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Bellringing has been practised
in England for hundreds of years. Although places of worship throughout
the world have bells, only in England, and a handful of former
colonies, are bells normally hung on wheels attached to ropes
and swung back and forth through 360° Traditionally, bells
are rung to summon people to prayer, although they have also been
used to celebrate notable events, or to warn of calamities. |
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Mark-Jill-Maureen-Hilary
-Janet and Sandra : the 2003 band |
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In previous centuries, bellringing has attracted some dubious
characters, more interested in payment than religion, and the
ringing chamber was often the scene of drinking, swearing and
other bad behaviour. Of course this doesn't apply to our East
Garston band and in general, bellringers today are a well behaved
species. Bellringing is by no means restricted to devout worshippers
and the social activities associated with it create an ideal
way to make new friends - see different places and enjoy a wothwhile
hobby that benefits the community as a whole. |
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March 2003 the annual Newbury branch outing under the guidence
of Adam Rae-Smith, visited and rang at seven towers in the Cotswolds
starting at Cirencester and finishing at Hook Norton. East Garston
ringers Maureen Tarbox and Jill Hunt went along and enjoyed
their first branch ringing tour. |
Remembrance Sunday
November and Remembrance Sunday quickly
approaches, meaning of course that the mufflers need to be
fitted once again. As you can see - Mark requires a
considerable amount of contortional dexterity to complete
the task. It really doesn't seem as though a full year
has passed since He and I were last in the bell tower equipped
with a set of mufflers and a torch. I must emphasise
that it is Mark that does all the work on these occasions,
I am just the "go-for". For the uninitiated, the
bell tower is no place to be on your own, one slip and a person
could be in desparate trouble, therefore, a second presence
is always advisable for reasons of safety. However,
as you will have noticed I do use the oportunity to take a
few photos while I am there. Mark also uses this time to check
over the clappers and ropes for any signs of excess wear and
tear.
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Farewell
to Jill
Collective
circumstances, including a move to a new house in Oxfordshire,
meant that Jill could no longer continue her ringing here in
East Garston. However she has retained her status of full Guild
membership and is passionately supportive of the band in every
way. Jill attends many of the various events and functions that
present themselves each year. |
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Six
Bell Striking Contest at Beenham
The
Striking contest for 2005 was held at St. Mary's Church Beenham
on the second of July. Maureen was asked to do the calling
for the band from Lambourn Church which she agreed too, all
be it with some trepidation. This was a completely new area
of bellringing for her to enter into, but encouragement from
the vastly more experienced ringers, who quite correctly pointed
out that no-one ever advances in bellringing unless they are
willing to push themselves that extra yard, convinced her she
should give it a go.
So we had a real Lambourn Valley affair with the Lambourn band
led by an East Garston caller, how did they get on, well they
didn't win but they did do us proud. Of that I can assure you. |
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Ross |
Charlotte |
Graham |
June |
Robin |
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Maureen |
| The
Lambourn Bellringers with their East Garston Caller |
| After
the event came that most well loved aspect of bellringing, the
obligatory social get-together, this came in the form of drinks
and a barbeque in the spacious garden of Fred and Pauline's
farm in Beenham. The spread was out of this world and the company?
Just superb. I am a non ringer and a comparitive stranger to
most in attendance but I was treated by everyone with friendliness,
courtesy, and geniune interest. A fitting finale to a
perfect day. |
Welcome
Tessa and Christopher
As already mentioned, we have now lost
the services of Jill. - Sandra has also left us. But, a major
plus for the band comes in the shape of two new recruits,
Tessa and Christopher, who joined the team this year and are
a very welcome addition to the fold. Doug Vellender was aked
if he would teach Tessa and Christopher the rudiments of bell
handling and his acceptance saw his very welcome return the
tower on a regular basis during the latter part of 2005.
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| Tessa
and Christopher pictured in All Saints' Tower,
poised and ready for another stint during one of the scheduled
weekly practice sessions |
The
Branch Outing
2006
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| Reproduced
from the Branch Newsletter of April 2006 |
Saturday 25th March was the
day of the Newbury Branch annual outing, this year
very ably organised by MaureenTarbox..
The well chosen mix of towers included one peal of
ten, two eights and three sixes which admirably catered
for all requirements, and there was even an anti-clockwise
ring thrown in for good measure.
On the day, Maureen marshalled her troops well and
must be congratulated and thanked for organising such
an excellent outing.
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All Branch Outing
Photos by John and Emma Hibbert
| A
Message from the Outing Organisor |
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Firstly I would like to thank,
Jill Hunt for being my chauffeur on the reconnaissance
of the area, secondly to Marcus for, moral support
and sounding board, next I would thank all those who
came on the outing despite the early start and finally
for the six tower organizers who ran & supervised
the ringing at each tower.
On the day I found my self a nervous wreck. Would
the coach turn up on time? Well it did, it was there
early, what a relief! Would we get to each tower on
time and would there be someone there to meet us?
After each tower I relaxed a bit more. But I have
to say my counting skills seemed to be somewhat limited,
I nearly left Mike & Lucy at Quantel, (sorry both
of you), I nearly left Derek at Stourton (sorry Derek)
however my most heart stopping moment of the day was
having a quick glace around at Stourton, Oh my! Dave
Thorpe from Hungerford was missing, had I left him
asleep in a pew at Mere. Imagine my relief when I
found him sat on the coach. Once again my thanks to
all who came on the trip.
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The 2006 Band of East Garston
Ringers
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Mark |
Maureen |
Tessa |
Christopher |
Janet |
Rebecca |
Hilary |
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