Great Gransden Bell Ringers

Josh Rings his First Quarter Peal

School holidays – might be a good time to arrange a quarter peal – and so it was! Josh often rings tenor behind to Doubles during practices on a Thursdays. He is working towards achieving his Level 3 certificate in the Learning the Ropes scheme which requires him to ring two, one on the tenor to Doubles and one on the treble. We had a chat and he agreed that he would like to ring a quarter and I suggested that one on the tenor would be a good start point.

Gransden tenor would be too heavy for a quarter, at 13 1/2cwt, so we sleected Holywell as the tower for his first attempt. Sheila, me, Elinor and Becca arrived at 10.00am on Tuesday the 6th of August, and local ringer and tower captain, Roger, met us at the tower. Josh and his mum had arrived before us and were waiting in the porch.

The usual pre-ring pleasantaries were exchanged and once we had ‘settled’ we rang up the bells in peal. We tried the bells in Rounds before setting off into the quarter peal. Josh did a steady job on the tenor. The touch came round in 45 minutes and he admitted that he was quite tired at the end.

But, he did a great job and as conductor I didn’t have to say very much to him. I rang the fifth so that I could advise him if necessary. I told him when we were half way and asked if he was ok, and a nod confirmed that he was.

Well done, Josh, you did a good job. It was smiles and congratulations all round when the bells stood after 45 minutes.

Phillip, Elinor, Sheila, Becca, Josh, Roger

More Young Ringers, a Funeral, and What of the Future?

After the success of the Fen Tigers success in June and Haydn’s Level 1 certificate we continue to focus on the younger generation. Em joined us four weeks ago to learn how to ring before she goes off to universtity in September. She has attended our normal practices to get to know everyone and become familiar with ringing jargon, and has rung handstrokes and backstrokes to Rounds. There have been weekly 1:1 lessons too and Em has made great progress. On week three she started to ring with minimal assistance, and by week four had consolidated this and rang Rounds, showing excellent awareness of what the bell was doing and being able to correct errors.

We have registered Em with the Learning the Ropes scheme and quite expect her to achieve Level 1 within the next few weeks.

At practice last Thursday Josh and Haydn rang up the trebles in peal and did a great job. During the evening Haydn started on his Call Change journey and Josh rang the tenor behind to Call Changes and the treble to Plain Bob Doubles. We have planned some quarter peals for Josh during August to help him achieve his LTR Level 3 certificate.

On Friday the 26th we rang a quarter peal of Plain Bob Doubles immediately following th funeral of Maurice Cain. Maurice was a supporter of the bells and his sons had requested that they be rung ‘open’ in celebration of his life. The family requested the tenor to be tolled for five minutes as the courtege left the church. We then rang the quarter peal and thank Becca Glazier (Thriplow) for making up the band.

An email from the rector thanked us for our ringing, “….and thank you for making the bells possible earlier too, as ever offering a hospitality and pastoral outreach to all those who come through our doors. Please do thank all who rang today – it was a great blessing to stand at the graveside and hear a peal of love, remembrance and sympathy…”

I have been thinking about the future of ringing in our own tower and nationally. Part of this involved writing a mind map to illustrate our (bell ringers) relationship with church and community. I followed this with a paper describing all the good things that we are doing and what challenges we face in the next few years. I am hoping it will generate some thought amongts ringers and I will report on outcomes in due course.

Dedicated to Young Ringers

We had a very special practice this evening. There were ten ringers (including one raw recruit), two parents, and we welcomed three non-ringing visitors (2 from New Zealand).

We practised call changes for Josh in preparation for the Ringing World Young Ringers Striking Competition in London on Saturday, when he is part of the Fen Tigers squad for the Ely DA. Good luck Josh!

Em rang handstrokes and backstrokes to Rounds, as she embarks on her learning to ring.

The highlight of the evening was presenting 9 year old Haydn with his Learning the Ropes Level 1 certificate, which he has achieved after 9 weeks. He is ringing Rounds, and is just starting on call changes and leading.

We have our Ringers and Singers safari supper tommorow evening, and a wedding to ring for on Saturday, so it’s all very exciting!

L-R: Josh, Phillip, Em, Sue, Hazel, Haydn (front), Elinor, Julia, Tricia, Sheila

Winners in the Local Striking Competition

The Huntingdon District organised a Ringing Festival which included a striking competition and treasure hunt. It was set at Gamlingay on Saturday the 15th of June and about thirty six ringers took part. The idea was to make it an informal and flexible event where ringers could ring for more than one team across three categories, Rounds, Call Changes and Method ringing.

The Gransden team was able to enter a team in each of the Call Change and Method groups. The draw for ringing was made on arrival and Gransden were first on ringing Grandsire Doubles. Two other teams entered this group, Ramsey and Gamlingay. Then followed the Rounds group which included Ramsey and Buckden, and finally the Call Changes group of Ramsey, Gransden and Gamlingay.

After the competition we adjourned to the church hall for a splendid tea prepared by local ringers and friends. The President of the District welcomed everyone and thanked all those involved in organising the day, especially Caroline Stevens, District Secretary and Sheila George for the devizing the treasure hunt.

The judges were Cass Boocock – Gamlingay and Peter Mackley -St Ives. Peter commented on each team’s ringing and Cass announced the placings in each category. All the winners received chocolate medals and all other ringers received smaller medalions. Dan Stevens photographed all the teams after ringing and again with their prizes.

After tea handbells were rung by Phillip George, David Paynter and Elspeth Novice. It was a splendid afternoon, and great to meet up with ringers from other towers, some for the first time.

RESULTS: Rounds: 1st Bucken, 2nd Ramsey. Call Changes: 1st Gt Gransden, 2nd Gamlingay, 3rd Ramsey. Method: 1st Ramsey, 2nd Gamlingay, 3rd Gt Gransden.

Sheila presents the treasure hunt prize to Mel Sherwood

Ramsey Ringers Make a Return Visit

It is very exciting to visit other towers. You meet new ringers, try new bells and generally have a great time.

Gransden ringers went to the practice at Ramsey back in May and we made a reciprocal arrangement for them to come to us on the 13th June. Five of them came over, and including two parents of junior members and one non-ringing visitor from Australia there were nineteen all told.

Tower captain, Sheila G, kept us all busy ringing call changes, Plain Hunt 6, Plain Bob 6, Grandsire 5 and a course of Stedman. Everyone had a good chance to ring and we also did a lot of chatting – renewing aquaintances.

The sweet tin was constantly open and handed round during the notices at half time, when we talked about the Hunts District Ringing Festivalat Gamlingay on Saturday. Ramsey and Gransden are entering teams, so we were careful not to dicuss details with each other!

A great time was had by all and Ramsey ringers thanked us for a lovely evening. It was our pleasure!

Visitors Ring for F4 Service!

On Saturday the 8th of June we welcomed Hinckley District Ringers (Leics) to the tower. They requested a one hour slot of general ringing from 3.30pm to 4.30pm . On the same afternoon the church had arranged a family service starting at 4.45pm with pizza and live music.

Excellent collaboration between ringers and service organisers ensured that the band had finished practising before we wanted to start ringing. Although we ring upstairs behind the glazed tower arch the band was very loud and could very easily be heard. All was well and the ringers began to arrive as the band were ended their practice. Many thanks to the organisers for working with us on this.

There were about 20 ringers which included some ringing friends from that area. The ringing was good and included London, Cambridge, Dixons, Plain Bob, Grandsire, Stedman and St Simons. One ringer said “I could ring these all day”, which was a very nice comment to hear about our bells.

The weather was warm and sunny so occasionally some would listen outside. At the same time other people were arriving to prepare refreshments. The bells also served as a welcome to everyone coming to the service.

Ringing St Simons

A Visit to Ramsey Practice Night

Sheila and I love going to Ramsey to ring. The bells are an old fashioned but easy goig 13cwt six and the welcome you receive is second to none. Cathy Moulton, whom we have known for 30 years or so, is the tower captain, and after a 25 mile drive in the rain her cheery smile and welcome made it all worthwhile, especially as the last mile or so was in a new 20 mph speed zone!

We had made an arrangement with Cathy for Great Gransden ringers to attend a practice night and meet their ringers on Tuesday the 21st of May. We all piled into the ringing room where twenty ringers in all had congregated. Some were from March where there is no ringing for the time being whilst the tower is being restored. Although they have to travel a similar distance, Ramsey is an opportunity for their learners too but they also bring experience which helps raise the tecnhical standard on practice nights. Good ringing is often received with applause and all efforts are openly encouraged. It is a very happy atmosphere.

Generally speaking our ringers are at the same level as both Ramsey and March, so we fitted in very well ringing Call Changes and Plain Hunt, and the more experienced ones taking part in Kent Treble Bob Minor and Stedman Doubles. As the bells are easy going and a similar weight to our own our ringers had no problems and it was nice to ring with like-minded people, helping each other out.

The sweet tin is constantly open and was nearly exhausted by the end of the evening and there were also some free-range eggs for people to take away. We have arranged a return visit for Ramsey to come to us on the 13th of June. There will certainly be sweets, but I can’t promise eggs!!

Thank you, Ramsey, for a great evening, we look forward to seeing you soon.

What’s Up that Tower

We’ll soon be visiting Ramsey on their practice night as part of a ‘practice exchange’. They will visit our tower in June as a reciprocal part of the arrangement. But, before I report on that I thought I would write a few words on our latest news.

For the last few weeks I have been teaching a new young ringer, 9 year old Haydn, who’s home tower is Conington but the bells there are a little more difficult than at Gransden and I have been asked to help. He is on a ten week course with the aim of getting him through Level 1 of the Learning the Ropes training scheme. He is doing very well and can ring on his own. He now needs to condolidate his skills and develop consistency but all being well he will reach that taregt within the time-scales.

Our other you ringer, 11 year old Josh will soon pass his Level 3. In fact it’s just a question of organising two quarter peals for him which we hope to do in the next two or three months. Josh has impressed the organisers of the Ely Association young ringers group, The Fen Tigers, with his ringing skills, and he has earned a place in the squad representing the Association in London at the National Youth Striking Competition in July. Based at St Paul’s Cathedral it will be a great day for everyone and we wish Josh and the team the best of luck.

Meanwhile, back in the tower, our weekly tied bell practices continue with sometimes 8 ringers attending. We silence the bells and use simulated sound. We ring a variety of things to help develop our ringing skills, mainly Rounds and Call Changes, to warm up, then Plain Hunt on 5 and we introduce excercises such as whole pull and stand and jump changes. Dodging practice is included, which is very important to develop good bell control.

Still on the subject of training, I offered some one to one training to a ringing friend who is at the begining of his teaching (ringing) career. Mark George (no relation) visited the tied bell practice I held for Haydn last week and I was able to go through some key teaching points with him. He stayed on to our open ringing afterwards and practised his Plain Bob Doubles, which he said, he found very helpful. We look forward to Mark returning for another session to consolidate his Plain Bob.

This Sunday, the 19th May, the church held its annual meeting. The ringers enjoy an excellent relationship with the rector, churchwardens and PCC, and as steeple keeper I report to the wardens about maintenance of the bells etc. It was thanks to Mark’s drone footage earlier in the year that we spotted some faulty lead on the tower which I reported immediately, and as a result it was repaired quickly. In the warden’s fabric report (Rob Chignell) it was mentioned …”Thanks to Phillip George for all he does ‘up in that tower'” Well, thanks Rob, it is a pleasure to be the eyes of the PCC in the tower, a place rarely visited by non-ringers, but it is important to keep a watch on things. Anyway, during the annual meeting I asked that if anyone was interested in knowing what was ‘up that tower’ to just let me know and I will arrange a tour.

I think that’s all for now. Watch out for news about our visit to Ramsey.

Spring Mini Outing – 27th April 2024

The second of our extra ectivities was our spring mini-outing which was organised by tricia Williams. Three towers were visited.

We started at Milton Ernest (6) 10cwt, where we raised in peal. Whilst not ringing we enjoyed a view of the church from the organ balcony. The ringing room west tower window depicts St George and the Dragon, appropriate, having celebrated St George’s Day this week. Performance touch – Cambridge 6.

On to Oakley (6) 10cwt and the one handed clock, where access to the ringing room is by ladder. Lovely perpendicular window in the ringing room. Performance touch – Stedman 5

Stedman being rung at Oakley. Video by David Prest

A relaxing lunch was taken at the Bedford Arms in Oakley where we had permission to ring handbells. There were seven handbell ringers in the group and all rang – Impressive! Performance touch – PB6.

Handbells – Plain Bob Minor

The final tower was Bromham, where the eight bells were enjoyed mostly to call changes. Performance touch – Grandsire 5 on the back six.

Many thanks to Tricia for organising the day, which all went to plan, and to the towers for allowing us to visit.

A summary of our ringing during the day

Scouts Visit the Tower!

Whilst the weekly routine of practices continues gently occasionally other ‘special’ events come along which add variety and excitement.

The first was a visit to the tower by Gamlingay and Gransden Pathfinder Scouts. We had invited them to see the clock and bells, and on Friday the 26th of April sixteen of them arrived with their leaders Chris Elwood and Paul O’Shea. On site to supervise the visit were Sheila and Phillip George and David Prest.

Before ascending the tower a safety prep talk was given and the first room visited was the ringing room. From there the troop was divided into two, eight going to the clock room and eight to the belfry. Whilst David was explaining the clock and chimes Phillip was showing them the bells, and Sheila demonstrated the No4 bell being rung.

The visit to each room lasted about 10 minutes after which the groups changed over. This was an interesting operation because the belfry team had to ascend the tower even further whilst the clock room team went into the belfry. Then, the other team could come down and go into the clock room.

There were many questions and the visits were accompanied by vociferous chatter! Eventually everyone made their way down to the ringing room again. After a few minutes break Sheila demonstrated ringing a bell and on being invited to have ago everyone volunteered.

The next half hour was spend helping them ring backstroke under the assistance and supervion of Sheila and Phillip. Before leaving the tower they were asked to sign the visitors book and were awarded with an “I visited Great Gransden Tower” sticker.

It was really good to welcome the troop, noisy, exciting, enthusiastic and rewarding!