Staplehurst Bellringers Report July 2024
News from the Tower
June was a busy month for our ringers. It started on Saturday 1st June when, together with ringers from Frittenden and Marden, we had our annual ringing outing. The venue this year was the Southend on Sea area of Essex where we rang at five churches ranging from Eastwood, right next to the runway of Southend airport, to Leigh on Sea with its panoramic views across the Thames Estuary. We also enjoyed an excellent lunch together. The photo below shows us relaxing after the last ringing of the day at Orsett, before facing the usual traffic problems at the Dartford Crossing on the way home.
The following Thursday, 6th June, was of course the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and we were honoured to ring as part of the beacon-lighting ceremony at Surrenden Field.
Saturday 15th June saw the National 12-bell Competition take place at Chilcompton in Somerset. This prestigious event features some of the best bell ringers in the country and we are proud to say that our own Tower Captain Adam Brady was a member of one of the participating bands. We will let you know in next month’s issue how his band fared.
We have an update on the restoration of the turret and the tower roof. The main work on the roof is planned to take place from Monday 19th August to Friday 27th September, but isn’t expected to affect bell ringing. However as with any project of this kind things can suddenly change and the ringers stand ready to adjust their schedule as necessary. At the moment we only have two extra ringing sessions coming up. Firstly, on the afternoon of Saturday 29th June the Kent Young Ringers will be holding their final practice on our bells before heading up to London the following weekend for the National Youth Contest, the young ringers’ equivalent of the competition mentioned above. Then Wednesday 17th July sees our latest learning hub from 7.30 – 9pm. That aside we will be ringing for the regular Sunday Services, and for our normal Tuesday evening practice.
For updates on ringing during July, including whether ringing has been cancelled due to the works, please see our website at https://bells.allsaintsstaplehurst.co.uk/
Roy Barclay
Tower Secretary
