Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers

Congratulations to Matthew Leak for ringing his first quarter peal, at Oswestry.

The Listed Places of Worship Grant Sceme will close on 31 March 2026, or when the budget for the year is spent, whichever comes first.

All claims under the Scheme must be submitted by 31 March 2026 in order to be eligible for consideration. Applicants are able to invoice for individual works completed rather than wait for the whole project to be completed.

Information about the Scheme can be found here https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/
and here https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/listed-places-of-worship-scheme-closure-update/

From 1 April 2026, all repairs and maintenance that take place at any listed place of worship will be subject to the full VAT costs at 20%.

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund will replace the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme and will be for England only.

The February 2026 Newsletter has a report of the AGM, and the Training Morning at Oswestry. Reminders about some future events are also included. The February Newsletter can be read and downloaded here.

The January 2026 Newsletter can be read and downloaded here.

The Association has lost one of its most longstanding members, with the passing of Margaret Rowley, who died on Christmas Day, aged 93.

Margaret was tower captain at Holy Trinity church, Dawley from 2004 until her retirement in 2020. She had taken over that role from her husband, Ted, after he died but she began her ringing life at Malinslee church, a mile or so away. This was in the early 1950s and when the couple married they moved to a house just a stone's throw from Dawley church. Here they raised 4 daughters, 3 of whom learned to ring. Margaret stayed in that house, and kept her connection to Holy Trinity, for over 70 years. She had an unflappable temperament in the ringing room, and will be much missed.

Margaret's funeral will be on Monday 16th February at 1.30pm at Telford crematorium.

The 2026 Central Council AGM weekend takes place in Rugby, hosted by the Coventry Guild from Friday 4th to Sunday 6th September 2026 and is open to anyone wishing to attend, not just CCCBR Reps.

The weekend’s activities are open to all ringers and the full programme will be published in due course. Keep an eye on the CCCBR website (cccbr.org.uk) and social media for updates.

The CCCBR AGM will take place at The Benn Hall, Newbold Road, Rugby CV21 2LN, with other events being staged around Rugby.

Booking for all elements of the weekend will be essential and more details will be published as they are confirmed. The booking and registration process will be accessible nearer the time.

I am sad to report the death of John Williamson, former ringer at St Nicholas, Newport. John joined our band in 2007 when he moved to Newport from Cheswardine, where he had also rung. It was whilst living in Cheswardine he gained his nickname “John the Post” due to his position as village postmaster.

John soon became a valued member of our band and our social secretary. He organised a number of ringing outings plus an extremely popular trip to Joules Brewery. John was rightly proud of his only peal rung in 2010 at Moreton Corbet to celebrate his 70th birthday.

John was always cheerful and kind, with a real zest for life. We were sorry when John retired from ringing in 2018 but our friendship with John continued.

A quarter peal was rung at Newport in memory of John and in thanksgiving of his rich and full life.

The bells of St Michael and All Angels Church in Lilleshall have been a cherished part of our community for over 200 years. However, they are becoming increasingly difficult to ring and maintain. We are now raising funds to restore the bells, to ensure they continue to ring out for generations to come.

We’re aiming to raise around £60,000 and have already made an excellent start.

If you’d like to support us, please visit our JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/lilleshall-bells?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015

Thank you for your support!

We can now offer members a range of items embroidered with the SACBR logo. These are embroidered to order: contact Biff Patterson [ ] for details or to place an order.

COLOUR: burgundy or navy, with embroidered logo and lettering in blue/white/black/gold

PRICES
Short sleeve polo shirt cost £15, long sleeve polo shirt cost £20. Both of these are lightweight cotton pique with cuffed short sleeves, button placket and fold down collar. Sweat shirt costs £20.
T-shirts (cost £10) are also available.

SIZES ARE UNISEX

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has issued three documents about its work, volunteering with the Central Council, and what it means to be a Central Council Representative.

Those documents can be read and downloaded here:
What's the point of the Central Council.pdf,
Volunteering with the Central Council.pdf,
What does being a Central Council Rep mean?

Are you looking for some practical, written help for yourself or your tower but don’t know what is out there? If so, Books for Bellringers may be what you need. It is a small collection of books aimed mostly at beginners but with some material for those learning methods. Towers can borrow the collection for a period of up to two months so that everyone has a chance to see what they might find useful. Individuals or towers can order copies of the books using the details in the catalogue supplied.

If you would like to borrow the collection please contact Gill Glover [] .

The next Association committee meeting will be held on Sunday, 8 March 2026.