|
|
|
|
|
Michaelmas Training Day - Saturday 26th September 2009 Now is your chance to register for this training day. It is always very popular so dont leave it to the last minute to register your interest. |
|
FORTHCOMING EVENTS: JULY So please add to your diary ! |
|
|
ADDITIONAL PRACTICES |
|
DONT FORGET!!! - On Sunday the 26th July 2009 there will be an additional practice for ALL ABILITIES to be held at St Laurence, Reading between 13:30 and 15:00 pm This is YOUR chance to ring at the only 12 bell tower in the Reading Branch so come along and have a go. These practices cannot happen WITHOUT YOU!!. If you have never rung on 12 bells before or have had limited opportunity then this is a good time to begin no matter what your ability may be. |
|
JULY PRACTICES.... are as follows
|
|
|
NEWS FROM THE BRANCH: |
|
| Reading branch outing to Rossiter country, north of London
This year’s branch outing was organized by June Saint and Steve Rossiter, and it took place in Hertfordshire, where Steve learnt to ring. Seventeen of us went in the minibus, expertly driven by Steve, who - in spite of road works on the M25:- got us to the first church on time: 9.30 am at St Giles, South Mymms . For those of us who associate the name with the service station on the A1/M25, it was a revelation: a beautiful 800-year old church in a very pretty village, with six lovely bells (11 cwt). Ian Judd was in charge: we rang Grandsire, Bob Doubles, London and Bob Minor. The nice young man who let us in complimented Reading ringing. Next stop was Christchurch (10 bells – 24 cwt), Southgate , which gets its name because it was the south gate to Enfield Chase, formerly a royal hunting ground.
Here we were joined by Wendy and Robin Middleton, Kate Davis, and Steve’s father, Peter Rossiter. Steve was welcomed as an old friend – this was where he learnt to ring on 10 bells.
They have a lovely deep sound. Steve was in charge and we rang called changes, plain hunt on nine, Stedman and Grandsire Caters and Yorkshire Royal spliced with Little Bob. Jim Diserens, who had not been feeling well, rang the 24-cwt tenor, and immediately felt much better. St Mary Magdalene (8 bells – 9 cwt), Enfield , came next. We were given a warm welcome by Peter Rossiter, the tower captain. Steve learnt to ring here on “lumpy 19-cwt bells” which were replaced about 10 years ago with much lighter bells, which go beautifully. They were of particular interest to Reading ringers, as they are very similar to the ones that Whitechapel will cast for Shiplake this summer. John Wells was in charge here, and we rang called changes, Yorkshire Major, Grandsire Triples, plain hunt, and Bristol Major. Underneath the ringing chamber, there is a very pleasant carpeted room where one can sit and watch the bells ringing, on a television screen. Peter Rossiter very kindly took the group photograph outside the church at Enfield (on no less than six cameras), and we said goodbye to Wendy and Robin, and to Kate. It was lovely to see them, and very good of them to make the long journey for just two towers.  Reading Branch members outside St Mary Magdalene, Enfield: L to R, back/middle row: Robin and Wendy Middleton, Antoinette Jackson, Markus Buss, Jim Diserens, Steve Rossiter, Ruth Hine, Kelvin Britton, Kate Davis, John Wells, James Champion, middle/front row: Lindsey Barker, Viv Bloundele, Bobbie May, Helen Diserens, June Wells, Diana McClure, Julie Champion, and, front row: June Saint and Ian Judd. Click the image for a larger version of the picture. We had lunch at The Ridgeway Tavern, which served good food at moderate prices, after rather a long wait – in spite of June Saint having phoned in the order a couple of hours earlier. It made us late for the next tower, St Mary the Virgin (8 bells – 10 cwt) at Monken Hadley, but Steve phoned to warn them, and the outing proceeded without a hitch. The road to Monken Hadley could be called Millionaires’ Row – large houses with very impressive security gates. The church itself was lovely, with very nice bells. Jim Diserens was in charge. Here we rang called changes, Grandsire and Stedman Triples, and five leads of Surprise Spliced Major. After a tea-break in Barnet (important, as there’d been no time for coffee or dessert at the Ridgeway), we rang at St John the Baptist (8 bells – 22 cwt) in Chipping Barnet, lovely bells, sound wonderful. There was a stuffed kangaroo on top of the clock cupboard – a memento of the tower captain’s visit to Australia . June Wells was in charge and we rang called changes, Grandsire and Bob Triples, and spliced surprise major: BFLG – Bristol , Belfast , London and Glasgow - nothing to do with a bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich. The last tower was St Nicholas (6 bells – 6 cwt) at Elstree. The local ringer who let us in said that the treble and second bell were “a bit flighty”, and the less experienced ringers (such as myself) wholeheartedly agreed with him, but of course it didn’t worry the good ringers. Antoinette Jackson was in charge, and we rang Grandsire and Stedman Doubles, Bob Minor, and Cambridge. There was one unfortunate incident, at the end of a lovely day: Markus Buss hit his head as he got into the bus, and ended up with mild concussion – the perils of being tall. The sing-along on the return journey may have exacerbated his condition. We’re pleased to report that he’s now recovered and is ringing bells again. Apart from poor Markus, we all had a very good time. Thank you, Steve and June, for organizing a most enjoyable outing. Diana McClure |
|
Please note that St Thomas of Canterbury at Goring-on-Thames is currently closed for extension and refurbishment work to be completed. The only ringing that is taking place is on Wednesday evenings until further notice. Please check with the local ringers via their website at Goring and Streatley Ringers if you are planning to attend practice night. There is a specific email address that you can use for this purpose. It is hoped that normal Sunday ringing will begin again in October 2009. |
|
|
|
The Oxford Diocesan Guild
of Church Bellringers was established on 17th January 1881. Its
work is effected through 15 branch organisations covering the counties of
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire. To contact Reading Branch Officers please select from the list in the drop down menu above. For all other Branch contacts and Tower contacts, please refer to the latest Guild Annual Report. |
© Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell
Ringers 2009 - Reading Banch 
