A new list has appeared – this time, of who the FirstPeal2015 “Angels” are. The top Angel is Simon Edwards, who has rung with no fewer than 14 people in their First Peal, at least 4 of those being scored for Winchester and Portsmouth Guild.
Second Equal is Angie Jasper (with 9). Angie is based in East Dorset branch (SDGR) but at least 2 of these were scored on our turf!
Tuesday December the 15th was the 70th anniversary of Homecoming on Alderney. During WWII Alderney was evacuated and was occupied by the Germans. On 15th December 1945 some of the residents returned, and began to rebuild the island. [watch news item about Homecoming]
It has always been a day of celebration on Alderney, and to mark the 70th anniversary with a peal has always my intention. It became even more pleasing to be able to ring the first ever local band peal, together with 3 first pealers and one first tower bell peal, during the year of the first pealers!! It was a well executed peal, a little slow with very few errors.
Salisbury Guild have contributed the 300th First Pealer in fine style – the 4 first pealers in the band at Wylye became numbers 300, 301, 302 and 303 in this year’s list of First Pealers on Pealbase . The CCCBR Public Relations Committee first dreamed up the initiativre as a way of marking the 300th Anniversary of the First Recorded Peal, and of encouraging people to take the plunge into Peal Ringing who might not otherwise have done so. The oldest First Pealer in this band was 74 – no excuses then? What will be the total be by the end of 2015?
Pictures and information from Ringing World Bellboard
Salisbury Diocesan Guild
Wylye, Wiltshire
St Mary the Virgin
Saturday, 28 November 2015 in 2hrs 59mins (9–3–16 in F♯)
5040 Doubles
Being 3600 Grandsire and 1440 Plain Bob
1 Joanne Barter
2 Andrew J Howes
3 Patricia A Hoy
4 Nick Claypoole
5 Robert J Purnell (C)
6 Daniel Barter
First Peal for 1,3,4,&6
For the 300th anniversary of the first true peal ever rung and as a 70th Birthday compliment to Roy Mills
A get well soon to Malcolm Penny who was to have rung in this peal
To celebrate thirty years of ringing at Wylye for Jo Barter
Congratulations also to Nick Claypoole on ringing his first peal at the age of 74. June Howes would like to be associated with this peal
Distances are no barrier to Andrea Falk – despite living in Canada, she is a fairly regular visitor to Winchester and Portsmouth Guild for practices and Quarter Peals, as she doggedly adds to her method ringing skills.
So I am delighted to report that she has scored her First Peal with us.
Angela Athawes scored her 300th peal on the same occasion – congratulations!
Daniel Graham reports from Southampton:
Huge well done to Jon, Clare and Peter on ringing their first peal today! Excellent work, another fantastic achievement for SUGCR!
Please ask your District to consider choosing appropriate categories e.g. first quarter peal, first visit to another tower, first touch called. This gives a specific aim for a ringer and offers the District and Guild an opportunity to recognise individual achievements. The results can be posted on the website, of course.
A natural follow on to the FirstPeal2015 initiative that is going so well. There is a good deal happening that month, so we’re anticipating a variety of footnotes! Let’s see if we can see a significant increase in “W & P” peals next year!
We’ve been invited by The Guildford Diocesan Guild Young Ringers to enter a team on Saturday 2nd April at Epsom. Details to follow. We will be discussing with a number of ringers who are actively helping young ringers’ groups already with a view to a team entering from our Guild. We have registered an interest.
We’ve been asked by The Salisbury Guild to consider a jointly organised ringing and social event, possibly in the summertime of 2016. Again this will be considered and discussed – more details will be made available, as soon as possible.
We need active help if these contests are to survive and thrive. We are sure there are many benefits to be had apart from the competition element. The building of teams can be motivating and great fun, encourages team spirit and can help with retention of ringers. We will endeavour to work with a District and hope to make a good day out for ringers
Hosted by the Winchester District, the day will include the Inter-District 8 bell striking contest. Again, efforts are being made to make the day enjoyable and arrangements are being made now.
It will be based at New Arlesford (using Cheriton, Titchbourne, Easton as well in the Itchen Valley) to have a range of towers within easy reach. These are mostly 6 bell towers.
Congratulations to Judith for ringing your First Peal at the Town Church, Gurnsey.
Viv Nobbs writes:
Another Guild First Pealer. Congratulations Lexi Skeldon, Brading Ringer, Isle of Wight.
Dear All,
I hope you’ve all had a good summer break and are now settled back into enjoying your regular ringing once again.
There are many special occasions that we celebrate with our ringing and we’ve just seen H.M. Queen Elizabeth become our country’s longest reigning monarch. A good deal of ringing took place and it was an excellent opportunity to engage with our church congregations and communities.
An event from which ringing might well benefit from publicity is the First Peal 2015 initiative. Quite a challenge – aiming for 300 first pealers in a year – but well worth the effort. It’s good to have a target – it helps us focus on achievement. Not only that but, just as in striking contest mode, we can get a great deal of positive teamwork and fun out of the journey towards attaining a particular goal and a great sense of satisfaction when we get there.
The W & P has been helping to reach this particular goal – within our Guild area to date, we have had 14 (including one compounding member) “2015 First Pealers”. There was also a peal by the Southampton University Guild with five first pealers and a handbell peal for the “Page 3 Society” on Alderney with one first pealer. I’m keen to encourage more. Please get in touch with me, if you feel we could assist in any way.
At the A.G.M. in July, the Action Plan was accepted; thank you. This plan (a summary and full plan are displayed on the Guild website) is very much a work in progress document. We have pledged Guild funds in a genuine attempt to help support Districts and their officers when resources are generally stretched. Please consider taking a look at a few sections that might well benefit you or members in your tower or District. One example is funding for one district initiative each year up to £500 to improve the accessibility of, or the provision of some sort of training scheme. More details on how to apply will be given at the Executive Committee meeting on 21st November.
We are pleased to advise that we have had a few more volunteers to serve as committee members since the A.G.M. – ideal as there is plenty for us all to do. So, welcome additions to the committees have been: on Belfry Stewardship -Mark Warner, Lexi Skeldon and Kieran Downer and on Communications –
Rosalind Martin.
The Belfry Stewardship Committee has held its first meeting – a good deal was achieved and there is much enthusiasm evident there.
The new Communications Committee is busy building the new website and in the process of helping to plan for the development of an electronic database.
The Education Committee members continue to work hard in providing their splendid courses. The committee meetings are now using modern technology enabling Duncan in Guernsey to attend without travelling out of his front room!
We were sorry that the Inter-District 10-bell Striking Contest had to be cancelled. The new committee and the Principal Officers will be working hard to ensure that participation in future contests is encouraged and that plans are made well in advance to ensure that members have plenty of opportunity to reserve the date(s) and to get their practices well underway.
The Ringing World National Youth Contest power point presentation by Linda Garton in Bishopstoke was excellent. We are very grateful to Linda and her husband, John Loveless, for giving up their whole day to support our efforts in this way. We are hoping to receive the presentation slides from Linda so that we might be able to pass on the great information to those that were unable to get to meet her on the day.
Don’t forget Christmas! You might well have seen by now the 2016 Ringing World Calendars featuring W & P towers – some great photos. They’ll make great presents – see if we can get them sold out!
Happy Ringing!
Viv Nobbs
Master
Graham (Fawley) and Mike (until recently also a Fawley ringer) both scored their first peal at the first attempt on Friday 5th June at Fawley. The target across the whole ringing community is for 300 First Pealers to be successful during 2015, to mark the 300th anniversary of the first recorded peal. Peals in C&S District have contributed 9 people towards this total so far, and anyone else wanting to ring a first peal is invited to contact Colin Butler, District Ringing Master.
A video of some of the ringing has been posted on the District Facebook Group.
Many thanks once again to Simon Edwards who came down from Swindon to conduct the peal.
Congratulations are also in order for Daniel Scott (Sacred Heart) who scored his first quarter peal of Surprise Major the previous day, also conducted by Simon Edwards.
The last weekend of February saw a busy weekend of ringing at the Western end of the Christchurch and Southampton District including several important firsts.
The weekend began with a pleasant quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles on the recently rehung five at Hinton Admiral on Friday evening. This was a first of Grandsire Doubles for Daniel Scott and only his third quarter peal. It also gave Tim Martin the chance to ring his second quarter at Hinton after his first ever quarter there 36 years ago.
Saturday morning saw four of the same band heading to Christchurch Priory for a peal attempt. A well struck peal of Minor in three methods was achieved in 2h 53m. The band contained two first Pealers, Rosalind Martin and Daniel Scott at their first attempt and was also the first inside for Jack Pease and to mark his 16th Birthday. Apart from the conductor, Simon Edwards from Swindon, all the band were either members of the Priory band or regulars at the Priory practice night so a good local effort.
After a lengthy lunch break three of the band headed out into the New Forest to the recently augmented 6 at Minstead where a well struck quarter of Grandsire Minor contained three firsts of that method inside plus a first of minor.
After service ringing on Sunday Morning at Christchurch Priory and Sacred Heart Bournemouth a quarter peal of Stedman Triples was rung on the fine Taylor octave at St Peter’s Bournemouth being the first of Stedman for Rosalind Martin.
Finally, another quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles was scored back at the Priory for evensong to enable another of the local band, Aila Peacock to ring her first Grandsire inside.
Thanks must go to Simon Edwards for helping us by conducting most of the ringing and for converting that “must do it sometime” plan into a definite reality. The list of achievements is as follows:
It was also the first time that the Middle six at the Priory have been rung to a peal.
Tim Martin
