Ringing over the Christmas period is as follows:

Thursday 18th December	Practice Night from7.30pm to 9.00pm
Saturday 20th December	Date Touch starting at 10.00am
Sunday 21st December	Ringing from 4.15pm for Carol Service at 5.00pm
Tuesday 23rd December	Quarter Peal by local ringers to celebrate 25 years since the bells were rehung.
Christmas Eve	Ringing from 2.45pm for the Crib Service at 3.30pm
Christmas Eve	Ringing from 10.30pm to 11.15pm for the Midnight Service

More news will follow in the next week or so reporting on events in the tower in the last month and we will look back on 2025 in the annual video summarising our adventures

We’ve had a busy month preparing for our Rusty Ringers tower open day which was on Saturday the 8th November. We had advertised it on the village email system and Facebook group as well as on Black Cat Radio. Personal invitations to former ringers helped boost visitor numbers although only twenty attended an this was disappointing.

However, one person said they would be interested in learning to ring and another indicated that they might, and we invited them to come along to our practice on Thursday.

We hade extensive displays of photographs in the church both hard copy and as a projected presentation. The handbells were available to ring Jingle Bells and there were homemade cakes for our guests to enjoy.

Although visitor numbers were low it was good to welcome them and they all visited the tower where they could chime the bells. Rusty Ringers were able to ring with us under supervision and we hade a great time chatting about former times.

Many thanks to all our ringers for making cakes, looking after our guests ad helping tidy away afterwards.

In the evening most of us ventured out to the Chequers in Little Gransden to a Pizza supper arranged by David Prest. The company included ringers and friends and about 20 of us enjoyed made to order pizzas in the cosy back room.

The Chequers is a must visit traditional village pub and you are sure of a warm welcome from Bobby and Wendy Mitchell. In 2001 we rang a quarter peal to celebrate the Mitchell family’s 50 years at the pub. So next year will be an opportunity for another quarter peal to celebrate 75 years!

Finally, this year marks the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. As usual at this time of year we rang the bells half muffled during our practice on Thursday the 6th and on Sunday the 9th for the service of Remembrance at 11.00am.

The ringing was very enjoyable, coducted by Sheila George calling Sixty on Thirds.

On Saturday the 8th of November we will be holding a social event for our former ringers. We hope to contact as many as possible by email, social media or word of mouth and invite them to visit the church tower for a cup of tea and a chat. They will be able to visit the ringing room and the clock room and maybe try ringing or chiming a bell.

A lot has changed in the tower, expecially since the restoration project of 2000 and we are looking forward to welcoming them back. Refreshments will be served and there will be a small display of photos and other memorabilia. We’ll dust off the handbells to should anyone want to try those.

This event is also open to anyone in the parishes who migth be interested in seeing what goes on in the tower and we hope some will come along and introduce themselves.

Everyone is assured of a warm welcome. Please contact us using the contact page if you would like further information.

We were able to leave the bells up after our practice on Thursday the 4th September ready for a visiting team of ringers on Friday. The ringers were from Pickering and their repertoire included Cambridge and London). We were please to receive compliments about the bells and a request to come and ring a quarter peal on them!

We left the bells up afterwards ready for wedding ringing on the Saturday and again for service ringing on Sunday (when we rang some cracking call changes).

Leaving them up again for Monday the 8th, we welcomed visitors from Loddon in Norfolk. Their ringing included call changes, Plain Bob, Cambridge and Stedman, and the bells were finally rung down in peal at the end of their visit.

It was lovely to greet all our visitors, and thanks to our local ringers as well for their contribution to the local soundscape over the last few days.

A few people have been away on holidays recently and we have only had seven on the last two practice nights. Keen to make the best of our resource we rang a 480 of Plain Bob Doubles on each occasion. This gave us an opportunity to ring longer lengths which helps consolidate our method learning. We also jointly conducted the pieces, where possible, asking everyone to call themselves in turn unaffected. This was very successful.

We had some nice ringing on both occasions. Other footnotes: Longest length on the tenor for Tricia, and longest touch for Sue; and on the 31st – Josh ringing up the tenor in peal, calling call changes and ringing his first unaffected touch. Well done everyone!

We should be back to normal numbers for the time being and we are looking forward to visiting St Neots on their practice night on the 8th August as part of our summer touring.

As the last week of term approaches, Barnabas Oley CofE School in Great Gransden is preparing for Founders Day.

The school was founded by the Rev Barnabas Oley, fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge (now Clare College), and vicar at Great Gransden from 1633 until his death in 1685. He also built the vicarage house and village alms houses.

This year, between the many rehearsals for this special day, headteacher Mrs Downes scheduled a 90 minute slot for 20 Year-6 students to visit the bell tower.

It was a walk into history for the children when we showed them the clock which was installed in 1683 to mark Oley’s golden jubilee year, and then the bells, one of which (No5 dated 1658), he would certainly have heard ring.

Whilst in the belfry No 4 bell was rung (silenced) and this was also demonstrated in the ringing room using the simulator for sound. Handbells were rung to Rounds by the children when they had finished their tower tour.

We had divided the class into groups of four, plus teachers, and the guides, Sheila George, Tricia Williams and I fielded their many interesting questions. By some logistical genious of ferrying people up and down the tower we all ended up in the ringing room where everyone had chance to chime the bells in a multifarious cacphony of sound.

On leaving the tower everyone signed our visitors book before stickers and sweets were handed out.

Thank you, Mrs Downes and Teacher Mrs Hussey for enabling this to happen, and to the children for their energy and enthusiasm. It was a great afternoon!

(photos taken and published with permission)

On midsummer’s day some of our ringers took part today in a striking competition at the Huntingdon District Ringing Festival held at Hemingford Abbots.

Six teams entered from different churches and we were in the call-change section. The team rang very steadily and in their typcal determined style under the leadership of tower captain, Sheila George.

The judges placed our team 1st in the group. If we had been judged amongst all the teams (change-ringers included) we would have come in 3rd place.

Well done and special mention to: Treble – Sheila George, 2 – Josh Crutch, 3 – Hazel Pettit, 4 – Catherina Griffths, 5 – Tricia Williams, 6 – Martin Prest. You are all winners!

A certificate was awarded to the team and all ringers received a medal.

Sunday the 15th June was designated as Music Sunday and ringers and singers were busy during the day. Our first ringing was for the morning service, and as usual, three ringers left the ringing room early for their next duty – singing in the choir.

After the service we were delighted to welcome Dane and Lorena Seeley, on holiday from Arizona. Dane’s ancestors lived in Great Gransden during the 14th century and he was very interested in seeing the church. Having previously viewed our videos on YouTube he and Lorena were keen to visit the tower and we enjoyed showing them the clock and bells. Dane explained that they had signed up for a bell ringing lesson at St Clements church in Cambridge before they continue their holiday on a tour of the UK.

In the evening we held a Come and Sing service of evensong to celebrate Music Sunday. This is the third such event organised by tower captain and choir director, Sheila George. Choristers from churches in the area, and from the congregations are invited to take part. Several came from St Neots with organist Lloyd Barnet, and we all met at 4.00pm for a rehearsal.

Sheila practised us in all the music, some of which required some swift sight reading, but we all supported each other and the four-part ensemble created a wonderful sound. This was followed by tea and cake. In the meantime, the ringers returned to ring for the service which started at six o’clock.

The singing went without a hitch and during the prayers our rector, Rev Rachel Blanchflower included thanks for all musicians, and also included bell ringers for their contribution to the life of the church and community.

After the service we all enjoyed further refreshments and reflected on a very enjoyable afternoon and evening.

Many thanks to our ringers who made sure we were able to ring all six bells on each occasion, and to Sheila George for organising the ringing and especially the singing. Thanks also to Lloyd, our organist.

Some comments received:

That was such fun. Thanks to everyone for sharing their amazing musicality. NS

Lovely afternoon singing with you all. Thanks to everyone…and especially to Sheila for directing and coordinating and to Lloyd for playing (the organ). TH

…It was lovely to take part and the music sounded quite inspiring. JD

Thank you – singing and cake wonderful. JW