Each July, the Newbury Branch of the Oxford
Diocesan Guild holds the local heat of the national 6-bell striking competition.
Member towers are invited
to enter and the winner is the band which rings with the least faults.
The occasion is also an opportunity for us to have a social. This year
we met at Peasemore where the old gravestones in the churchyard were interspersed
with giant versions of jenga, chess and pick-up sticks. People played quoits
and children released giant bubbles into the air. There was even a young
man giving a juggling masterclass. “Juggling is a bit like bell ringing” he
said. “It’s all about rhythm”. This seemed to entice
almost everyone to have a go. Afterwards we enjoyed a fabulous home-made
tea provided by the host band, in the village hall.
The Hungerford band (pictured here) won The Marshall Shield - awarded to
the highest scoring band which includes a novice ringer. That was Jacob,
the youngest member of our band. Jacob’s mother, Melanie (4th from
the left) learned to ring as a young teenager in the late 1970’s,
on St Lawrence’s brand new ring of 8 bells. She returned to ringing
about a year ago, bringing Jacob and his grandmother, Patricia. Both have
been enthusiastic participants and are now ringing regularly for Sunday
services. Jacob has progressed more quickly (as youngsters tend to do,
if they are interested enough). He has not only learned to handle a bell
confidently but can ring as part of a 6-bell method band.
Recently, Mel, Pat and Jacob joined a small party of Hungerford ringers
to visit some of the towers in Oxford as part of the Guild Festival, which
occurs every 10 years. The first tower was Oxford Cathedral, where we rang
rounds on 12 bells. This was a first for Jacob and a test of his bell handling
skills. Since 11 bells have to ring between each strike of the tenor bell,
a ringer is required to ring very closely after the bell he’s following,
but then hold the bell on the balance and wait for his turn to ring again.
Split seconds make all the difference here and good bell control is necessary
for perfect striking.
Along with Pat and Jacob, Hungerford tower has been fortunate to have a
steady stream of novices in recent years, at a time of general decline
in the number of bell ringers (and only 10% of ringers are aged under 20).
This is a trend we all hope will be reversed. Bell ringers are part of
a community maintaining a unique tradition – and sharing a challenging
and rewarding interest too.
Sarah Chatters
