North East Region Newsletter February 2003 Issue 50
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN
Dear Friends,
A Happy New Year to you all! I hope you were all busy during the Christmas season and perhaps enjoying a little rest and recuperation!
As I write this first letter of the New Year, my ‘head’s a shed’ as they say - full of rubbish that I am desperately trying to get into some sort of order as I look forward to the Region’s activities for 2003. In the forefront of my mind, of course, is the National Rally; a mere eight weeks away! I am both humbled and anxious by the number of HRGB members who have registered for the weekend. To date we have 468 members attending and 38 full teams. This must surely make our Rally one of the most well attended since the 1970’s. I am particularly proud of the support from teams in the North East Region and I am sure you will all enjoy taking part. Thank you so much!
The format of the day will take the form of a traditional rally with a morning and afternoon session with opportunities for massed ringing. In addition there will be several masterclass presentations as an alternative option. There has been a wonderful response from trade exhibitors and a wide range of handbell-related products will be represented and, of course, there will be our gala concert to bring the whole day to a fitting close.
1 As you can imagine, this initial organisation has taken some pulling together but it is beginning to take shape and we are now looking to bring our army of helpers together to ensure our friends are given a truly ‘Yorkshire’ welcome. If you are able to offer help, particularly on the Friday evening and during Saturday, Joan Engler and I would be pleased to hear from you. We will then be able to draw up our timetable to ensure that you also have time to enjoy the day’s activities as well.
In nine weeks’ time it will all be over and our attention will turn to Grassington. Don’t the years roll by? Application forms are enclosed with this newsletter. You will notice that the massed ringing is ‘to be announced’. I thought we would encourage a new approach to the massed ringing this year. I am, therefore, inviting individuals or teams in the North East Region to suggest a piece of their own choosing for massed ringing. In addition they have to be prepared to have a go at conducting the piece. We could, of course, have several entries and that would be wonderful. So, all you budding composers, arrangers and conductors, volunteer!
I am sure that I need to empty my shed a bit more but I will leave it there until after York when I will write to you all again with a relieved and clearer mind!
Until then ...
My very best wishes to you all.
JOHN ATKINSON NORTH EAST REGION CHAIRMAN
CLOSING DATE FOR THE NEXT ISSUE 31 MAY 2003
2 SECRETARIAL NEWS
At the time of writing my life is, to a large extent, taken up with the arrangements for the National Rally in York in April. We have over 500 ringers joining us for the day on 5 April for a day of rally ringing, massed ringing and workshops followed by an evening concert. Some 40 teams will ring during the day and a representative team from each Region will perform in the evening concert. The response from the North East Region is much increased from 1996 when we last hosted a National Rally. This year we have some 16 teams ringing, joining the massed ringing or coming along for the evening concert. We have also had offers of help with stewarding, reception duties and other necessities for the day. However, if you would still like to join us please contact me. There is no more space or time for team ringing but you will be very welcome as spectators for the day or helpers for a few hours.
The Harrogate Music Festival looms large once again. Please try to come along to support those participating teams. Further details of location were in the last newsletter or contact me.
Membership Renewal
If you have not yet renewed your HRGB membership this will be the last ‘In Touch’ to be sent out to you this year. Renewal notices were sent out in December - if yours did not arrive please contact the Membership Secretary, Margaret Reed. Thank you to all those who have renewed.
Regional Rallies and Events
Spring Rally and AGM - Grassington 17 May 2003
The Rally and AGM will be held as usual in May at Grassington; invitations are included with this edition of ‘In Touch’ - see your team correspondent for further details. This is always a popular
3 event and applications will be taken on a ‘first come, first served’ basis. Despite the excellent refurbishment the walls are still not elasticated and there has to be a limit on the numbers.
Autumn Rally - Gargrave 18 October 2003
Invitations will be sent out towards the end of August ONLY ON REQUEST. Let myself or any other Committee Member know if you would like to receive further information.
JOAN ENGLER REGIONAL SECRETARY
BRIDLINGTON PRIORY HANDBELL RINGERS
In response to the request for more articles, and because you haven’t heard from us for some time, we thought we would venture into print!
As with most teams, the Christmas period is our ‘busy’ time. Our first seasonal engagement, and also the debut performance for the team’s most recent recruit, was at a Victorian Christmas Market in the nearby village of Bempton. We performed at the same event a year ago and it is always nice to be invited back although being huddled in a trailer-tent on a damp and slightly misty November day meant it wasn’t easy to ring bells, keep warm and look even vaguely Victorian all at the same time! My mittens (despite being fingerless) were soon abandoned because of the difficulties of turning pages! Nevertheless it was a very successful event.
The following week, another outdoor event - we were part of a varied programme of entertainment in Bridlington town centre prior to the switching on of the Christmas lights by the BBC ‘Look North’ 4 weatherman, Paul Hudson. Sadly, only the actual switch on made it to the TV screen - and the less said about the stage lighting, the better - I wonder who thought that flashing disco lights were ideal for bellringers?
On the following day we had our main fundraising event of the year - our annual Christmas fair and coffee morning. The event is usually well-supported locally and this year was no exception. Our combined efforts on various stalls, plus a mid-morning ringing session, not to mention the serving of numerous coffess and mince pies, meant that we were able to make a donation of £400 to Yorkshire Cancer Research, our chosen charity for the year.
Presentation of Cheque to Mavis Richardson of Yorkshire Cancer Research Photo taken by Bridlington Free Press
Our other pre-Christmas performances have been in varying locations:
- a village hall for an afternoon concert for the Yorkshire Countrywomen’s Association, where not only were we invited to
5 stay for tea, but were each presented with a gift from a ‘fairy godmother’!
- St John’s Burlington Methodist Church, Bridlington, for a Christmas tree festival. If we weren’t in Christmas mood beforehand, we certainly were after playing carols and inspecting all the beautifully decorated trees.
- a local residential/nursing home. Because a number of residents were too frail to attend, our audience was very small but very appreciative.
- Bridlington Priory (Parish Church of St Mary). It has become the tradition for the handbell ringers to play in the Priory during the hour before the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. It is both thrilling and terrifying to see Bridlington Priory filling almost to capacity for this event - thrilling to be playing in such a beautiful location for so many people and terrifying for much the same reason!
Now that the rush is over we are already practising hard for the CD which we hope to be recording later this year.
Two of our ringers, Pat and Eileen, are also involved with a local singing group, Pat as a staunch member of the alto section and Eileen as Musical Director. Being involved with two, quite different, musical fields can give rise to confusion at times - hence the heartfelt plea in the following ‘pome’, penned by Pat:
TO RING OR SING? by Pat Wilcockson
I am a handbell ringer every Monday night. I clutch my little dinger and hope I get it right. We practise very hard for this, but also have some fun, But, if a lot of note we miss, the look we get would stun!
6 I am a Sewerby Singer every Wednesday night. I’d do better as a winger on a hockey field - not quite! We practise very hard each week until we are quite numb. We’re mostly very mild and meek - but - Eileen’s day will come!
And when it comes to concerts - well, what am I going to wear? White blouse, green ribbon ‘cos it’s bells - that’s round my the neck not hair, But, if it’s choir it’s white and red - I’ll have to get it right! My scarf glows brightly must be said - I think I look a sight!
One of these days I’ll get it wrong. I’m going to drop a clinger. I’ll turn up as a ringer when I ought to be a singer And I’ll sing a song when I should ding a dong.
So, if you see a singer who thinks she is a ringer Put on kid gloves and tiptoe round her chair. If she rings instead of sings or she sings instead of rings Don’t look her in the fact and never glare!
No doubt there are others in similar situations who will sympathise with Pat!
IRENE WILSON BRIDLINGTON PRIORY HANDBELL RINGERS
HRGB NORTH EAST AUTUMN RALLY OTLEY 12 OCTOBER 2002
We had a very wet day for this event but it did not deter people from coming and making it a very enjoyable day. There were ten teams in the Civic Hall at Otley, which was just about right for the size of the hall as we all fitted in very nicely. The Mayor of Otley came along and seemed to enjoy all he saw and heard. Alan Hartley and
7 Margaret Reed, HRGB Chairman and Membership Secretary respectively, joined us again with their own table and bells to join in the massed ringing sessions. The pieces for massed ringing were the ‘Minuet and Trio’ from Mozart’s ‘39th Symphony’ and the Irish Jig ‘Walls of Limerick’ played a little slower than usual - not as fast as the ad hoc demonstration by Beverley Town. The Mozart was a little tricky until you got used to it but it went very well under John Atkinson’s direction by the end of the day.
The first rally session was led off by Clifton who woke us up with the stirring ‘Entry of the Gladiators’ by Fucik. Following them was the Baildon Quartet with an ‘Oriental Bell Carol’, a complete contrast to Clifton’s choice. Next in the programme was the Ryton Park Junior School who gave us ‘Catherine’s Capers’ and ‘I’ve Got a Song to Sing’ from ‘Yeomen of the Guard’. It was nice to see this team of enthusiastic boys and girls aged about 10 and 11 years taking part and ringing so well. They used a mixture of handbells and chimes to great effect. The Rural Ringers rang a ‘Sonata’ by Mozart and ‘The Gipsy’s Warning’. After them came Hessle All Saints who were conducted by Louise Jordan, 2nd treble in Beverley Town, and had Robert Jordan and Kate also from Beverley Town in their line- up. Their choice of music in this session was a ‘Sea Shanties Medley’. In fact Robert told us at the beginning that all their pieces today were connected with water. Was that an omen for the wet day we had? Treble Eight followed that by one of my favourite pieces of music - ‘Brother James’ Air’. Beverley Town came next and we rang ‘La Cinquantaine’ by Gabriel Marie. Rosemary, ringing 1st tenor, is one of our new ringers and this was her first rally. When we asked her later what she thought about it she said the enjoyed it very much so hopefully that means she will come again. The penultimate team was Sheffield Holy Trinity who gave us two pieces, ‘Take a Pair of Sparkling Eyes’ and ‘There Grew a Little Flower’. Finally another appearance by Julie Bigg’s team, this time the full group to ring the ‘Shepherd’s Farewell’ by Hector Berlioz.
At the end of this session it was lunchtime and most welcome it was. Carol and Michael Charnley, our hosts for the day, had organised a
8 variety of salad lunches with tea, coffee, etc, and cakes to follow. Thank you to both of you – it was very nice and most welcome.
After lunch we had Andrew Lloyd Webber pieces from both Clifton and the Baildon Quartet namely ‘Close Every Door’ and ‘I Don’t Know How to Love Him’ respectively. Ryton Park came next with three pieces rung on very special little bells beautifully made with a different colour for each note. First Ravinder gave us a solo of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, followed by Rhys and James ringing ‘Festival Bells’ in a duet and finally the whole team with another well-known Gilbert and Sullivan tune, ‘With Catlike Tread’. These youngsters did really well in solo, duet and as a team - I hope we see them again. The Rural Ringers rang ‘Sweet Rosie O’Grady’ and ‘Goodbye Dolly Gray’. They were followed by Hessle All Saints with ‘Over the Waves’. Broomhill joined us in the afternoon sessions ringing a ‘Korean Music Box Tune’ and the Lithuanian National Anthem, a most unusual choice. Treble Eight took us up to Scotland with ‘Ye Banks and Braes’. Beverley Town chose ‘Romance’ from The Gadfly by Shostakovich for this session. Sheffield Holy Trinity rang a ‘Gavotte’ by Bach and, finally, the Baildongers brought out ‘Silver Celebration’, which many of you may remember was written by Robin Bentham for the Silver Jubilee of HRGB.
By this time we were all ready for afternoon tea and the raffle – most teams had a lucky member who won a raffle prize to take home.
9 For the last session of the day Clifton gave us a superb rendition of Dvorak’s ‘Slavonic Dance’. The Baildon Quartet rang a tune called ‘Dunblane’. From the Rural Ringers we had a nice solo by Doreen Addyman – she chose an Irish tune by Miss Rowan Davies and then it was back to the Baildongers with ‘Dancing Teddy Bear’. They were followed by Ryton Park Juniors with ‘Serenata’ and ‘Trinity Carillion’. To round off their water theme Hessle All Saints rang ‘Messing About on the River’ and the ‘Blue Danube’. A Northumberland song called ‘My Bonny Lass’ was the choice of Broomhill followed by ‘Come Ye Thankful People Come’ – a well- known harvest hymn which had everyone singing along. Beverley Town rang ‘Walls of Limerick’ and Sheffield Holy Trinity gave us ‘There Is a Redeemer’ by Melody Green. This brought us to the last massed ringing session of the day and the end of the rally which had been a good one with lots of good ringing from all teams.
ELIZABETH COLES BEVERLEY TOWN HANDBELL RINGERS
CHRISTMAS RINGING 2002 - CLIFTON STYLE!
December rushed towards us as we once again prepared for our Christmas engagements.
The first weekend in December saw us ringing at the Christmas Craft Fair which is held at Oakwell Hall, now a regular venue for the team. We were asked to dress in period costume so this year the talented members had to set to work to produce new capes, skirts and bonnets! We were very warmly received by the many visitors.
The second weekend proved to be really busy. We were booked for our annual visit to the Kirkwood Hospice Christmas Coffee Morning in Batley Town Hall. We were greeted by the organisers and, as we 10 set out ready to play a varied programme of carols, we were sprung with a surprise - the Mayor of Kirklees presented the team with a certificate to acknowledge the contribution made by the Clifton Handbell Ringers to the fund-raising effort over the past year. Very honoured and delighted, our Musical Director, Margaret Coates, received the certificate on behalf of the team.
Saturday evening say the concert in Brighouse organised by the North East Region and we were busy helping behind the scenes, serving the large audience tea, coffee and mince pies - another good evening enjoyed by people from all over the Region.
On the Sunday afternoon Clifton Handbell Ringers were at Manor Heath, Halifax. We arrived all ready to play as entertainment for the visitors who had come to make Victorian decorations using plant materials provided by the nursery. As we walked in we were told by the organiser that the demonstrator for the floral art was unable to attend - but could we fill in and do both? Flower arranging and bell ringing! No problem! What a talented lot we are! I’m sure all who came that afternoon enjoyed making the arrangements and they heard
11 bellringers too. The team enjoyed a well-earned coffee and mince pies afterwards.
Saturday evening the following week saw the team out again to play a full concert for a group in Mirfield. We provided a varied programme of music as well as demonstrating our skills in change ringing.
On Sunday we were out again in skirts, bonnets and capes to ring at Red House Museum, another annual event held in Kirklees. The many visitors heard our new repertoire and we knew that Christmas was just around the corner.
We look forward to next year - dates are already in the diary!
ANNE CASS CLIFTON HANDBELL RINGERS
‘SNIPPETS’ FROM OTLEY BELL ORCHESTRA’S YEAR
Having had a very busy year and Christmas, sheer exhaustion has set in but how very enjoyable and successful this year has been for us. Before I go any further, may I just say ‘thank you’ to all the teams who wrote to us and spoke to us about how much they enjoyed the Rally at Otley in October. We were very disappointed it was not the massed ringing rally we wanted but it turned out well in the end.
Both our junior teams had successes at Harrogate Music Festival at Ilkley Music Festival. Our junior soloist won the ‘Open’ class at Harrogate and also won ‘Most Promising Musician of the Year’ at her school with the bells.
12 I was asked if I would be one of the Town Mayoresses (the Mayor not being married) and we were Civic Guests at a champagne reception given at Temple Newsom for the Queen and various artists who were performing for the baton-changing ceremony for the Commonwealth Games. We took Jenny, our soloist, as a reward for all the hard work she’d put in with the bells.
We had a visiting team of Americans in July and they performed for us in St Joseph’s School Hall. The school junior team played and Jenny again did her solos. They had a very enjoyable stay, being shown around Otley by the Mayor and the Town Crier, and they had a fish and chip meal.
Our two school teams are going from strength to strength and I have a waiting list at both schools. St Joseph’s played in town on Victorian Fayre Day and again for an old people’s Christmas tea.
Farnley School played in the Church for their Leavers Service and again in their Christmas Carol Service.
I have been on the local radio twice this year talking about the history of bells and about the HRGB. St Joseph’s played on the first programme and our home team on the second.
The adult team had a day out at Otley Vintage Care Extravaganza and played the bells for ‘Otley’s Video’.
Leeds ‘Voice’ approached me to see if I would join them for the day down at the Civic Centre for demonstrations. It was a ‘Youth Day’ and Jenny again did some solos and we had quite a lot of people having a go.
Our Christmas concerts started with a concert at a Church in Shipley and we did the usual round of nursing homes. We didn’t have time to do any ringing at supermarkets and two nursing homes cancelled us because of a virus outbreak but we’ll be going later.
13 We have a lovely evening at a centre for the blind and partially- sighted. It was their Federation Dinner and we had a wonderful supper. They kissed the bells because they thought the sound was so lovely and felt them. They were all going Carol singing the following day to raise some money. They were a wonderful lot and made us feel we had given them a great deal of enjoyment.
I have an elderly team who I teach the chimes to at our local Salvation Army Hall and they played their first concert at their Christmas Carol Service. They did really well - most of them are late 70’s/early 80’s in age and enjoy their ringing so much. They adult team also rang at this Service.
Mike and I helped out on Christmas Day with lunches at this Hall (bringing people in and taking them home) and then entertained them with some duets and some ‘audience participation’.
We had a concert at the Kings Hall in Ilkley when we were asked to do two quarter-hour sessions with the Aire Valley Singers. The team played for one session before the interval and then we did some duets and Jenny did her solos after the interval. She has been invited to ring at our Parish Church ‘East Window Appeal’ concert in February, again with the Aire Valley Singers.
Hope to see you all at York.
CAROL CHARNLEY OTLEY BELL ORCHESTRA
The views and opinions expressed in letters, reports and articles in this Newsletter are those of the writers and are not necessarily shared by the HRGB Executive Committee, North East Region Committee or the Editors.
14 HRGB NORTH EAST CHRISTMAS CONCERT BRIGHOUSE - SATURDAY 7 DECEMBER 2002
On a rather wet and cold Saturday handbell ringers in the North East Region gathered together to take part in a Christmas concert hosted by Clifton Village at the Central Methodist Church in Brighouse. There were four teams taking part as well as a guest pianist. Before the main concert began there was a little warm up practising and a run-through of the massed ringing piece, ‘Silent Night’. Then we adjourned to a meeting room for refreshments. Clifton Village and the Church kindly provided hot coffee and tea.
The concert began with the carol ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ played on the organ by Lynella Holmes. This set the scene for the evening putting us all in a Christmas mood and reminding us what Christmas is about. More carols for us all to sing were included in the programme as the evening progressed.
First to take the stage for a selection of Christmas music was Beverley Town Handbell Ringers conducted by John Atkinson, Chairman of the North East Region and compére for the evening. We rang ‘Jingle Bells’, ‘Were You There On That Christmas Night?’, ‘Little Drummer Boy’ and ‘White Christmas’.
Next came Ewan Gilford, our guest pianist, who played ‘Cordoba’ by Isaac Albéniz. Ewan, at 15 years old, is a very talented young man who can also play the viola and electric guitar. He has won several first prizes in music competitions in South Yorkshire and hopes to make a career in music. The piece he chose to play for this event was his Grade 8 examination piece.
Chevin Juniors, led by Georgina Lansdell, chose ‘Mary’s Boy Child’, ‘Away In A Manger’, and a Christmas medley. I believe some of these children were playing in their first Christmas concert so must have felt very nervous but they did well with their choice of 15 music on handbells and belleplates. I thought their outfits were super.
Dronfield, conducted by Vic Cox, rang a French Traditional tune entitled ‘I Was In The Moon of Winter Time’, followed by a John Rutter piece, ‘Sans Day Carol’, and finishing with a rousing number from Handel’s Messiah, ‘Unto Us A Child Is Born’.
Our hosts Clifton Village were the last team to ring for this lovely concert. They began with a favourite of mine, ‘Walking In The Air’ from The Snowman, followed by ‘Hail Smiling Morn’, a Traditional carol, then ‘The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came’, an American tune, and, finally, another of my favourites from their repertoire, ‘Troika’ by Prokofiev.
‘Silent Night’, our massed ringing piece, accompanied by the congregation singing, was a very fitting piece to bring the concert to a close, after which everyone was invited to stay for coffee and mince-pies.
ELIZABETH COLES BEVERLEY TOWN HANDBELL RINGERS
MINUTES OF THE 24TH ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD AT THE TOWN HALL, GRASSINGTON ON SATURDAY, 11TH MAY 2002 AT 12.30 PM
1 Chairman's Welcome: The Chairman, John Atkinson, welcomed all members of the region to the 24th Annual General Meeting. He spoke to the membership of the continued work done by the officers during the past year, to represent the interests of the Region. 16
2 Apologies for Absence:
No apologies were offered.
3 To approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Saturday, 11May 2002 at Grassington Town Hall:
The minutes of the last Annual General Meeting were circulated and read.
It was Proposed by Roger Lazenby and Seconded by Hazel Bradey that the minutes of the meeting be accepted as an accurate record. This was agreed unanimously and the minutes were signed by the Chairman.
5 Matters arising from the minutes:
Item 5 Matters arising - Regional Forum
The Regional Forum which had been hosted by Treble Eight in September 2001 had been a most useful and productive day. Although not attended as fully as the Committee had hoped, some interesting proposals had been discussed. Roger Lazenby had produced a resumé which had been circulated to all teams in the Region.
6 To receive the report of the Committee:
The Committee's report was presented by the Regional Secretary who outlined the events that had taken place during the year. In addition to the Regional Forum, Rallies had been held in Grassington with a workshop presentation by the Baildongers and in Beverley where the day’s ringing was followed by an evening Barn Dance. Andrew Ford was congratulated on his development of the regional web site and the membership was reminded that the North East Region
17 was to host the National Rally at York University in April 2003. Volunteers were urged to come forward to assist on the day. The Committee also proposed to hold a Christmas Concert in Brighouse and hoped that the membership would support the event.
7 To receive the report of the Honorary Treasurer:
The statement of affairs for the period 1 January 2001 - 31 December 2001 was presented by the Treasurer, Andrew Ford. Much of the regional income is derived from the Spring and Autumn Rallies and membership rebate. John Atkinson pointed out that many venues were making or had made significant improvements to the facilities offered and that, as a consequence, costs had risen. Alan Hartley said that similar difficulties had arisen in several other HRGB Regions.
8 To adopt the Financial Statement for the year 1 January 2001 - 31 December 2001:
It was Proposed by Maureen Saxton and Seconded by Georgina Lansdell that the Statement of Affairs be adopted. This was agreed unanimously.
9 To elect the Officers of the Region:
The existing Committee Members were willing to stand for re-election including the Examiner of Accounts. There being no further nominations it was Proposed that the Committee be re-elected en bloc. The Committee were re-elected nem. con.
Chairman John Atkinson Treasurer Andrew Ford Secretary Joan Engler
18 Committee members Hazel Bradey Helen Foley Georgina Lansdell Irene Greenwood Maureen Saxton David Sunderland Independent Examiner of Accounts: Mr S Coates
9 Any other business:
John Atkinson elaborated a little on the proposals for the National Rally in 2003.
There being no further business, the meeting closed at 12.55 pm.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the North East Region of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain will be held on Saturday 17 May 2003 at 12.30 pm at the Town Hall, Grassington
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COMMITTEE Agenda MEMBERS
Chair and National Executive Secretary and National Executive John Atkinson Joan Engler Central Avenue 75 Highfield Road BEVERLEY BEVERLEY HU17 8LN HU17 9QS Tel 01482 862551 Tel 01482 869192
Treasurer Newsletter Editors Andrew Ford Andrew and Claire Ford 11 Green Lane 11 Green Lane Tickton Tickton BEVERLEY BEVERLEY HU17 9RH HU17 9RH Tel/Fax 01964 543260 Tel/Fax 01964 543260
Committee Hazel Bradey Helen Foley 181 Oldfield Road 28 The Grove Stannington SHEFFIELD SHEFFIELD S17 4AS S6 6DK Tel 0114 236 4036 TEL 0114 234 2608
Irene Greenwood Georgina Lansdell 3 Wrenbeck Avenue 48 St. Richards Road OTLEY OTLEY LS21 2BT LS21 2AZ Tel 01943 463862 Tel 01943 463590
Maureen Saxton David Sunderland 8 Mapplebeck Road 13 Blackburn Road High Green BRIGHOUSE SHEFFIELD HD6 2ET S35 3HP Tel 01484 720254 Tel 0114 284 7236
20 FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Saturday 1 March 2003 – Harrogate Music Festival
Saturday 5 April 2003 - National Rally – York
Saturday 17 May 2003 – Spring Rally and AGM – Grassington
Saturday 18 October 2003 – Autumn Rally - Gargrave
If you have an event for inclusion in this section, please send the details to the Editors.
Well, we’ve made it to 50 issues. That means that ‘In Touch’ has been around for 13 years. Where has the time gone?
Of course, the same problem still exists now as it did all those years ago - how do we get people to write to us? This time, apart from the Regional Officers, there have only been four contributors - two new ones and two that have sent in many articles previously - and we must thank those people for taking the time to write to us. What happened to everyone else? We know a lot of you went to the Rally in Otley - we saw you. We know quite a few of you went to the Regional Christmas Concert in Brighouse - we saw you. Why haven’t you written to tell us what you thought of the two events? Many of you must also have been busy over the Christmas season. Why haven’t you written to tell us about it? We need your contributions to keep going. We can’t make up the articles and it isn’t fair to rely on the same few people to write for every issue. Come on - send us something.
Is the excuse lack of time? We don’t believe it - since the last issue, between the two of us we’ve designed and printed programmes and tickets for our own team’s Christmas Concert (and rung in it),
21 designed and printed the programmes for the Regional Christmas Concert (and rung in it and manned the Regional Sales table), done who knows how much towards the National Rally at York, rung at numerous events with our own team, prepared for Christmas, held down one full-time and two part-time jobs and raised a family, not to mention getting the magazine ready so please don’t say you don’t have the time - if we can find it so can you. As we’ve said before, you don’t have to write much. All the articles in this issue are fairly long but they don’t have to be - just a few lines will do. Anything is better than nothing.
Before the closing date for the next issue there are several events taking place in this area, in particular the National Rally at York and the Regional Rally and AGM at Grassington, so there will be plenty to write about. It would be nice to read about the National Rally in the Regional magazine before ‘Reverberations’ - so get your articles in to us.
Please, everybody, make a big effort and help ‘In Touch’ keep going for another 50 issues. All items for the next edition should be sent to: Andrew & Claire Ford, Editors, ‘In Touch’, 11 Green Lane, Tickton, BEVERLEY, East Yorkshire, HU17 9RH, or you can email us at [email protected] or fax your article to (01964) 543260. The last date for receipt of articles is 31 May 2003. Don’t forget, if you are sending us a photograph out of a newspaper or magazine, we need to know the name and address of the newspaper or magazine as well as the date of publication.
We look forward to seeing many of you at York and Grassington (and maybe we will have climbed down off the high horse by then).
Claire and Andrew
22 HANDBELL RINGERS OF GREAT BRITAIN
Saturday 5th April - Central Hall University of York - Heslington
Featuring some of the finest Handbell Bands in the United Kingdom
TICKETS Adults £5.00, Under 18’s £2.00 - AVAILABLE FROM -
Joan Engler, 75 Highfield Road, BEVERLEY, East Yorkshire, HU17 9QS Please state how many tickets are required and send SAE with cheque for the full amount made payable to HRGB York.
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‘ARCHIVE CORNER’
I have been rummaging through my drawers so to speak and have come across some ‘old pickies’. I know who they are and where they were taken but do you?
ANDREW FORD CO-EDITOR
SPECIAL PURCHASE from America ONLY AVAILABLE TO ORDER
WOODEN MUSIC BOX
This wooden music box is shaped like a handbell and is complete with a leather handguard and strap! Each bell is lathe-turned, polished by hand and individually signed by the artist. Five different tunes available. Height including strap: 8”, diameter: 4” Made of cherry wood.
Cost: £43.00 to include postage and packing. Further details available from: NE Region Sales, 11 Green Lane, Tickton, Beverley, HU17 9RH
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