Shropshire Association of Church Bellringers

The August 2026 Newsletter (which can be read and downloaded here) includes a report of the Association's Centenary Service and tea, and information about the Centenary outing (Beckbury, Sutton Maddock, Kemberton, and Shifnal), the Association's Open Towers day (12 September) the next training morning (26 September), and the Association's Ceilidh (17 October).

The July 2026 Newsletter can be read and downloaded here.

The Association’s July Quarterly meeting and ringing were held at St Chad’s, Shrewsbury, prior to the Centenary service and tea. The strains of the Rum & Reggae festival being held in the Quarry could be heard in the tower and church.

The changing of the date for the AGM was approved, and the next AGM is expected to be held on 10 April 2027. Membership fees will still become due on 1 January 2027 and the Annual Report and Handbook will be distributed at the AGM. The following were elected as new members of the Association: William Barter, Jacob Davies (both Oswestry), John Ellis-Tipton (Meole Brace), and Lucy Youngman (High Ercall).

In David Beckwith’s absence Sue gave a brief Treasurer’s report. The balance in the General Fund was £4,978.96, and the balance in the Bell Restoration Fund (BRF) was £49,195.76, which includes the ring-fenced £10,000.

Tony Freemont reiterated that it is not the job of the tower captain to check that the band has completed the Church of England’s safeguarding training.

Gill Glover reviewed the training sessions that had taken place and those due to be held in the future. She thanked all those who helped with the sessions.

Tony reminded the meeting of the future events: the Centenary walking tour on 15 August; the Open Towers day on 12 September; the next quarterly meeting on 10 October at St Martin’s; and the Association ceilidh on 17 October at Mereside Community Centre.

More ringers arrived for the ringing, led by Gill Glover, which included rounds and call changes on 6 and on 12, and Grandsire Caters. A service touch was rung and a photograph taken in the church prior to the service. The service was led by the vicar of St Chad’s, Rev Sam Mann. The organist was Tony Pinel. The Bishop of Lichfield, the Rt Revd Dr Michael Ipgrave, gave the sermon. The Bishop congratulated the Association on its centenary. He said that the bells spoke to the inward need for mercy and to the spirit of God within us. Bells also broadcast the message of God’s presence.

Following the service there was tea in the church hall at which about 50 people sat down. Each table was laid out with sandwiches, nibbles, vegetables and dip. The celebration cake was cut by the Lord-Lieutenant of Shropshire, Anna Turner. Other sweet things were also available.

The raffle, with prizes of wines, chocolate, chutney, oil, whisky, and ornaments raised £137 for the BRF. The winners of prizes are the Lord-Lieutenant, Lisa Grimmett, Vicki Sivess, Jad Bienek, Louise Hughes, Paul Lewis, Jacqui Barden, and Andrew Gordon.

The next Association quarterly meeting and ringing will be held on Saturday 10 October 2026, at St Martin’s starting at 7pm.

Information about the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers (CCCBR) can be found here
cccbr.org.uk/about/annual-meetings/2026-annual-meeting/

On the Friday there will be three ringing routes into Rugby, from the north, south or west. All routes then merge at St Andrew’s, Rugby, where there is a unique opportunity to ring at two towers at the same church! There will also be an evening social.

Sunday offers opportunities to support local towers for service ringing, and a special bell ringing themed service at Coventry Cathedral with ringing before and after. There may also be a chance to support local quarter peal attempts later in the day.

As part of the Association's centenary celebrations the membership is challenged to ring 100 'firsts'.
If you or your band has rung a first please email the Newsletter editor [] and the webmaster [] with the details.

The list of 'firsts' achieved can be found here.

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

	12-13yr	S	M	L	XL	XXL
Chest	32 - 34"	34 - 36"	38 - 40"	42 - 44"	46 - 48"	50 - 52"
Length			27"	28"

The polo shirts are pure cotton, wash very well, BUT are skimpy. Biff suggests going up one or even two sizes on what you would normally select. Available in standard rectangular shape, quite long in the body.

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, 6 September 2026.