Great Gransden Church Bells

News Archive 2016

Saturday 26th November 2016 Time is short on practice nights so we planned another Ringing Skills morning so that we could have more concentrated practice at St.Simons and Plain Bob Doubles. During the morning, we had several attempts which hopefully consolidated our skills. Andrew and Alasdair tried unaffected touches of Plain Bob Doubles and David and Sheila P rang the St.Simons.

We welcomed Paul and Alice Kaye, visiting from Offchurch. They used to live in the village and asked if they could join us having heard of our plan from our advert in the newsletter as they still have connections with the village. They were able to ring Plain Bob and Grandsire, and also help with treble and tenor ringing.

We had a mid-morning coffee break when we enjoyed mince pies, biscuits and cake, and our grateful thanks to Sue Lawrence for helping at this time. Two non-ringing residents were warmly welcomed to the tower and afterwards shown the bells and clock. During the morning, we instructed Iona (Alasdair's sister) on backstroke and handstroke. Maybe one day she will join our happy band!

Thanks to everyone who came along to make the morning a success.

Ringers and friends during the ringing skills morning

Friday 11th November Sheila and I attend the St.Neots practice every Friday. During the practice last Friday, we presented Christine Tankersley with her Level 2 certificate in the Learning the Ropes training scheme. Christine was taught to ring at St.Neots by David Griffiths and regularly attends further bell control practices at Gransden using tied bells and the simulator. We are able to practice dodging and place making, ringing up and down, and listening skills by ringing tenor behind to Plain Bob Doubles and Grandsire Triples. This has helped Christine complete the required items in the syllabus to complete Level 2 and she is now working on Level 3 which will require ringing a quarter peal - probably not too far off!

Well done Christine.

Christine with some of the St.Neots ringers

Sunday 23rd October Congratulations to Matt Machin on ringing his first quarter peal, which was on the tenor to Plain Bob Doubles. Matt has been ringing for a little over a year and has been ringing tenor behind for a couple of months. We decided to find the soonest opportunity for a quarter peal, mediately before the monthly service of evening prayer.

Matt's first quarter peal L-R: David, Sheila P, Matt, Sheila G, Phillip, Alasdair

Note The time of our evening service has been changed for the winter months, to start at 4.00pm. It is likely that we will not have enough ringers because many spend the day on other activities, of family visits etc. We will ring if we know there will be enough who can attend. Thursday 13th October 2016 Ten at practice and we had a very constructive evening with opportunities for Plain Bob Doubles inside, Grandsire Doubles on the tenor and Plain Bob Minor inside, the latter being a first with a local band. Well done everyone. Highlight of the evening was to present a Level 3 certificate to Alasdair, who achieved this recently by ringing the

tenor behind to a quarter peal of mixed doubles. Well done Alasdair, and thank you for your valued contribution to the ringing in our tower.

Alasdair

Wednesday 14th September Many thanks to David, Sheila P, Matt and Janet from Gransden, and Catherina and Charlotte from St.Neots who rang the bells half muffled on the 13th September immediately following the funeral service of Victor Hughes. He was 95 years of age. Victor was the church organist for over 56 years only retiring in August 2015. He was also regular bell ringer in his time, being elected as a member of the Ely Association in 1978. During his ringing years he rang three quarter peals, all at Great Gransden, and was always very interested in what was happening in the tower.

Victor at Lt. Gransden church organ

Friday to Sunday 9th/11th September The Gransden Ringers and friends enjoyed a weekend away in the Durham area which was organised by David Prest. Ringing started en-route at Pickhill (6, 8cwt). After lunch a visit to the National railway Museum at Shildon kept us engaged for the afternoon. Early evening ringing was at Sedgfield (8, 9cwt) and this was followed by a group evening meal at the Dunn Cow.

The first tower on Saturday was at Shildon (8, 16cwt) and then on to Brancpeth (8, 14cwt) where the church is adjacent to the castle. From there we went into Durham to ring at St.Oswald's (8, 12cwt) and an afternoon visiting the cathedral and city. We then headed off to Frosterley to ring on the mini bells in the garage of the Black Bull public house. Most of us had not rung on small bells before but everyone, including non-ringer Alan managed to ring Rounds on 12. Three of us then rang on the pub's handbells before sitting down to our evening meal.

Sunday was another ringing highlight when, after an early start, we were welcomed by the cathedral ringers and were able to ring all ten bells. This was very exciting and was followed by a tour of the bells. Our last stop of the weekend was the Beamish Museum where we were able to enjoy this "historic" place at our own leisure finishing off a great weekend. Many thanks to David for organising the towers and "entertainment", and to the towers for allowing us to ring.

Outside the Black Bull at Frosterley Back: Susanne, Matt, David,

Front: Phililp, Tamsyn, Alan, Janet, Sheila G, Sheila P, Catherina, Alasdair, Sam

5th September Following the recent installation of a roof alarm to deter thieves from stealing the lead, I have fixed some bird wire around the clackson in the tower just in case the existing defence behind the louvre shuttering is compromised in future.

Overall view of the installation Clackson showing bird wire protection

I think that's the work finished in the tower for this year !

Summary - the roof alarm required our attendance when we met three contractors to quote for the job, an electrician to install a spur in advance of the installation' and our local joiner, Richard Dring, to carry out preparatory work on the louvre shutter doors. Richard also fitted a new lock to the clock room door as a separate request.

We also suffered a broken bell bolt in the summer and this was fixed and the installation inspected by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. All the work was carried out with minimal disruption and mess, but on completion we carried out our annual tower clean from top to bottom. The new handrail rope we installed last December has certainly been beneficial this year.

We welcomed our new architect, who carried out a thorough inspection of the tower as part of the quinquennial inspection of the church. We have so far rung for four weddings, with another coming up soon, plus a funeral on the 13th September, hosted visits by three groups of ringers, with another group coming in October, and maintained our weekly practices and Sunday service ringing.

Quite a busy year so far!

Wednesday 20th July The bell hanger (Peter Scott) visited today to fit a new bolt which was done in a matter of a few minutes. (See news for the 18th July) We carefully checked that the taper washers on the underside of the crown of the bell were in alignment to ensure a good flat fit, then fully tightened the nut and locking nut. The other bolts were checked for tightness and could not be released and so were deemed to be in good order.

During his visit, Peter checked the rest of the installation and did not find any problems. He did apply some beeswax to the running boards to allow the sliders move more freely, especially on the 4th and 5th bells. He was the chief bell hanger when they were installed in 2000 and complemented us on the good condition of the belfry and tower in general.

Peter Scott, bell hanger under the bell Replaced bolt

Monday 18th July A lot of ringing this weekend apart from service ringing on Sunday at 8.45am. We had been asked to ring as part of the Gransden Revellers' production of Time Travellers, a run of four performances, two on each day. This was a promenade production moving around different locations in Little and Great Gransden. During the traverse across the Dole we rang the bells to welcome everyone into Great Gransden.

Revellers Ringers

L-R: David, Sheila, Alasdair, Matt, Phillip

Our plans were almost thwarted at the last minute when, after ringing the bells up, a broken bolt was spotted on the belfry floor. All the bells were rung down for inspection and we discovered that the bolt had come from the headstock on the 5th bell. As a matter of caution, we decided not to ring the 5th until advice had been sought. So, we rang 1,2,3,4,6; not such a glorious sound but at least we were able to play our part in the Revellers' production. Consultation with the Whitechapel bell foundry on Monday recommended that all bolts be replaced and we accepted the offer of help from one of their bell hangers.

Broken bolt

Sunday 10th July 2016 We rang a quarter peal for Alasdair to complete his Duke of Edinburgh Bronze award in the skills section. Alasdair rang the tenor behind to Plain Bob Doubles. He was accurate and reliable throughout and an enjoyable quarter was scored in 44 minutes.

We also congratulate Alasdair for being appointed as Head Boy at his school (St.Bede's Cambridge) for the academic year 16/17. Well done Alasdair.

L-R: David, Phillip, Sheila G, Sheila P, Geoff Durrant, Alasdair

Saturday 2nd July Sheila and Phillip hosted a party at Nutbells for ringers and singers (singers being members of the church choir). The weather had been indifferent all week and although heavy showers an hour beforehand threatened to confine us to the house they held off all evening enabling the garden to be enjoyed all. A bring and share supper provided us with a wonderful variety of dishes and as the evening cooled we all (25 of us) squeezed into the house amidst lively chatter and washing up! A great time was had by all. Thanks to everyone for bringing food and for being excellent company.

28th May 2016

Congratulations to Kate Hewett and Tom Hamill married this afternoon at Great Gransden Church. Kate was a chorister and bell ringer here and is the second of our former choristers to be married this year. Lovely singing from the Choir AND Congregation, and in true Gransden tradition the bell ringers fired the bells. Firing the bells was particularly good and Kate's mother Roz came up into the ringing.

1st May 2016 At the ringing practice at St.Neots on Friday 29th April, Christine Tankersely was awarded her Level 1 certificate in the Learning the Ropes training scheme. Christine has been visiting Great Gransden on a more or less weekly basis recently, as arranged with her tutor David Griffiths, to hone her skills in bell handling and she has benefited from the use of the simulator and longer periods of one-to-one training.

The photograph shows some of the St.Neots ringers and friends who attended the practice.

L-R: Phillip, Roderick, Christine, Gill (back), Lee, Mary, Sheila 23rd April 2016 Double success today when we rang a quarter peal of Plain Bob Minor on St.George's Day. It was also David Prest's first of Minor and Sheila Prest's first of Minor on an inside bell.

David and Sheila are to be complimented on their ringing because we have little chance to ring Minor at Gransden at the moment. A planned visit to the practice at St.Neots (10) on Friday gave an opportunity to learn the method and ring it again within 24 hours. Well done both! By way of adding a little quirkiness to the occasion we also painted the clappers of two of the bells with the Cross of St. George especially for the day. Many thanks to Paul Newman (Litlington) and Sally Mew (Houghton) for coming over to ring with us.

L-R: Paul Newman, Phillip, Sally, Sheila G, David, Sheila P

7th April 2016 Level 1 Certificates Awarded At our practice on Thursday 7th April we had the pleasure of awarding Matt and Susanne their Level 1 LTR certificates. They recently completed this level after much hard work and dedication attending many additional tied bell sessions to practice dodging and general bell control exercises. They are both learning call changes and attend Sunday Service ringing and are valued members of the team. Their first bell handling lesson was in July last year and their self-appointed target is to ring Plain Hunt by the end of the year, which I am sure they will do - and much more. They have already begun studying the prospectus for Level 2.

Matt & Susanne

19th March 2016 Ringing Skills Morning On Saturday 19th March we held a training session to learn St.Simons and Plain Bob Doubles. Starting at 9.15am, we rang through until midday with a 30-minute break for coffee and cake. The morning was a great success enabling plain courses and touches of St.Simons to be rung, and plain courses of Plain Bob. Concentrated efforts by everyone helped us progress in the methods, especially David and Sheila Prest (Gransden) and Bruce Gentles (Brampton), and our grateful thanks go to the helpers, Catherina Griffiths (St.Neots), James and Charlotte Gamble (St.Neots) and Janet Yeo (Huntingdon), who worked tirelessly to support the learning. Thanks also to those who made cakes and coffee for our mid-morning break.

Group Photo

L-R: PG, Janet, SJG, Alasdair, Sheila P, Andrew, Catherina, James Gamble, David P, Charlotte G, Bruce Gentles

10th March 2016

LTR Level 3 Certificates Sheila and David Prest have been working through the LTR syllabus and have now both achieved level 3 and are seen here receiving their certificates during the practice night on Thursday 10th March.

They were presented with their Level 3 Learning the Ropes Certificates at Bellringing practice at Great Gransden on Thursday. It gets more difficult now to progress to the next level as we do not have enough experienced ringers to help them move on. To progress we have a Ringing Skills Morning next Saturday to concentrate on St Simon's Doubles and are grateful for the help of experienced ringers from St.Neots and Hemingford.

L-R: Sheila P, Sheila G, Phillip G, David P.

5th March 2016 Congratulations! - LTR Level 3 Achieved with First Quarter on the Tenor One of the monthly Hunts District quarter peals on the 5th March was arranged so that Sheila P could ring the tenor behind, to complete her level 3 certificate in the Learning The Ropes (LTR) scheme run by the Association of Ringing Teachers. The quarter peal was at Hilton where we rang ten different extents and had some very good ringing.

L-R: Andrew B Smith (Gamlingay), David P, Sheila G, Sheila P, Catherina Griffiths (St.Neots), Phillip G

23rd January 2016 An excellent start to the ringing year for Alasdair today when he rang his first quarter peal. This had been arranged as part of this DofE bronze award and a quarter peal on the treble was one of his agreed objectives. The ringing was good throughout and it ran round in 43 minutes. Thanks to Sally Mew (Houghton) for ringing with us and many congratulations to Alasdair for his success. Details can be seen here.

Catch a video link here (courtesy of James Catmur)

L-R: Phillip, Sheila P, Sally Mew, Sheila G, David, Alasdair

10th January 2016 Saturday 9th January was the date of our annual ringers' dinner, once again generously hosted by Sheila and David Prest. Fourteen ringers and friends squeezed into their dining room and enjoyed a three-course meal prepared by all of us during the day. Lively chatter and good conversation from adults and children alike made for a very relaxed evening.

After the meal, David made a short informal presentation to Sheila and Phillip thanking them for organising the ringing week by week and with high expectations of further progress in the tower this year. In turn, gratitude was expressed to Sheila and David for hosting the dinner. We then all enjoyed one of David's quizzes, this year with a Christmas theme, when for some questions the adults were grateful to have youngsters in their team!

The evening ended with wind-down conversations at the dinner table when subject matter included our proposed weekend to visit The Beamish Museum, which we hope can include attending a rugby match, and the fascination and intricacies of bell ringing compositions! 9th January 2016 Gransden Training Centre welcomed four ringers from Elsworth (Cambs) and their trainer Elinor Cole from Caxton to carry out some training as part of the Integrated Teacher Training Scheme (ITTS). Elinor is teaching them at Caxton in preparation for them to ring at their home tower and asked Sheila George to mentor her teaching. Sheila is an accredited teacher in the same scheme. This was the first session and

the ringers demonstrated their various abilities from ringing up and down, handstrokes and backstrokes and both strokes together. Under Elinor's capable leadership they are progressing well and with confidence.

The session started with a visit to the bells and clock which attracted many questions and comments. The modern, warm environment of the ringing room enhances the learner experience and they were all keen to ring and were particularly impressed with the closed circuit tv and the simulator which is used as a matter of course for all teaching.

The session came to and end after two hours with an invitation to return if they wished to use the facility again, and in any case, when they are all ringing Rounds we would like them to come and ring all six bells with us.

1st January 2016 Ringers marked the New Year by ringing a date touch this morning in 1hour and 9 minutes. The touch comprised an extent each of Single Oxford and Cambridge Surprise, with a 576 (especially composed) of Plain Bob Minor. We enjoyed some pretty good ringing, as did at least one resident in the village who emailed Sheila saying how much she had enjoyed the bells. This is the 23rd New Year's Day date touch and as Sheila George says "Here in Great Gransden the custom has become to ring a date touch on New Year's Day instead of ringing the New Year in at midnight. Today we successfully rang 2016 changes to welcome 2016.

L-R Phillip, Sally, Iain, Catherina, Sheila, Vanessa