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Photos from the archives
Latest News
Steeple Aston
Steeple
Aston young hand bell ringers have
kept active by ringing hand bells in
the lead up to Christmas
Click on the link below to enjoy
them ringing carols.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/HCsvxLsM93g
Adderbury
We have
not been ringing in the tower since
the Covid restrictions started at
the end of March. For the initial
lockdown, Dave kept us amused with
daily cartoons emailed round. We
also began to meet virtually via
Ringing Room on practice nights, but
our attempts were not very
successful, due not least to poor
internet speeds/connections, so this
has fallen by the wayside. Services
resumed on 19th July, but
due to a number of factors including
ventilation, access and the weight
of the bells meaning that by the
time we’ve rung individual bells up
and down we would be unlikely to
manage much else within the
acceptable 15 minute window for
ringing once the guidelines were
reviewed and we decided not to
recommence. So we decided to ring
handbells outside the church to
welcome the congregation, which a
small number of us have managed to
do for each of the regular sunday
morning services, along with 2
special harvest festivals held for
the school. This has gone down very
well and raised our profile with
many favourable comments, and it’s
in some ways more personal as it
makes the individual ringers more
visible to the congregation.
Thanks also to regular practices in
Dave's back-garden during the
summer, a handful of the tower band
have learnt from scratch some of the
basics of ringing handbells, while
others perhaps reacquainted
themselves with it! Simon (8), has
gone from having no previous
experience of method ringing (either
in the tower or in hand) to
competently plain hunting on 6 or 8
and moving on to plain bob and Adam
(4) has been having a go too! A
particular highlight was a Lee
family touch for the final Sunday
service before the current return to
lockdown with Colin and Simon
ringing plain bob minimus on 1-2 and
3-4 respectively, while Zoe and Adam
covered on 5-6 and 7-8.
The services have been recorded and
broadcast via YouTube so that they
can be accessed by members of the
congregation currently unable to
travel to the service in person. We
have been very pleased to have been
included in this, with our ringing
opening the recordings on a number
of occasions
(e.g. as found at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqLPPUTS-K8&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR2ZWP94r8GMm9cJ5V36-JGoLncWvbWyve8xQo7hkbjbk6eIVHEMxJuTOAk
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaPL5DK5rBE&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1IP0OZGNbxRk1g-VWd4KOFTNdw94pX3MAX4UuMxaMLM0s_-OtxlGTFfX8).Services
and (handbell) ringing have again
been curtailed due to the current
return to lockdown, but we can’t
wait to return once circumstances
allow.
Colin
Banbury
Our last
ring together as a whole band took
place on Mothering Sunday on March
22nd. During the first
lockdown we kept in touch via phone
calls, texts and emails.
Jean expressed everyone’s
frustration with no ringing through
a poem in the Ringing World. In mid
June Barry and Jean were asked to do
an inspection in the tower following
heavy rain when the vicar’s vestry
roof collapsed and water got in to
the newly restored organ. The only
damp we found was in the clock
weights chute and the safety
quilting was taken out to dry.
On July 17th we did a
maintenance check in readiness for
ringing restarting and everything
appeared to be in good order. We
completed health and safety
preparations in accordance with
covid 19 guidelines and our first
ring took place on August 9th
when Sunday services resumed. 5
ringers, hand sanitised and masked,
rang 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, with the doors
open.
Richard Bentley then went into
hospital for a knee replacement and
two of our members have elected to
stay away for the present.
So we are a depleted band but with
enough to continue ringing on 5
bells, and with the right
combination of ringers on 6. Our
repertoire mainly consists of
ringing up and down with call
changes in between though we have
also attempted simple methods.
We were able to ring for the
installation of our new vicar Serena
on September4th but after that
things ground to a halt when the
church clock put a spanner in the
works, or rather some hammers
through the spokes which couldn’t be
pulled off. The clock winder got
things going with the clock by
inserting a length of clothes line
as a replacement for a length of
broken wire. However we were not
prepared to ring until the clock had
been properly mended. We resumed
ringing again on November 1st for
one week only before lockdown 2
struck.
Barry &
Jean
Bloxham
Our last
ring as a whole band was on Sunday
15th March. Services started again
on Sunday 2nd August, so we started
ringing again, following the Covid19
rules, that the ringers must be 2
metres apart, and ringing with the
West door open, so that there was
adequate ventilation.
We ring 1 3 5 7, usually to call
changes, but we have tried Bob
minimus, although it is hard work
turning in the 19cwt 7th!
We have rung every Sunday since the
2nd August, but have now had to stop
because of lockdown because there
aren't any more services in the
Church until December. We last rang
on the 1st November.
Alan
Cropredy
Our last Sunday ringing
pre-Covid was on 15th March and our
last practice was on Monday March
16th after which we went to the Red
Lion.
Once the Lockdown was released we
restarted 'practice' nights at the
Brasenose Pub in Cropredy on Monday
6th July. The Brasenose had been
doing takeaway throughout the
lockdown which some of us had
supported. For our 'practice' some
pre-ordered their dinners and others
came and joined for a drink. We
convened at 6pm and our food was
served at 6.30pm. Fortunately the
weather was kind so we happily sat
outside, often in the evening
sunshine. There was some cover in
case of rain. 'Practice' continued
in this way until Monday October
5th. We braved the inside on Monday
October 12th. During this time it
has been really nice to have
something to look forward to and to
meet up and hear news of those who
for various reasons did not come.
When services resumed on August 2nd
we immediately restarted Sunday
ringing, tentatively dipping our
toes in the water, and ringing 3
bells. Prior to the ringing we had
done a risk assessment and checked
the bells. For the next service,
August 22nd, we increased to 4
bells. Because of the 15 minute
restriction on time we have been
ringing the 1, 3, 5 and 7 rather
than the 2, 4, 6 and 8 as this way
less time is spent ringing up and
down. Occasionally when we have two
couples included in the Sunday
ringing group we are able to ring 5
bells, but yet again the 1 and the 8
are deemed too close for current
restrictions.
Some of our ringers were uncertain
about ringing after such a long
lay-off so they have been
accompanied to the tower before the
Sunday to ring their bell up and
have a short practice. One of the
biggest problems is sharing out the
few ringing opportunities between
the number of available ringers. We
never thought to be in this
situation of seeming to have too
many ringers. This won't be the
case when we get back to ringing the
eight! When the lockdown started we
had three learners, two of whom,
were progressing from handling to
rounds. We shall hope to restart
them when we get back to normal
practices.
One very nice thing has been the
compliments and thanks from many
villagers on hearing the bells
again.
Brenda
Steeple Aston
Ringing ground to a halt with the
declaration of the lock down in mid
March. For a time the church was
firmly locked and we were all
forbidden to enter.
Nevertheless the church clock leapt
forward to start summer time. By
early August the powers that be
decided we could risk open air
services in the churchyard. The
ringers provided the music ringing
handbells before and during the
service.
A month later the village organized
a Scarecrow competition and Fete at
the gate (well spaced stalls around
the village) Graham’s scarecrow was
“Steeple Jack” hanging from a ladder
half way up the outside of the
tower. The ringers served teas from
the tower door and made £200 for
church funds.
The Sunday service was again held
outdoors but we decided to risk 5 of
us ringing for 15 minutes before the
service. Dorothy & Graham on 1&2
then Lawrence, Malcolm, Jack or Jon
on 4,6 & 8 all socially distanced.
We rang minimus with a cover. It was
exactly 5 months since we stopped
ringing, there were many warm
comments from the village.
The next Sunday we had a service
there was no ringing as two members
had tested positive for the virus
and had to self isolate. We have
only been having a service every
third week as they move round the
benefice. We were all set to ring
half muffled for Remembrance but
that service has been cancelled at
the church, at least we do not have
to fit muffles.
I wonder if we will ring for
Christmas?
Graham
The Ringing Room
Chris Mew of the Coventry Guild has kindly given permission to put on the website an article he wrote about the The Ringing Room a computer program developed during lock down. It can be viewed by clicking on the following link Ringing Room