Category: North Bucks News

Branch QP Week – UPDATED

Branch News 2The 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

 

 

Anthony J Fennemore commemoration peal in Ringing World

Branch News 2The Ringing World of 6th November 2015 included a one page feature on Anthony J Fennemore and the peal rung at Leckhampstead to commemorate the centenary of his death .

Anthony was a ringer at Maids Moreton, killed during the Battle of Loos.  To find out more about him then visit his commemoration page.

With thanks to Martin Petchey for forwarding the RW article.

 

Branch Training Day – Doubles Variations

Branch News 2On Saturday October 17th the North Bucks Branch held their annual training day, learning about ringing doubles variations, an area that can often be overlooked at tower practices. Personally this was a new experience as I am used to ringing triples and major methods. It felt very different.

The training consisted of two sessions. The morning session was held at Downs Barn, followed by Woughton in the afternoon. There was a varied mix of ringers at both sessions. I found the sessions very enlightening and educational. It was the first time I had ever combined doubles methods with bobs and singles of another method. Nevertheless I started to quickly understand it as the more experienced ringers explained how and why this happens. To my surprise it worked. There was a deserved break in the middle of the day for lunch, as the morning ringing proved quite tiring both physically and mentally.

I would like to thank all of the helpers on the course as their instruction proved very helpful and it made me more interested in the many doubles methods and variations that exist, and keen to try some of them out on practice nights.

Lydia Bates

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.

Course Material

The following course material is now available:

For a list of doubles variations why not try here?  You have been warned – it is long.

Terry Page

ART Module 2 course at Marsworth, by Brian Baldwin

Training CourseHeld at All Saints’ Marsworth – Saturday 17th October 2015
Tutor: Pip Penney

Six Teachers and two Mentors met, representing Barnes, Caterham, Fulham, Great Brickhill, Linslade, Wokingham and Woughton on the Green Towers.

Practical exercises in the tower, learning how to give feedback whilst ringing

Having been a Tower Captain for 40 years and just spent two years teaching a new band in a local tower, virtually from scratch, I have held ART at arms length for some time now with a slightly arrogant attitude of “what can they teach me that I do not already know”. I am pleased to say that this was quickly dispelled with Pip giving a comprehensive and interesting presentation covering Foundation Skills, Building a Band, Plain Hunt and Plain Bob skills development, topped off with sound advice on Running a Good Practice. Okay “so I knew it all” but it certainly reminded me of a number of things I was not actually doing and should be.

Pip Penney tutoring the course at Marsworth

I am pleased I went and I gained a lot from finding out that all the teaching problems I have are replicated across many towers and there are things you can do to stimulate interest, and get them to progress incrementally with little bits of valuable fun.  The practical exercises were excellent, some helpful books were available, and the tips and advice of fellow participants all added value to the day.

Advice on 'standing behind' whilst teaching plain hunt

I presented myself as a Teacher with a Mentor that I taught to ring 35 years ago.  All I have to do now is to complete the theory tests and paperwork process that is slightly daunting and I might just make it to accreditation.

Many thanks to Pip and to Richard Booth for all the practical support to the day, especially rescuing my iPad that I left behind in my rush to get home for the rugby.

Brian Baldwin, Tower Captain, Woughton on the Green, Milton Keynes

Well Done to Woughton!

Branch News 2On Saturday, the Woughton-on-the-Green band representing the Branch came third in the ODG 6-bell striking competition – losing only to more experienced bands from Thatcham (near Newbury) and High Wycombe.

Woughton had earned their place in the finals by winning the local heat at Whaddon in June.

Woughton scored a fantastic 87.5 per cent; but narrowly lost out as the winners scored 92.5 per cent.

Their success has been featured in OneMK.