Category: Guild News

Chetton bells are ringing again

In mid-May, the Guild received an enquiry from a group of new and lapsed ringers who wanted to get Chetton church bells ringing again.

The bells hadn’t been rung for several years, so on 14th June, Darren and Jools from Broseley popped over to check the bells over (picture above). Fortunately no problems were found.

Practices were started up on Tuesday evenings. Ginette then began the task of teaching the new learners and helping the existing ringers regain their confidence.

Despite usually only having one teacher to four learners, the new ringers are progressing well and it is expected the band will be able to ring independently by the end of the year.

Sue Robinson, our Master Elect, kindly drives over from Bromyard to look after things when Ginette is on holiday.

One of the returned lapsed ringers, Vikki, is now helping to teach the learners which should help to move things along even faster.

Vikki being presented with her Guild membership certificate by our Guild Master Nick Cronin at a ringing outing on 12th August.

Anyone interested in supporting the new band is welcome to visit Chetton on a Tuesday evening. Practices start at 7pm and are usually followed by a drink in the church.

Returned lapsed ringer Charles (left) with the four learners Tim, Sarah, Elisabeth and Phil.

Guild Festival and AGM at Leominster Priory & Forbury Chapel, Saturday 13th May

The Guild AGM will be held on Saturday 13th May 2023 in Leominster.

The Ringing Festival takes two alternate routes on the way to Leominster; join us to ring at the towers on Route A or Route B below, finally meeting up at Eye and then Leominster Priory church.

Route A
10:00-10:30 Wigmore
10:45-11:45 Aymestrey
12:00-12:30 Monkland
Route B
10:30 – 11:30 Stoke Prior
11:50-12:20 Leysters
12:30-13:00 Middleton

13:00 – 13:45 Eye

Leominster Priory
14:00 – 15:30
Guild Office
15:30
AGM 16:45 in the Forbury Chapel
followed by Ringers Tea.
Note: toilet facilities are very limited (Stoke & Leominster only).

Download the HDGB AGM Agenda 2023

Mordiford Bell restoration

Moves are in progress to restore the 5 bells at Mordiford and make them ringable again.

The bells were cast in 1687 and are unique in that they are the only complete peal of bells in existence made by William Huntbach of Worcester. They have not been rung for at least 50 years.

Fund raising is in progress and has raised £12,500 to date towards a target figure of £55,000 for the restoration project. If you would like to make a donation to get these bells ringing again, please contact Barbara.fox54@btinternet.com for further details.

Desmond Ferguson

It is with sadness we announce the death of Desmond Ferguson on 16th March. He was Tower Captain at Stanton Lacy for over 60 years and Master of the Hereford Guild in 1980 – 82. Des, who was a Freeman of the Guild, learnt to ring in the early fifties and was a member of the band that rang for the Coronation of the late Queen in 1953 after the rehanging of Stanton Lacy bells.

His funeral will be held at 11.0am on 22nd April at Onibury

Hereford Ringing Course 2023

A three day course: Thursday 13th – Sunday 16th April, 2023

Royal National College, Venns Lane, Hereford

Prices: Resident: £265 plus meals —meal prices unavailable until February
Basic (non-resident, no meals) : £100 Individual meals may be ordered as required.

    • Groups ranging from Rounds and Calls to Surprise Major
      • New Treble Dodging Minor group
      • Surprise Major group focusing on the new ‘core 7’
    • 6 Practical sessions
    • Additional opportunities to practice
      • Raise and Fall
      • Conducting
      • Listening and timing
      • Handbells (change ringing and tunes)

For more information, a full programme and application form visit www.herefordringingcourse.org.uk
Or contact the course secretary enclosing a self addressed stamped envelope:

Alison Moreton
1 Silcoates Drive
Wrenthorpe
Wakefield
WF2 0UR

Closing date for applications is 31st January, 2023

Please join the Hereford Course Facebook group if you would like to keep in touch with our activities.

belfry upkeep

The Stewardship & Management Workgroup are pleased to announce Belfry Upkeep, an online document aimed at the Steeple Keeper – the person responsible for keeping the bells in order. The aims of the document are:

  • To help you understand the installation in your tower
  • To describe the checks you should carry out to identify any problems
  • To advise you on the maintenance tasks that you should be able to carry out, possibly with expert advice or assistance
  • Most importantly, to help you recognise the tasks that require specialist knowledge from a Bell Hanger or other expert

The document can be found at https://belfryupkeep.cccbr.org.uk

Sue Robinson – the Guild’s new Master Elect

At this year’s AGM on May 14th, Sue Robinson was elected for the post of Master Elect.

Sue introduces herself below …

Introduction

My name is Sue Robinson & I live near Stanford Bridge in Worcestershire. I moved to this area approximately 9 years ago from Buckinghamshire and after a short stint in Buckeridge, Far Forest moved here to the Teme Valley.

After a very long absence from bellringing and being fortunate enough to start working part time I decided to re-enter the world of campanology. I am absolutely loving it and have rediscovered the passion and enthusiasm for bellringing I remember first appreciating in my early teens.
Experience

My first brush with the hobby started at the age of fourteen in a small village called Whitchurch nestled on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. I was extremely fortunate to be taught by George Mudge & lucky enough to fall in with a very enthusiastic group which enabled me to progress very quickly. However as is often the case I went off to college to study Agriculture and immersed myself in other things which became detrimental to my bellringing, and I gave it up at the age of twenty.

A move to Wells in Somerset rekindled my interest once again through a work colleague called Brian Mountjoy and I continued to ring up until the time I started my family. A number of house moves later, my two boys grown up with children of their own and living in various parts of the country – here I am ringing at Bromyard & Worcester Cathedral on a regular basis and attending daytime practices at Rock and Stoke St Milborough. In addition, there is a smattering of Quarter Peals, the occasional peal, the privilege of becoming a College Youth member and recently taking on the role of Ringing Master for the Marches District Ladies Guild as well as being the education officer for the Hereford Guild.

I assist at the Cathedral sessions in the training centre which is open to all for an hour before the Monday night practice, here the activities range from handling coaching through to simple methods. At Bromyard we have a wide range of abilities within the band including a couple of novices and the practice sessions are organised to support all levels so the ringing on offer challenges everyone from rounds and call changes through to Yorkshire Royal.

On a personal level I would love to ring eight spliced with a level of confidence, I am enjoying the challenge of 10 & 12 bell ringing and always love returning to my 6 bell ringing roots!
What will you bring to the Guild

Enthusiasm & resilience! And myself as an incredibly positive, self-motivated type of person.

I am usually cheerful, a glass half full person and a good facilitator.

I have 26 years of professional experience in a corporate role where my whole life was based around influencing people and implementing quality related improvements. I hope this experience will assist me to take our guild forward in a positive direction addressing the challenges that face us as custodians of our beloved hobby.
Sue’s aims for the Guild now and for the future

We are emerging from the covid pandemic and although restrictions have been removed, we are far from being back to normal. Whatever normal is, it still equates to an aging ringing population with elements of parochialism. Success, where we find it, currently stands mostly in isolation.

My aim would be to make the Guild better than the perceived “normal.” Make it vibrant & living, more cohesive, open to change that brings improvement & enriches the ringing experience for everyone. If we can turn the Guild into a proactive force for bellringing, we will future proof it whilst protecting the traditions of its origins.

Broseley bells project

Broseley has an enthusiastic team of 15 ringers, 5 of whom started to learn since the Covid lockdowns.

However, we have some issues with our bells. The ropes are pulled at strange angles from the bells to the ringers, the pulleys are worn, the sliders have been repaired with metal patches and bells 3 to 8 have the remnants of the original crown staples which could cause the bells to crack in the future. The bells were originally a peal of 6 hung in a wooden frame, but 2 extra bells were added at a later date in a metal frame. The flexing of the bell frame causes issues with pinching of the bell fittings.These problems combine to make the bells quite difficult to ring.

We’re therefore raising money to send the bells away for preventative maintenance and retuning, and to have them reinstalled in a new 10 bell frame. If we can raise enough money we’ll be able to install an additional 2 bells.

We’ve currently raised £17,000 and are busy fundraising to obtain the rest of the money needed to start the project.

For more information, please download our PDF Broseley Bells Project Leaflet.

If anyone would like to donate, we have a JustGiving page: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/broseley-bells

Thank You!

Alec Osbaldiston

It is with sadness that we announce that Alec Osbaldiston has passed away.

Alec rang at Cleobury Mortimer and Kinlet towers and was the on Thomas Cooper organising committee for a very long time and became a Freeman of the Guild in 2006.

Alec’s funeral will be at St Mary’s Cleobury Mortimer at 1100 on Friday 12 November. There will be ringing before and afterwards. Alec asked that handbells be rung at the graveside and this is being to arranged. The committal will be at Cleobury Mortimer Cemetery, Ludlow Road, on the western outskirts of the town.