Clare French 1932 - 2009

Clare’s death was sudden and unexpected. She was missed by friends, having failed to turn up for a meeting and was found next morning. It appears that she had gone to bed and never woke again.

She would have loved her service on 3rd June 2009, when family, friends, ringers, singers and members of the WI met in Twyning Church, Gloucestershire, for a Thanksgiving Service to celebrate her life. There was ringing to start with, followed by a service full of singing and laughter. The Revd Steve Short, from Tewkesbury Abbey, took the service. Being a bell ringer himself, he gave an address about the splicing of ropes being like splicing different strands of a person’s life. Bill Munt, Clare’s son, gave a short insight into her early years and how this shaped her life and made Clare who she was. Tim Lewis, one of the ringers from Twyning, recalled some short anecdotes about Clare’s ringing in the tower and her Granddaughter, Sally, had everyone laughing at some of her Grandmother’s sayings. Following some more ringing everyone retired to the Village Inn.

Born in Wath on Dearne, a Yorkshire Lass through and through, Clare had that very forthright way of letting you know what was what, which you either loved her for or not.

She moved to Twyning with her first husband, Ted when his job brought him to the area. She started ringing in 1978 and in her usual passion for everything she realised very quickly that practice makes perfect, so started to make forays to other towers to improve her ringing and help others. Following Ted’s death she married Alf and of course he had to become a ringer.

Not bothered about praise or adulation, Clare was passionate about ringing, teaching and getting the best out of everyone and everything. She was generous, kind, modest and above all extremely enthusiastic. She was always first to talk to tower visitors, ringers and non-ringers alike. More often than not she would have them on the end of a rope by the end of the practice.

Although Clare started later in life she became a very competent ringer, ringing the standard 8 Surprise Major. Her downfall was always call changes where she tended to get a little muddled, but always laughed at herself for this. She rang her first quarter (Bob Doubles) in 1984 and called her first quarter (Plain Bob Minor) in 1986, her first peal (Cambridge, Beverley and Surfleet) was on 14th April 1988.

In 1983 she went on her first Hereford Ringing Course, which was to be the start of a love affair with learning and helping on ringing courses, Sparsholt with Bob and Gail Cater, Whirlow in her beloved Yorkshire. Whilst Alf drove, Clare and whoever they were taking would sit in the back reciting methods with Clare shouting Bob or Single, and giving advice about how to remember things.

She became Tower Captain in 1992, a post which she held until her death, leading the Twyning Team to victory in the Tewkesbury Branch Striking competition in 2002. In 1990 she was forefront in instigating the rehang of Twyning bells, her son, Bill, drawing a map of Twyning locally known as the ‘Map of Munti’ which she used to raise money. Her greatest disappointment was that English Heritage insisted they keep the old, greatly modified mediaeval frame, so Clare always encouraged visitors to go up and see it whether they wanted to or not.

In the tower she would break out in song or recite poetry, never seeming to repeat herself. Another of her great passions was singing in the Tewkesbury and Districts Choral Society, singing Rutter at Tewkesbury Abbey in April this year.

She helped in the Heart Foundation Charity Shop and when Alf died in 2006 she took over his place on the Bowls team. She was treasurer of the WI Markets and her latest love was genealogy, tracing her family tree on the computer and sharing it with U3A, with her fantastic story telling skills.

She was always there at Branch events and played the organ for our services. The words we sang didn’t always fit the music and we couldn’t always be sure of the number of verses. Often a head would appear around

the organ saying, ‘another verse?’ and we would chorus, ‘one more’. Once playing the harmonium at Tredington she had to pedal with her feet whilst playing the tune with her hands. Clare got confused with the rhythm of her feet versus the rhythm of the music and on this occasion the feet won, the tune getting faster and faster. She would lead the singing in the Branch Carol Concert and last year instigated the Twyning version of Cinderella. She loved coming on the coach outing, prising money out of people whilst the coach bowled along the motorway. Clare was a superb knitter and seamstress and often sported a new jumper or cardigan. She was especially proud of the pair of socks she knitted, with different stripes on each foot!

We have lost a much loved friend; a dynamic person with time and enthusiasm for everyone young or old.

Claire Redstone