This was held on 8th August at Condover. Many of the usual suspects attended and many of the usual methods were attempted with the usual degree of success. Unusually the ringing was run by Paul Lewis, as an officer of both Association and Guild.

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This was held on 11th July at Norton in Hales, in the far north-east of our area. About twenty-five members attended and despite the rather cosy ringing room, most ringers had the opportunity for some useful practice, ranging from rounds to Surprise Major. The meeting was held in the church with the Ringing Master, Nick Green in the chair.  Three new members were elected: Ian Kelly from Ellesmere; Ernie Martin from Bicton; David Adams from Chester, whose election as NRLM prior to a peal at St Martins was ratified.

Gill Glover, in her new role as child protection officer, spoke about the imminent legislation concerning the protection of young persons and vulnerable adults and its effect on ringing. She will shortly be writing to all tower captains with details of the new requirements. All ringers were urged to follow the Central Council and Association guidelines as published in the annual report, and if they have any queries or concerns, to contact the child protection officer at their own churches, or Gill Glover, whose contact details are in the annual report.

Kathryn Greaves reminded members to keep the evening of November 14th free for the Association Ceilidh. It will be at Shawbury and tickets will go on sale shortly from the usual outlets.

Nick Green mentioned the rope bank which may be able to help towers with limited funds to replace worn ropes. It is hoped to offer reconditioned ropes for about £20 - £25. Full details are in the latest printed newsletter.

Edric Broom spoke of forthcoming training opportunities:
On 19th September training mornings are planned for Edgmond and Moreton Corbet/Shawbury. Some spaces are still available, and Edric will endeavour to provide tuition/practice in whatever the students request. This is obviously dependent on the availability of helpers, so these are also requested to contact Edric.
On 10th October there will be a morning addressing teaching of bell handling. There are still some places available. In response to requests by members, Edric is planning to institute a monthly Surprise practice. This will probably be on a Friday evening and will rotate around three or four towers. It is hoped to start this on a trial basis in September and the way it develops will depend on the support it receives.

Winners of unhealthy items in Peter Woollam's raffle were Will Lander (Oswestry), Ernie Martin (Bicton) and Kim Evans (St Martins).

Brian Kear reported that the 100 Club was now only eight members short of living up to its title, and consequently a fifth prize has been added to the quarterly draw.  Winners were:  £40 - Dot Williams (Ruyton XI Towns);  £20 - Brian Rothera (Oswestry);  £15 - Diane Baker (Shifnal);  £10 - Peter Woollam (St Martins);  £10 - David Oldfield  (Stanton).  

The first Association coach outing for many years was held on Saturday 13th June. Thirty-four ringers set off, and thirty-three returned. These represented many of the active towers in our area, and included two of our most recent recruits - Ernie Martin and Graham Swain from Bicton.

Nick Green had selflessly arranged five towers in the Stratford upon Avon area, and we enjoyed ringing at Bidford on Avon, Alcester, Studley and Coughton, as well as Stratford itself, where the town was quieter than usual and made a good choice for lunch. The arrangements made by Kathryn Greaves were impeccable, with the timings well-judged and Mark Adams proving less fallible as navigator that some disembodied Japanese voice on the dashboard. The driver was excellent, and ensured that we spent our time in the towers rather than hiking to them. Peter Woollam could not resist running a raffle on the coach, and £43 was raised for the Bell Restoration Fund. Winners of wine, chocolates and toiletries were John Williamson, Christine Harris, Sue Perry, Sue Buckingham and Mark Adams. The number of people attending meant that they were due a refund from the already miniscule ticket price. At Kathryn's suggestion, this surplus of £31 was also added to the BRF. Ringing ranged from ravishing to wretched, and apart from the lack of afternoon tea (which had been part of the original timetable) the day was voted a success, with most members on the coach indicating that they would be keen to support a similar venture in the future.

Most of the group in the sunshine outside Alcester church

On Saturday, 4th July 2009, in 2 hour and 35 minutes

Three methods: Two extents of Oxford Treble Bob, two of Kent Treble Bob and three of Plain Bob

Conducted by Nicholas J Green

First peal at first attempt - Treble

Rung on the 50th anniversary of the first peal on the bells, rung on 4th July 1959, and in the same methods and time

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An extraordinary meeting of the Association was held on 11th July in conjunction with the quarterly meeting at Norton in Hales. The single item of business was the proposition that rule 4) c) 'The rate of annual subscription, the reduced rate for those of state pensionable age or those under eighteen and receiving full-time education, and the part of the subscription to go towards the Bell Restoration Fund shall be decided at the AGM' should be replaced with 4) c) 'The rate of annual subscription, the reduced rate for those under eighteen and receiving full-time education, and the part of the subscription to go towards the Bell Restoration Fund shall be decided at the AGM'. 

The Treasurer said that, with those of pensionable age now forming 40% of the membership, it was time to stop patronising them as a small impoverished minority and treat them as all other adult members. This would mean that they would need to find an extra 4p per week for their subscription. It was hoped that this would not put off any members and that they would use their increased leisure time to take full advantage of the ringing and social activities provided by the Association.

The proposition was passed unanimously.

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The 112th annual meeting of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers was held in Worcester on May 25th. Among the 207 representatives present were both those from the Shropshire Association. The main impression given by the various debates was of an organisation struggling against its Victorian roots to make itself more relevant to ringers in general today. The most useful item was an explanation of the new child protection regime which is to be introduced gradually over the next couple of years. It seems to have been modified to make it more sensible and generally less destructive of normal ringing activities.

The full report of the meeting will be published soon in the Ringing World. If anyone has any queries about the meeting, or about the Council in general, your representatives will be pleased to attempt to answer them.

Nick Green          Alan Glover

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Not only does he run the ringing and call the peals, but Nick Green now also has to write the reports:

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Atcham, at the Church of St Eata

On Sunday, 10th May 2009, in 2 hour and 47 minutes

Three methods in seven extents: 1 Double Oxford Bob; 2, 4 and 6 St Clement's College Bob; 3, 5 and 7 Plain Bob

Conducted by Nicholas J Green

First peal on the bells since restoration

Rung in memory of Ernest F Willcox

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On Saturday, 25th April 2009, in 1 hour and 58 minutes

Three methods in seven extents: 1, 4 and 7 Cambridge; 2 and 5 Beverley; 3 and 6 Surfleet

Tenor 0-2-20½ cwt in D

Conducted by Nicholas J Green

First peal on the bells in more than one method. Faster peal on the bells.

Rung to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the creation of the Mobile Belfry

The latest Association training morning was held on April 25th at the Edgmond Ringing Centre. Students were Geoff Mather and Peter Hall (both Cheswardine), Kim Evens (St Martins), Amanda Craig (Shrewsbury), Ian Baker (Shifnal) and Will Lander (Oswestry). Nine more experienced members filled in the bands under the direction of Association Training Officer, Edric Broom, while Madeline Harris (Market Drayton) morphed between student and helper depending on what was being attempted. This ranged from Plain Hunt on six to Cambridge Major. At the end of the course, many of the helpers were to be found comforting each other over lunch in the Lamb, and basking in the warm glow of Edric's gratitude.

The next Training Morning is on 19th September. If there is sufficient demand from potential students, and sufficient helpers are available, two sessions will be run simultaneously from 9.30 to 12.30 at two centres: Edgmond Ringing Centre and Stanton/Moreton Corbet.  Please let Edric know of your training requirements as soon as possible, with priority being given on this occasion to those requiring five or six bell ringing.  Tuition and practice is individually tailored to each applicant. Courses are almost always over-subscribed, so early application is advised. A charge of £5 per student is made for training mornings to cover refreshments, and to make a donation to the tower or towers hosting the events. Members under eighteen and in full time education pay £2.50, with the balance being made up from Association funds. Non-members pay an arbitrary, but swingeing fee, making it better value to join the Association, whereupon they receive their first training morning free.

Anyone willing and able to act as a helper should get in touch with Edric and put the date in their diaries. At least fourteen helpers will be required to run courses at two centres. It would be useful to extend the group of helpers. For some courses, all that is required is the ability to ring Grandsire or Plain Bob Doubles reliable, while smiling and making encouraging comments.

Nick Green, Association Ringing Master, reports that 'mercifully the usual number stayed away, leaving a select band of 14 fitting snugly into the ringing room.  We were hosted by Graham Parker, who unsurprisingly rang the tenor behind for most of the evening to Grandsire and Plain Bob, mainly to the benefit of Tom Miles, Ian Baker and John Aldridge.  Peter Woollam called a touch of Plain Bob Minor with six singles - everyone behaved themselves.  Kent and Cambridge were also rung, for Chris Fraser and PJW - less well behaved.

The business meeting was kept to a brief minimum, as Kathryn was keen to depart for Jasper Dean's 21st birthday party in Newport.  The coach outing was pushed.  John Aldridge and Tom Miles were the recipients of Peter's raffle prizes.  Madeline Harris ran the BRF lottery in the absence of Brian Kear.  Prizes went to Christine Ayers of Ruyton-XI-Towns (£40); Jad Bienek(£20); Mark Adams and Elizabeth Davies (each £10).  We have 80 members in the 100 club.  More than 80 would warrant a fifth prize.

Reasonable call changes recorded for the website.'

Peter Woollam added, 'The raffle raised £16 for the BRF. I was delighted to leave the meeting with more raffle prizes than I had on arrival - many thanks to all who contributed.  I've taken a close look at the selection and, whatever may be said about the ringing, Association members' choices of vineyards and chocolatiers are definitely on the up.'

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Our East Shropshire correspondent, John Williamson, has sent the following report:

'Thought you might be interested to hear that Jasper Dean, son of Peter Dean of Newport, celebrated his 21st birthday with a party at The Royal British Legion Club in Newport on Saturday, 18th April, to which fellow ringers from St. Nicholas were invited.

Jasper has been ringing bells with his father at St. Nic's since the age of nine and is a popular member of the band.

Newport ringers presented Jasper with a leather wallet inscribed on the front with his initials and suitably filled with notes totalling £35.'

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On Thursday, 2nd April 2009 at Shrewsbury, St Chad in 52 minutes

Tenor 39-2-7 in C

Rung as a farewell to The Right Reverend Alan G C Smith, Bishop of Shrewsbury and President
of the Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers, prior to his leaving to become Bishop of St Albans

Edric Broom, Mark Adams, Sue Buckingham, Kathryn Greaves, Rt Revd Alan Smith, Brian Kear, Andy Gordon, Gill Glover, Nick Green, Alan Glover

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My training is still on course, although the dark mornings / nights sometimes makes it a chore. Having said that my mileage is steadily increasing to 30+ miles a week, with the longer weekend runs varying between 12 – 14 miles.

I have also had a tour (of the facility at Apley Park) with all the other runners who are competing on behalf of Severn Hospice and I now appreciate even more the task of securing the maximum amount of funds as I am able to for the Hospice and the dark mornings / nights don’t seem so bad after all.

The races are few and far between in January. However, I competed in the four villages half marathon at Helsby, Cheshire on the 18th January. I achieved a PB of 2:00:33. I was hoping for sub 2 hrs. The good news is I was only 2 mins and 8 seconds behind Oliver, which considering I'm old enough to be his Dad is good enough for me.

Splits, efforts, fartlek, are as bewildering to a none running bell ringer as double dodge, follow me down to lead, that’s all, is to a non bell ringing runner, feel sorry for me? because I’m not very good at either. If you do skip straight to the last paragraph if not read on Mac duff.

Well February brought its own delights not least of all the snow! Enter the running machine (miles are everything you know) if any of you have used one of these things in the gym you should know what I’m referring to, if your name’s John (the post) Williamson you are an expert (I’ve seen him).

It’s a bit like ringing on the simulator, there’s just something missing (no offence Edric)

Any way the snow didn’t hang around for long so off to the Stourbridge Stagger, a delightful “undulating” and I use the word loosely 10ish mile multi-terrain course the trick was to stay upright and you’d cracked it. It had snow, ice, mud and a nice little half mile stretch called dinosaur beach which saw you running through sand and mud alley which involved running through, you’re ahead of me now. No thoughts of breaking any records today just take care not to break your leg.

Wyre forest 8 the following week another mud bath, billed as undulating off road  trek around the Wyre Forest, it certainly lived up to its name and the current Mrs Stokes cant get the mud out of  my socks, well at least the snow had completely gone.

As the dead line gets nearer the mileage increases 34 plus per week with the long run hitting 16 miles. March will soon be here and the Stafford 20 but that’s another story.

It appears a bit like preparing to ring your first peal but you’re on your lonesome a Very big leap from a quarter.

Thanks again for all the sponsorship and encouragement, if you haven’t there’s still time; on paper available in all good towers or phone 01952 813975 alternatively follow the link http://www.justgiving.com/johnstokes

 Thanks again 

John Stokes and the London Marathon - April update

This is John's final update before the big event on 26th April. He is very close to his fund-raising target of £500. Why not be the one who pushes him beyond that figure?

Newport calling, what does bell ringing and marathon running have in common, (and this is a good pub quiz question.) Give up?

Answer, You follow the blue line of course; the elite runners Paula Radcliff and the like follow a blue line the exact 26.2 Miles distance of the London Marathon, so if they can do it I’m prepared to give it a go, admittedly it may take some finding on the day and like ringing I may just fall of it!

Beginning of the month came Cloud 9. A scenic and challenging off-road race from Congleton to the summit of Bosley Cloud 343m high and back, via the ancient Bridestones (c. 2000 BC). I ran with (and was passed by) Dr Ron Hill MBE incidentally he is in his 70’s but still whizzed passed me on the way up, Nice man stayed and had soup and a roll with us after the race. It’s a bit like ringing with the likes of Dr Nick and Andy (boy) Gordon, they make it look so easy!

Stafford 20 miler was next, 3 loops starting from Stafford University going up the hill past the show ground 3 times for those who know the area. The first 8 mile loop brought you back in past RAF Stafford and everyone marvelled at the GR53 V/STOL, Harrier jump jet parked by the front gate. The second 6 mile loop brought you back the same way the plane wasn’t so obvious. The third 6 mile loop and strains of not that Bl***y plane again could be heard. The combination of freezing temperatures, driving wind, rain and hail made me think “ just why am I doing this again”?

Ironbridge half marathon came next, warm sunny day bit windy but the scenery around the Ironbridge gorge and Coalbrookdale made up for it. I was passed this time by some bloke ridding an Emu (so annoying when that happens) I managed to take the Giraffe and Sylvester the cat though; there was no sign of tweety pie.

The marathon training plan tells me the next 4 weeks leading up to the marathon is a taper so you start to decrease the mileage, just hope I’ve done enough?

A very BIG thanks to everyone whose sponsored me so far and you can still donate through the link or if you prefer there’s a paper version contact me on 01952 813975

John enjoying the weather in the Stafford 20 miler.
Despite rumours started by Barry Lewis, he is not wearing the current Mrs Stokes' marigolds.

John Stokes and the London Marathon - the result

Congratulations to John Stokes of Newport for completing the London Marathon on 26th April. About 35,000 runners set off, and a little over two hours later a new course record was set. Unfortunately this was not by John, who finished in the first 20,000 with a time of 5:04:32. Equally importantly, he has exceeded his original target for fund-raising for the Severn Hospice. Those who have already sponsored him - time to prise open your wallets (and think about increasing the amount promised). Those who have not already sponsored him - it's not too late to support this worthwhile charity and recognise all the hard training John has put in.

John Stokes, 109 Ford Road, Newport, Shropshire TF10 7UH

John Stokes of Newport reports that all his sponsorship has now been collected, and he has raised the magnificent sum of £660 for the Severn Hospice. He will be trying for a place in the run again next year in the hope of raising more funds for this very worthwhile local charity.

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The Lichfield Diocesan Mobile Belfry was dedicated at Easter 1999, and the Trustees have decided that a good way to mark the tenth anniversary would be to ring the first peal on the bells. Actually, because the belfry belongs jointly to the three associations in the diocese, three peals will be attempted on April 25^th. But we don’t want this to be an occasion exclusively for the peal ringers. There will be plenty of time for other ringing including quarters, and we are hoping to make it a day of celebration for anyone who wants to come along. The belfry will be erected at Woodlands, Keele on the Friday to enable an early start to be made on the day and allow practice ringing on comparable bells for those who need it.  We plan to provide refreshments in the form of bread and cheese and a barrel of beer.

When he offered to provide the bells for the belfry, Alan Hughes of Whitechapel Bell Foundry was keen that the belfry should not become a peal factory (his words). Three in a day is getting perilously close to mass production, but he has been consulted about this venture and is all in favour.

Please let your Trustees (Paul Lewis and Madeline Harris) know if you would like to take part in this event.

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On Saturday, 7th March 2009, in 2 hours and 56 minutes

Composed by Charles Middleton (arranged Donald F Morrison)

Tenor 18-3-9 in E

Conducted by Nicholas J Green

Rung in memory of Frederick M Mitchell, ringer at this tower, and former ringing master of the Shropshire Association

L to r: Edric Broom, Chris Adams, Kathryn Greaves, Andy Gordon, Alan Glover, Nick Green, Peter Woollam, Mark Adams

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Peter Everall, Vernon Blakeman, Ian Friend, Andy Gordon, Barry Lewis, Nick Green, Kathryn Greaves, Edric Broom

After the quarter peal, a group of Newport ringers arrived, and presented Barry with a bottle of Southern Comfort and a Bolton Wanderers T shirt, suitably printed on the back. Photo by John Williamson

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The February monthly practice was held on St Valentine's Day. The first tower was Myddle, where the three bells were put to good use and were also recorded for the delight of visitors to this web site. The second tower was Clive, where the weighty bells were rung remarkably well.  Special mention must be made of the versatile Iain Coull, who welcomed members to his tower, plunged them into darkness during ringing, and drew his own number in the raffle. This raised £18 for the Bell Restoration Fund.

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1934 - 2008

I first met Ernie Willcox in the early 1970s, when he was the formidable Ringing Master of the Association and St Chad’s, and I was a bit of a rabbit at twelve bell ringing. I soon learned that, besides being a superb heavy bell ringer whose high standard could lift the performance of the whole band, he was also very kind to novices. A man of few, and ruthless, words, if the ringing was sloppy, whose glare from the tenor box wilted many pretensions, he also had an impish sense of humour and a fund of funny stories. He was not a man who sought office, he simply loved ringing. Nevertheless, he worked hard for the Association, taking on the roles of Ringing Master and Central Council Representative for some years.

Ernest Frank Willcox was a Salopian born and bred, who went to school at Coleham and Monkmoor. He was twelve years old when he first climbed St Mary’s tower and asked to learn to ring.  Another youngster there at the time was Cliff Barron. A  couple of years older than Ernie, he was later to conduct Ernie’s first peal and became a life-long friend.

In those days there were separate bands at St Chad’s and St Mary’s, Shrewsbury, and Fred Beddow was Ringing Master at St Chad’s. If Ernie had any doubts about ringing, they ceased when Fred turned up to St Mary’s practice one evening with his daughter, Sylvia.  Ernie started ringing at both towers. He was thirteen when he asked Sylvia to go out with him.