I need a few more ringers to make up a band to ring for a wedding at Oundle on Saturday 9th September – the wedding service starts at 1:30pm. £25 per rope. Please let me know if you can help.

Nick Elks – nick.elks@gmail.com

We are one ringer short for a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples tomorrow Saturday 19th August 5:30pm at Peterborough St Johns. This is to celebrate the life of James Dyer so it is important that we can ring. If you are able to help then please let me know. Please do contact me if you want to help but feel you might not have enough experience – I really don’t want to have to cancel this important quarter peal.

Some sad news – I have just learnt that James Dyer has recently died after having a brain tumour, aged just 36 years old. James was a Lay Clerk at the Cathedral, singing in the Cathedral Choir and a sometimes bellringer. He lived and worked in Peterborough from 2010 until 2020, and was renowned for driving his Morris Minor in international rallies – usually breaking down in somewhere like Mongolia and having to get the car shipped home. James was always an upbeat character, a very positive person, and a gentleman. He previously dated local radio presenter Thordis Friedricson, and more recently married his girlfriend Keely last year. His funeral is today – 17th August, and his family are asking that donations be made in James name to the Brain Tumour Charity

https://james-dyer.muchloved.com/

Dear all, Helen has realised she has put a wrong date in her update, see below.

The Guild’s Summer Festival and 8 bell striking contest takes place on Saturday 9^th August September (Secretary having a diary madness moment) in the Towcester branch. 

Dear all, please find below Helen’s latest update.

I’m not sure how we manage to be half-way through August, but that sees us looking forward to the Summer Festival in September. 

Guild Summer Festival

The Guild’s Summer Festival and 8 bell striking contest takes place on Saturday 9^th August in the Towcester branch. Ringing to take place at Weedon (tbc) from 2 pm, Cold Higham from 3 pm and then the contest and tea at Towcester from 4 pm. A short meeting will be followed by evening ringing, also at Towcester. 

Branches wanting to enter should get in touch with Simon Dixon by Saturday 2^nd September, mailing master@pdg.org.uk

More information and a poster is available on the guild website: https://pdg.org.uk/latest-news/guild-summer-festival-2023

See you there – even if you’re not ringing, it’s an opportunity to try some different bells and socialise with ringers from across the Guild. 

Central Council items

President’s Blog looks forward to the meeting in early September. https://cccbr.org.uk/2023/08/04/presidents-blog-82/

The papers for this year’s Central Council meeting are now available. https://cccbr.org.uk/about/annual-meetings/2023-annual-meeting/

Motions to reduce the size of the council and the elections are the most notable items. 

Dates for the Diary

Guild 10 Bell Practice Saturday 9^th September. 10:30 Daventry

Guild Summer Festival Saturday 9^th September Contest 4:00 pm Towcester, for competition, tea, meeting and Evening ringing. Ringing at Weedon Bec from 2pm & Cold Higham from 3 pm. 

One change, Northampton have changed their practice location. 

Thrapston Branch Practice Thursday 17^th August 2:30 Wadenhoe

Rutland Branch 8 bell practice Thursday 17^th August 7:30 Uppingham 

Daventry Branch Meeting Saturday 19^th August 3:00 Everdon 6:30 Dodford (tbc)

Northampton Branch Practice Saturday 19^th August 7:00 Coggenhoe

Culworth Branch Practice Saturday 19^th August 7:30 Woodford Halse

Peterborough Branch 8 bell Practice Friday 1^st September 7:30 Castor

Thrapston Branch Practice Friday 1^st September 7:30 Islip

Guilsborough Branch Practice Saturday 2^nd September 3:00 Sibbertoft, 6:00 Welford

Rutland Branch 6 bell practice Thursday 7^th September 7:00 Great Casterton

See you all at some of these in the near future. 

Helen Allton

Secretary: Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PDGCBR

Website: www.pdg.org.uk

e-mail: secretary@pdg.org.uk

Telephone: 01832 735 266

Unfortunately there will be no 8 bell practice at Castor on 4 August. The next 8 bell practice will be 1 September. If you are looking for other ringing over the month of August then check out the Guild events page https://www.pdg.org.uk/events

Rutland have their 8 bell practice on Tuesday 1 August. There is a Stedman practice on 12 August.

Enjoy August home or away and see you in a ringing chamber soon!

Jane (Robinson)

Dear all, there is a second menu for this event, attached

Diana Street has organised a ringing event for the afternoon of Sunday 17 September, with the added bonus of a Cream Tea at The Johnson Farm in Old Hurst. All are welcome. 

She has provided the following information (all now confirmed):

12:15pm (bells down) to 1pm Hemingford Abbots PE28 9AL 6 14 cwt in G# (toilet in kitchen area)

1:15pm to 2pm Hemingford Grey PE28 9DF 8 11-2-12 in G# (toilet in kitchen area)

2:15pm to 3pm St. Ives PE27 6DG 8 12-0-4 in G (Portaloo inside South Porch)

3:30pm Tea at Johnson’s Farm Old Hurst (off A141) Church St, Huntingdon PE28 3AF

I will leave a donation at each tower, so £3 each should cover this, please give it to me on the day.

The standard Cream Tea (scone with jam & cream plus tea/coffee) offered by the Tearoom is priced at £7.25, but if you want something more substantial, the whole Steakhouse Afternoon Tea offer is £27 per person, see menu below for other choices. They can cater for special requests and for nut allergy as long as it is stated with order, please. I did have to check out their home-made scones (scone and tea = cream tea) before I made the booking!!

PLEASE NOTE the order the will need to be placed, with me, by Tuesday 12^th September so I can collate and forward to them in one go please. (please include price to ensure I order correct items for you). Thank you.

Both ringing and non-ringing family members and friends are welcome to join us for afternoon tea at Johnson’s Farm at Old Hurst – we may have a function room to ourselves. 

For non-ringers there is the added bonus of the Farm, with its animals, birds and ‘safe distance’ crocodiles to look round for a £3 adult entry fee, including a children’s play park (please have sensible footwear, for the fields part, if there has been any rain), while the rest of us ring!

It should be a lovely afternoon for us all to enjoy together, with the added bonus of food after the ringing workout.  I look forward to seeing you all and there is the chance we will get to know each other better.  

Thank you and see you then if not before.

Take care, Diana diana_cherryfields@yahoo.co.uk

Please see Helen’s latest update, below:

It’s not reasonable to expect summer to last ALL summer, but it tipping down doesn’t make for nice wedding photos nor is it conducive to listening to the bells outside while at a striking contest. I know the garden needs it, but neither of my ringing events yesterday was improved by the weather! Hope it has not interfered too deeply with your weekend or ringing activities. 

Training opportunities

There are always training opportunities, these are a little further afield. A reminder that the Training fund can offer a contribution to attendance at training courses for learners. https://pdg.org.uk/homepage/content-2/training-fund

North West Ringing Course

Next month is the North West Ringing Course and they are still in need of more helpers for courses up to Stedman. The website gives more details https://nwringingcourse.uk. Helpers can stay (accommodation and meals incur costs) or on a daily basis.   

ART M1 course

There will be an ART M1 (Teaching Bell Handling) course at Kineton on Saturday the18th November. If you have ringers that are teaching and would like a refresher, some new tips, or are entirely new to teaching handling this well established course could suit them. Please contact Graham Nabb gnabb50@gmail.com or find out more via the website. https://bellringing.org/about-teaching/bell-handling/

Central Council items

President’s Blog from far flung places. https://cccbr.org.uk/2023/07/07/presidents-icelandic-blog-81/

At this year’s Central Council meeting in September, nominations are required for a number of posts. Some information about what is involved can be found on the CCCBR site. https://cccbr.org.uk/2023/07/02/presidents-interview/ and https://cccbr.org.uk/2023/07/10/deputy-president-interview/

Other bell news

Not about change ringing, but about bells and their place in religion in Africa, this may prove interesting. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct5j1s

Ashwell bells

In the last few weeks, work has been underway at Ashwell in Rutland. The fixtures and fittings were removed, then the bells lowered and removed to Taylors for work. The 2nd will be checked for cracks and retuned to better match te rest of the 6. Then the Treble will be rehung in the 2nd bell pit, 2nd going into the 3rd bell pit and then the 3rd rehung on its own independent tower frame above the other 5. 

https://pdg.org.uk/latest-news/ashwell-bells-rehang

Artworks for sale

The church at Weston Flavell has received a selection of water colour paintings, which are being offered for sale.

There are over 150 different paintings of churches across the area. They were painted by C Stephenson-Mole and have been offered to the church by the family after the death of the painter. The church are asking for £30 per painting and the funds raised will go towards the work identified as necessary in the most recent quinquennial inspection. The Churchwarden, Phil Norris, should be contacted with any queries. He has photographs of all the paintings and can provide these on request. https://pdg.org.uk/latest-news/watercolours-for-sale

Dates for the Diary

Not all branches have events in August, so it’s a slightly shorter list this time around. 

Guild 10 Bell Practice Saturday 9^th September. 10:30 Daventry

Guild Summer Festival Saturday 9^th September Contest 4:00 pm Towcester, for competition, tea, meeting a7 Evening ringing. Towers prior to be confirmed.  

Culworth Branch 8 bell practice Saturday 29^th July 7:30 Aynho

Rutland Branch 8 bell practice Tuesday 1^st August 7:30 Oakham 

Peterborough Branch 8 bell Practice Friday 4^th August 7:30 Castor

Thrapston Branch Practice Friday 4^th August 7:30 Islip

Guilsborough Branch Practice Saturday 5^th August 3:00 Long Buckby, 6:00 Crick

Daventry Branch Meeting Saturday 19^th August 3:00 Everdon 6:30 Dodford (tbc)

Northampton Branch Practice Saturday 19^th August 7:00 Rothersthorpe

Culworth Branch Practice Saturday 19^th August 7:30 Woodford Halse

Hopefully summer will come back before you hear from me again. 

Helen Allton

Secretary: Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers

Facebook: www.facebook.com/PDGCBR

Website: www.pdg.org.uk

e-mail: secretary@pdg.org.uk

Telephone: 01832 735 266