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

Booked – non-ringing family members and friends are welcome to join us for tea at The Willow Cafe, Central Park, Peterborough – with its function room to ourselves!! – with weekend ‘free’ parking in Park Crescent (far side of the park) PE1 4DX and then walk into the park itself aiming for the centre (green grass ’roundabout’ with Weeping Willow tree) where The Willow Cafe is located.

Dear Ringers,

Here is Helen’s latest update. There are plenty of dates for your diary.

So, settle down with your cup of tea or coffee and have a good read, as yet again, it is not a good day to be outside!

Best wishes,

Julie

Helen’s text:

To branch chairs, secretaries & treasurers. Please circulate to members.

Hopefully, you, your house and your towers all survived the attentions of the storms Dudley and Eunice, and that Franklin, who is due on Sunday & Monday, does no more damage. The tower in Wells that lost the top of its spire didn’t come off best. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-somerset-60434329 Fingers crossed nothing like that happens.  

Accession ringing:
Thank you to every one of the 68 towers and over 240 ringers that took part in marking this. Certificates for towers are available, contact the Cathy Dixon, the Guild PRO to express your interest. pro@pdg.org.uk. The Jubilee weekend in June is just around the corner, get planning and let’s see if we, collectively, can celebrate that milestone in style.  

Guild News:
The entries for the Guild quiz were marked and the completely correct answers put into the hat for a draw. The winners and answers are available on the Guild website. https://pdg.org.uk/latest-news/guild-quiz-winners. Well done to the winners and all those who took part. Thank you to those who sold quizzes or forced them on friends and family.

The latest 100 club draw took place in February, with winners listed on the website. https://pdg.org.uk/?view=article&id=122:february-2022-100-club-draw&catid=2

The Guild Management Committee meeting takes place on 5^th March. Any views or items for discussion can be submitted through your branch chairs or the GMC representatives in your branch.

Dates for your diary:
This will be a regular item, featuring Guild events and branch happenings that are coming up in the next few weeks. You can check for details on the Guild’s events page for more details. https://pdg.org.uk/events

Guild 10 bell: Saturday 12^th March at 10:30 to 12:30 at Towcester. A chance to try ringing on higher numbers for those confident in ringing on 8 and to test out those method muscles for those with some familiarity on 10. Method range can extend up to Bristol and London Surprise Royal (on a good day, with enough people).

Towcester: Saturday 29^th February at 10:00 am. Meet at Pattishall for parallel practices at Pattishall and other towers.  

Rutland: Thursday 3^rd March at 19:30 at Oakham. Major and Triples practice.

Peterborough: Friday 4^th March at 19:30 at Castor. Branch 8-bell practice

Guilsborough: Saturday 5^th March at 15:30 at Cold Ashby, then from 18:30 at Kelmarsh.

Central Council news
Details of the annual Central Council meeting, to be held in person for the first time in 2 years, are being issued. Part of the weekend is open to all ringers. https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/02/07/2022-annual-meeting/

The President’s latest blog is available. https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/02/16/presidents-blog-53/

Heritage Open days can be a way of spreading the word about ringing and generating some positive engagement with the community – and you may find a recruit or two. Registration is open from 1^st March for the annual event in September. The Guild can help with publicity materials if you have a plan to try and open your tower.  https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/02/12/heritage-open-days-will-be-back-between-9-18-september-2022/

Hope you stay safe and warm. If the rhyme has February bringing the rain, while March brings breezes to stir the dancing daffodils, let’s hope that March doesn’t end up any more breezy than it has been of late. That would do more than simply stir the daffodils!

Thanks

Helen

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

Dear Ringers,

Here is Helen’s latest update.

Of particular interest is the paragraph on the Old Black Lion and St Peter’s. I have highlighted the parts of that paragraph where Helen would like your input in advance of the General Management Committee next month. The GMC takes place at 10am on Saturday 5 March at Bouverie Court.

There is also a general reminder that annual subs are now due. I understand from Andrew Christie, our Treasurer, that he has received two thirds of the 2022 subs already. So if you have yet to pay, this is a gentle reminder.

Best wishes,

Julie

Helen’s text:

To branch chairs, secretaries & treasurers. Please circulate to members.

It’s been good to see branches meeting and getting on with the business of planning the events for the year after a prolonged period of uncertainty. Should you want to see what is happening, check out the Guild’s events page for details of branch events. https://pdg.org.uk/events

Anniversary of the Accession

Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne. If you were able to ring, please put it on Bellboard, linked to the event “70th Anniversary of HM the Queen’s Accession”,  or let me know. I aim to collect tower names and write to the palace by the end of the week.

If you rang for the accession, or the coronation, we’d like to hear from you, what did you do, what do you remember? Get in touch and we’ll happily talk to you about your memories.

Old Black Lion & St Peter’s

As you should be aware, there is a project in Northampton, taking in St Peter’s church and the Old Black Lion pub. The church is run by the Churches Conservation Trust, and they have leased the Old Black Lion pub, a former coaching inn, to run as a commercial venture to support the church financially. They have been working with the CCCBR to put in place a training facility in an old stable block of the pub. This will comprise an 8-bell simulator for training, which would compliment the 8 bells in St Peter’s church. As this is on our patch, we ought to plan to make use of it. What sort of training activity would you want to see, what would be valuable to ringers in the local area? This will be a topic at the Guild Management Committee next month, so please get your thoughts and ideas to the branch Chair, your GMC rep or to me. Your opinion really matters here.

Guild 10 bell practice

A date for your diary, the next 10 bell practice will be 12^th March at Towcester. It’s a chance to try ringing on 10 and to stretch those ringing brain cells a bit.

And I know that the Guild and branch treasurers would like me to remind you that your annual subs are now due. Get in touch with your branch treasurer for how to pay.

Thanks

Helen

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

Our Branch funds have accumulated over £1000 and we are looking to disburse that money in the form of small grants to local towers. If you need to buy a new rope, stay, slider etc then you can apply for a small grant from the Branch funds to help towards the cost. There is an application process (a form to complete) and grants are capped at £100 per application. This grant is, for the time being, only available during 2022, and applications cannot be backdated to cover purchases made before Jan 1st 2022. Any enquiries as to what is covered, and for application forms, please contact me as Branch Steward at the following email address… nick.elks@gmail.com

Do remember this Friday is the monthly branch practice, 1930hr at Castor.

The special methods will be Double Norwich and London…. back by popular request!!

If you cannot manage these yet, don’t worry there will be opportunities to ring Plain Bob8/Little Bob8.

See you there,

James

Many of you may have signed a Gift Aid declaration in the past but if you haven’t or are a newly elected member and you pay income tax, please do email me and I will happily send you a form.

Although it seems a small amount the Guild Treasurer advised me that collectively the 25% tax reclaim on subs across the Guild amounts to around £2.5k he claims back each year.

Many thanks

Andrew Christie – Branch Treasurer (bells@peterborough-stmarys.org.uk)

Dear Ringers,

It was good to see many of you, virtually, at our Zoom AGM last Saturday, 15 January. In particular, it was helpful to put faces to names, so thank you to all those who were able to attend.

The minutes are now on the Petbells downloads page for those who would like to read them. The minutes also give details of the new Committee, for those who were unable to attend, but would like to know who is on it.

There is no real change, but we are looking for a new Press Correspondent, as Terry Wright has decided to stand down. Thank you, Terry, for your contribution over the last 5 years in this role. It has been much appreciated by all. Would anyone like to consider volunteering? All offers to the Secretary, please.

Best wishes,

Julie Pocock

Branch Secretary

Firstly a big thank you for all who paid their subs for 2021 and any arrears for 2020. With a few members who retired we had a success rate of over 98%.

Subs are still at £7 (£3.50 students) and with us unable to meet again at the AGM the best way to pay is online. If you were successful in making a payment last year I would be grateful if you can repeat that again, quoting your surname in the reference field.

Otherwise please drop me a SMS/email and I can share account details or provide alternative ways of making a payment.

Many thanks

Andrew Christie – Branch Treasurer

07954 405924

Bells@peterborough-stmarys.org.uk

Dear All,

It was good to see many of you at the Branch AGM on Saturday afternoon. Thank you for taking the time to attend.

Here is Helen’s latest update for you to read. It includes suggestions for Jubilee ringing for HM The Queen on or around 6 February, to celebrate the day She ascended the Throne. This year, 6 February is a Sunday.

There is also the “Golden Blog” by Simon Linford, our President. Open it to find out why he has named it thus. Keen photographers can participate in the photo competition.

Finally, there is a Guild update.

Enjoy the read,

Best wishes,

Julie

Helen’s text:

To: Branch chairs, secretaries & treasurers: please forward on to members. 

Happy New year to you all. Half-way through January and we have completed 7 out of 10 branch AGMs, it’s good to see the business of the Guild proceeding to plan. I know that branches will be in touch with members and contacts to ensure that details are correct for the 2021 report, which will capture activity in another very unusual year. One for posterity to ponder over. 

Jubilee ringing

6^th February sees the 70^th anniversary of the Queen ascending to the throne. While the main celebration of the Jubilee will be the extended bank holiday weekend in June, ringing on or around the 6^th February would be welcomed by the church. There is a little more information on the CCCBR website. https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/01/12/hm-queens-jubilee/ If you can arrange to ring, please do and please register it on Bellboard AND let secretaries know that you rang. The Guild will, again, let the Queen’s representatives in our area know that we have rung to mark this occasion. 

If you rang for the death of the King or the coronation of the Queen, please get in touch with Cathy Dixon (pro@pdg.org.uk) or me (secretary@pdg.org.uk). We’d like to support the CCCBR and have some small articles prepared for distribution locally.  

CCCBR update

The President’s first blog of 2022 has been published. https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/01/05/presidents-golden-blog/

Photo Contest

With the weather having had a seasonable turn (it’s been cold, clear and bright!) you may have been able to take a seasonable picture of your church recently. In which case consider submitting it to the Guild’s photo contest. Images will be selected to form a Guild calendar for the 10^th anniversary year, in 2024. Consider sending in your images to be part of this event. More details available on the website. https://pdg.org.uk/latest-news/photo-contest

Guild Update

Just to remind members that they have a say in how the Guild in run. They can propose someone for Guild office unto the Guild AGM in June. That can be in writing (e-mail is acceptable) to the Guild secretary or in person at the AGM itself. 

At the 2021 GMC there was a sub-committee created to review the rules that the Guild, the branches and the Bell repair fund follow. This has not been actively pursued during 2021, when meeting was difficult, but is now being revived. If you are interested in contributing to this project, please let the Guild Secretary know. 

The next few months see the bulk of the planning activity for the Guild for the year. Any thoughts you have that you would like to see considered are welcome. What do you want to see your Guild do? Let us know, we’re good, but we’re not very psychic! 

Thanks

Helen

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

Dear Ringers,

This is the final reminder for the Branch AGM.

To join the AGM at 16.00 on Saturday 15 January 2022, please e-mail Hilary Hardie here at least 24 hours in advance and she will send you the link.

Please check the downloads page of PetBells later on today to see all documents relevant to the meeting.

See you on Saturday.

Best wishes,

Julie Pocock

Branch Secretary