Ringing World 5183 (27 August 2010)

Front Cover: Magdalen College School Bell Ringing Club – First Year Report  by Mark Bell
After Magdalen College School (MCS) Art teacher Fenella Pritchard, a lapsed bell ringer, met Oxford bell ringer Marika Haseldine at their local choir practice, and Oxford ringers Robin Hall and Mark Bell were inspired by an impassioned speech by Kids.Ring.Out motivator Pip Penney at the 2009 Central Council meeting, it was decided that “We need to do something at Magdalen College School”.

Hospitality at Harpenden
If there is one thing in common with all 43ers’ (apart from ringing) it is the chattering, the non-stop talking, chit-chat, gossiping babble heard above the clatter of plates, the chink of cutlery and the gasps of delight at the food produced by John Orme and his helpers at the luncheon of the 43ers’ annual reunion at Harpenden.

From The E-Lists – Do you remember? (Part 2) by John Camp
From the E-lists (FTEL) started in November 2002 and continued for seven years. Its author, John Camp, takes a look back at the second half of that period (from June 2006 to October 2009).

Points from Peals (part 2)  by Andrew Craddock
“The Big Society isn’t delivering” says D.C.
This week I’m focusing on first pealers and those ringers who ring in a first pealer’s first peal. As with part 1, I’m only considering towerbell peals and those that were rung between 1961 and 2009.
Encouraging and ringing with first pealers is obviously vital for peal ringing to continue. Emma J. Southerington tops the list in 2009 – she rang peals with 7 first pealers.

Letters
Peal recording and analysis - Peter L. Furniss
Thinking the unthinkable - Andy Smith
Motivation - Pip Penney
A performing art - John Gardiner

Martley Guild on the Isle of Wight in May 2010 by Alison Hodge
A chance comment at a Worcester Western Branch meeting before Christmas, indicating that the Martley Guild was planning a long weekend ringing on the Isle of Wight, caught my attention! Having visited the island previously but not rung there, this seemed a great opportunity to revisit the island with all its varied scenery and sites and also ring at all the 14 towers there. So it was (with the aid of some air-miles that could be used for the ferry crossing from Southampton to Cowes!) that I, a non-member of the Martley Guild, arrived on Wednesday afternoon 12th May at Eastmount Hall Hotel in Shanklin to meet some other members, family and friends of the Guild. Honorary membership of the Guild, I discovered later, was to write a short piece for The Ringing World!

Obituaries
Albert G. Driver, Ann Stradling

George and company do it again
It must now be about 12 years ago in Utrecht, The Netherlands when we first made acquaintance with George Dawson and the Willoughby Campanile.
We have met frequently since then both in Holland and in England for various festivals and anniversaries.
From the very outset George and his group of ringers including Peter Hayward, Chris Birkby, Adrian and Michael Semken, Peter McCoy and many others have regularly given us encouragement and guidance in learning the complexities of full-circle ringing on tower bells including the gift of a “dumb-bell” which has been a great asset.  So it was again this year.

Thought for the week
Attentive ears
We’ve recently run a Listening Skills course at the Ringing Centre. They are always worthwhile occasions for all ringers. Of course there are the jokes about “cloth ears” etc, and sometimes reticence in taking part for fear of making a fool of oneself, but don’t forget ringing is always a public performance and we owe it to our craft (not to mention our hearers) to aim high.

Ringing ramble along the Tyne
Hands up if you think that bell ringers are found in bell towers.
Usually you would be correct, but on Saturday, 17th July over 30 members of the Durham and Newcastle Diocesan Association of Church Bellringers set out on a different venture. One in which strong shoes and waterproofs were useful!

Fire Service Guild heads north
In the 22 years since the Fire Service Guild of Bell Ringers (FSGB) was formed we have been to Yorkshire at least  three times and Lancashire once but never any further north – no particular reason, just how it happened.
So when our annual ringing weekend was proposed to be based on Durham it was voted for unanimously.