Sussex ringer Alison sets a fine national example

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Published: Thursday, 25 July 2019 22:42

Alison volunteered for a neighbouring Guild hosting the annual Central Council meeting in 2016, to find out more about the wider world of bellringing. She answered the call ‘the future of bellringing needs you’ and found herself involved in more than PR for Sussex! Now on the Central Council Executive, her story is about the journey, the collaborations and the opportunities for everyone to be involved and help shape and preserve the future of bellringing.

Rising to the challenge

Little did I realise three years ago, when I volunteered as a helper at the Central Council Annual Meeting, hosted by the Winchester & Portsmouth Guild, that I would find myself writing about taking on a role as an Executive Trustee within that reforming body. I didn’t know what the Council was, I asked around and was met with a variety of opinions. It seemed the only way to find out was to immerse myself in it. I applied to join the team called for after said 2016 meeting – ‘the future of bellringing needs you’ caught my attention in an ‘email to all’ from our Association Master.

Having not long ago discovered this immersive hobby I was sufficiently intrigued to investigate further why it might be in danger and once I’d started digging I was hooked.

Read the full story on the Central Council news feed

Sussex Young Ringers compete in Liverpool

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Published: Sunday, 14 July 2019 21:53

I can safely report the Ringing World National Youth Contest trophy has safely made it to Liverpool and been handed to the new RWNYC champions, Oxford. Sadly we couldn’t defend our title this year, and settled with a commendable 6th place. We stepped up this year and rang Grandsire Triples, making us one of only a few teams to ring a method out of the 24 competing teams.

We ventured up to Liverpool by train on Friday 5th and stayed two nights in a hotel over the whole weekend. The Friday night saw some of us head over to St Nicholas Pierhead for their weekly 12-bell practice, while others stayed at the Hotel for dinner. On Saturday we were lucky to be drawn to ring third, meaning we could spend the rest of the day tower grabbing in Liverpool! The competition tower was St Francis Xavier’s; a beautiful Roman Catholic Church. We found the bells challenging, with some interesting acoustics, but our hard work and preparation meant we could produce some top striking on these bells. Our feedback from the judges after the results in the evening commended our solid speed and purpose, with small striking mistakes not detracting from the overall quality.

The rest of Saturday saw us grabbing towers around Liverpool such as the 8s at Penny Lane and Bootle. We also got another chance to ring at Pierhead, an absolutely fantastic 12. It was great to ring Grandsire cinques at Pierhead and show other teams our 12-bell skills. Some older ringers doubt the skills of young ringers, but in Sussex we pride ourselves on being able to ring a variety of methods from 6 to 12 bells, and do it with confidence and skill.

The highlight for many was the chance to ring at Liverpool Cathedral after the competition results were announced. The Cathedral bells are the heaviest and highest in the world – It was a long way up! The experience of ringing these massive bells inside a huge ringing chamber, surrounded by 100s of young ringers, adults and friends, was astonishing.

The final result was a little disappointing, but we knew we gave it out all, and had done Sussex proud. We will be back next year (location tbc) to compete again and build on our ringing this year.

Thanks to our coordinators, Anne and Sandra, and our supporters over the weekend. It was a blast!

Josh Hutchinson

Central Council Annual Meeting 2019 – Booking now OPEN!

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Published: Friday, 07 June 2019 22:46

I am pleased to announce that the outline programme of events and the online booking form for this years’ Central Council meeting from 6-8th September 2019 based at Goldsmiths College, London is now available on the Central Council’s website: https://cccbr.org.uk/about/annual-meetings/2019-meeting/

The programme is open to all ringers and I hope you will find a great deal to interest you, whether it is the social evening on Friday 6th September, the chance to come and discuss the Council’s work on Saturday 7th September, the mini roadshow, exhibition and speaker events taking place on Sunday 8th September, or the opportunity to visit St. Paul’s Cathedral and ring at some iconic London churches.

Over the coming months we will be sharing more information about the speakers, exhibitors and opportunities available at the mini roadshow.

To register, simply use the link or QR code. If you plan to come for more than one day, you can also find details of nearby accommodation. We look forward to welcoming you to Goldsmiths and hope that you find it an informative and inspiring weekend.

David Kirkcaldy
Deputy President, Central Council
Chair of the London 2019 Organising Committee

South of England Show - 6-8 June 2019

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Published: Friday, 31 May 2019 20:56

Thanks to the many ringers who volunteered to help with our mini-Ring (Dewby’s bells) at the South of England Show this year. The mini-ring (Dewby’s Bells) will be located at the entrance to the Sanctuary. This is in partnership with the Chichester Diocese.

If you’re visiting the show, why not come along and say hello? Everyone is welcome to listen and have a go on the mini-ring (no prior experience required).

The Association volunteers at the show will be there to enthuse about our fantastic hobby, talk to the public, and to demonstrate ringing on our miniature belfry. We can also provide information about ringing in your local area.

Above all, it’s about having fun! Sorry, we cannot guarantee the weather, but we can guarantee there will be a lot of smiles as people have a go at ringing these delightful bells!

Twitter follow @scacr_bells @chichesterDio @seas_org - use hashtags #southofenglandshow and #bellringing

Facebook follow @SussexBellringers @DioceseofChichester @SouthEngShows