In line with current Government guidelines all practices and service ringing at Rotherwick and Heckfield are suspended until further notice.
Category Archives: Rotherwick
ROCHRingers covers Rotherwick, Odiham, Crondall (Guilford Guild) and Heckfield. Click to visit the ROCHRingers homepage.
New Years Day Practice at Rotherwick
Due to a fair amount of interest, there will be a practice night at Rotherwick on Tuesday – New Years Day. Do come along 7.30 – 9.00 with a trip to The Leather Bottle after! In the unlikely event that not enough turn up, the Leather Bottle visit might be earlier – so if you are coming get there early!
Itinerary for Winchester District Mini-Outing Sat May 26th
Summer Practice Heckfield
Try the heaviest bell in the Basingstoke District!
Come along to the May practice at Heckfield on Thursday 5th May 7.30 – 9.00 pm. Have some fun on the anticlockwise 5 with tower top tours and a trip to The Leather Bottle, Mattingley after!
Entrance is outside round the back of the tower.
Have a go, you know you want to!
A 30th Birthday Celebration.
On Tuesday 10th January The Rotherwick/Crondall crew (ROCH ringers) completed a 1/4 peal of April Day and Plain Bob Doubles to mark Joseph Sharp’s 30th Birthday.
Tony Walker, Ros Fox, Joseph Sharp (conducting), Adrian Nash, Martin Barnes and Kevin Fox.
Rotherwick hosts a memorial quarter peal to mark 66 years of church service!
A ringer who lives in London had an idea and this resulted in a wonderful testament to the friendly nature of ringers.
Emily Crowder wanted to honour her grandfather’s years of church service. Here is her story.
My Grandfather was a Reader in the Whitewater Benifice for 66 years. I wanted to mark his passing in his local community so contacted Alan through Doves . He invited me to ring. It was special to be in the Church my Grandad had spent a lot of time and meet more of the church community who knew him. My grandmother also listened to some of the quarter and was really touched I was involved.
Later Emily posted this on Facebook.
Bellringing is great- you make a few enquiries, reply to a couple of emails and then get invited to ring in a special quarter peal in memory of my Grandfather, reader in this parish. Lovely bells at Rotherwick, I enjoyed ringing them and joining the locals.
Well done Rotherwick.

Rotherwick and Heckfield’s Tower outing on 1st Oct is a great success.
A wonderful time was had by everyone who joined Rotherwick and Heckfield churches last Saturday on their tower outing to Hungerford, Kintbury, Great Bedwyn and Ramsbury, With breakfast at Cobbs Farm Shop, lunch at The Pelican and tea at The Tutti Pole the band were well sustained.
A huge thank-you to Nici and Martin who are past masters at organising and had thought of everything. We also managed to dodge most of the serious rain downpours until teatime.
Rotherwick – Bell Ringing Times
- Sunday: by arrangement
- Practice: Tuesday
- Check online Calendar Click Here
Learn to ring with ROCHRingers
Learning to ring in this atmosphere is a pleasure. They have quite a few new ringers of all ages ( 7yrs – 70yrs) between them and folks thinking ‘Hmm I would like to give it a go’ are always welcome. Please click on any of the tower links to find their contact details,the days and times that they practice.
See you soon.
ROCH Ringers
ROCH ringers are a ‘cross Guild’ friendly bunch who support and ring at each others towers on practice nights and for weddings etc. They can be found ringing the bells at:
They share bells, friendship, fun, beer and outings
- Learn to ring with ROCHRingers
Learning to ring in this atmosphere is a pleasure. They have quite a few new ringers of all ages ( 7yrs – 70yrs) between them and folks thinking ‘Hmm I would like to give it a go’ are always welcome. Please click on any of the tower links to find their contact details,the days and times that they practice.
See you soon.
First A.R.T. training in the Guild goes well.
ART Training Day Module 1.
As part of their amazing commitment to training in the Guild and ringing in general Andy and Sallie Ingram held Winchester and Portsmouth Guild’s first Association of Ringing Teacher’s (ART) Module1 – Teaching bell Handling day course on Saturday 25th June.
The day started at 09:00 in The Kings Head at Hursley with the introduction and coffee followed by a practical session across the road at All Saints Church and then back to the pub’s skittle alley for more theory. We continued this way with us cleverly dodging all the thunderous downpours.
9 students attended from 6 different towers of Ecchinswell, Hursley, New Alresford, Romsey, Rotherwick and Winchester. Different ages and abilities from 3 districts were all there to learn about becoming a teacher on the ART Scheme, how ART approaches teaching others and then hopefully move on to teach their learners about bell handling and bell control to complete Module 1.
The course showed us how to approach learners, hand them a rope for the first time, start backstrokes then handstrokes with bells both up and down and then safely join hand and backstrokes together whilst imbuing them with confidence.
After a lovely pre ordered lunch , more theory followed. The practical lesson of teaching ringing up and down made us look at our own practices with surprising little tweeks here and there. Solving Handling Problems theory followed by the practical, again examined our own practices with most people needing very little correction and having left egos at the door this proved very well humoured.
Starting on an accredited teaching journey may seem at odds even superfluous to a few of the ‘old guard’ who have taught for many years but having a planned path of progress also has it’s place. Keeping a standard, planned learning path allows for a gradual reduction in ‘bad habits’ being taught and good practice being maintained .
ART say ‘National ringing institutions recognised that the ageing population of Tower Captains meant that the old ways of teaching had to change. As often happens at such times, along came individuals who had the knowledge, skills and time to be able to develop a new way. It has grown because it is the right thing being done at the right time’.
Without practice, feedback and reinforcement, basic human nature kicks in and people revert back to their old ways of doing things. That’s what we as teachers need to do to – practise until it becomes second-nature and practise it right. That’s what the ART Training Scheme does for you – it has processes and support to help you change your behaviours’.
A huge thankyou to Andy and Sallie for their relaxed and fun way of teaching and to All Saints Church, Hursley for the use of their bells.
I can’t wait to get back to my new ringers and use them as guinea pigs knowing I have a mentor to fall back on….. priceless.. Deb Baker.
A mini ring comes to village fête.
This Saturday (19th) The Vestey Mini Ring from Suffolk will be at Crondall Village Fête.
Our friends and neighbours are promoting ringing and informing the locals to what it’s all about and we, across the divide, have been warmly invited to come and ‘have a go’.
The Fête is from 2:00 – 5:00 Hook Meadow GU10 5QG
Rain holds off for the Guild 6 and 8 bell striking contest.
Report from Mark Esbester. The Guild 8 bell striking competition was held this morning at Hawley – possibly the first time it has been outside the Guild’s territory! Only 3 teams had entered, namely Bishopstoke, Catherington and Hursley – where are all the Guild’s other 8-bell (and above) bands? The judge, Vernon Bedford, commented that all 3 teams had rung well, but Hawley bells are difficult to get really consistent, accurate ringing on. Bishopstoke, ringing last were the winners, with 17 faults, Hursley second with 24 and Catherington 3rd with 31.
Report from Greg Jordan. The Guild 6 bell striking competition was also held this morning at Eversley. 5 teams entered, namely Eversley, Eling, Rotherwick & Odiham, Basingstoke St Michaels and Niton & Chale.The judges Julian Hemper and Julian Ferrar gave very fair and positive comments on all the ringing and were particularly pleased when one tower had a tricky section but continued ringing, pushed through and settled down to some good ringing again. The teams and their results are as follows;- Placed 1st St. Michael’s Basingstoke 3.5 faults, placed 2nd Eling 6.5 faults, placed 3rd Niton and Chale 8 faults, placed 4th Rotherwick and Odiham 28.5 faults, placed 5th Eversley 35 faults.
Guild Master Viv Nobbs noted that it was good to see some very local bands entering and thanked those that had travelled quite a way to compete including the band from the Isle of Wight.
Some folk went on to The Northbrook Arms, had a lovely lunch and enjoyed the skittle ally and then went on to ring at Brown Candover and Micheldever who kindly opened their towers for us. And then the rain came…. but it didn’t matter by then because everyone had had a lovely day. A special mention and thanks go to Basingstoke District officers, the towers and the tea, coffee and biscuit servers!
Thanks to David Forder, Mark Esbester,Deb Baker and Martin Barnes for photos.
Queens For The Queen!f
On the evening of Thursday April 21st 2016, a band of Rotherwick and Heckfield Ringers rang at Rotherwick to mark our Queen’s 90th Birthday.
The photograph shows the band, in patriotic mode, L to R, Tony Walker, Martin Barnes, Nici Collins, Joseph Sharp, Fiona Sayers, Alan Giles.
Odiham Ringing for the Queen and Normal Practice Cancelled 20th April
The normal Wednesday night practice at Odiham All Saints will not take place on 20th April due to the Church hosting The Parish Assembly.
However, on Thursday evening 21st April, we will be ringing from 7.00pm until the normal practice time of 9.00pm in order to be ringing for the Queen’s 90th birthday, around the lighting of Odiham’s beacon in celebration of this momentous occasion! All are welcome to join us.
Heckfield, St Michael, Reminder
This is a reminder for all, that the bells of St Michael, Heckfield will be ringing on Thursday 7th. April for practice from 7.30 to 9.00. Thence, on the first Thursday of the month until the clocks change again.
Do come and join us for a bit of fun on 5 bells, anticlockwise ring. The tenor is the heaviest bell in the District but the treble, two and three have recently been rehung and ring themselves!! It is all very informal and fun. You will be very welcome.
Entrance to the tower is at the back of the church. RG27 0JL
Rotherwick Easter Sunday Ringing
Please note that the bells of Rotherwick Church will be ringing out for Evensong on Easter Sunday from 6.00-6.30pm.
Please don’t forget to put your clocks back before you go to bed on Saturday night!
Heckfield’s ‘old girls’ Will Ring again on April 7th.
St Michaels’ Church in Heckfield will be opening it’s ringing chamber again on April 7th. Practice night will be at 7:30 on the first Thursday in every month until September.
All are welcome and you can try your hand at one of the oldest bells in the country and one of the heaviest in the District.. the irascible Tenor… but we love her.
Normal Ringing at Odiham during Holy Week.
When Bells are Silent, Ours Ring Out.
On Wednesday 23rd. March at 7.30pm our normal practice will go ahead. If you need your fix of ringing, you are welcome to join us.
Please use the main entrance. RG29 1NB
FAST AND FURIOUS (Firsts Fortnight News from Rotherwick)
FAST AND FURIOUS.
No not cars, bells.
Last night Rotherwick tower rang 1/2 a peal of Devon Call Changes on 6 for the first time.
First time completed for our caller Joe and a few of the band and first time ever for us other 3.
It was so successful that it will be taken to All Saints,Odiham next!
Another 1st scored
The Ringing On Higher Numbers course that ended at Winchester Cathedral gave me the courage to ask John Colliss if I could join the band for a few practice nights.
SO last night was my first practice night in a Cathedral, First ring of PB10 and Grandsire 9, both completed (with Johns help) and first time in The Bishop on The Bridge pub ….I’m not sure that counts though. 🙂
3 firsts with a lovely band. Thanks folks. See you next week.
Deb Baker (Rotherwick)
Photo of Winchester Cathedral by David Forder
Contact Nici Collins
Address: 45 John Morgan Close, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 9RP
Telephone: 01256 76249
Email: Use Form