Success is the Reward for Perserverance

We almost had an all ladies band! (Emma couldn’t come to Isle of Dogs). Back L to R: Piers, Buky, Anna, Justina, Lina, Front: Bo, Lily, Naoko. The peal board in the background is the first peal rung by an all ladies band. Success is the Reward for Perseverance!

The bands at Isle of Dogs and Greenwich work closely together, especially as we have a fair number of new ringers, and the two towers are only 15 minutes walk apart. As one service starts at 10am and the next at 11am, we can easily ring for both morning services. Today we were able to ring rounds and call changes on the front six at Greenwich and all eight at Isle of Dogs.

What is remarkable is that of the ten ringers today, four have only learnt in the past six months, and two more have been ringing for less than a year. Never the less they are all making excellent progress towards Levels 2 and 3 of Learning the Ropes.

Today was also one of the band’s 16th Birthday https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1206191

Isle of Dogs is the tower where the first all ladies band rang a peal, back in 1912. We look forward to further progress and to the day, in the not too distant future, when at least some of our new ringers also ring their first peal. ‘Success is the Reward for Perseverance’ as the motto on the peal board says!

Docklands Shirts

At the AGM it was suggested that we would make a new order for Docklands polo shirts, as modelled below. If you are interested please contact us.

The sizing available is as follows:

Also see this video for further sizing help.

Striking competition and AGM

After the Stepney ringers (see photo) regained both trophies in the striking competition, the AGM was held. Welcome LOUISE BOOTH as the new Chair of the Ringing Centre!

Pictured with striking competition judge, Mike Wigney

Remembrance Sunday at Limehouse

Piers, Bo, Lina and Justina

With 15 ringers available, we had enough ringers, not only ring half muffled at Rotherhithe this morning, but also to split in two and ring at Bermondsey and Limehouse at the same time!

Over recent months we have grown the band so that we have enough ringers to able to do this more regularly. Piers, Bo, Lina and Justina all started learning to ring in August. They have learnt quickly, having benefitted from some intensive handling sessions with plenty of ‘rope time’ and use of our simulators to practice striking. They are all now ringing rounds and call changes sufficiently well to be able to ring together at Limehouse this morning.

This was also the first time that they had rung half muffled, enabling them to tick another box in their 50 Ringing Things book (two for those that helped fit/remove the muffles).

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers announced this morning that working in Partnership with the Government, in a year’s time, on Nov 11th 2018 they are looking for: 

1.     As much bell ringing in as many towers as possible, with half-muffled ringing in the morning, and open bells in the afternoon and evening.

2.     Ringing as part of the large-scale British project, ‘Battle’s Over – A Nation’s Tribute’. Pipers will be piping in the morning, bugles sounding and 1,000 beacons lit across the UK in the evening; with1,000 towers ringing at 7.05pm on the day.

3.     Recruiting and training 1,400 new ringers in 2018, the same number as those who fell in the Great War, to take part in this ringing

Piers, Bo, Lina and Justina show that with intensive tuition it is quite feasible to train new bell ringers and have them ringing well enough to ring together on Sundays within a few months. Enquires from people wishing to learn in time for 2018 are already coming in as a result of today’s nationwide publicity.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41957521

 

Foundry visit 25th October

There are a few spaces left for the visit to Taylors Foundry next Wednesday – so if you weren’t able to commit yourself earlier but now find that you are available, please let me know as soon as possible! The plan for the day is given below (you can of course make your own travel arrangements):

10:26 – 11:39  Train from St Pancras International to Loughborough

Lunch at the Three Nuns, 30 Church Gate, Loughborough

1.30 p.m. Tour of Taylors Foundry & Museum

3.30 p.m. Ringing the foundry bells

4.50 p.m. bus to Stanford on Soar (St John the Baptist, 8 bells, 15-3-18 in F)

5 p.m. ringing at Stanford on Soar (to be met by June Stanley 07854 364124).

Pub in Stanford or Loughborough?

Return to Loughborough by bus.

(It may also be possible for some of us to join the evening practice at Loughborough parish church.)

21:22 – 23:05 Train back to London

If you want to come, you must let me know by Sunday 22nd – and if you want a pub lunch, let me know and I will email the menu.

Bookings to: moragtodd@gmail.com