Category: North Bucks News

North Bucks Branch

Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers

Business Meeting at Great Linford

30th June 2018

Welcome

The meeting was opened at 17:45 by Graham Bartholomew, he welcomed everyone especially Alan Shephard from Dunstable who would be judging the contest.

The members present were asked to complete the attendance register.

In attendance were 60 members representing 15 towers were present.

Apologies for Absence.

Had been received from:

Garry & Hilary Reading, Tine Marchbank, John Marchbank, Brian Baldwin, Janet Bond, Janet Maybin, Sally Gallimore, Doug Vale

We wish Brian Baldwin a speedy recovery to full health and ringing.

Election of new members

No new members were proposed

Election of Officers

1. Ringing Master Barry Eglesfield. Proposed Alan Marchbank seconded John Marchbank. There being no other nominations, Barry was elected.

The Chairman reminded the meeting that Gary Reading intends to stand down in August so we are looking for his replacement and there is still a vacancy for Guild Representative.

Barry thanked the meeting for their support for him.

Diary of Events.

A pack of information including a diary of Events is available to take away, please display in your tower. Updates will be sent out too and it will appear in In Touch and on the web site.

We thank Nick Reed for getting the mid week group going. Next meeting is in July at Lavendon.

The Branch outing is organised and Notices are available to take away and on the website. Please encourage support from your tower. Thanks to Sarah who booked all the Towers.

AOB

1. To note. Garry has indicated he will stand down in August, which gives time for a handover to his successors. We thank him for the work he has done as Secretary.
2. To note, Steve Thomason (Gt Linford) has offered to maintain the Branch Web Site
3. To note, Keith Wagstaff (Newport) has volunteered to maintain the Branch Membership database
4. To note, Alan Marchbank has been organising events and publicising them to members. Notices are being sent to Towers please make sure your tower contact displays notices.
5. Barry will be seeking ringers for the Inter-Branch Striking contest at the end of July. Please volunteer if you can help.
6. A Vote of Thanks was proposed to the Gt Linford band that had organised today and prepared the tea.

Close

The Chairman closed the meeting at 17:56

Post Meeting Note

Ten teams entered the striking contest, which was won by Shenley and Loughton. The Chairman thanked Alan Shephard for judging and presented a gift to recognise his work. Alan awarded the Colin Snack Trophy to Ted Fawcett, conductor of the winning team.

CHRISTMAS MEETING

SATURDAY 15TH DECEMBER 2018

This year the Branch Christmas Meeting will be held at All Saints’ Loughton.

Following a significant bequest from Bob Winstanley these bells have been retuned and rehung in a new frame, with a new treble and tenor bell. This is a great opportunity to ring them and remember Bob.

The arrangements for the afternoon will be:

        16:00 open ringing
        17:45 short business meeting
        18:00 tea and refreshments
        18:45 more ringing

Tea, comprising pizza, salad and puddings, will be provided for those who book it.

In addition there will be handbell ringing (including a chance to try “lapping” handbells), a quiz, and a Whiting Society bookstall (your chance to buy the latest publications).

Booking for tea is essential, as the pizzas have to be ordered in advance.

Alan Shephard from Dunstable judged the 10 teams who entered the Branch striking competition which was held at Great Linford on Saturday 30th June. Over 60 branch members were in attendance and enjoyed the glorious weather and sumptuous tea provided by the Linford ringers.

Alan placed the teams in the following order and made constructive and helpful comments on each teams performance:

1st place Team 3. Shenley & Loughton Ringing St Martin’s Doubles. Confident start and settled until a trip in the 4th lead. This was resolved and stead ringing resumed and became very good by the end. 12 faults

2nd place Team 10 Woughton Ringing Grandsire Doubles. Accomplished ringing with a scattering of faults. No consistent errors 28 faults.

3rd place Team 1. Ladies Team Emmeline Ringing Plain hunt on 5. Started hesitantly then was settled after row 70. Lacked confidence 35 faults

4th place Team 5. Emberton Ringing Bob Doubles. Reasonably accomplished scattering of minor faults until a method error at 9th lead.Well done to keeping it going and bring it round. 42 faults

5th place Team 9. Bletchley ringing call changes. Irregular leading particularly at the changes. 55 Faults

6th place Team 8. Newport Pagnell Ringing bob Minor. Ringing did not settle from the off. 60 Faults

7th place Team 4. Sherrington ringing called changes. Leading was a bit rushed generally and bell in 2nds place was a bit rushed too. Rang too many rows but only 120 were marked. 82 faults

8th place Team 6. Olney Ringing Grandsire Doubles. Never really settled down and in 9th lead a method error cost many faults. Well done for getting it round. 152 Faults

9th Place team 2. Ladies Team Christabel . ringing plain punt on 5. Struggled, but carried on and finished. A good effort. 154 faults

10th place team 7. Lillingstone Lovell Ringing Grandsire Doubles Commiserations for not completing the test piece.

The 8 bell competition was held at Chieveley on Monday 2nd May 2016, with eight teams ringing a touch of Little Bob Major.

The judges were Alan Shepherd from Dunstable and John Harrison from Wokingham who described the bells as “difficult”.

The North Bucks team consisted of:

• Chas Knight – 1
• Barry Eglesfield – 2
• Wendy Haslam – 3
• Lesley Belcher – 4
• Roy Keeves – 5
• Phil Haslam – 6
• Simon Head – 7
• Doug Hird (c) – 8

The results were as follows:

• 1st EBSB Branch, 14 faults
• 2nd Newbury, 18 faults
• 3rd High Wycombe, 20 faults
• 4th North Bucks, 23 faults
• 5th St Aldate Oxford, 28 faults
• 6th Banbury Branch, 29 faults
• 7th Tilehurst, 34 faults
• 8th ODG Youth Team, 44 faults

A picture of the North Bucks team can be seen here.

The grand total of Quarter Peals has now gone up to 11 with contributions from Woughton & Olney.  Details have been added to the end of this news item.

The second Branch Quarter Peal week led to the ringing of 9 quarters during the week. These included a number of firsts. Well done to those who progressed their ringing during the week and of course a big thanks to those who supported them in their endeavours. The QP week has again provided great learning opportunities and facilitated team building. Of particular note was the quarter of 11 doubles methods and variations rung at Simpson following on from the recent Branch training course on this subject. A few sore heads I believe. As normally happens when organising quarter peals, a few didn’t make it but were worth the try. I understand after the attempt at Clifton there was much practicing of singles. I wonder what happened there?

Quarter peal week coincided with Remembrance Sunday and a number of quarters were rung half muffled or dedicated to the fallen of WW1. Maids Moreton rang in memory of Fred Rainbow and Edmund Webb, former bell ringers at Maids Moreton, killed in action during the First World War in 1915.

Maids Moreton, Buckinghamshire
St Edmund
Sunday, 8 November 2015
1296 Cambridge Surprise Minor

1 Sue Lucas
2 Ray Vickers
3 Margaret Vince
4 Ann Fletcher
5 Sebastian Lucas
6 Andrew Spencer (C)

Rung on Remembrance Sunday in memory of Fred Rainbow and Edmund Webb, former bell ringers at Maids Moreton, killed in action during the First World War in 1915.

Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
SS Peter & Paul
Sunday, 8 November 2015
1260 Plain Bob Doubles

1 Adam Hird
2 Liz Wagstaff
3 Scott Ayers
4 Nick Chatt
5 B Douglas Hird (C)
6 Keith Wagstaff

Rung half-muffled before Evensong on Remembrance Sunday

Emberton, Buckinghamshire
All Saints
Monday, 9 November 2015
1260 St Clements Minor

1 Wendy A Haslam
2 Brian Berry
3 Ian Thompson
4 Nick Gray
5 Roy Keeves
6 Tony Gray (C)

Rung half muffled for Remembrance Sunday.

Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
SS Peter & Paul
Wednesday, 11 November 2015
1260 Plain Bob Doubles

1 Liz Wagstaff
2 Mark Vale
3 Charles J Knight
4 Mick Nimmo
5 B Douglas Hird (C)
6 Keith Wagstaff

1st inside 2.
Rung half muffled on the middle six.

Roade, Northamptonshire
St Mary the Viirgin
Wednesday, 11 November 2015 in 48 Minutes (10-2-17)
1320 Cambridge Surprise Minor

1 Lydia Bates
2 Lesley Belcher
3 Alan Cozens
4 Nick Gray
5 Roy Keeves
6 Tony Gray (C)

First of treble bob – 1
Rung in remembrance of the fallen of two world wars and conflicts since. Also for the ODG North Bucks Branch QP week.

Downs Barn, Buckinghamshire
Cross & Stable
Friday, 13 November 2015
1440 Plain Bob Minor

1 Adam Hird
2 Anne McIntyre
3 Graham Bartholomew
4 Gary Reading
5 Charles J Knight
6 B Douglas Hird (C)

Rung as part of North Bucks Branch Quarter Peal Week

Simpson, Milton Keynes
St Thomas the Apostle
Saturday, 14 November 2015 (7–1–7)
1260 Doubles (11 M/V)
Antelope, Litchurch, St Jude, St Laurence, St Austell, St Stephen, St David, St Mary, St Crispin, St Cecilia, Laverstoke

1 Brian Baldwin
2 Gary Reading
3 Ann Birch
4 Martin Petchey
5 Simon J O Head (C)
6 Paul Crombleholme

Most m/v 2, 3, 4; for North Bucks Branch quarter-peal week by participants in a recent Branch course on Doubles Variations

Woughton on the Green, Buckinghamshire
St Mary
Saturday, 21 November 2015 in 40 mins (7 cwt)
1260 Double Oxford Bob Minor

1 Brian Baldwin
2 Christina Tribble
3 Peter Tribble
4 Paul Crombleholme
5 Martin R Petchey
6 Simon J O Head (C)

2, 3 and 4 first in method.

Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
SS Peter & Paul
Sunday, 15 November 2015
1260 Plain Bob Doubles

1 Keith Wagstaff
2 Liz Wagstaff
3 Mark Vale
4 Charles J Knight
5 B Douglas Hird (C)
6 Nat Masters

For Evensong

Calverton, Buckinghamshire
All Saints
Sunday, 15 November 2015 in 43 mins (10–1–24)
1260 St Clements Minor

1 Ann Birch
2 Graham Bartholomew
3 Anne McIntyre
4 Gary Reading
5 John Brookman
6 Simon J O Head (C)

1st inside to method – 2, 4
Rung as part of North Bucks Branch Quarter Peal Week

Olney, Buckinghamshire
SS Peter and Paul
Sunday, 22 November 2015 in 45 m (7-2-17)
1260 Plain Bob Minor

1 Judy Gay
2 Liz Sheaf
3 B Douglas Hird
4 Roger Gay
5 Charles J Knight
6 David Phillipson (C)

Rung prior to Choral Evensong
First Quarter Peal on an inside bell 2