Staplehurst Bellringers Report November 2022

News from the Tower

Since my last report, our ringers have played their part in commemorating the passing of our late Queen. Indeed for ringers across the country and beyond it has been an extremely busy time, with more than 15,000 performances to her memory.

October was relatively quiet in comparison as life got back to normal, but we did bid a very different kind of farewell to Shirley Norfolk and her husband Tony as they made their long-awaited move to Yorkshire. Shirley has been a regular and extremely competent ringer at Staplehurst for very many years and will be almost impossible to replace. At our practice on Tuesday 11th October Shirley was presented with a garden voucher as a farewell gift from the ringers following which she treated us to a farewell drink at the King’s Head. Thank you Shirley and Tony for your friendship and we all wish you a bon voyage.

Sadly the County Striking Competition, at which Staplehurst were due to be representing the Maidstone District and which was postponed following the Queen’s death, was rescheduled for a date when our ringers weren’t available.

November brings us to our Tower AGM when we will be receiving reports for the past year from our Tower Captain, Steeplekeeper and Treasurer and we will be electing Tower Officers for the coming year. I think I can confidently say that, with many of our ringers having now returned following the pandemic, our band is in far better shape than it was a year ago although the age profile continues to increase.

Also this month we have a visiting band of ringers on the morning of Saturday 19th November and we will be ringing for the regular Sunday morning services and on our normal Tuesday evening practice. Other than this there is currently no additional ringing scheduled during the month apart from possibly quarter-peals on two Sunday evenings.

Roy Barclay
Tower Secretary