual for a Tuesday.
Instead, we eagerly anticipate what will hopefully be busier days of ringing ahead – good luck to all those participating in Theberton on Saturday!
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Locally the main headline was the fire at the old Fisons factory between Bramford and Claydon.
Nationally and internationally the significant headline was the birth of the newest member of the Royal Family, as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (or Harry and Meghan to their mates) became parents for the first time, of course prompting a flurry of quarter-peals and peals in his honour, including in Suffolk at Woolpit, where a 1260 of Double Oxford Bob Minor was rung. Although – as is the normal order of things with such matters when it comes to the Windsors – the Prince’s name is unknown to the general public and is likely to be for a day or two at least. Not that this will stop the twenty-four hour news channels bombarding us with constant coverage with no new information, although even the BBC’s royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell (reputed to once have been a bellringer incidentally, though thus far completely unverified!) saying not everyone will be interested in today’s happenings.
For all those headlines though, our Bank Holiday was mundanity itself. Ruthie went to work, Joshua, Mason and myself made a thrilling trip to Tesco and we popped briefly to mother-in-law Kate’s to collect Alfie after his sleepover with them up in Kessingland.
It did get more interesting this evening though, as I went along to St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice. I mentioned on the last BH that holding our usual Monday night session on public holidays can be a bit hit and miss. Sometimes we can get a large crowd with visitors coming with their own usual practices cancelled, other times we are thin on the ground as regulars go away. Whereas we got the former on Easter Monday a fortnight ago, the latter was the case this evening.
It meant our repertoire was limited, although for all that I tried to keep them going for people trying to feel their way through, the brace of failed attempts at Cambridge Surprise Royal mostly collapsed due to those who should know better and were well within our capabilities. Still, it gave more opportunities for our learners Sonia and our young ringers Leona and Karina, the latter of whom was still rightly on a high from being part of the band who won Saturday’s South-East District Call-Change Striking Competition at Sproughton. Indeed, thanks to her, there was a unique sight on the side with four striking competition trophies on show – the Cecil Pipe Memorial Bell (for the SE District Method Six-Bell Competition), the David Barnard Memorial Trophy (for the SE District Call-Change Six-Bell), George W Pipe Trophy (for the Essex and Suffolk Twelve-Bell Competition) and the Mitson Shield (for last year’s Guild Six-Bell). The only one missing is the Rose Trophy for the SGR Eight-Bell Competition, currently held by the South-East District and not won by the ‘Tower’ since 2016. It is motivation for us to have five trophies on the side in two weeks after this year’s Guild competitions at Polstead and Lavenham, but I hope also for towers across the county who are more than capable of preventing us from doing so! For now though, the photo opportunity was too great, just in case there are only three there soon!
With an early shift at work in the morning, there was no post-ringing refreshment at The Cricketers for me tonight, but plenty of headlines to mull over.
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Another day, another party for Alfie to attend and more trying to fit in other stuff around it!
This time, Alfred’s celebrations were happening closer to home in the Community Hall in Woodbridge, but nonetheless started before morning worship at St Mary the Virgin’s church had finished and on the same day as we had been invited to Africa Alive by Ruthie’s mother Kate, where she and Ron are currently caravanning it up with the boys’ cousins Katelynn and Anna.
Therefore, having earlier rung on the bells upstairs and attended much of the service that followed in the church, I left Ruthie to finish her choral duties and Mason and Joshua with some fellow junior church parents and tried to keep up with AJM as he hotfooted it excitedly to the party venue, clutching his chum’s present and card in eager anticipation. And once my wife and other two sons had joined us and the celebrations came to their natural end, we set off up the A12 to Kessingland, where apparently the bells were rung very well this morning.
As it happened, with not long until the neighbouring zoo was due to close and the black clouds that have typified the weather of this Bank Holiday weekend hovering menacingly overhead, we didn’t actually go to Africa Alive, but instead let the children loose at the park whilst we watched over them with warming cups of tea and then had some food, before we eventually left, leaving Alfie for a sleepover with his grandparents and cousins.
Meanwhile, in addition to a 1440 of Plain Bob Minor rung at Pettistree for Evensong, Ben Keating was having a highly productive day in ringing terms, as he rang his first quarter-peal of Treble Bob and his first of Grandsire in the successes at Great Barton and Pakenham respectively. Well done on both of those Ben and on fitting it all in around the rest of your day!
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One of the tenuous excuses for subjecting you all to this blog is highlighting how active bellringers like Ruthie and I can still balance the exercise with what can be a demanding non-ringing everyday life and today perhaps demonstrated our delightful struggle better than almost any entry I’ve made, as we attempted to literally be in two places at once. For this afternoon, we were needed in Sproughton to ring for St Mary-le-Tower in the South-East District Striking Competition, whilst Alfie was wanted nearly fifteen minutes away in Campsea Ashe for the birthday party of one his schoolfriends. Those who know me and/or regularly read this will be aware of how much I enjoy a striking contest and so I really didn’t want to miss this occasion, but we were both determined that if we could help it that our son didn’t have to forgo something he was so excited about.
Thank God therefore that with a combination of fortuitous timings and the goodwill and kind flexibility of our bandmates, fellow competitors and SE Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson that we were able to make it. With a 1.45pm draw and 2pm start for the competition and 2.30pm beginning for the party, it was just possible to ring and for me to then get Alfred to his peers for a couple of hours of games, food and inflatable guitars in between much frolicking on a bouncy castle, providing that the aforementioned parties were happy to oblige.
They were and so my wife and I partook in 120 changes of Cambridge Surprise Minor on the gallery-ring of six that I learnt to ring on, whilst the boys supervised their grandparents setting things up at the village hall up the road, before I scooped up AJM and took him for some exhausting-looking partying.
It did mean missing the rest of proceedings, but it was entirely worth it for the sheer joy on the boy’s face as he bounced and ran about with his friends. And we did make it back in time for a double team photo as we discovered that in our absence, both the St Mary-le-Tower method team that Mrs Munnings and I had rung for and our call-change counterparts had won our respective competitions. In answer to the sound of rolling eyes (does that make a sound?) and resigned sighs, some context is needed here. Both the contests for the Cecil Pipe Memorial Bell and the David Barnard Memorial Trophy were close and it was an extremely positive experience for a young learner, as Karina won her first ever striking contest, surely something to be celebrated by ringers generally. Plus, throughout those participating, the primary purpose of the medium was largely met. Although I wasn’t there to take it all in, I understand that the quality of the ringing was high, with an important – but fun – focus on striking and many members getting an opportunity to partake and thus make it a nice social occasion.
For those able to be there at least!
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When I mentioned the sad passing of Paul Stannard’s mother Janet Croughton last week, I remissly forgot to mention that her funeral is due to be held at Barrow at 2pm on Friday 10th May. I’m sure many will want to attend and I imagine they will all – or certainly most will be – aware of when the funeral is, but just in case someone is intending on attending and didn’t know when and where it is happening, then please make them aware.
On this Friday though, there was nothing of particular note to report, bar of course the FNQPC ringing a 1260 of Doubles at Earl Stonham.
God willing there will be busier days ahead for the art that Janet so enjoyed.
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We both got to work. We got the boys to their places of education. We managed to vote in the local elections. And Ruthie partook in choir practice. There was no ringing for us though.
Others were managing ringing in Suffolk though, as the annual L Martin Daniels Peal Tour of the area racked up a brace of successes, with 5040s of Minor at Campsea Ashe and Doubles at Monk Soham.
Busy days for us all, just in different ways.
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Welcome back from Japan and (soon to be home to a brand new ring of twelve) Singapore to Mike Whitby and Pippa Moss, as they partook in this evening’s pre-practice quarter-peal at Pettistree.
I imagine tired out from their considerable travels, they were understandably gone by the time I arrived at the session that followed, but there was still a decent number in attendance, ringing a variety of methods from Grandsire and Stedman Doubles, to some Plain and Little Bob Minor spliced, a course of Annable’s London Surprise Minor and a touch of Ipswich Surprise Minor and some nice sounding ringing that I recorded when I arrived at eight, before the majority retired to The Greyhound afterwards.
Meanwhile, a quarter-peal was also rung at The Millbeck Ring at Shelland for the birth of the host’s granddaughter – congratulations Janet and Gordon!
And welcome back again to Mike and Pippa!
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May is due to be the month of striking competitions, starting with the South-East District’s, pencilled in for Saturday at Sproughton and which I would still urge as many SE teams as possible to enter. A nice six in a lovely village, easily accessible just off the A14 and from Ipswich just a couple of miles down the road and with The Wild Man and the village hall available to shelter in if the weather isn’t pleasant enough to sit in the churchyard listening to some superb ringing.
However, there is plenty lined up beyond the competitions across the county. All being well it begins on the first day of the month with the Ten-Bell Practice at Beccles, but then followed by the North-West District Practice – preceded as usual by a quarter attempt – at Wetherden on the morning of Saturday 11th, the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice on the evening of Monday 13th, the Second Tuesday Ringing the next day at Felixstowe and Falkenham, Helmingham Monthly Practice from 7.30-9pm on Friday 17th and the South-West District Practice at Cowlinge – focusing on Reverse Canterbury Doubles – on Saturday 25th, on the same day that the NW District are slated to round off the month and kick-start June with their Quarter-Peal Week, including a QP afternoon on the 31st and an evening meal.
Much to support therefore – and please do if you can – but April still had some ringing left in it with a quadruple of quarter-peals. One was presumably instead of a planned peal as the L Martin Daniels Peal Tour of the area unusually took in a quarter-peal, with a 1296 of Minimus rung at Ringsfield, but the other three appear to have been successful in their aims, especially the Little Bob Major at Lavenham 1272 of the eponymous Cavendish Delight Minor rung at the 11cwt six in the picturesque village on the Essex border on the Golden Oldies QP Day. Meanwhile a 1282 of Cambridge Surprise Major was rung at Gislingham.
Personally though, our ringing for the month was done on a quiet day for us. God willing more ringing awaits us in May.
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L Martin Daniels’ Annual Peal Tour of the area appears to be more focused on Norfolk than Suffolk this year, with another one north of the border at Swanton Morley today. However, there was also one this side of the River Waveney as a 5040 was rung at Wissett.
They didn’t include Ipswich Surprise Minor in their repertoire for the 2hrs30mins of ringing on this lovely ground-floor six rung in a round tower, but if they had they would have been relieved that Leeds United’s Argentinian manager Marcelo Bielsa wasn’t calling it, at the very least judging by the video of his attempts to pronounce the name of our county town, which was causing much worldwide amusement today!
I can pronounce it I’m glad to say, having been born and brought up there, but I didn’t make it into town to attend the weekly practice at St Mary-le-Tower this evening, with a late shift at work putting paid to my attempts to get out. Hopefully there should be a session next week on the May Bank Holiday Monday, but do check before you come along, just to make sure we are actually ringing!
For now though, our friends from the Lancashire Association were doing more ringing in the county – and our neighbouring county – than I was.
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Another Sunday, another quarter-peal of eight spliced Surprise Major methods. Unlike the one at The Norman Tower precisely a week ago though, I had to work a little harder for this success. Whereas I only rang the same eight leads five times over in Bury St Edmunds on the last Sabbath, this evening at St Mary-le-Tower I was ringing a lot more leads and calling it to boot.
However, my efforts were entirely outshone by Richard Weeks who at short notice rang what was his first QP of spliced. And it was well rung, not just by him but by all of the band, with some extremely good ringing throughout the 1280 changes on the front eight.
I was pleased to conduct too, especially as I had only been asked to call it earlier today, with the original person slated for the role being unwell at the moment. It was nice to ring it for Nigel Newton’s safe return from Spain following his horrific cycling accident there. He shattered his pelvis and had to be operated on over there, but he is now back in the UK at Colchester Hospital, as referenced rather wittily by the footnote to this and Friday’s quarter at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre at St Peter’s in Norwich on Friday.
It all followed on from an active morning, as with the choir still on a well-earned break from their efforts over the Easter weekend, Ruthie and Alfie joined Kate in going to ring for the service at Pettistree, whilst Joshua, Mason and myself went to St Mary-le-Tower and Grundisburgh, with a visit to Costa Coffee sandwiched in between.
Meanwhile, our efforts later were but a fifth of the county’s QP output today, with Pudsey Surprise Royal rung at the Norman Tower and a brace of 1260s of Plain Bob Minor on the back sixes of the 16cwt eight of Hollesley and 14cwt octave of Kersey, whilst the 1272 of Norwich Surprise Minor at Rougham was a first in the method for Serena and Mark Steggles – well done to Serena and Mark!
Another Sunday, another busy day of ringing in Suffolk!
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The headline from this afternoon’s Suffolk Guild AGM at St Matthew’s church in Ipswich is that subscriptions are going up, from £15 to £20 for most. It raised questions for some on value and even on the existence of the SGR. After all, what do we get for our subscription? The truth is, not much directly. We do get insurance, important in these times. We get to ring bells anyway regardless and much of the Guild’s outlay appears to go on things like Central Council affiliation, Annual Reports, travel costs, etc.
Do we need a Guild at all therefore? Well, I suppose no. But there are a lot of things that we don’t need in life and I think that we are generally better off having the organisation rather than not. It offers us all an organised network of advice, practical support and financial support. It offers a focal point for PR and ensures that there is always a point of contact for interested parties, who can always then put those interested parties in touch with the right people. I always feel fortunate that when one hears of small, localised groups in other hobbies that are in danger of finishing because they only have a handful of members from which all their organised activities are arranged and enjoyed, that each and every band in Suffolk is backed up by a network of 700-800 made up of people of all ages and a multitude of skills and abilities. And it organises days like today, the Guild Striking Competitions (this year planned for 18th May at Polstead and Lavenham) and the Guild Social (this year pencilled in for being held by the North-East District on Saturday 21st September), where ringing friendships across this vast county can be renewed and made. If it costs me less a year than it does for me to watch an hour-and-a-half of Ipswich Town losing (which they did for the twenty-fifth time out of forty-five this season this evening), then I am happy to do that and I imagine most members are. And indeed, that seems to be the case, at least from the quorum that attended today and voted in favour by a vast majority.
Other issues did come up and will need considering. The motion to raise the concession age of 65-74 to 70-79 and the age for free membership from 75 and over to 80 and over also brought about a suggestion from Hollesley’s Peter Harper that we do away with concessions altogether, which I’m broadly in favour of, providing it was established that a majority of over 65’s were happy with it too, although I believe concessions for those still in full-time education should still be retained.
And how the income is spent perhaps needs reviewing. Half of the subscription goes to the Bell Restoration Fund and so whilst our subs are a pittance compared to other hobbies where subs can be hundreds of pounds before you even get into the cost of equipment, it is considerably more than comparable ringing associations, such as just over the border in Essex where they apparently pay just £8 a year for membership. It has been suggested that we cut the subs in half and fund the BRF through fundraising. Personally – for what it’s worth - I wouldn’t want this. I’m not convinced that asking the relatively small proportion of active Guild members (essentially – though not exclusively – those who regularly attend District and Guild events) to voluntarily contribute ad hoc to individual projects (some of which they will feel less connected to than others due to circumstances and/or geography) will raise as much money for projects as bringing in £15-£20 each from hundreds of members automatically every year. However, I do think we ought to reconsider to what extent we spend on projects. Pretty much all are grateful for the grants we give towards the considerable costs of their projects and for many it makes a genuine difference. But it has been suggested that not all need a grant, or at least as big as we give. Also, whilst most restorations have a tangible impact on the art (St Margaret’s not far from where we were meeting being a good example), should we be giving grants for augmentations? Clearly there have been augmentations that have had a positive effect, such as at Bardwell, Campsea Ashe and Ixworth for example. However, do we need more bells per se when we don’t have enough ringers to man all of them already? More to the point, should the Guild’s stretched funds be paying for them? Plenty for the Guild and its members to consider methinks.
Considering the issue of a subscription rise, the meeting was a relatively brief affair at just an hour-and-a-half, but included much else. On the down side, we were unable to find a Secretary and Annual Report Editor to replace the outgoing Carl Melville and Michelle Rolph. Both have done tremendous work, which makes it all the more imperative that these vacant positions are filled as soon as possible. Both roles also have very particular skills too, so if you feel you have those skills or know someone else who does, then please let Chairman Rowan Wilson know.
On the plus side though, Neal Dodge has made a most welcome U-turn and decided to stay on as PR Officer. To my mind, Neal has been the finest PRO the Guild has ever had (much better than his predecessor!) and really taken advantage of local and social media to give us frequent – and importantly – quality publicity. There were also new members elected – including our young learner at St Mary-le-Tower Karina – and certificates were given (metaphorically in the case of those not present) to those who joined the SGR fifty years ago, including Past Masters Stephen Pettman and Amanda Richmond, whilst it was also good to see other PRMs George Pipe and David Salter present, the latter in glorious technicolour!
What really makes the day though, is everything that goes with it. We caught up with familiar faces and made new acquaintances, thoroughly enjoyed the superb and plentiful tea and appreciated the wonderful service that included a hymn to the tune of Hyfrydol, but with words written by Jonathan Williamson featuring places and dialect of the county! And of course there was lots of ringing, as there should be. Either side of a trip to McDonald’s to sate the boys’ hunger, we helped out at SMLT and before that went to St Clement’s. I’ve always considered these the best of the rings in Ipswich’s redundant churches, but full credit to Katharine Salter and those who have helped her for improving the go of these bells, tidying it up and putting new ropes on! There was also ringing at St Lawrence and St Margaret, whilst we and many others rounded our ringing off at the church hosting the business proceedings.
Next year we are due to go to the South-West District on 18th April 2020 and having been to the towns of Stowmarket, Felixstowe, Hadleigh, Beccles, Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich over the last few years, I’m secretly (although not so much now that I’ve written this!) hoping that in twelve months we’ll be going somewhere rural. Our towns definitely provide plenty of reasons for holding the Guild’s showpiece event, such as the transport links, facilities and lots of other things for people to do in the immediate surroundings, but our county has some of the most beautiful countryside and this time of year as it comes to life is a fantastic time to experience it.
That doesn’t take away how brilliantly this was hosted by my colleagues in the SE District today though. Thank you to Jonathan and his team of helpers for a great day out. Whatever the headlines were.
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Striking competition season is on the horizon. For all the focus on tomorrow’s planned AGM, after that there is only one week until the South-East District Striking Competition is due to take place at Sproughton, itself seven days before the North-East District’s pencilled in at Theberton, ahead of the South-West District’s at the newly-augmented Little Cornard on Saturday 22nd June. And in amongst that the Guild Six and Eight-Bell Competitions will – all being well – be held on Saturday 18th May at Polstead and Lavenham respectively.
It is for me the most fun way of progressing one’s ringing, but whilst the one-off contest is the usual format, today I came across mention of something different. In the Cambridge District of the Ely Diocesan Association, they are currently in the middle of The Gipson Trophy, a league format involving a handful of towers with home and away fixtures held on practice nights. It actually appears to have been going on from as far back as at least 1995, so I’m not sure how I have never come across it before and imagine many reading this will already know of it (and perhaps even partaken in it?) and seems quite a good idea, especially for those who feel apprehensive and cautious about throwing themselves into bigger contests.
There has been sad news these last few days however, with the news that Janet Croughton – better known to many as Janet Stannard – and mother of Barrow ringer Paul Stannard died on 16th April. She was a lovely lady and a big part of a family that will forever go down in the ringing folklore of Suffolk ringing generally and particularly in the west of the county. May she Rest in Peace.
I hope that she would’ve been pleased to see the activity upon bells within our borders today, including that recorded on BellBoard from the funeral of Easton tower captain John Newson who died last month. Rest in Peace John.
Elsewhere, well done to Tig Sweet on ringing her first quarter-peal of London Surprise Minor in the 1320 at Ashbocking, to Sal Jenkinson and Michelle Rolph on ringing their first QP of Surfleet Surprise Minor in the 1272 at Worlingham and to Jane Holland on ringing her first of seven Surprise Minor methods inside in the 5040 at Rumburgh as the annual L Martin Daniels Peal Tour of the area appears to have got underway.
God willing, as is striking competition season.
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When I first returned from my time living, working and ringing in the West Midlands in 2005, Thursday nights at Grundisburgh were the scene of arguably the best weekly practice in Suffolk. Pretty much every week, Stedman Cinques and Surprise Maximus were honed upon what was then the 8cwt twelve, along with a range of methods on six, eight and ten, including Bristol Surprise Royal.
Sadly, that gradually dwindled until for some time there was no weekly session at all at the little red-brick tower. Happily they restarted, primarily due to the efforts of Joanna Crowe, who – with Stephen Pettman understandably unable to commit now he lives in Felixstowe with the B&B – took over the running of them.
Ruthie and I have rarely been able to join them though, as once my wife returns from choir practice to relieve me of sole childsitting duties at home, there isn’t enough time to make it out to the Big G and be of any use. However, with Mrs Munnings and her choral colleagues having a week off following their considerable exertions over the Easter weekend, she stayed in and enabled me to get out to join Jo and others on a Thursday evening for the first time in a long time.
And I was pleased that I could. This is nowhere near the standard it was fourteen years ago, but still has the potential for being a very useful practice. The twelve bells continue to offer the possibility of progress for ringers of all abilities across all numbers and although the go off the bells is quite difficult, they are light enough for pretty much any learner to ring any of the bells. This evening, it realised some of its potential with a session that saw Vince Buckman and Linda Garnham ringing Plain Bob Doubles inside and Anne Buswell got the opportunity to ring a course of Yorkshire Surprise Major.
In between there were opportunities to chat, allowing my mother to tell us about the Debenham outing which she and my father attended on Monday and took them to Great Munden in Hertfordshire, a now privately-owned church which uniquely – as far as I am aware – has a ring of bells rung from around a bed!
That’s almost as unusual as us getting to Grundisburgh practice.
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Although like anywhere it goes in peaks and troughs across the years, the attendances at Pettistree’s weekly session have always been good and the repertoire wide and eclectic for a rural six.
This evening though, circumstances combined to see that they were down to the bare bones. With Ringing Master Mike Whitby and usual replacement RM Mary Garner – who I had a rather pleasant phone conversation with earlier in the day as she stood in Worcester Cathedral waiting to sing – both absent tonight, it was down to Ruthie’s mother Kate Eagle to run the ringing. Except as soon as she had conducted the pre-practice quarter-peal of Norwich Surprise Minor, she was called away by work. With Mark Ogden also needing to get away after the QP, and quite a handful of regulars away for one reason or another, a team effort between Mike Cowling, Peter Harper and my wife ensued to run things amongst a sparse turnout.
They were perked up with the visit of David Hallett, who learnt to ring here when the bells were rehung in 1986 and who this evening had brought his son Ollie to have a go. And very well he did too by all accounts and even with the limited numbers much was still rung, including some Little Bob Minor for Sam Shannon to treble to and Cambridge Surprise Minor.
Elsewhere in Suffolk meanwhile, a peal was rung on the front eight at St Mary-le-Tower of Barking Surprise Major, an Uxbridge-above method and I’m sure rung very well.
I expect that was followed up by well-earned refreshment in the pub, as was Mrs Munnings’ ringing as she popped to The Greyhound. That is something that rarely changes through all the peaks and troughs of Pettistree’s attendances!
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Happy St George’s Day! Except it isn’t, at least if you follow such things to the letter, as it can’t strictly speaking be held during the Easter Octave of which we are three days into.
That said, regardless of whether it falls during Easter or not, there is rarely much fuss made of 23rd April. Therefore, whilst there were ringing performances across England dedicated to the country’s patron saint (at least until St Edmund is recognised!) today, there was nothing in Suffolk. Indeed, there weren’t any quarters or peals rung within our borders, at least none recorded on BellBoard at the moment.
And that lack of ringing activity was replicated in our household as I returned to work after the long, hot weekend and we reverted to our usual quiet Tuesday evening in, enjoying each other’s company and on this occasion raising a low-key cuppa to St George!
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Every time we approach a bank holiday Monday, the question at St Mary-le-Tower – where our weekly sessions are on Monday nights of course – is... “Shall we have a practice?” Usually we aim to get a quorum of local ringers before we even consider inviting ringers to travel distance to join us, but even then we can be met with a low turnout, by its nature restricting what we can ring.
On other occasions though, we have evenings like this evening when we benefit from the presence of others who usually can’t come due to circumstances, work or because they normally ring elsewhere at the end of the first working day of the average week. On this light, warm evening at the climax of an abnormally scorching day for the time of year, we gladly welcomed the Eareys: Ralph, Tessa and Ellie, visiting ringers such as Brian Meads and David Rothera from Chelmsford Cathedral (where they don’t ring on Bank Holidays as a rule) and returning students Colin Salter – and also his mother Katharine on this occasion – and Alex Tatlow, on top of the regular support we get from Essex like Stephen Cheek and David Sparling, and Bury St Edmunds like Catherine and Julian Colman and Guild Chairman Rowan Wilson which meant that even with some absentees we had a large crowd packed safely into this famous ringing chamber.
In turn, that allowed for a wide repertoire of methods to be rung on twelve (once we’d got the correct second!), from call-changes to Little Bob Maximus and Grandsire Cinques to Stedman Cinques and a half-course each of Cambridge and Yorkshire Surprise Maximus, in the main rung very well.
Earlier in the day, a quarter-peal was rung in Suffolk at Redgrave, albeit for the Norwich Diocesan Association Quarter-Peal Week, but Ruthie and I took advantage of the day off and the sunshine to have what constitutes a lay-in these days and a spot of garden work and so with that and my ringing efforts I felt I had earned a pint in The Cricketers post-session where the conversation mainly consisted of Saturday’s planned AGM in Ipswich, from tower grabs to the meeting itself. I’m glad we decided to have a practice on this bank holiday Monday.
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Easter Sunday may not carry the same magic as Christmas, but it is probably the most important date in the Christian calendar, essentially when we celebrate the central USP of the faith, with today being the climax. And between us Ruthie and I did our bit with singing and ringing. My wife with her choral duties at St Mary-the-Virgin in Woodbridge this morning and this evening and me with helping the band at the same church man the 25cwt octave upstairs – before the boys and I joined a packed building for the service – this morning and then this afternoon as I pulled the tenor in at The Norman Tower to a quarter-peal of the ‘standard’ eight Surprise Major methods on the back eight of the twelve.
The latter was originally arranged as part of our preparation for the Ridgman Trophy, due to be held on these wonderful bells in Bury St Edmunds on Saturday 15th June, but as has nearly always been the case it is extremely difficult to get ten particular people together from across this vast rural county. However, with home advantage this year, this was still a useful exercise for those in the band to get completely familiar with the intricacies of the bells. As I have said before, the ringing on the bells that will be used on competition day is the most important in preparations, so we have a great chance to make the most of those bells being within our borders.
It was also nice to ring with Jimmy Yeoman for the first time. I have heard so much about his abilities and like everyone else I have been impressed reading on BellBoard the achievements of this latest young star of Suffolk ringing, but I am pleased to see him in action and like the rest of the band he didn’t disappoint on this heavy eight.
Meanwhile, the news today from Sri Lanka was shockingly tragic and led some to enquire that following the call for us to ring for a fire-damaged cathedral, if we are going to be asked to ring in solidarity with those effected by these dreadful events where hundreds – including many partaking in Christian worship on this Easter Sunday – over the next few days. Perhaps look out for such a request, but for now, although there was ringing dedicated to it across the UK, there wasn’t anything rung on bells in this county.
There were other quarter-peals beyond our own 1280, with a 1260 of Grandsire and Plain Bob Doubles rung on the back six at Bures and a 1320 of Primrose Bob Doubles was rung on the 10cwt five at Old Newton.
I am pleased that the ringers of Suffolk – including Ruthie and myself – were able to do our bit for Easter Suunday.
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It was a fun-packed day for the boys as our attendance at St Mary’s Playgroup Fair was sandwiched in between Alfie going to a schoolfriend’s birthday party and all of us celebrating the fourth anniversary of our niece Anna’s birth.
This all left no time for any ringing, even if there was much to do on what is a traditionally quiet day for the exercise, but there was some taking place in Suffolk on this Holy Saturday. Unsurprisingly, one was on handbells, with the peal in Bacton being Peter Waterfield’s two hundredth in hand – congratulations Peter! There was a performance on towerbells too, although the quarter-peal at Great Finborough was rung half-muffled.
I’m sure they had as much fun as we did!
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Today was a Good Friday in the Christian sense and a good Friday in the wider sense.
This afternoon, I felt as reflective as I am ever going to with a two-year-old and five-year-old quite rightly demanding my attention as we sat in on the end of Ruthie and her choral colleagues singing at St Mary-the-Virgin church in Woodbridge as part of the Three Hour Devotion. The boys were actually very well behaved for the few minutes we were there, allowing me to contemplate the real meaning of this weekend.
However, whilst we were there, in Old Stoke there was a very welcome return to the BellBoard columns for twice Past Suffolk Guild Ringing Master David Salter as he conducted a quarter-peal at The Wolery in the blue shed at the top of his and Katharine’s garden, his first since his stroke just before Christmas. It comes off the back of a positive prognosis that suggests that he is at no greater risk of suffering a bleed to the brain (which apparently caused his stroke) than the rest of us and is a remarkable recovery from where he was in the immediate aftermath of what happened.
Earlier I had had the pleasure of seeing him in person as Mason and I made our annual Good Friday visit to the Salter’s abode, so that the boy could play computer games with their youngest son Henry and I could do some peal-ringing. Usually this consists of a brace of peals (indeed on one Good Friday we did ring three!) with a huge, superb lunch in between, but with everything that has happened and the uncertainty of recent months then Mrs Salter understandably committed to just the one peal, which on this occasion was a 5152 of Tregear Delight Major. I can’t say I particularly enjoyed the method, not being a big fan of making sevenths in Major away from the half-lead. It always feels very unnatural and can often lead to much fudging, with participants automatically dodging and granted we probably didn’t ring it as well as this talented band could have. Yet there was – as is usually the case when we get it right here – some superb ringing at times, more mesmerising than I typically get in other ringing I normally do elsewhere. And it was great to be back here, over four months since our last peal on this 9lb 8oz eight. The ringing of peals here is often mocked, but personally speaking the ringing I have done here has been extremely useful in honing and progressing my skills, especially in recent years where opportunity to do so elsewhere has been limited.
And we still had the benefit of that super lunch, a fine spread that encapsulates the hospitality here and which has been much missed this year. Welcome back David, on this good Good Friday.
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The overwhelming feeling amongst the ringing community today seemed to be one of questioning obedience, as many across the world answered the call from Prime Minister Theresa May, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York to ring today in solidarity with those affected by the fire at Notre Dame earlier this week. Yet some seemed bemused as to why we should be ringing for stones and mortar, as whilst the events on Monday were horrific to watch, the outcome – under the circumstances – was relatively positive, with much saved, the structure still standing and most importantly of all, no one was killed. Indeed, some compared ringing’s reaction to that to the Grenfell fire a couple of years where of course many people tragically did die. Though that may be an unfair comparison as many did ring for Grenfell, as it was suggested that those who put forward this idea had been inspired by a combination of ringing’s magnificent efforts in marking the centenary of the end of the First World War back in November and the bells of Paris ringing out as the famous cathedral burned, which perhaps sowed the seeds of an idea that may not have seemed possible back in June 2017.
Others objected to ringing because it is Holy Week and whilst the silence of bells at this time appears to be more of a ringers’ tradition than set in canon law (indeed, one of the things that seems to have arisen from this is how many of the clergy were unaware that not ringing during Holy Week is even a thing, which perhaps confirms what many of us have said about its effect or real purpose), this has to be respected. And yet, with clergy calling upon their ringers to mark this dreadful event, many dutifully did, with forty-eight performances recorded on BellBoard for Notre Dame on Suffolk’s bells today, from tolling (including Kesgrave, which isn’t usually found on BB) to the quarter-peals of Doubles at Buxhall and Grandsire Triples at Halesworth. Congratulations to Paul Ebsworth on ringing his 550th QP in the former and well done to Keith Dennis on ringing his first on eight in the latter.
There was also much publicity attached locally to the ringing with Guild PR Officer Neal Dodge appearing about 1hr40mins into Mark Murphy’s breakfast show on BBC Radio Suffolk this morning and then precisely the same amount of time into Stephen ‘Foz’ Foster’s show on the station this afternoon, North-East District Secretary Kate Gill spoke very well about their ringing at Beccles.
Meanwhile, there was even a quarter rung in France for the occasion, which also happened to be the first quarter-peal on the brand new 5cwt ten at Vernet-les-Bains. This is a much deserved landmark for those who have worked so hard towards this and I hope it will be the first of many.
Neither Ruthie or I were able to partake in any of the ringing though, with me at work, then greeting Mason as he was brought back from a trip to Cadbury World that my parents had very kindly taken him on and finally putting his younger brothers to bed whilst my wife sang at the Mandy Thursday service at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge, although she did have the pleasure of listening to the ringers there ringing out for Notre Dame.
Whatever your thoughts on ringing for our French friends, I am glad that the ringers in Woodbridge and so many others were able to create some positive PR for local ringing out of such a terrible event.
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Change-ringing’s USP is that ringers from anywhere of any ability can generally go along to just about tower in the world that practises ringing in the English style and join in with the local band in their ringing and usually at the pub afterwards too, in the process making new friends.
This was perfectly demonstrated this evening as I partook in the pre-practice quarter-peal at Pettistree with Paul Axon from Sydney in Australia ringing the treble, his first QP in the Northern Hemisphere – well done Paul!
It wasn’t the only quarter on Suffolk’s bells today though, with the 1320 of Fryerning Surprise Minor at Woolpit being the first blows in the method for Andrea Alderton and Stephen Dawson – well done Andrea and Stephen!
Our efforts were followed by a session run by Mary Garner in Mike Whitby’s absence and despite being slightly low on numbers still saw an eclectic repertoire of methods rung, including the familiar in Stedman Doubles, Cambridge and Norwich Surprise Minor, the increasingly familiar in Lightfoot Surprise Minor – especially for Jane Harper – and the entirely unfamiliar St Augustine Bob Doubles. The latter is a method that Anne Buswell’s friends on the Isle of Man are striving to ring a quarter-peal of, but the eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that it is simply as if you were ringing Grandsire Doubles with a single at every lead-end. I believe it is when calls are added that it gets more complicated though!
And it was all followed by a drink in The Greyhound with our Australian visitor and his wife as change-ringing’s USP displayed itself magnificently.
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Mercifully it seems that although considerable damage was caused by yesterday’s fire at Notre Dame, much of the interior has remained undamaged, including the Grand Organ and even down to the candles which appear not to have melted!
Still, it is a dreadful position they find themselves in and the charred structure of this famous house of worship is a very sorry scene and so therefore much support is being sent to Paris from around the world. Including from the bellringers of the UK, with the Archbishop of Canterbury calling upon us to toll a bell for seven minutes at 7pm on Maundy Thursday in two days time in solidarity. The Central Council have endorsed this, though expanding upon it, recognising how difficult the precise request might be for most ringers and if you are happy to do so I would urge as many towers as possible to show their solidarity with our friends across the English Channel. It would also be an opportunity to show how important bells can be in helping people cope with circumstances such as these. Although many will understandably perhaps consider it more important to be ringing for Easter rather than the bricks and mortar of a cathedral.
With it being traditional for church bells to remain silent during Holy Week, there will be some debate as to whether bells should be rung for this, but mini-rings to at least allow the exercise to continue and that was in evidence with the quarter-peal of Double Norwich Court Bob Major at The Millbeck Ring in Shelland.
Meanwhile, a reminder that names for tea for the Suffolk Guild AGM at St Matthew’s church in Ipswich on Saturday 27th April need to be in by next Monday, the 22nd. Please do come and support those who are putting so much time and effort into this event. There are proposed rule changes in regards to subscriptions and a new Public Relations Officer to elect, but also many friends to meet and make, ringing at towers across the county town, time for reflection in the service and that tea to consume! It should be easy enough to get there, whether it be by train, bus, Park & Ride and even in the car and details of parking and transport have been released, along with the agenda. Rowan Wilson will be chairing the occasion for the first time and so I’m sure she will appreciate as much support as possible and knowing her I expect the meeting itself will be pushed along where appropriate, aided by much being available to take in ahead of time, such as the officers’ reports.
By that point I hope that many towers within our borders will have shown their solidarity with Notre Dame.
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In one respect, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris is the bane of the lives of change-ringers, with “the bells, the bells” and the hunchback. Yet of course we all watched as horrified as the rest of the world at the images this evening of this famous landmark burning ferociously and seemingly out of control. Perhaps even more horrified than most. For all that this week change-ringing has been introduced to France with the hanging of ten bells in Vernet-les-Bains, the bells at Notre Dame are not hung for the type of ringing we do and yet I couldn’t help but relate the dreadful events by the River Seine to the places familiar to me where I tend to carry out my ringing. It would be a dreadful scenario to see St Mary-le-Tower, Pettistree or Grundisburgh going up in smoke for example and such thoughts did flash across my mind as we watched flames licking up through the louvres of famous towers.
Thank God that within minutes of it being announced that there was a real danger of the building being completely destroyed, positive reports began coming through that the blaze had been brought under control, but I imagine there will be years of painstaking and expensive refurbishment and rebuilding ahead.
One of the striking reactions to the disaster was the sound of bells across the French capital ringing out in solidarity with the stricken building in Holy Week, a time when bells are usually silent, but as is typical for this week every year, the bells of St Mary-le-Tower weren’t being rung and so therefore there was no practice for me to make, as will be the case at many towers across Suffolk leading up to the Easter weekend.
Let us pray that the bells of Notre Dame will be ringing out sooner rather than later.
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It was a day of ringing socialising, but no actual ringing for us today.
With the boys having been out very late for them last night, it only seemed fair to give them a lay-in and so Ruthie wandered up to St Mary the Virgin’s (benefitting part of the way from a generous lift from Elaine ‘Mrs Roger’ Townsend who was on her way to ringing at Rushmere St Andrew) to carry out her choral duties, whilst I allowed the trio of brothers (and myself!) a gentle and leisurely wake-up, before we were taken by taxi back to Clopton Village Hall to retrieve the car from its overnight resting place.
Having just about recovered from yesterday’s celebrations, a weekend of socialising was completed with the annual St Mary-le-Tower Dinner. For the last few years we have held this at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club, with little complaint, but they say that a change is as good as a break and so we returned to where we held it before our regular trips to the coast for this special meal, Fynn Valley Golf Club. And what a difference since last time we were here! We found ourselves in brand new facilities that a lot of us didn’t even know were being built. They were light and airy, and – a major plus compared to FFGC – a room to ourselves, allowing us to fully unwind without disturbing others. We found ourselves on what was unintentionally the ‘Rambling Ringers’ table with Claire and Ian Culham, Stephen Cheek, Jill and Society President Chris Birkby eating, drinking and conversing with us, but there was much mingling between the three tables and especially the children present as they ran free outside together, though Joshua ran a little too free as I had to briefly retrieve him from the golf course!
Good food was enjoyed in good company and it was particularly lovely to see Don & Helen Price who we hadn’t seen for over a year and George Pipe. Well done and thank you to Amanda Richmond for arranging it! This was a wonderful way to spend an afternoon.
The only disappointment was that we couldn’t hang around for long at the end, but it was for a nice reason as we were looking after and feeding the boys’ cousins Katelynn and Anna whilst their mother went to work, bringing the day to an exciting crescendo for the children!
Meanwhile, it was a busy day for Suffolk’s bells, with three quarter-peals and a peal rung in the county. A 1260 of Doubles was rung at Redgrave, whilst the 1282 of Yorkshire Surprise Royal at The Norman Tower and 1320 of Allendale Surprise Minor at Great Finborough were firsts in the methods for Deborah Blumfield and Josephine Beever respectively – well done Deborah and Josephine! And the second-Sunday peal at Aldeburgh was – as it usually is – a first in the method for the entire band and the SGR, with the method in question on this occasion being Tyburn Surprise Major.
I’m glad that someone was making up for our lack of ringing whilst we were socialising!
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We seem to be riding the gamut of life events this month. A funeral, birthday party and today a wedding. It wasn’t a ringers’ wedding, but rather one between a couple at St Mary the Virgin in Woodbridge who we have got to know very well, Charlotte and Gregory. However, bells were mentioned in dispatches as due to an unfortunate clash of dates that saw the Woodbridge ringers on their annual outing, on this occasion to North Essex there was a danger that there might not be any ringing. With the happy couple really wanting bells for their big day, we had no hesitation – with local Ringing Master Bruce Wakefield’s permission of course – therefore in arranging a band for the occasion. Thank you very much to Chris & Jill Birkby, Chris & Mary Garner, Pippa Moss and Elaine Townsend for joining us in providing the important backdrop to our friends’ big day – they were extremely grateful.
In addition to our efforts up in the ringing chamber, Ruthie also sang a solo with ‘her’ choir, before we headed on to the reception at Clopton Village Hall and several hours of afternoon tea, speeches, play for the many children and much dancing. It’s been a long time since we’ve had the opportunity to let our hair down to this extent! The boys did brilliantly, keeping going until our taxi arrived at ten and even until we finally got home to put them to bed.
It did mean that I was unable to ring in the peal at The Norman Tower, but I was delighted to see that it was scored. Well done to Nathan Colman on making his peal-ringing debut of Maximus and to young Jimmy Yeoman who was ringing his first blows of Yorkshire Surprise Maximus. For the latter it completed an impressive week that started with his first peal of Maximus in an extremely noteworthy performance of Bristol Surprise Maximus at Birmingham Cathedral and then partook in a 5120 of eight-spliced Surprise Major at Meldreth in Cambridgeshire yesterday. This is a very talented young chap.
Congratulations as well to Nathan’s father Julian who preceded the peal with his 250th Park Run. Super stamina Mr Colman Senior!
That wasn’t the only success on the county’s bells today either, with a handbell peal rung in Bacton and a quarter-peal of Turramurra Surprise Major was rung at Bardwell and was the first in the method for Dee Smith, Martin Kitson, Francis Herne and conductor Christian Burrell – well done to them all!
And as we prepared ourselves for the matrimonial festivities ahead this morning, we took in a report on BBC Breakfast, which raised the subject of ringing as a sport again, sending sports presenter Mike Bushell – who usually tries out new or unusual ‘sports’ for the show - out to Wokingham to speak with John Harrison, who many will recall spoke at the fringe meeting at 2012’s Suffolk Guild AGM, before then interviewing Dickon Love in the studio afterwards, all starting at about 8.40am. Sadly it is no longer on iPlayer, but for those on Facebook the interview is on the Bellringers page (Scoll down to ‘Dikon Love’. Ed.) and there is a video of some of it on YouTube, though only a recording of it playing on someone’s TV. Hopefully someone will find a way of sharing the full piece online for all to watch, because – putting aside the debate about whether ringing should be a sport or not – this was a superb bit of PR, with both John and Dickon speaking wonderfully.
Meanwhile, the official confirmation this afternoon of Ipswich Town’s relegation to the third tier of English football for the first time in sixty-two years felt like a major life event for us Tractor Boys. It may have been inevitable (see my New Year’s Day blog for example) and in the scheme of things pretty insignificant (apart from job losses at the club and the detrimental effect to the local economy), but it was rather a sad occasion. Thank God we had a happy life event to celebrate today.
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Well done to outgoing Suffolk Guild Public Relations Officer Neal Dodge on another great bit of PR for ringing within our borders, this time in regards to Suffolk Day on Friday 21st June, as he spoke to Mark Murphy’s stand-in Wayne Bavin on the morning show of the county’s local BBC radio station today. Wayne is a bit more commercial in his outlook (though eminently likeable) and so it was actually quite a tricky interview for Neal when trying to get across the technicalities of the exercise as Wayne fell into just about every stereotypical hole he could’ve, but Mr Dodge handled it brilliantly I felt.
It is another reminder that he will need to be replaced at this year’s SGR AGM in Ipswich on Saturday 27th April and so whilst hopefully someone has been lined-up to continue his good work, if you feel you could help – or know someone who you feel could – then please do let those at the head of the Guild know, such as Chairman Rowan Wilson, Secretary the Revd Carl Melville or Ringing Master Tom Scase.
Tom meanwhile was conducting a quarter-peal of Little Bob Major at Helmingham. Which can’t be bad PR for Suffolk ringing.
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Second Thursdays when I’m on early shifts generally mean that Ruthie and I don’t see much of each other. The first opportunity we get to meet is after she has finished work, when she promptly heads off to choir practice and to the Surprise Major session at Ufford, held on this week as the usual Tuesday practice is forsaken with the W.I. meeting next door. An example of a tower working with the local community.
Her presence was worth it for partaking in a productive get-together and was followed by a visit from her mother Kate with an incubator and some eggs. It was an egg-cellent way to finish a second Thursday.
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A real rarity today as Ruthie and I not only rang with each other, but rang a quarter-peal together, as I answered a call for help from mother-in-law Kate. She had had very little sleep last night as she had been called out twice on behalf of E.B.Button, one of which was quite a protracted affair and so understandably she didn’t feel in a fit state to go for a QP attempt of multiple Surprise Minor methods. Therefore, she offered to look after the boys whilst we popped out to ring what proved to be a successful 1440 of six Surprise Minor methods – a 720 of Lightfoot, Rossendale, Stamford and Wearmouth, followed by a further 720, this time of Cambridge and Ipswich, thus bringing the number of methods Mike Cowling and I have rung together over the last couple of days to eleven – rung before the weekly practice at Pettistree. It was a good effort and a relief too after two unsuccessful attempts in recent weeks, with mistakes minimal and dealt with quickly.
The reason why this is such a rarity is due in no small part to what happened precisely five years ago, when Alfred John Munnings was born and so earlier we celebrated the day by taking him and Joshua to Framlingham Castle for a dinosaur egg hunt, a fun way to explore this wonderful piece of history, as we delved into the museum, had some cake in the café and walked along the top of the ancient walls, taking in the fantastic views across this lovely little town and the surrounding countryside, including the imposing church tower that houses a 16cwt eight. And our visit was only enhanced by bumping into fellow St Mary-le-Tower ringer and Past Suffolk Guild Ringing Master Amanda Richmond!
However, whilst we enjoyed our quarter this evening, we weren’t in the position to hang around for the session that followed upon the ground-floor six, so instead we picked up Grandad Ron and enjoyed a cuppa back at home with him, Kate and the boys as Alfie showed off his presents.
Meanwhile, Ipswich Town took one step closer to officially being relegated with a defeat. That is not a rarity.
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In my (much!) younger ringer days, there were no bells hung for change-ringing on the vast Felixstowe Peninsula. If you travelled as far east as the rings of bells in Ipswich Town entre and Rushmere St Andrew, there was nothing from a ringing perspective between you and the North Sea. It always seemed a pity.
That has long changed and I have delighted in ringing on the wonderful 5cwt ground-floor six at Falkenham and lovely 7cwt eight rung from the cosy ringing chamber in the red brick tower of the Victorian church of St John-the-Baptist in Felixstowe on many occasions, but whilst I rang a peal on the former way back in 2006 (with some girl called Ruth Eagle – whatever happened to her?), I hadn’t rung one on the octave of the latter. Until today that is, as I partook in a 5184 of five Surprise Major methods, which also seems to have been the first peal of spliced on the bells. Although my revelation that this was my peal-ringing debut on these surprised the rest of the band and local Brian Aldous, none of who would have been as shocked if I’d said I was once a woman.
Having only usually had the chance to snatch brief rings on these bells in between climbing up and down the staircase to relieve whoever was looking after the children downstairs whilst I was ringing (though I did once attend a Friday night practice here when I was Guild Ringing Master without such responsibilities), it was great to fully appreciate how nice these bells are over the 2hrs42mins that took in Bristol, Cambridge, Lincolnshire, Rutland and Yorkshire Surprise Major.
With the fifth anniversary of Alfie’s birth tomorrow, the peal of five methods was of course especially arranged for him and the occasion of the forthcoming landmark and I am extremely grateful for my fellow band members for taking the time to travel out – in most cases quite some distance – to ring at this far extreme of Suffolk. The peal itself perhaps didn’t flow quite as much as I hoped, but flew by – always a good sign – and at many times saw some tremendous ringing.
To demonstrate their generosity in giving over of time, afterwards David Rothera headed straight off for London to attend the College Youths practice, whilst Brian Whiting was going to The Norman Tower for their weekly session, with Offton practice cancelled tonight due to a lack of numbers – it is worth noting that there won’t be a practice there next Tuesday either due to it being Holy Week.
‘Bunny’ did find time to join us briefly for refreshment in The Owl & Pussycat across town, as we relaxed post-ringing and I reflected on how nice it is to have such good bells to peal on the Felixstowe Peninsula.
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Having not made it to last week’s session, it was my first opportunity this year to enjoy arriving at St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly practice in daylight following the recent change of the clocks.
It wasn’t just the light evening that sent me into the ringing chamber in an upbeat fashion. It was pleasant stood on the stairs waiting to come in overlooking the rooftops of Ipswich listening to ringing going on and I was then greeted with a super turnout of about twenty-five that included visits from Nathan Colman, London ringer Peter Emery up this way to prepare his boat and George Vant making his first return since moving to the South Coast last summer, bringing a ringing friend with him who we were very pleased to welcome.
Again, the only downside was news about Nigel Newton’s condition in Spain. The hoped for move to a hospital in Seville which would be a stepping stone to a transfer back to the UK has been delayed by a blood clot and so we continue to pray for a safe return for him.
Hopefully he will be buoyed by news of a positive evening back at SMLT, although I couldn’t top it off with a drink at The Cricketers as with another early start at work tomorrow it was back home for an early night, but this was a fun evening at a welcoming practice in a jovial atmosphere. If you would like to join us next Monday, we won’t be ringing as it is Holy Week, but there are plans afoot for a session on the evening of Easter Monday in a fortnight, so please join us then and enjoy arriving in the daylight!
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It was an operation akin to organising a wedding in miniature, but it was worth it as Alfie and eighteen of his peers and other hangers on like his brothers and cousins partied away noisily in anticipation of the forthcoming fifth anniversary of his birth, as Pettistree Village Hall shook to the sound of disco and games organised by Awesome Abi who lived up to her name! Whilst she was carrying out her duties, we – with the help of Ruthie’s sister Clare, her mother Kate and Grandad Ron – prepared food, made cups of tea and hosted the parents that like us are used to doing the circuit of watching children’s parties. It was lovely too that my Mum and Dad could come along, but most of all that Alfred had a good time. He was particularly pleased to come away laden with lots of presents!
On the way back, we passed Peter Harper travelling the other way to the village we had just left for a quarter-peal very kindly dedicated to AJM’s forthcoming landmark, as well as the birthdays of former local ringer Molly Waterson and conductor Mike Whitby’s granddaughter Eliza – thank you guys!
It wasn’t the only quarter-peal today within our borders recorded on BellBoard, with a 1264 of Plain Bob Major rung at Bures and a 1440 of Cambridge Surprise Royal was completed at The Norman Tower in addition to that success on the ground-floor six.
And earlier, I had managed to fit in some ringing before the party, helping man the bells at St Mary-le-Tower and St Lawrence in Ipswich, although having promised the boys a visit to Costa Coffee afterwards, there wasn’t enough time to get to Grundisburgh too. It was a decent morning of ringing, both at the former and the latter where a touch of Stedman Doubles was rung amongst much amusement, but our ringing today was overshadowed by the sorry news that SMLT ringer Nigel Newton has suffered a dreadful fall on his bike whilst cycling in Spain, smashing his pelvis in the process. He is currently in a Spanish hospital awaiting transfer to Seville and in good hands therefore, but our thoughts are with him, with uncertainty about how and when he’ll get back to the UK.
God willing he will be back in the country soon and ringing again in the not too distant future.
And hopefully we can relax a bit now Alfie’s party is done and dusted!
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Another Saturday, another ‘experience’. This time it was for Ruthie’s sister Clare and it was less high octane than a week ago, as she took my wife along with her to the luxurious Seckford Hall for a few hours of pampering that included facials, massages, spas and afternoon tea, whilst I had a less relaxing but nonetheless joyous day with the three boys and earlier I collected the spectacular birthday cake for Alfie’s planned party tomorrow.
It was an upbeat day, but it precluded us from heading to Norwich for the South-East District Training Day at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre and then ringing at St Giles across the city afterwards. Still, it seems to have been a good day out, judging by reports from those who were there and the pictures taken.
Meanwhile, well done to former resident Suffolk Guild member Maggie Ross on ringing her first peal of Avon Delight Maximus at St Magnus-the-Martyr in London today. One of my fondest memories of my time ringing in Birmingham was arriving at St Philip’s Cathedral for a peal attempt of this to find the late, great Peter Border’s giant frame hunched over a piece of paper with the line on it.
“Boy”, he said to me, “I invented this method, but I can’t remember a blinking thing about it!”
It may have been in his final years when his powers of recollection were sadly lacking, but if the originator of this super method and one of the exercise’s greatest found this a stretch then it is a considerable achievement for anyone.
To top a good day, even Ipswich Town won. Now that is an experience.
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A quarter-peal of Plain Bob Minor by the FNQPC was rung at the lovely gallery-ring 9cwt six of Earl Stonham, but that seems to have been the only ringing performance in Suffolk recorded on BellBoard today.
Ringing – as has become the norm on a Friday evening – had to take a side step for us with the gathering of family members from five different locations for the weekend and so instead it was a game of random BB selection to liven the evening up. My first three selections can be found here, here and here. I can’t wait to some more actual ringing!
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Almost exactly a month ago, mother’s sister Janet, an aunt to Chris and I sadly passed away. In a sense it was a relief, as she had been suffering from Motor neurone disease for over a year, a debilitating illness for anyone, but especially for someone who so loved walking and travelling. Of course though, there is much sadness that she was inflicted with it at all as it drew to a premature end an active life that otherwise may have had many more years to enjoy. She was someone we enjoyed spending time with and she featured frequently on here, when we visited Lincolnshire to see her and Uncle Mick and when they came here to Suffolk, including a lovely meet-up at Ickworth House a few months after Alfie was born. She loved visiting stately homes.
Today’s funeral in Thrapston, where she and her sisters Carol and our Mum Sally grew up was therefore an important occasion to help celebrate her life as well as meet with family not often seen, such as our cousin Emma and particularly Janet’s son Anthony who for many years has lived on the continent.
And it was a lovely service. I was privileged to read the eulogy, which mother had written, whilst my younger sibling read a poem very well and following the burial at the town’s cemetery and visit to our grandparents and great grandparents graves nearby, we all headed off to the wake at the local bowls club, with views across to the splendid tower of the neighbouring village of Islip, home to a 12cwt six. Although a serious incident nearby involving police cordons and the two major roads through this otherwise bustling but laid back little town – Huntingdon Road and Market Road – being closed could have very easily scuppered our plans!
It was a lovely send-off for a lovely lady. The only pity from an arrangement point-of-view was that we didn’t get the opportunity to ring on the eight bells here that my brother and I had our first handling lessons on thirty years ago. Although we had enough, with Ruthie and Becky also there, as well as local ringers - and good friends of the family - Len and Lesley Hallifax to man the octave, practicalities meant that there wasn’t a chance to do any ringing on this occasion.
Elsewhere they were busier. Less than ten miles away from where we were, a peal was rung at Barton Seagrave on a busy day of peal-ringing in Northamptonshire generally, whilst back in Suffolk, well done to Kate Gill on ringing her first quarter-peal of Norwich Surprise Minor in the Ladies Guild success at Worlingham and to Ben Keating on ringing his first of Minor inside in the 1260 of Plain Bob at Great Barton. Congratulations also to Sally – who rang in the latter – and Tony Veal on their thirty-second wedding anniversary!
We didn’t make it back in time for any ringing though, but we were glad to have made the lengthy journey to see Aunty Janet off.
May she Rest In Peace.
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Whilst Ruthie enjoyed an evening at a Pettistree practice preceded by a quarter-peal attempt for former Suffolk Guild Secretary Mary Garner’s birthday and followed by her very generously standing the ringers a drink each in The Greyhound in celebration of the occasion, I had a lovely night in with the boys. There are benefits to nights in!
Meanwhile, a 1260 of Cambridge Surprise Minor was rung on the back six at Horringer, whilst yesterday a QP of Plain Bob Doubles was rung at Easton in memory of Tower Captain John Newson who sadly passed away on 23rd March.
Back at the session my wife attended tonight, a good attendance rang more Surprise Minor – amongst much else – on a positive night.
Happy Birthday Mary!
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I’ve heard of it and seen clips of it, but tonight I watched Agatha Raisin episode Hells Bells in its entirety for the first time, years after most will probably have taken it in. Frankly the ringing scenes were the most laughable I have ever seen, but of course that is from a ringer’s perspective. And the cringeworthy ringing aside, I actually enjoyed it and found the episode quite amusing in its own right. It is worth reiterating before ringers splutter into their coffee and rant at length to Points of View, the main purpose of such shows is entertainment rather than accurate representation that most of their audience wouldn’t appreciate. Still, it is a pity that they couldn’t have done a better job of representing the exercise.
Anyone considering using ringing in any future programming would have benefitted from watching the art in full flow at places like Offton, where this evening a quarter-peal was rung before the weekly practice.
At least they were doing it properly!
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I can’t tell you how many orders for left-handed bellropes were made or hoax performances were put on BellBoard this morning, although I was amused about the story of the new lightweight spire being put on the central tower of Lincoln Cathedral.
With me on a late shift and otherwise occupied with shopping for party bag contents, I was spared any potential practical jokes however. That late shift did mean there was no time for any ringing this evening and therefore no St Mary-le-Tower, but there was ringing elsewhere in Suffolk today, with a quarter-peal of Plain Bob Minor rung at Brandon.
Meanwhile, as we enter the month of Easter, Holy Week will be starting in a couple of weeks. This is when many towers will lie silent due to tradition, although personally I feel it would be more appropriate to ring more or ring differently, such as half-muffled. How many members of the public actually notice us not ringing? Nonetheless, it is what it is and so towers like SMLT won’t be ringing on the evening of Monday 15th April and if history is anything to go by, The Norman Tower will refrain from practicing the following night. Yet Pettistree usually ring on the Wednesday of Holy Week (Ringing as usual, 7 - 9pm. Ed.). Therefore, it is well worth checking with a tower you are planning on going to or indeed that you aren’t going to in order to check if ringing is on or not! To travel a long distance to ring at a tower that wasn’t ringing would be no joke...
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Following six consecutive very early starts, one of the last things I wanted this morning was to lose an hour of sleep, but I have to admit that the extra sixty minutes of daylight in the evening – especially on a bright sunny day like today – are an uplifting occurrence.
For all that it seemed unfortunate for mothers on Mothering Sunday to be deprived of more sleep on the morning of ‘their’ day, we tried to make the day as special as possible for the mothers in our life. Having helped Alfie and Joshua to deliver their gifts and cards to Ruthie in bed and made her a cuppa, I dropped Mason off at his mother’s and then headed to St Mary-le-Tower specially to pass cards to my Mum. Then, having been to church at St Mary’s in Woodbridge to join my wife at the service, we gathered together at the home of sister and brother-in-law Clare and Kev for surprise afternoon tea for mater-in-law Kate, with all the food made by her daughters. And quite superb it was too – well done Ruthie and Clare!
It was the highlight of a very upbeat day, with ringing at SMLT decent and the first sight of actual hard copies of the Annual Report as South-East District Secretary Abby Antrobus brought a collection for distribution ahead of the Guild AGM in just under four weeks time. The digital version on the website is brilliant, especially when getting the printed copies physically out to all members ahead of the meeting can be logistically challenging, but it is nice to see the actually hard copy itself! If you are able to get them out where others might not be able to, then please do!
I look forward to having a proper read when I’ve had a bit more sleep!
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Ruthie will testify to the frustrating truth that whenever I am asked what I would like for my birthday or Christmas, I generally shrug my shoulders and mumble incoherently along the lines of “I don’t know”. I am generally pretty content with my lot and so nothing material particularly springs to mind when friends and family very kindly ask what I would like for a present.
However, especially in the last year, I have been the delighted recipient of some wonderful “thinking outside the box” gifts. I absolutely loved the weekend away and brewery tour of Adnams in Southwold that my wife so generously arranged for the fortieth anniversary of my birth, whilst dinner with Ipswich Town legend John Wark and sponsorship of what is still (following this afternoon’s 2-0 loss at home to Hull City) one of only two victories for the Tractor Boys at Portman Road this season and the only one of 2019 thus far was also very special.
This morning I enjoyed something also generously gifted to me over the festive period three months ago, this time by mother-in-law Kate and Ron, as I undertook an exhilarating driving experience at Carver Barracks near Saffron Walden. It required an early start on par with the last five at work this week, but the spirits were lifted as we passed through the pretty north Essex town and in particular the stunning church of St Mary-the-Virgin where only last month Mrs Munnings and myself won the George W Pipe Twelve-Bell Competition with St Mary-le-Tower. And the experience that followed was entirely worth it as I drove two laps each in a BMW i8, Aston Martin and Nissan GTR round the track accompanied by an instructor, as well as being a passenger in an exhilarating ride driven by a professional. Having never driven cars of this standard before, it felt as daunting as before peals that I have rung at St Paul’s Cathedral and York Minster or any of the National Twelve-Bell Finals I have been fortunate to partake in, but the further I drove the more confident I got. Although I think it is probably the first time I have ever been told to speed up when driving!
Ruthie and Mason very patiently watched on, although the twelve-year-old boy was captivated by the loud engines, fast cars and exhibitions of doughnuts and handbrake turns, before we returned to Kate’s for tea, a drink out in the sunbathed garden and recounting of my adventures.
Meanwhile, it was a very quiet day for quarter-peals and peals in Suffolk, but ringers from within our borders were notably busier, especially Laura Davies, Stephen Pettman and Louis Suggett who were ringing in the first quarter-peal on tower bells in the Verona Diocese in Italy, with a 1260 of Grandsire Doubles at Pastrengo.
Now that might be an experience to ask for as a present next time round!
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It’s rare that we get out on a Friday night, whether that be to ringing or anywhere else. Once everyone in our household has been gathered together for the weekend from five different locations, there simply isn’t enough time once little people have been readied for bed too.
Three of us managed it this evening though as Alfie, Mason and myself attended a bingo night to raise funds for the former’s school and a jolly good night out it was too. Having initially struggled to keep up (it has been many years since I last played and I didn’t catch that what we were after was to complete mathematical symbols on our cards!) in a lively hall that included quite a few excitable older pupils, I quite enjoyed it, although Alfred was upset at not winning anything.
Afterwards, we returned to our home for the evening, with mother-in-law Kate very kindly putting us up ahead of looking after the younger brothers whilst their eldest sibling, Ruthie and myself have a very early start in the morning.
Elsewhere in Suffolk, others were getting out too, with a trio of quarter-peals rung on bells in the county today. Well done to Sarah Plummer and Peter Lock on ringing their first QP of Beverley Surprise Minor in the 1272 at the ground-floor six of Blythburgh, but there were also QPs of Major, with a 1264 of Plain Bob rung at Henley and 1250 of Yorkshire Surprise at Ixworth.
Lovely to see lots of us ringers getting out and about, in one way or another.
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It is a sign of where we find ourselves in life that instead of being out ringing – most likely at Grundisburgh practice – and then imbibing afterwards, we were at home, as the boys slept upstairs, searching online for party bags ahead of the planned celebrations for the forthcoming anniversary of Alfie’s birth. God willing it will all be worth it.
It was therefore a quiet day on the ringing front personally, but also it seems across Suffolk, at least as far as quarter-peals and peals are concerned, with nothing from the county’s bells recorded on BellBoard.
There are hopefully busier days of ringing ahead as we should – if the normal order of proceedings in the calendar occurs – head into April. The Beccles Ten-Bell Practice is due to take place next Wednesday evening for example and whilst I believe that places are now all taken for the South-East District’s Training Day at the superb new facilities at the Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre in Norwich on Saturday 6th, SE Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson may still be on the lookout for experienced help. On the same day a memorial service will be held for Buster Crouch at Horringer, with open ringing either side. All being well, Bungay will host an Eight-Bell Practice on the evening of Monday 8th and then the Second Tuesday Ringing the following day, with the latter also planning on going to Ditchingham just across the border in Norfolk. Meanwhile, the North-West District Practice on the morning of Saturday 13th is pencilled in for Barrow, and the Helmingham Monthly Practice for Friday 19th from 7.30-9pm, before the month is due to be rounded off with the Guild AGM in Ipswich on Saturday 27th. Please do support whatever you possibly can. Despite the wonderful place we find ourselves in life, we hope to get along to as much as we can.
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Ruthie was mildly despondent on her return from Pettistree this evening. At its root was the second loss in three weeks of a quarter-peal attempt of four Surprise Minor methods spliced. The quartet of lines are essentially one. London below the treble and Norwich above the treble. Two of them are Wells below the treble, which is simply London but with a couple of the places altered. That brace of methods are Stamford and Wearmouth, with the former being Norwich above the treble, the latter being Westminster above the treble, although the only difference happens to be that in the first someone makes sixths at the lead end (as in Plain Hunt) and in the second someone makes seconds over the treble at the lead end with the other four bells dodging in 3-4 and 5-6 (as in Plain Bob). Correspondingly, Rossendale and Lightfoot have the same relationship to each other as the above, only the line below the treble is unadulterated London.
It is simpler than it seems in the paragraph above, but when all spliced together in a QP at the end of a long day, it isn’t surprising that it can catch a band out and so it was again this evening. Still, it is but part of a longer-term concerted effort to increase the Surprise Minor repertoire at this ground-floor six that will be aided by tonight’s experience and concerted practicing.
And generally it was apparently a more upbeat occasion than when I went a week ago, with more attending the ringing and many more people in The Greyhound afterwards!
Despite the loss here, there was a success on Suffolk bells with
a 1260 of
Bryn Bob Minor rung at Great Finborough being the first in the method for
the entire band – well done all!
Nothing to be despondent about there!
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The recent George W Pipe Twelve-Bell Competition and Saturday’s National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest eliminators have whetted my appetite for striking competition season domestically. God willing there will sunny days mingling with friends new and well-established, listening to good ringing in picturesque locations. Again I urge as many bands as possible to take part. Firstly because the atmosphere at these gets better and better with each band that adds its name to the competition, but also because is a really fun way of focusing on striking. It is one thing to get through a piece of ringing, but another to ring it well. Anyone who is friends with Cambridgeshire ringer Sue Marsden on Facebook and heard that video clip today of some pretty dreadful striking from a visiting band at a tower she happened to be in earshot of will know what I mean. Although we should be striving to ring as well as we possibly can every time, it naturally doesn’t happen all the time, especially at practices where ringers will be trying new things out. It is often at striking contests where ringers seem to pull their best ringing out of the top draw and it is a wonderful feeling.
Particularly if you have never entered a team, then do consider one for the planned six-bell competitions for the Mitson Shield or Lester Brett Call-Change Trophy at Polstead and/or the eight-bell for the Rose Trophy at Lavenham on Saturday 18th May, as well as in your District contest. For the record, the South-East’s is pencilled in at Sproughton on 4th May, the North-East’s is at Theberton a week later and the South-West’s at Little Cornard on 22nd June. Forget all you’ve been told about the same teams winning over and over. Six different teams have won the Mitson Shield in the last fifteen years (only four different teams have won English football’s Premier League title in the same period for comparison). Forget all you’ve been told about ringers ringing for several teams. Some – Ruthie and myself included – sometimes ring for two teams to enable ringers from those towers to also partake, but I can’t think of anyone off the top of my head who has rung for more than that and it is generally frowned upon. Just let put your entry in!
No ringing for us personally today though. However, I did note with sadness the passing of Tony Parry. Although I never knew Tony, I am eternally grateful to him for setting up Campanophile, the forerunner to BellBoard. Not just because it makes it easier to report ringers activities through this blog, but for the way it changed the sharing of ringing performances. Many readers of this will recall how different things were before his site appeared, but younger readers may find it difficult to comprehend that not all that long ago, one often didn’t find out about a peal or quarter until several weeks after it happened when it appeared in The Ringing World. In the case of columns and columns of tightly packed QP reports in the RW, you might not even notice it. I expect for this and his part in the formation of the now thriving Central European Association will mean that more will be said in the coming days, but on this occasion my attention was brought to his passing via a reference to a piece on the Cambridge District – where he did his early ringing – of the Ely DA website. Having suffered from Motor Neuron Disease which ultimately led to the demise of Campanophile but more pertinently robbed him of quality of life over a decade-long period of time, I hope he now rests in peace.
Thanks to his efforts, I was able to note that the pre-practice quarter-peal at Offton and a 5088 of Cooktown Orchid Delight Major at Ixworth were both successful today. Hopefully good practice for striking competition entries.
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Following this morning’s very early shift at work, I had a pretty productive afternoon. Washing was hung up to dry, more put on, hung up to dry and more put on. The dishwasher was emptied and loaded again. The weekly shop was done and at a satisfyingly low price. And a couple of jacket potatoes were bunged in the oven and ready for when the boys and Ruthie and returned from their places of education and work.
All of which meant that unusually I got to the early part of St Mary-le-Tower practice and enabled me to watch our young learner Karina treble to some Grandsire Doubles. She has trebled to Doubles already apparently, but it was the first time I had witnessed it and I was impressed with her control generally. She has – I believe – also been to sessions at St Margaret’s and Sproughton, but we are aware that Monday nights at SMLT amongst the ten and twelve-bell ringing that is understandably the main focus of the evening isn’t the ideal occasion to teach a learner and so her progress is all the more noteworthy. Much credit has to go to Past Suffolk Guild Ringing Master Amanda Richmond and current South-East District Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson for guiding her.
She was arguably the one who came out of tonight with the most credit over a couple of hours where nothing really went all that well. There was plenty of endeavour, but we were missing a handful of ringers and generally speaking it was just one of those nights and in the scheme of things a mere blip. God willing the next time will be as productive as my afternoon!
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How many bellringers does it require to fix a fence?
Well, on this occasion, three, plus an honorary non-ringing ringer and two young sons of ringers. With the recent period of very windy weather taking its toll on a rotten fence post and despite our neighbour’s kind patience in putting up with our fencing panels laying on his lawn, this afternoon we welcomed mother-in-law Kate and Grandad Ron to lead the way in putting new posts up and secure the once stricken fencing. With pleasant conditions aiding our efforts we were even able to overcome an abundance of concrete we hadn’t been expecting and a productive job was completed before Ruthie headed off for afternoon tea at Milsoms in Kesgrave with her work colleagues.
Earlier, the boys and I had been to morning service ringing at St Mary-le-Tower and Grundisburgh sandwiching a visit to Costa Coffee. At the former we peaked at Yorkshire Surprise Maximus in the presence of George Pipe, at the latter it was nice to see Bredfield ringers Vince Buckman, Ann and Michael Pilgrim who considerably boosted the numbers.
Elsewhere in Suffolk meanwhile, there were a trio of quarter-peals rung on the county’s bells, with a 1282 of Yorkshire Surprise Royal rung at The Norman Tower, 1280 of Double Norwich Court Bob Major at St Margaret’s in Ipswich and 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles at Kersey. Requiring twenty-four ringers.
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A logistically challenging day of partying today as we aimed to get Alfie to two parties occurring simultaneously this afternoon.
One was a celebration of the marriage of the brother of mother-in-law Kate Eagle’s brother – and therefore Ruthie’s uncle – Colin (or Wob as he is affectionately named in the family) to his other half Ali. The actual ceremony was a low-key event held yesterday and attended by close family, so this afternoon’s reception at Sutton Village Hall was for the wider family and friends and was a nice opportunity to catch up with my wife’s family and for the many children gathered to play in the park adjoining the hall.
The other was back in Woodbridge for the birthday of Alfred’s best friend from school Jed, an occasion that it would have been very sad for AJM not to attend. There was a superheroes theme and so the boy went dressed up as Batman to be entertained by a Wonder Woman and Spiderman.
In the end, there was enough time to enjoy the former before I then took the middle son to his mate’s party, before returning to collect the rest of my family and then gathering up the partygoer and thus getting the best of both parties!
There was plenty of partying going on in Bristol, Leeds and London too, as the three eliminators for the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest took place on this pleasant spring day. Congratulations to the Ancient Society of College Youths, Birmingham, Bristol, Cambridge, Leeds, Melbourne, Oxford, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Society of Royal Cumberland Youths on qualifying to join hosts Exeter at the city’s Cathedral in the final on 22nd June. Particular congratulations to former Suffolk Guild resident member Molly Waterson on getting through with Bristol, but there were many with local connections taking part, such as George and Di Pipe’s nephew David and great-nephews Alfie and Henry and one-time Norman Tower regular Phil Wilding on getting through with Cambridge and one-time SMLT ringer Ian Mills on his success with the Cumberlands. Commiserations meanwhile to Stephen Pettman’s brother-in-law Peter Hill on their nonetheless valiant efforts with Hursley and our friends from Norwich – including former St Mary-le-Tower Ringing Master Simon Rudd – on just missing out at St Mary-le-Bow.
It is a timely reminder to all bands across the SGR to consider entering one of the striking competitions within our borders over the coming months. As things stand, it all kicks off at Sproughton for the South-East District competition on Saturday 4th May, with the North-East District planning on competing at Theberton a week later, whilst on the same day as many will be converging upon the South-West of England to compete for the Taylor Trophy, the South-West District of the Suffolk Guild are due to compete at Little Cornard. And the Guild Competitions are pencilled in for Polstead on the morning of the 18th May and Lavenham in the afternoon.
Every year I urge as many towers as possible to enter teams into their District and/or Guild contest and again I do so this year. When lots of bands enter, the atmosphere is wonderful and it really makes it worthwhile the judges travelling in, sometimes from quite some distance. Judging is pretty much always presented as guidance rather than criticism, the number of ringers taking part in multiple teams is vastly reduced from previous years and as Pakenham, The Wolery, Pettistree, Grundisburgh and Rendham have shown in recent years in the Mitson Shield, anyone can win, before you even get on to the call-change competitions which offer further silverware. Please do encourage your band to have a go and get in touch with Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase for more details.
And regardless of how you get on, have a party for the occasion!
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Last night was probably the worst night for sleep we’ve had since Joshua’s first few months as he kept us awake with his obvious discomfort at a cough he has, all a nasty throwback to those early sleep-deprived times. It meant we felt in a bit of a daze all day, although the late shift at work helped a little.
Thank goodness we weren’t required in any of the ringing performances on bells in Suffolk today then. Well done to Tracey and Robert Scase on ringing their first quarter-peal of London Surprise Minor in the 1440 at Ashbocking, whilst there was a handbell peal in Bacton and a 5050 of Double Norwich Court Bob Major rung at Horringer to mark the fiftieth anniversary of Brian Whiting’s first peal, also rung in the same tower. Those fifty years have been filled with over a thousand peals, many of them helping to advance other ringers and of course a lot have been rung to his own compositions of a special length, as was this one. Congratulations Brian!
I hope he got a better night’s sleep before it than we did!
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We might think ringing is quite niche, but it is nothing compared to the art of knot-tying. Of course the two subjects do overlap everyday as ringers shorten ropes with knots and tie their ropes up securely when finished. However, an article on the subject – brought up on one of ringing’s many Facebook pages – attempted to align the two in quite a bizarre way that – depending on your sense of humour – drew amusement and horror. Most particularly the quote “church bell ropes, which need to be made in such a way that they stretch when pulled, making the sound of the bell less harsh and more musical.” A very odd and of course untrue statement.
That I came across it and thought it worthy of mention goes to show how quiet today was from a personal ringing perspective, but other ringers were more active, most particularly at The Millbeck Ring in Shelland where a quarter-peal of Double Norwich Court Bob Major was rung. I assume on non-stretchy ropes!
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I don’t get along to Pettistree practice as regularly as Ruthie, but she usually comes back with tales of tremendous numbers for a village six-bell session and The Greyhound next door being so busy that it’s not unusual for the retiring ringers to have no room to sit down for their post-ringing refreshments.
It was a pity therefore that when I got the opportunity to pop along this evening that there were ‘only’ ten at the practice (although still a decent attendance for a rural session on six), huddled in the ground-floor ringing chamber, whilst afterwards in the pub, myself, Mary Garner and Sam Shannon were the sole members of the band imbibing in a venue which was practically deserted, unusually so.
Still, there was an impressive repertoire of methods in the hour that I made after a late shift at work, with Surprise Minor methods Beverley, Lightfoot, Norwich, Rossendale, Stamford, Surfleet and Wearmouth following on from a pre-practice quarter-peal of Primrose.
It wasn’t the only QP on Suffolk’s bells today though, with a 1280 of Uxbridge Surprise Major rung at Horringer celebrating the birthdays of Barry Dixon and participants Lesley Steed and Guild Chairman Rowan Wilson – Happy Birthday guys!
Both these quarters should – all things being normal – be recorded in next year’s SGR Annual Report, but I got my first read of this year’s today via this very website as I downloaded the new PDF edition. As usual, Michelle Rolph has done a tremendous job of putting it all together, but of course with the help of many others, with particular mention going to David Salter who still offered support and information even whilst recovering from his recent stroke.
Of course, the printed version is still very important, especially for those without internet access or who would prefer not to go online, but also for taking to the Guild AGM in Ipswich on Saturday 27th April, so we will still need representatives and officers to get copies out as soon as possible and members to look out for their copy. However, it has struck me as an unnecessary cost to the organisation to provide both of us a copy each when we live in the same house (indeed when my brother Chris and I were young members living at home with Mum and Dad there were four copies knocking around the same address!) and so offering the PDF versions is a great idea.
Mind you, a printed copy would be useful to have to hand on quiet night like this!
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It was a day of ringing excellence, though sadly none of it involving us!
Here in Suffolk, there were a brace of impressive quarter-peals rung,
one of
Belfast Surprise Major at Gislingham and
the other of twelve
Surprise Major methods spliced at Hopton. Belfast is one of the most complicated
Surprise Major methods, so this on its own is an achievement, but to also accompany
it with a QP of a further dozen blue-lines is particularly noteworthy.
Beyond our borders, I – and many others – took in a video of some superb ringing from St Mary’s Redcliffe in Bristol. It was from the Birmingham band’s allocated practice time at the tower they are due to be competing at on Saturday in their National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest eliminator, ringing the competition touch of 252 changes of Stedman Cinques pretty much faultlessly. If we have ambitions in Ipswich to enter the biggest ringing competition in the world, we need to watch this video closely and regularly. Not with any ambition to match it, as not many bands could and if the Brummies ring as well as this in their test piece at the weekend then they will almost certainly make the final planned for Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 22nd June.
Rather, we need to take in how they are ringing in order to create the best twelve-bell ringing we possibly can. Keeping the little bells tight together (particularly at the back), the leads moving and all the ringing at the same speed. As one of the stars of the exercise John Thurman quite rightly points out in the comments on the Bellringers Facebook page that this video appeared on, that’s not necessarily at what is perceived to be the ‘right’ speed for the bells. The truth is, there is no right speed for any bells. Granted you’d probably be in need of medical attention long before a peal at 3hr speed at Liverpool Cathedral came round and I doubt that any peal attempt at Bitterne Park in Southampton rung at 5hr pace would produce very good ringing, but the right speed is that which the band feels most comfortable at. Depending on the band and the weight of the bells, most particularly the pace that the tenor ringers feel most comfortable at as they have to work the hardest. Personally I prefer to push SMLT’s fine 35cwt twelve along when I’m ringing one of the tenors. To my mind it sounds livelier (something that in my experience is important to judges at the National Twelve-Bell), but from a more practical perspective I find it easier to ring them without having to heave them up to the balance on each stroke! Others though, find it easier to ring them at a slower pace. Ultimately though, the speed is what is best for the band and that was certainly on show in the clip of the Birmingham band in Bristol.
As for the contest itself, if the West Midlanders drop their guard even slightly then the hosts Bristol and former winners St Paul’s Cathedral will be poised to take advantage, but - from a distance at least and with all due respect – it would be a surprise if Chester, Chilcompton and Hursley pipped any of the above trio to a place in the final. Meanwhile, over in London at St Mary-le-Bow, one would expect the College Youths ringing on bells very familiar to them and Melbourne who have been in the last ten finals will qualify, but the last qualifying spot is less clear cut. Arguably Oxford and Towcester are nominally favourites but – again from a distance – any from them, Sheffield and our neighbours Norwich could make it to ring on the 72cwt twelve in Devon come June. Likewise up north at Leeds Minster, where things seem even more open. All six – Cambridge from just past Exning, Guildford, High Wycombe, hosts Leeds, the Cumberlands and Southwark Cathedral – have been in at least one of the last two finals, with four of them being in last year’s. My gut instinct would be Cambridge, Guildford and the Cumberlands winning through, but I’d never put any money on it!
Whatever the results, I imagine it will be a great day out at all three venues, so if you aren’t going to the South-West District Practice at Bildeston and haven’t got anything else to do, then you could do a lot worse than popping along to any of them. It should be a day of ringing excellence!
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On Saturday, the first quarter-peal was rung on the newly refurbished bells of Redgrave. This evening I was fascinated to read the report – complete with fascinating photos – of the project, a magnificent legacy in more ways than one of the wonderful Albert Driver who regularly rang on these bells for eighty years – right into his nineties – and left a hugely generous £142,000 in his will for the work.
That I had considerable opportunity to read it was mainly due to my not unexpected failure to get to St Mary-le-Tower practice after a late shift at work, but others apart from my fellow band-members at SMLT managed some ringing today, most particularly at Grundisburgh where the peal of Cooktown Orchid Delight Major was the first in the method for the entire band and indeed the Suffolk Guild. Well done to all concerned!
And well done to all at Redgrave for the completion of a much anticipated project!
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For one reason or another, the monthly third-Sunday practice at St Mary-le-Tower has fallen away over the last year. Which is a pity for two reasons in particular. One is that they offer useful additional time to progress our twelve-bell ringing in an environment where such opportunities are limited. The other is if we are serious in entering a band for the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest, we really need to get in the habit of meeting together regularly to focus practicing for the competition. On Saturday, the eliminators for the 2019 contest are due to take place in Bristol, Leeds and London and we were close to entering, even just a few days before the deadline for entry. Ultimately though, we were scuppered in part by the lack of the third-Sunday practices which allow us to gather as a collective at the same time, which can’t always happen on Monday nights or the morning of the Sabbath.
Therefore, I was delighted that we returned to this once familiar date in the calendar for an hour-and-a-half session that allowed much focus on Cambridge and Yorkshire Surprise Maximus, but also on Grandsire Cinques and Little Bob Max, aided by Gill Sparling who was joining her husband David who is now once again a regular here! The ringing wasn’t the best that we could produce sadly, but further reiterates the need for us to continue with these to get us up to speed. We need to practice the likes of Cambridge, Yorkshire and Stedman as much as we possibly can with the best possible band we can put together and ultimately we will improve.
That said, we weren’t helped by members of the public, who not surprisingly for St Patrick’s Day had clearly had a bit to drink and thought it would be fascinating to come in and see how we ring the bells! None of them caused any trouble, but they held proceedings up and distracted us a bit.
Hopefully there weren’t any similar distractions at The Norman Tower this afternoon though, as a quarter-peal of Grandsire Caters was rung, whilst earlier in the day the morning service ringing at Woodbridge also saw a visitor. Happily though, it was Matthew, a ringer from Kent but formerly of Rushmere St Andrew who was introducing himself and joining us from the congregation for a ring.
God willing though, there will be more third-Sunday practices at SMLT with viewer interruptions!
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On this day in 1767, a peal of 10,080 changes of Plain Bob Major was rung at Debenham, conducted by James Wilson. Impressive and worthy of mention in the ringing annals in its own right. Except, if you believe what has become the accepted version of events, it acted as an alibi for a murder that the conductor was accused of committing on the same day in Bury St Edmunds. In that day and age, it was deemed impossible that he could’ve possibly got to the 21cwt eight to ring in the 6hr1min long performance from where and when he was deemed to have carried out the atrocity. Thus, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. Whilst on his death bed however, he allegedly confessed that he was indeed guilty of the crime, apparently making the seemingly impossible journey time courtesy of a very fast horse!
Precisely two-hundred-and-fifty-two years later, I am going to have to hope that I’m not accused of any misdemeanours carried out today as I did absolutely no ringing to provide an alibi at all. In fact, I didn’t do anything much, despite my best efforts to find something for the boys to do, with Ruthie at work and outside uninviting for young children in particular, the winds still strong and decidedly chilly.
That said, my three sons can vouch for me as we spent most of it together indoors at home, bar a brief foray into town for some books, but other ringers can better account for their whereabouts and activity, especially those who partook in the quarter-peal of Plain Bob Doubles at Redgrave and the peal of Suffolk Surprise Major at Grundisburgh. The former was the first on the refurbished 8cwt six, whilst the latter was a 5095 rung within the ninety-fifth anniversary year of the Guild and was a first in the method for the two right at the top of the organisation – Ringing Master Tom Scase and Chairman Rowan Wilson. Well done Tom and Rowan, both on your achievements and on securing your alibi!
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Alfie could be found going about his education wearing a big yellow wig and a red nose. Yes, it was Comic Relief Day, where AJM and his peers sported silly hats and/or daft hair at school, radio presenters belly danced in Bury St Edmunds and the Beeb’s TV schedules were filled all evening with vaguely amusing sketches met with much hysteria, all for a good cause. There was even a quarter-peal dedicated to it with the 1250 of Yorkshire Surprise Major at High Ercall in Shropshire.
No such ringing in Suffolk though on a seemingly quiet day for the exercise within our borders. At least Alfie had fun though!
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Andrew Craddock’s superb PealBase continues to put analysis of peal-ringing across many decades at our fingertips in the kind of extensive detail that our ringing forebears would find absolutely staggering.
This evening, my eye was caught with the rundown of the most rung single methods to peals each year, going back to 1940 which is the year the site has reached as it stretches further into the past. It lists methods for peals on six, eight, ten and twelve, each of which makes for fascinating reading, but for some reason it was on eight that I was most drawn. Perhaps it is because most of my peal-ringing currently is of Major or due to the injection of interest in this level of ringing due to Project Pickled Egg. Either way, it is interesting to note that the top two Major methods pealed individually every year since 1988 has been Bristol and Yorkshire Surprise, with the former leading the way since 2006 and the latter sharing the top two spots with Plain Bob from 1959-1987 (bar one year when Cambridge came joint second). And before that dating back to the end of the Second World War PB vied with Grandsire Triples to lead the way. There is similar longevity when it comes to ringing on other numbers and it all suggests that our ringing habits change very slowly. Perhaps PPE will initiate the next change. Although Bristol and Yorkshire Surprise again lead the way this year, Pickled methods like Cooktown Orchid Delight and Lessness Surprise are featuring highly, with the former the third most popular line being rung individually in handbell peals in 2019 thus far.
For today though, Suffolk’s Major ringing stalled slightly as Ruthie got a message at choir practice that the monthly Surprise Major session that she was planning to go to afterwards at Ufford had been cancelled due to a shortage of ringers.
Still, six-bell ringing was thriving with a Norwich Diocesan Association peal of fourteen Surprise Minor methods rung in hand in Bacton, whilst I thought the 1500 changes of Plain Bob Doubles at Horringer in memory of Tower Captain Sally Crouch’s husband Buster was a lovely touch, with him being interred in the churchyard tomorrow on the 15th at 15:00 hours. May he Rest In Peace.
Elsewhere, I’m sure there was more ringing going on across the county, especially at the various Thursday evening practices. Though no peals of Triples or Major to be added to Pealbase.
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Happy Birthday Aunty Marian. Many reading this will have met her at various ringing events, some will know her but very few will probably have rung with her. However, my father’s sister was once a ringer, having even rung a couple of peals in her time – one at Ashbocking in 1970 and one at Harkstead in 1971. And she still takes the Ringing World and follows the art and its associated news very closely.
Therefore, when we popped round to her abode in Ipswich this afternoon to impart felicitations on the occasion of the latest anniversary of her birth, the exercise inevitably popped up in conversation as she enquired after David Salter’s health, how many were present at St Mary-le-Tower practice on Monday and discussed next month’s planned Suffolk Guild AGM, due to be held in the county town next month on the 27th.
Our visits are rarely exciting, inducing instead a sense of relaxation (although less so currently with little children dashing around in a confined space surrounded by breakables collected across many years!), but today’s trip was a little less leisurely than we would have liked. Having got Alfie from school and sat in lengthy queues in Westerfield due to the knock-on effects of the latest Orwell Bridge closure and the ensuing gridlock in Ipswich (ironic that it is often the residents of this edge-of-town village who complain most about the possibility of a much needed northern bypass), we made it to hers later than we planned and then afterwards we needed to get Ruthie to Pettistree for an ambitious – though eminently achievable – pre-practice quarter-peal attempt of Lightfoot, Wearmouth, Rossendale and Stamford Surprise Minor spliced at the ground-floor six. Sadly it was lost, but the session that followed was seemingly productive, with Cambridge and Wells added to the Surprise Minor repertoire of the evening, before the night was topped off with a drink in The Greyhound next door.
There may not have been a footnote for her big day therefore, but Happy Birthday anyway Aunty Marian!
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Those who know her and many who know of her will be aware that towards the end of last year, Warwickshire ringer Sue Marshall was given desperately sad news that she was terminally ill. It was terrible news and yet since then her attitude has been truly inspirational, making the most of every day, with walks, trips to stately homes, eating out and ringing. Especially peal-ringing.
Having understandably expressed her intention to give up peal-ringing following pulling in the tenor at St Stephen-the-Martyr in Bristol to a 5042 of Cambridge Surprise Maximus when she first publicly announced her illness, she clearly decided that it would be a pity to stop just twenty-nine peals short of her two thousandth peal and so the New Year seemingly saw new determination to make this impressive landmark. Today saw her reach it with a 5040 of the forty-one regular Surprise Minor methods spliced at Bletchingdon in Oxfordshire. I am delighted to have contributed even just three peals to that total and forever grateful to her helping with one in particular as she agreed to ring in Mason’s eighth birthday peal at Debenham when she just happened to be in the area!
Meanwhile, back here in Suffolk, a quarter-peal was rung before the weekly practice at Offton, with Karen Glover ringing her first of three-spliced Surprise Major methods in the 1250 of Cambridge, Lincolnshire and Yorkshire on the 8cwt ground-floor eight. Well done Karen!
Not untypically for a Tuesday though, our day involved no ringing, but today did involve evidence of me going to ringing. On my way to the peal I rang at St Margaret’s in Ipswich back in October, I had noted the unusual sight of a Google Streetview Car – which capture the images that then make up the Streetview maps – entering the A12/B1079 roundabout as I was leaving it and have ever since periodically kept an eye on the site to see if I appeared. And today I did, gradually leaving the junction and heading off down the B1079 towards my 2hrs47mins of ringing on the 14cwt octave!
Perhaps I will be caught on my travels again at some point, but either way I hope to get out and about and to follow Sue Marshall’s inspirational example and take advantage of our wonderful art a lot more. Congratulations Sue!
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Encouraging news from Katharine Salter who imparted that her husband – and Past Suffolk Guild Ringing Master – David is making good progress at home, getting out and about a little and even having a brief ring to test those skills! As she points out, it is still a slow and steady process, but to get this point from where he was just a couple of months ago is tremendous to hear.
Not that far from where DGS is recovering in Ipswich, I managed to get to St Mary-le-Tower practice having been on an early shift at work where the good vibes continued with a decent session. Ian Culham did a super job in fashioning a repertoire that ranged from call-changes on twelve to pieces of Cambridge and Yorkshire Surprise Maximus (the latter of which Richard Weeks did particularly well in), all in the main rung well apart from some Stedman Cinques that inexplicably collapsed. All in all it was a positive night, despite not being able to join my fellow ringers in The Cricketers afterwards with another very early start at John Catt Educational in the morning.
Meanwhile, there was further ringing positivity at Ixworth today as a quarter-peal of Plain Bob Minor rung on the back six of this 13cwt eight.
What an encouraging day of ringing news!
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As a general rule, the boys and I have two different Sabbath morning routines that we tend to alternate each week. One tends to see us go ringing to St Mary-le-Tower and Grundisburgh, with St Lawrence in between if we happen to be in Ipswich on the first Sunday morn of the month, the other usually takes us just to Woodbridge, both ringing on the 25cwt eight and then going to the service afterwards.
Today we merged the two as first we went ringing at SMLT and then went straight off to the morning worship at St Mary-the-Virgin closer to home.
There was a decent crowd at the former, allowing us to ring Little Bob Maximus and Grandsire Cinques, although the second piece of ringing started out as Stedman before it was called back into rounds almost immediately when one of the participants misheard the instructions! Whilst we continued ringing, David Potts and Ian Culham on the ninth and tenth began discussing if we had enough time before the 9.30am service to try the Stedman again or go for some Grandsire. Having just about decided there wasn’t time for either, Amanda Richmond on the treble commandeered the conducting duties and promptly called for Grandsire! To her credit, she did it just in time as the bob course she conducted came round just as the clock ticked round to half-past!
No such shenanigans at church in Woodbridge, where the main reason we were returning was for the boys to make some bread at junior church, something they had been anticipating with much excitement! Thus rather than manning Suffolk’s lightest twelve, I found myself covered in flour and bread dough. Such is parenthood!
After that though, it was definitely a day for playing indoors rather than out, but other ringers without little ‘uns to look after did brave the extremely windy conditions, most notably with the second Sunday peal at Aldeburgh on the coast, where it must have a bit blowy to say the least! As ever, the 5152 of Londesborough Delight Major was a first for the band and the Guild, so well done to all who partook in the 2hrs50mins on this lovely 11cwt octave.
Meanwhile, further inland at Great Finborough I expect it was still very windy, but that didn’t stop a band ringing a quarter-peal of Cambridge Surprise Minor in this distinctive tower.
It would be very difficult to manage to get to both of these in the same afternoon as I managed at St Mary-le-Tower and Woodbridge this morning though!
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A busy Saturday packed with much, but nothing ringing related. A meeting with a tradesman, Messy Church at St Andrew’s in Melton, new trousers for Joshua and tea round mother-in-law Kate’s made up our day. Many thanks to the mother-in-law and Messy Church for our sustenance!
Others were ringing elsewhere in Suffolk though, with a 1260 of Doubles at Thurston ahead of the North-West District Practice on the 10cwt six and a further 1260 of Doubles four miles away in Woolpit, but the most eye-catching ringing beyond our borders was in Birmingham, where four peals were rung, each of the four regular Treble Dodging Minor groups of methods. The first was at Edgbaston in the suburbs of the UK’s second city in the forty-two Thirds Place Delight methods (where internal places are only made below the treble), followed by three at St Paul’s in the city centre in the twenty-nine Treble Bob methods (where no internal places are made at all), thirty-five Fourths Place Delight methods (where internal places are only made above the treble) and the forty-one Surprise methods (where internal places are made above and below the treble). It sounds like extreme ringing geekery and to an extent it might be, but even if you don’t get the technical differences between the different method groups and the terminology, this is still a hugely impressive feat of mental and physical endurance. 147 methods rung across 21,600 changes and eleven hours, with the particular significance of today’s efforts being that it is the first time that they have been rung all-the-work – that is that every bell has rung all of the lines of each method. Particular credit has to go to the composer of each peal John Warboys who called each one. A phenomenal effort all in all!
And all a far cry from our quiet day on the ringing front!
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A sign of the way things are going was highlighted by an article on the Eastern Daily Press’ website and shared by Katharine Salter on the Suffolk Guild Facebook page today. It refers to the closure of St Mary’s church in Redenhall, north of the border in Norfolk, naturally enough considering the origins of the report. A beautiful church with an impressive tower that houses a 22cwt eight that the NDA website indicates has a practice on Thursday evenings, the parish has requested to stop using it, thus making it redundant. They are now holding a public meeting on 20th March to discuss the future of the building and it is encouraging that amongst other things, ringing is one of the things that they are keen for any subsequent custodians to keep the church available for.
However, there is of course no guarantee that such availability will be made, both here and at any other church with bells that may find itself in the same position. And with rural churches most likely to be closing in greater numbers in the coming years, that means that at a large number of towers across our county we may need to brace ourselves for having to fight for our right to ring on our bells. I don’t know if the SGR has some sort of policy on these matters, but if they haven’t it may be worthwhile considering in order to offer support in the increasingly likely event that a band finds that the use of their bells is in doubt in similar circumstances to that of Redenhall.
Such uncertainty over our churches isn’t an issue for handbell ringing of course, which is just as well for some of our very best handbell ringers, such as Jeremy and Cherril Spiller, but with that uncertainty it is encouraging to see others making their way into the medium. Congratulations therefore to Ian Culham on ringing his first peal in hand, guided by the expert hands of Mr and Mrs Spiller in Bacton.
There was activity on tower bells too though, both within our borders and beyond, with the FNQPC ringing a 1376 of Cambridge Surprise Major at Helmingham and a SGR peal of Painswick Surprise Major rung in Essex at Helions Bumpstead. Both in churches that – God willing – will remain open and their bells available for the foreseeable future.
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A busy day of ringing on Suffolk’s bells, especially at Worlingham where again a brace of quarter-peals were rung, with 1320s of Cambridge Surprise Minor and Kent Treble Bob Minor, whilst there was also a 1260 of Plain Bob Doubles rung on the back six of the ground-floor eight of Palgrave.
Not so for us though, with nothing much to report bar Alfie excitedly going to school dressed as Spiderman for World Book Day!
As far as I know though, no one was dressed up for the occasion for ringing in the county today.
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On BBC Radio Suffolk this morning, the main subject of debate was a report stating how the UK is fast approaching becoming a cashless society. Judging by the ensuing phone-in it seems unlikely that we will become entirely cashless in the near future, but it is easy to see how are fast we are heading towards dispensing with cash altogether. Pretty much everything I spend money on is by direct debit or card, from bills, football tickets, shopping, beer, even when I just pop round to the local shop for a bottle of milk.
How ringing copes as we go further into a cashless society will be interesting. Pretty much all towers take donations via cash, ringers tea’s are paid for in coins and notes, peal fees the same. Most (all?) towers put the money they take in to a bank account, so in theory payments could already be made by bank transfer and although I paid my latest Guild subscription (note to self, I have paid!) to South-East District Treasurer Tracey Scase by means of a tenner and a fiver, many will already be paying electronically. However, as mentioned a few weeks ago, some towers have purchased payment machines to allow contactless donations. In theory, this would make it easier for most – myself included - who otherwise would have had to seek out hard cash and make ringing chambers safer from break-ins and theft. Granted, it isn’t without an initial outlay, but it may be a way forward to ensure that towers are maximising their income from donations, not just in the future but even in the present.
Not that either Ruthie or I were doing any ringing to pay for today anyway. In fact it was a bit of an odd day as due to accompanying Mason to something in Ipswich in regards to his education, I didn’t start work until 3pm and after finishing my late shift circumstances conspired to see that neither of us made it to Pettistree practice.
Nonetheless, I’m sure they managed without us and the pre-session quarter-peal was successfully rung. And I imagine fees paid in cash.
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Sad family news today with the passing of mother’s sister and mine and Chris’ Aunty Janet. If truth be told it is a relief, as Motor neurone disease has over the last eighteen months wasted her body to the point that she couldn’t do anything for herself, a miserable existence for someone who loved walking, gardening, travelling and looking around stately homes. Still, sadness was the prevailing emotion following this morning’s call from Mum to inform us of her passing in the early hours. Although not a ringer, due to our involvement she took an interest in the exercise, often accompanying us as we partook in the art, either at Lincoln Cathedral on our visits to her and Uncle Mick in Lincolnshire or at St Mary-le-Tower when they came to Ipswich to visit us. We will miss her greatly.
Nonetheless, with it being Shrove Tuesday, lashings of pancakes this evening helped lift the mood, especially with the boys particularly excited about the occasion and perhaps such activity also accounts for the lack of any quarter-peals or peals within Suffolk recorded on BellBoard today.
Not that our thoughts were far from Aunty Janet and particularly now Uncle Mick.
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The usual biweekly attempt to get out to St Mary-le-Tower practice following a late shift at work failed in typical fashion this evening, meaning a night in instead of a trip to Ipswich to top up on my ten and twelve-bell ringing and it was a fairly quiet day generally on the ringing front in Suffolk.
That said, it was lovely to see the recording of those who rang at Horringer following the Committal and Service of Celebration for the life of Janet Thaxter, with the ringing finishing with diminishing rounds and the tolling of the tenor eighty times, similar to that which many ringers will have done on New Year’s Eve and an example from Grimsby Minster which can be viewed on YouTube (although excuse the poor sound quality at the start). It seems a lovely and appropriate way to mark such an occasion and I’m sure it was appreciated.
And I’m glad someone was ringing today.
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Congratulations and well done to Exning ringer Jimmy Yeoman who has won the Association of Ringing Teachers The Learning the Ropes Achievement Award. I hadn’t met Jimmy until the George W Pipe Twelve-Bell Competition at Saffron Walden a couple of weeks back and haven’t had the pleasure of ringing with him yet, but I know from what I’ve seen on BellBoard and heard from just about all my acquaintances who have rung with him just what a talented young ringer he is, so this is deserved recognition. This is especially the case when one considers how proactive he has been in his progress. I often wish I had generated more ringing opportunities for myself when I was a youngster, so it pleasing to see ringing youngsters such as Jimmy and before him the likes of George Salter and Louis Suggett doing just that.
Still, for all my lack of proactiveness in my younger ringing days, I like to think I am of some use to the exercise, especially on Sunday mornings and today I was doing my bit at Woodbridge as I helped man the front six of this eight, even getting a rare opportunity to ring the treble!
Bar attending the service afterwards and Mason helping with the post-service refreshments, that was about as active as we got for the rest of the day, but across Suffolk others were busier in the art, particularly at Worlingham where a brace of quarter-peals were rung, with a 1440 of Cambridge, Durham, Ipswich and York rung spliced and 1320 of Annable’s London Surprise Minor. Well done to Rona Sporle on ringing her most methods in the former and her first in the method in the latter!
Meanwhile, there were QPs rung at Pettistree and Rougham, with a 1296 of Kent Treble Bob Minor and a 1260 of Grandsire and Stedman Doubles rung respectively.
All of this on the last Sabbath before Lent begins, a reminder that if you are planning on going to a practice this Wednesday that it may be worth checking first that it hasn’t been cancelled or curtailed due to an Ash Wednesday service. Then this annual period of religious sombreness ends with Holy Week – this year from Sunday 14th-Saturday 20th April – where many practices will be cancelled, including St Mary-le-Tower. Again, do check before heading out to a practice or indeed before you don’t go to a practice, just in case you find it is unexpectedly cancelled or running!
And at the end of it all there is the Guild AGM, this year being held on Saturday 27th April in Ipswich and it would be great to see a large crowd come along. Although driving into and parking in the county town can be a right pain and expensive to boot, it is worth noting that around St Matthew where the meeting and tea itself is taking place there is quite a bit of street parking and it is a mere ten-fifteen minute walk from the Railway Station. Support for SGR Chairman Rowan Wilson at her first AGM in the role would be much appreciated, I’m sure.
There is ringing at five towers, all within walking distance of each other and including St Clement where much work has been carried out by Katharine Salter to improve the go of this nice six and it was interesting to see these bells get a significant mention in an article on the East Anglian Daily Times website today about an exhibition being held at the University of Suffolk on this now redundant church being turned into Ipswich Arts Centre.
It is a nice reminder of the history of ringing as Jimmy Yeoman and others encouragingly look to take it into the future.
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Ringing and football. Two big themes in my blog (the former more so of course!) and I got the best of both worlds today. Well almost.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with the ringing element, as a decent crowd gathered at the light ground-floor eight at Offton for the monthly South-East District Ringing Meeting. This is a place laden with fond childhood memories, an magnificently off-the-beaten-track rural idyll in deepest rural Suffolk and my brother Chris and I did much of our early Surprise Major on Tuesday evenings here, with cups of tea usually coming out partway through and plenty of opportunity to have a chat in the church away from the ringing, before continuing conversations in The Limeburners afterwards. During the summer, the light, warm evenings make this one of the most wonderful places in the county (and indeed beyond, IMHO) to carry out one’s ringing, but I will admit that in cold weather this can be an uncomfortable experience. With the unseasonably warm temperatures of earlier in the week now a dimming memory, I did have a nagging fear that we might have a morning of just a handful of us huddling together for warmth, if we didn’t all have to constantly ring to keep the bells going.
Instead, even in the absence of SE District Ringing Master Jonathan Williamson who was unavoidably engaged elsewhere, Chairman Mark Ogden still had plenty of ringers from across the District to call upon at one of its most westerly rings, allowing for a repertoire that extended from call-changes to Bristol Surprise Major during a most productive and enjoyable session. And it was all topped off by the election of Linda Sager and Jo Sharples to the Guild – congratulations Linda and Jo!
From this sparsely inhabited village and the surrounding woodlands and fields, via a spot of lunch at home and a train journey in, Mason and I found ourselves in pretty much completely contrasting surroundings, as we and over 23,000 others sat around a 102m x 75m football pitch on the edge of Ipswich town centre as the Tractor Boys took on Reading. The atmosphere was tremendous, it was lovely to meet up with my brother and nice to have a few drinks with him. However, as has so often been the case over the last few years, it was the football that let things down. Currently ITFC find themselves very bottom and with the lowest three teams at the end of the season getting relegated, it was crucial that the Blues won this fixture against the team twenty-first in the twenty-four team division and already nine points ahead of us. Sadly, instead of finding ourselves just six points behind them come full-time, the gap had grown to twelve points with a defeat confirmed by a goal right at the end for visitors from Berkshire, only minutes after we ourselves had scored. Still, it was a fun afternoon with the eldest son and his uncle.
And elsewhere in the county town today the result was more positive, as a peal of Ipswich Surprise Major was rung at St Margaret and dedicated to Simon Girt, former Ringing Master at this octave and son of John and Shirley, taken far, far too soon at just twenty-nine years old, twenty-five years ago. He was a fine ringer and as the footnote says, I’m sure he would have enjoyed what has been done at this tower in the last year.
I’m also sure he would have enjoyed the ringing at Offton this morning, as I and many others did. Friendships were renewed, refreshments appreciated and progress made, whilst Ruthie and I were impressed by the sixth on our first visit here since it was put in. Ringing and football. Days don’t get much better.
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That I broke the flush on the facilities at work was the height of my achievements today perhaps tell you all about this slow news day from a personal perspective, especially on the ringing front.
There was action on bells within the county though, with a band of visiting ringers from Yorkshire including two daughters of the late past Ringing Master of the Suffolk Guild Martin Thorley, Penelope and Deborah, who rang a quarter-peal of Plain Bob Caters at St Peter in Sudbury and then one of the Minor variety on handbells at Thorington Hall.
Far more constructive than my destructive activity today.
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It was a quiet end to February, for us personally and Suffolk ringing generally. We did no ringing and whilst there would’ve been the usual Thursday night practices, there were no quarter-peals or peals rung within our borders today, at least according to BellBoard.
Still, as we sit on the cusp of March, there is plenty of ringing planned in the county in the coming month.
That is due to kick-off with Saturday morning’s South-East District Ringing Meeting at Offton, followed by the Beccles Ten-Bell Practice on Wednesday evening, the North-West District Practice at Thurston on the 9th, the Bungay Eight-Bell Practice on the evening of Monday 11th, the Second Tuesday Ringing at Helmingham and Cretingham the following day, the Helmingham Monthly Practice on Friday 15th, with the South-West District Practice at Bildeston pencilled in to round March off from 3-4.30pm on the 23rd.
Do support what you can – hopefully those March days will be busier than today!
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Another satisfying evening at Pettistree, both from a ringing and social perspective. The pre-practice quarter-peal was successfully rung, followed by the practice itself and then the post-ringing drink in The Greyhound next door, the latter elements partaken in by Ruthie, whilst it was my turn to stop in and look after the children, who went to bed with no trouble at all.
A very satisfying evening all round!
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Even though it was pouring with rain, the wind was howling, skies were grey and it was generally cold and miserable, when we set our tent up on the first day of our Rambling Ringers holiday in those dreadful conditions that had typically followed on from the long, scorching heatwave of last summer, I don’t recall thinking, “I wish it were February”. Yet as we sat outside the restaurant at Ufford Park Hotel enjoying a cuppa with Ruthie’s sister Clare and looking over the greens, bunkers and woodlands of the golf course, the tower of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary which houses the village’s 13cwt eight poking above the horizon and into the clear blue sky and temperatures reaching another record-breaking twenty-one degrees centigrade and even warnings about putting suncream on, I considered how much we yearned for such weather in Devon on that last Saturday of July. For all the understandable concerns that it signifies something very wrong with the climate, it was lovely, especially for Joshua as he ran around freely as we three adults chatted.
It was nice as well that it was like this for my mother Sally’s birthday, as she was treated by my brother and his wife Becky to a meal at The White Horse Inn in Stoke Ash, before we popped round their abode with both her youngest grandsons after we’d picked Alfie up from school. A pleasant hour or so was spent in the company of the birthday girl and my father, a nice opportunity to show our appreciation for a wonderful mother and dedicated ringer, who even through great pain in recent months has continued helping at Sproughton, Debenham, Grundisburgh and Ipswich towers St Mary-le-Tower and St Margaret. Happy Birthday Mum!
Another of the towers to benefit from my parents’ help is Offton, where the South-East District Ringing Meeting is due to be held from 10.30am-noon on Saturday and where a quarter-peal of Cambridge and Lincolnshire Surprise Major spliced was rung before the weekly practice, the band no doubt tanned and refreshed from their day in the summer-like sun!
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Following yesterday morning’s big attendance St Mary-le-Tower’s morning ringing, there was another large crowd in the same ringing chamber for tonight’s weekly practice.
Perhaps they were motivated by what was apparently the hottest recorded winter’s day in the UK, with somewhere in Wales hitting twenty degrees centigrade. Or were buoyed by hearing Guild Public Relation Officer Neal Dodge’s superb interview about 2hrs 26mins into Lesley Dolphin’s show on BBC Radio Suffolk this afternoon, which we just happened to catch as we went about our business after an early shift, but which originally appeared at greater length 40mins into her Sunday morning show. It is worth reminding members that Neal will be stepping down as PRO at the SGR AGM planned to be held at St Matthew’s in Ipswich on Saturday 27th April, so please do consider who might replace him. If you feel you could then put yourself forward, if you know someone else that might then please encourage them to think about it. This is a role that can be as time consuming as you let it, with much scope for delegation if necessary and the main qualification being speaking enthusiastically about the exercise! Although Neal has brought so much more to it than that.
Back to this evening’s ringing, there was a vast method repertoire from Grandsire Triples on the front eight and Call-Changes on Twelve for learner Karina to Cinques of the Grandsire and Stedman varieties and half courses of Surprise Maximus, with the Cambridge going better than the Yorkshire after one band member launched into the wrong method with the latter!
At the end of a day that started in the darkness of a pre-dawn start at work and ahead of another one tomorrow, I passed on a drink in The Cricketers, but I’m sure that a big crowd went nonetheless.
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To paraphrase Sesame Street, today’s blog is brought to you by the letter G.
Grandsire at Grundisburgh generally generates grumbles and words such as grim and ghastly.
The bells are extremely useful for bringing learners on, whether via peals or progressing one’s twelve-bell ringing in conditions considered by many learners to be less daunting than the heavy twelves rung from big ringing chambers at St Mary-le-Tower and The Norman Tower, but are perceived – with much justification, it has to be said – to be harder work than a 9cwt (tenor in G) twelve might be. And the method – whilst a simple introduction to wrong-dodging - has a tendency to be quite turgid to some, myself included to a certain extent.
Yet goodness gracious me, this afternoon’s 5004 of the Caters version at the county’s lightest twelve was great, maybe even glorious! It was universally considered by pretty all of the band to be one of the best peals they’d rung on the bells, possibly even the best. In my opinion it was certainly the best I have rung with a largely Suffolk band. Very well done to Abby Antrobus on ringing her first of Caters inside – a grand effort!
It wasn’t the only peal within our borders at a tower beginning with the letter G either, as Guild Peal Week was rounded off with a 5040 of Doubles (including more Grandsire) at Great Barton (tenor also in G!), where Sally Veal became the third first-pealer of SGRPW. Indeed the fourth if you count Jason Burnet’s first in the medium rung this afternoon at Exning, but for the Ely Diocesan Association. Congratulations to Sally and Jason and well done to Neal Dodge on conducting his most methods and variations to a peal in the success at GB.
Indeed, well done and congratulations to Guild Ringing Master Thomas G Scase on arranging such a successful week. I know from personal experience how much work has to go into these as a RM, so it is satisfying to see the spirit of the occasion used to full effect with lots of firsts and achievements.
Earlier
in the day, morning ringing at SMLT was – appropriately for G Day – watched
over by the George W Pipe Trophy won in Saffron Walden last weekend and GWP
himself, with such a big crowd - including the welcome visit of Peter Hill from
Hursley in Hampshire - that fitting us all together in Costa Coffee was a gargantuan
logistical challenge, with Amanda Richmond ending up having to sit on Ian Culham’s
lap!
Following that, the service ringing at the aforementioned
much-maligned Grundisburgh was always going to be a bit of an anti-climax with
lower numbers, but we still managed Call-Changes on Ten.
Meanwhile, in amongst the peals, there was also a quarter-peal in the county
today, with a 1282
of Lincolnshire Surprise Royal rung at The Norman Tower, topping off a good
day of ringing. No, a great day of ringing – including Grandsire at Grundisburgh!
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There were playdates at either end of this mild February Saturday for our household.
In the morning we enjoyed the sunshine in Kingston Fields in Woodbridge as Alfie met up with his friend Ralph, this evening Ruthie and I welcomed local ringers Susanne Eddis and Pete Faircloth to our home for a few drinks, with conversation veering from old children’s favourite Rainbow to post-ringing pubs and taking in Susanne’s eventful attendance at Ufford practice on Tuesday night!
Our activities didn’t involve any ringing, but others were more active as Suffolk Guild Peal Week continued with a brace of 5040s rung in the county today. Congratulations to past SGR Peal Secretary Alan Mayle on ringing his 1950th in the medium in the success at Hartest and likewise Tracey and Mervyn Scase on ringing their first for twenty-five years in the 2hrs28mins at Monewden.
I hope they all enjoyed their playdate!
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QI, the TV fav of my wife is something that I enjoy too, not least because it is filled with quite interesting information, but this evening as we watched the latest edition of the new ‘P’ series of this long-running panel show, it surpassed itself by becoming EI – extremely interesting. For the host Sandi Toksvig revealed – to Ruthie and me at least – the site what3words.com. This is a site which breaks down the world’s surface into three metre by three metre squares, each with a unique three word address, essentially providing an even more precise location than postcodes.
Cue an evening of searching for locations, including regular ringing locations. Pretty much all the ringing chambers I usually frequent cover multiple 3mx3m squares, but Pettistree’s ground-floor six incorporates ‘trophy.wealth.knots’, whilst Grundisburgh includes ‘dame.shadow.comical’ and St Mary-le-Tower takes in ‘pushes.mile.raced’.
This was all absorbed on a typically ringing-free Friday evening, but elsewhere in the county a handbell quarter-peal was rung in Bacton and Suffolk Guild Ringing Master Tom Scase conducted a 1260 of Plain Bob Minor from the 10cwt tenor at Ashbocking. Or – thanks to QI for this – from ‘skippers.chess.elbowed’.
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Many ringers will ring at three and sometimes even more towers on a Sunday and they are to be commended. After all, through their dedication, many services that may not get rung for are rung for, which after all is the primary purpose of the exercise.
However, we aren’t as stretched as many of the vicars who man huge numbers of churches in large, sprawling, rural benefices and where it has been compulsory to hold Sabbath services at every one. As reported on The Guardian website today though, that will no longer be the case, thus easing the burden on the priesthood, but also potentially on ringers too!
On an ordinary Thursday in February though, ringers have plenty of spare time – bar work and other engagements – to carry out other ringing and after a couple of days off, Guild Peal Week made a reappearance on BellBoard in Cretingham and bizarrely – though wonderfully – in Bristol. The former was the first on the ground-floor six since their augmentation from five last year and was Mark Ogden’s 250th peal. Congratulations to South-East District Chairman Mark! Meanwhile, the latter was at St Philip and St Jacob in the south-west city and featured two former resident members of the SGR in the shape of Robert Beavis and Molly Waterson and current Reydon resident – according to the records for now - Philip Moyse and was rung in Hollesley Little Delight Major, presumably named after the Suffolk coastal village where the 16cwt eight is hung.
Being on a late shift I wasn’t able to partake in SGRPW19 and so instead it was another night in, this time taking in an article from Wednesday’s Telegraph, which was great PR for the art and particularly the Ringing World National Youth Contest, with this year’s Contest in Liverpool attracting a huge entry, though sadly nothing from within our borders.
Recruitment mustn’t stop after all, even if there are fewer services to ring for in future.
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Last week between us, Ruthie and I managed to get out to three practices. This week hasn’t gone so well and having not made it to St Mary-le-Tower’s weekly session on Monday night, neither of us managed to get to Pettistree tonight, as a combination of an exhausting day with the boys and my late shift at work combined to see us miss out on ringing at the ground-floor six.
Nonetheless, they managed a quarter-peal there beforehand, with the 1272 of Ipswich Surprise Minor being a first in the method for Sal Jenkinson – well done Sal!
And it is worth noting that there are further opportunities to partake in the art on Saturday with the South-West District’s Practice at St Gregory in Sudbury. Running from 3-4.30pm, this could be a nice afternoon out in the most picturesque District of the Guild (IMHO), with plenty of street parking next to the church and support will be much appreciated I’m sure.
It is wonderful that we have this hobby that can take us to all corners of the county and beyond for a relatively low cost and on that note it is worth noting that subscriptions are due and at just £15 for the year offers superb value. All the money goes towards helping progress and support ringers, ringing and towers, with no £15,000 parties planned in the mould of that which Suffolk Coastal District Council were getting in trouble for today!
Hopefully my wife and I will be getting more for our money by getting out ringing a bit more in the coming days!
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Not an atypical Tuesday night in, with my ringing experience more from a distance than up close.
That included noting the three quarter-peals rung on Suffolk’s bells today, with Superlative Surprise Major rung at Gislingham, a 1296 of Duke of Norfolk Treble Bob Minor rung on the back six at Hopton and five Surprise Major methods rung spliced at Offton before the practice night on the 8cwt ground-floor eight.
It also took in a couple of videos on YouTube, one
a useful demonstration of how coursing order fits together, the other a
fascinating and amusing demo of
a Lego machine ringing plain hunt on eight at an increasingly fast pace!
Perhaps I might make one on a quiet Tuesday evening.
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Today’s theme is practices. Two not happening, one starting and one I didn’t make.
Anyone planning to join the session at Woodbridge on Tuesday will be disappointed, as will anyone hoping to go to Rushmere St Andrew on the Fridays of 22nd February and 1st March, as they are all cancelled on those days.
Meanwhile, starting from this week, the plan is for there to be practices at St Matthew in Ipswich – also host to this year’s Suffolk Guild AGM on Saturday 27th April – every first and third Thursday of the month from 7.30-9pm. Support will certainly be appreciated for this band of learners.
However, following my rare success in getting to St Mary-le-Tower following a late shift at work a fortnight ago, the normal order of things was restored this evening, meaning that I missed out on rejoining my fellow twelve-bell champions in the county town on this occasion!
There was ringing success today though, as the third peal of SGR Peal Week 2019 was rung at Brandeston. Well done to Hilary Stern on becoming the second first-pealer of the week, a just reward for the many hours of dedication that Hilary applies to her ringing, including at many practices. When they are happening.
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Day two of Suffolk Guild Peal Week 2019, peal two. And the first debut in the medium of the week. Congratulations to Ben Keating who in ringing behind to the 5040 of Doubles at Great Barton rang his first peal in a performance that was also the most Doubles methods and variations rung by the entire band. Well done to all six, but especially to Ben!
The conductor Lesley Steed and her husband David had a busy day as they were both later in the quarter-peal of St Clement’s College Bob Minor at Buxhall rung for Evensong, with Lesley also calling this.
My ringing today was less notable than these performances and indeed our ringing yesterday, but it was quite satisfactory nonetheless as along with friends Pete Faircloth and Susanne Eddis I helped the ringers at Woodbridge to man all eight. This is always a pleasure, if nothing else for the superb views from the tenor box which look down the River Deben towards the North Sea and which on this sunny morning were particularly stunning.
It was followed by the service downstairs which today saw the visit of the Right Reverend Martin Seeley, the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich and therefore President of the Guild, for a confirmation, but the rest of the day was quite a bit quieter for ourselves.
Not so for SGRPW19 – congratulations again to Ben!
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On Saturday 23rd March, eighteen teams across three eliminators at St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol, St Mary-le-Bow in London and Leeds Minster in... well Leeds, are due to compete to make it to the National 12-Bell Final planned to be held at Exeter Cathedral on Saturday 22nd June. There is representation from East Anglia from those who have put an entry in, with Cambridge and Norwich both harbouring ambitions of competing upon the second heaviest ring of bells in the world in just over four months time, but for all that we at St Mary-le-Tower have been seriously considering our own entry, for pretty much all the twelves in Essex and Suffolk it is a huge leap to put forward a band for the contest, if it can even be considered at all. I have always encouraged the view that teams entering for the first time (be that ever or after an absence of many years as with Ipswich) should – within reason – just go for it, accepting that they are likely to struggle for a few years before expecting to really compete for a place in the final, but I appreciate that leap can be a difficult one to make, especially if you have to take fifteen or sixteen ringers with you.
Ian Culham therefore should be given immense credit for the introduction of the George W Pipe 12 Bell Competition, a striking contest open to the six twelve-bell towers of the aforementioned brace of counties – Chelmsford, Saffron Walden and Waltham Abbey from south of the River Stour, Grundisburgh, SMLT and The Norman Tower from north of it. This is an event aimed at making that leap less daunting and building invaluable experience in competition ringing on twelve that many might not get the opportunity to get and following its inaugural outing a year ago in Bury St Edmunds, it proved so successful that all bar one of the eligible bands – Grundisburgh – entered today’s contest, with other towers in the wider East Anglian region apparently also making enquiries about entering in the future.
And in Saffron Walden for the 2019 competition, we were treated to about two-and-a-half hours of superb ringing as the five teams practiced and then rang the test piece of 440 changes of Little Bob Maximus with confidence on superb bells that nonetheless have their own intricacies. Like most rings of bells there is oddstruckness and the sound inside is not as clear as one would ideally want, but from the holders Bury St Edmunds first up at 10.30am to ourselves at the end at 1.20pm, the easy-going nature of this 22cwt twelve allowed for some really rhythmical twelve-bell ringing.
Ultimately it was Ipswich who came out on top in the opinion of the judges, Past Master of the Ancient Society of College Youths Simon Meyer and his son Andrew, a promising young ringer who was part of the band who were the youngest ever to ring a peal on twelve bells with the 5042 of Cambridge Surprise Maximus at Melbourne in Derbyshire thirteen months ago. Both have strong credentials at this level and their comments were extremely useful for anyone aiming to use this as a springboard to the National Twelve-Bell Striking Contest. They were glowing in their praise of the ringing, there were constructive words for the bands, even for the winners as they commented how we ended up at a speed that was too fast, although the peal speed of 3hrs19mins was certainly preferable to the 3hrs53mins of our test piece last year! Such advice should be taken on board if we have any ambitions to compete nationally.
We were delighted with our win of course and grateful to those who have helped out at our practices, especially the Birkbys, Williamsons, Simon Rudd and Pippa Moss who joined us on our practices on the road, as well as to those who rang in the practices on our home bells. However, as is usually the case on these occasions, for me the highlight was meeting up with friends and meeting new people. Apart from our fellow participants – including my brother Chris who along with Claire Potts very kindly kept an eye on the boys whilst Ruthie and I rang – it was lovely to catch-up with hangers-on and groupies, such as John Loveless, Linda Garton and Claire Smith, hosts like June Mackay and Chris McCarthy, whilst it was nice to meet up and coming Suffolk youngster Jimmy Yeoman. And of course it was great to see GWP himself.