Dear friends, As in previous years, there will be no branch practice in August, due to the number of us away.

If you are thinking to yourself “well I don’t tend to go anyway”, why not pop the first Friday in September in your diary now!

Happy holidays, James

Dear all, the details of Towers we will be visiting on the Branch Outing on 20 August are below. I do hope you will be able to join us. Please let me know if you would like to attend to through this link – Branch Events Organiser.

The pub where we are having lunch in Fenstanton is just updating it’s menu. If want lunch, please let me know in your email confirming attendance, and I will then send you the menu.

Peterborough Branch Outing 20 August 2022

We need just two more ringers to make up a band of eight to ring for a wedding at Oundle Church on Saturday 23rd July. Meet time is 1:40pm for ringing both before and after the Wedding Service which is scheduled to start at 2pm. We ‘could’ just ring the back six, but I would rather ring all eight if possible. A fee of £25 is available per rope – please let me know if you are available.

Nick Elks – 07961 916819 – nick.elks@gmail.com

The popular annual Branch Outing returns this year and the date for this is Saturday 20 August. 

I am contacting towers around Huntingdon to put together the programme, and as soon as I have them confirmed I will let you know.

In the meantime, please put the date in your diary, and let me know if you would like to join us.

Hilary Hardie, Events Organiser – hilary.hardie@btinternet.com

Dear friends, this Friday will be our branch eight bell practice at Castor 1930 until 21h.

Please consider attending if you can already ring Bob minor and would like to extend your ringing onto eight bells.

For those developing their surprise major repertoire the special method will be Cornwall and of course Stedman will always be special.

James

Please note that there will not be a branch practice at Castor on 3rd June, which would otherwise clash with Jubilee celebrations.

I hope that the majority of you will be looking forward to plenty of Jubilee ringing next week, a time to focus on the performance of our art rather than to practice.

James

Dear Ringers,
See below for Helen’s latest bulletin.
Best wishes,
Julie

Helen”s text:

To: branch chairs, secretaires & treasurers, please forward to members.

Update is a little bit late this week. It’s a long story, that I won’t bore you with, involving an Englishman, an Irish ferry, a dodgy alternator and a services on the M4. Assuming that it’s better late than never, here we are. 

Annual General Meeting:
The next Guild event is the Annual General Meeting. A reminder that names for tea need to with the Guild secretary before the event secretary@pdg.org.uk.  The afternoons activities are based in Peterborough. Full details can be found on the website: https://pdg.org.uk/homepage/agm-2022

Items of interest
As a county, Cornwall has had its problems in ringing, it is an extended county geographically, its cathedral is at one extreme, and it is largely rural. We have some similar element to tackle. This podcast looks at how they have revived interest in ringing in one area of their association. https://funwithbells.com/on-the-lizard/

Dates for the Diary
Guild 10 Bell Saturday 14^th May, 10:30 – 12:30. Kettering (confirmed!) 
Guild Second Saturday Session: 11^th June 10:00 Surprise Major Practice at Thrapston. Some fun on the way to the AGM. 
Guild AGM: Saturday 11^th June, 2:00 Peterborough St Mary, 2:30 Cathedral, 3:30 Peterborough St John. 4:00 Service, followed by tea and meeting at 6:00. Evening ringing at St Johns. 
Guild 10 bell: Saturday 9^th July, Rothwell, 10:30 – 12:30. 
Additional Second Saturday Sessions for future months can be found on the website. Express interest in the courses and propose topics that you feel there is a need for and the Guild will see what it can do to support. For more details, see here: https://pdg.org.uk/latest-news/more-second-saturday-sessions
Kettering with Thrapston: 28^th May 14:00 Great Oakley (newly installed) and 15:00 Corby (a change from the original programme).
Peterborough Friday 3^rd June 8 bell practice 19:30 Castor
Guilsborough: 4^th June Branch Practice 15:30 Great Oxendon, 18:30 East Farndon

CCCBR updates
The President’s latest blog is available: https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/05/10/presidents-blog-59/

The Technical & Taxonomy workgroup (nope, I have no idea what that means either) is looking for views and interest in a review of method extension.   https://cccbr.org.uk/2022/05/11/technical-taxonomy-workgroup-review-of-method-extension/

Jubilee Ringing
In the next update, I hope to be reporting on towers having rung for the Jubilee. A reminder to let people know that you are ringing, when and why, especially in towers with no regular ringing. Jubilee posters are available to put up in church or village notice boards. Additional copies are available from Cathy Dixon, pro@pdg.org.uk

In addition, you may like to add your event to the national events website: https://platinumjubilee.gov.uk/events/

Events can also be added to the diocese’s events calendar, especially if the public can come and visit the belfry or the tower. This can be found https://www.peterborough-diocese.org.uk/calendar/ and can be added by e-mailing the Communication office, luke.smith@peterborough-diocese.org.uk

Once you have rung, please add your ringing to Bellboard, and let the Guild know. This will enable us to collate information about ringing after the event. We intend to compile a list of every tower and ringer (if possible) who rang for the Jubilee and to collate this information to form a part of the historical record of the event. Your help in ringing and letting us know about it afterwards is much appreciated. 

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

More Second Saturday Sessions

May 14^th 2022 saw the first Guild-organised SSS which allowed expertise across the Guild to be shared and enjoyed by many ringers.  Two separate sessions were run, but both appeared popular, so they are being repeated as follows.

Session 1 – Basic Bell Maintenance on Saturday 10^th September.

This is aimed at those who are interested in the mechanics of the bells and would like to learn a bit more, especially about how to keep the bells and fittings in good working order.  It will be a mainly practical session held up in the belfry and would suit new recruits as well as existing ringers.  At the moment this date is looking fully subscribed.

Session 2 – Beyond Plain Bob on Saturday 9^th July.

For those ringers who have been confidently ringing Plain Bob (Doubles or Minor) and want to find out how to learn and ring other methods, such as St Simon’s Doubles, St Clements and Single Oxford Bob Minor.  It will be a practical session, preceded by a theory session by Zoom.  At the moment there is space on this course.

We would also like to put on a few other courses that combine theory and practice.

Session 3 – Understanding Call Changes on Saturday 13^th August.

This will be for those who can keep their bell in the right place in rounds but want to move onto ringing Call Changes or who have started to do so but keep “getting it wrong”.  Places will be limited and the location will be chosen to suit those who put their names forward.  If necessary, a re-run will be organised.

Session 4 – Intermediate Bell Maintenance

A follow-up, hands-on session for those who have attended session 1.  It will cover looking after ropes and stays; learning how to change a rope and stay, how to adjust the length of a tail-end, and how to splice a broken rope. The date and location will be shared with those who attended “Basic Bell Maintenance” but additional places may be available for anyone who just needs to learn these skills.

Session 5 – Ringing up and down in peal

With advice and practice for either one of these activities, this would suit ringers who are members of bands that regularly lower and raise their bells but do not have enough ringers who can do so in peal.  Date and location will be sorted out based on demand.

Therefore, we are asking that if anyone is interested in any of these sessions, that they contact Simon Dixon (master@pdg.org.uk)  or Cathy Dixon (pro@pdg.org.uk) to let us know and we’ll be in touch with more details.  Please note that there will be a small fee of £2 per student to go towards a tower donation.

In addition, we are putting on some open practise sessions.  No need to register interest in advance.  Just turn up, with a £1 fee towards tower donations, in the confidence that there will be a suitably experienced band to ring with you.

Saturday 11^th June 10am-12noon at Thrapston – Surprise Major Practice

Saturday 13^th August 7-9pm – Intermediate 8-bell (i.e., not Plain Bob or Grandsire or Surprise Major but methods such as Little Bob, Kent Treble Bob, Single Oxford Bob Triples).  Location to be decided.

Many Thanks

Cathy Dixon

The link below takes you to a Facebook post from Helen the secretary about a source of charitable funding. It needs individuals to vote for the Peterborough Guild and only takes 2 minutes to do. There’s a £1000 up for grabs

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=527175248887870&id=103283644610368

Don’t forget!

Tomorrow at 2 pm. See you there

J