The Hertford County Association of Change Ringers Bishop s Stortford District

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1 The Hertford County Association of Change Ringers Bishop s Stortford District Newsletter January Editor s comment Dominic Sheehan I hope everyone is having a good new year so far In January we got some good sunshine in England and Wales which averaged 75 hours, making it the sunniest since 2003, with only three Januarys in the past 100 years surpassing this I took a short drive to Thorley to visit St James the Great Church to continue the theme from the previous newsletter which concentrated on Great St Marys church in Sawbridgeworth I was not disappointed The tower currently contains six bells that collectively weigh over a ton, the oldest of these date to 1628 The tower was used during the Second World War as a look-out post to spot night-flying Lysander aircraft approaching Allen s Green airfield Besides the normal use of the bells to call people to church and Weddings the bells are also rung for historic events Notable changes were the silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth in 1977 and in memoriam of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965 Inside This Issue Editor Comment 1 Charlie Jordan letter 2 Ella May 2 Tours / Chat / Photos 3-4 Forthcoming Events 5 Also of note is Claire May for passing module 1 of the Integrated teacher training scheme I particularly liked the stained glass windows which can best be viewed from inside the church depicting biblical scenes The one over the alter and of St James are spectacular and you can see photos later in the newsletter Of particular note is the wide archway leading towards the alter and the font which faces you on entry backed by WW1 memorial names We are concentrating for this issue on a letter from Charlie Jordan, a contribution from a talented young ringer, the outings and forthcoming events Congratulations to Paul Scofield for growing a handlebar moustache for Movember and raising money for charity

2 Bishop s Stortford District Newsletter Page 2 r LETTER memory of Shane Saunders Ella May - Bell Challenge interview By Charles Jordan ( Much Hadham Tower captain) Ella and the quarter peal band The name may not mean much to many of the Bishop Stortford district members of today, but the older members may have memories of a man who was the Hertford County Association of change ringers general secretary for over twenty years Many Presidents of the association when taking up office were glad of the quiet guiding voice at their elbow when chairing meetings and the sticky questions from the floor The major task of taking the Association through the problems of charity status for all of the benefits it would bring was not always appreciated Having sat on the County association under his guidance for over twenty years it is with some sorrow that I note the notification of his death in the ringing world of February 6 th The article in the letter section is very detailed yet brief but then it is by another long serving member of the team to whom we owe so much Memory By David Gambling Brenda Harris of Benington sadly passed away on the 19 th December 2014 She was elected a member in 1958, rang regularly for over 50 years and was a life member of HCACR She was Association President in 1980 Ella rang 1060 changes of Grandsire Doubles in 43 minutes at Henham Chris McCarthy was the conductor Ella turned 10 in November and regularly attends Thursday night practices in Bishops Stortford She admitted to being "kind of tired" and making three mistakes "forgetting to lead, losing a place and going too slow" She has "2 years of experience" " lots of people taught me but mum was the best" Her success is based on "trying to concentrate all the time" After the event she "got a J20 drink and a hug and lots of people saying well done" Overall "it was fun" and she will "try to remember her mistakes" Clearly, she is one to watch as a ringing master of the future

3 Bishop s Stortford District Newsletter Page 3 The Padgett and Cambridgeshire Tours Claire May chat The car outing to south west Leicestershire was very successful and involved ringing at the following churches on Saturday the 8 th November after an early start at 8am from Bishops Stortford It was organised by Alan and Margaret Padgett St Peters St Michaels All Saints St Mary St Dionysius Claybrooke Stoney Stanton Thurlaston Lutterworth Market Harborough St Michael's at Stoney Stanton was Alan and Margaret Padgett's old home tower The day came to an end with a meal in a village pub (Swan Inn ) in Braybrooke Of note a rope broke and the bell had to be lowered at the end of the ringing day Cambridgeshire Tour By Claire May We enjoyed a tour to Cambridgeshire arranged by our District Ringing Master, Tracey Coley Approximately 20 ringers, including two of our young ringers, rang at 5 towers It was a lovely treat to have tea laid on for us at Swaffham Prior (even if the bells were a bit clunky)! Everyone had a very enjoyable day so many thanks to Tracey Oh Carol! The joint districts Carol Service with the Eastern District was held in Braughing this year Peter and his band did a great job of making the local arrangements Our thanks go to Rev Clive Slaughter for taking the service and to Martin Scott for playing the organ Attendees were still enjoying their mulled wine and minced pies for about an hour after the service had finished so it seems a good time was had by all! the Annual District Meeting was hosted by Thorley in January Several people commented on what fantastic facilities there are attached to Thorley Church (is there such a thing as hall-envy?) Frank and his band were fantastic hosts as always Thank you for leaving your Christmas tree up for us! New Simulator By Dominic Sheehan I have been reading about a new piece of software that is being used at St George's Church on the Isle of Man to eliminate noise pollution when trainees are practising The article was in the Isle of man today newspaper and the link is; news/software-rings-changes-in-bell-tower There seems to be a lot of interesting developments in terms of technology and we will keep on eye out in this area following on from our previous newsletter looking at Apps

4 Bishop s Stortford District Newsletter Page 4 u St James the Great Thorley,,

5 Bishop s Stortford District Newsletter Page 5 Forthcoming Events 21 st February Anstey District open ringing st February Great Hormead District open ringing th February Watford County 10 bell practice st March Sawbridgeworth District open ringing st March Sawbridgeworth District business meeting th March Widford District Quiz ( pre book ) th April Widford District open ringing th April Standon District open ringing th April Ricksmanworth County open ringing Service Tea Annual General Meeting Hayden cup striking competition th May Standon District business meeting th May St Albans Abbey County 10 Bell Practice Address all newsletter material to: The Editor Dominic Sheehan 26 Percival Court Bishop s Stortford CM23 2EF Or via to dominic_sheehan2004@yahoocouk Our next newsletter will be in April - please send your articles before then