Belfry Gossip
We won!
For the first time since 1985, St. Mary’s ringers were placed first in the Peterborough Diocesan Guild 6-bell striking competition, held at the end of April at the delightful village church of Wadenhoe. The church is situated in open fields overlooking the River Nene. We disturbed no one except the scouts camped in the nearby field. Out of eight contesting teams, we scored the lowest number of faults. The judge commented that our team rang the light six bells at about the correct pace and developed a good consistent rhythm throughout the test piece. Well done to the team.This month we enter the Branch striking competition to be held at Mears Ashby. This year we hope to regain the trophy we lost to Irchester in 2001. If we can achieve this, then St. Mary’s will hold three striking competition trophies – two from the Diocesan Guild and one from the Branch. This we have never previously achieved – and Jubilee Year too.
The quarter peal day, held in April, saw ringers from different churches joining together to ring quarter peals in many of the towers within the Wellingborough Branch. The band ringing at Rushden successfully started the day off with a quarter of Rutland Surprise Major, with two ringers achieving this for the very first time. This is partly what a Quarter Peal Day is about. Throughout the day there were other successes but sadly one or two failures. But how does the old saying go, "‘tis better to have tried and failed than not to have tried at all". However, the thrill of some individual achievement and the fraternal fellowship among the ringers was great.
As part of one of the recent "Talent Coffee Mornings", visitors were able to climb the helical stairway up the church tower to view the bells. It is most useful at St. Mary’s to have a viewing gallery above the bells to enable visitors to watch the bells in action. Many people, young and not so young, made the ascent and were amazed at the size and the action of the bells. Owing to a mid-day wedding and with people still queuing to see the bells, the trips had to be curtailed. However, at some future date, these trips will be repeated – perhaps this time with a certificate to prove the climb of 66 steps was successfully completed.
Renovation work
on the tower has commenced and at the time of compiling Gossip, ringing continues. This will please the bride and bridegrooms who have requested the bells for their weddings. But sadly, as the work progresses and moves higher up the tower and spire, ringing will have to stop. We do apologise to the wedding couples planning to have the bells, but we are very much guided by the professional advice of the church architect in charge of the work.Our Jubilee ringing may be minimised, not because of restoration work, but because several of our ringers are taking holidays at this time. However we shall endeavour to ring sometime over the Jubilee weekend.
The annual Les Priestley Memorial Peal should be attempted on Sunday June 23rd, but again, will this be curtailed because of the restoration work? We are adding the name Jubilee Peal to the attempt. Failing the use of St. Mary’ bells, consideration has been given to using another church’s bells.
Several of our ringers were due to attempt a 3-hour peal of Stedman Triples at St. Mary’s Felmersham at the end of May. This was to be for the Queen’s Jubilee – success or failure report in July’s Grapevine.
The architect appointed to draw up plans for the proposed upstairs ringing room has visited the church to take detailed measurements. We now await the final drawings and for the work to be costed before being given the final go ahead. Although the church has been left a legacy towards the payment of the work, no doubt an appeal will be made to cover the suspected shortfall. It would be most helpful to be able to carry out this work while the bells are silenced for the tower and spire renovation. The new upstairs ringing room would then be completed in time for next year’s 50th Anniversary of the re-hanging of the bells and restoration of the spire.
Our annual day’s outing later in June, has been organised and will be reported on in August’s Gossip. Our usual request is for dry weather, good bells and friendly company.
In this Jubilee month, the ringers ring out – "God Save the Queen"