SALISBURY DIOCESAN GUILD OF RINGERS NEWSLETTER Spring 2020 Number 158 In this issue: HONOURING SECURING From the 1 OUR PAST Master OUR FUTURE Guild News 2 LEBRF and ‘Great War Lytchett Restoration 8 News Picture’ to Matravers Recruitment 9 Hang in Bells are and Education Salisbury Restored Young Ringers 11 And in Other 13 News ... Profile: 15 Len Roberts Branch News 16 Calne 16 Devizes 17 Dorchester 19 FULL DETAILS INSIDE East Dorset 21 Marlborough 23 Mere 24 Salisbury 25 West Dorset 26 Obituaries 30 Branch Business 34 Meetings Deadline For Next Issue: 1 July 2020—[email protected] JACK‘S WEST COUNTRY OUTINGS Pictures (Jack Pease Photography, except where indicated) and Reports of Two Outings provided by Jack Pease, Ringing Master of the East Dorset Branch. Buckfast Abbey is one of the West Country‘s hidden gems. The Central Tower, the highest in Devon at 158ft (48m). A band attempted a quarter peal here on Sunday 2nd February 2020. The ringers were drawn from four of the branches of the Salisbury Guild (East Dorset, Dorchester, Salisbury and West Dorset). Ringing up commenced immediately after reaching the ringing room due to time constraints, and it was soon time to catch hold. Jack had organised the band to attempt a quarter peal of Grandsire Triples on the back eight. Everyone was nervous but pulled together to ring what was, for the majority, an excellent quarter. This is even more impressive when the band don‘t ring together and some of the band are not used to bells of this weight. It was excellent practice for all. 1,288 changes of Grandsire Triples was scored in 62 minutes, and the bells were rung straight down afterwards, with a cracking hum all the way down. Below top: Buckfast Abbey, Devon on the morning of the quarter peal. Below bottom: The band in the quarter: Front row, R-L: Vicki Rowse, Sue Barrance, Tim Phillips, Will Haydock, Back row, R-L: David Barrance, Nick Baker, Jack Pease (C), Richard Harrison (Photo: Paul Hext/Jack Pease). Above left: The 163ft high tower of St Mary Magdalene dominates the county town of Taunton. Above right: The Minster Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Ilminster glows in the evening sun. Middle right: The 11th bell (at Taunton). Bottom: Panorama (by Peter Simpson) just before ringing commenced at Taunton. 15 January 2020: St Mary Magdalene Church in Taunton: the perfect venue for a very special training course. Five learners from Lytchett Matravers, Lytchett Minster and Winterborne Whitechurch were accompanied by thirteen experienced ringers from other towers in the East Dorset, Dorchester and West Dorset Branches, as well as from the Bath and Wells Diocesan Association and the Guild of Devonshire Ringers. In the afternoon a band attempted a quarter of Plain Bob Major at Ilminster, which was scored in 54 minutes. Whilst quite brisk for these bells, most of the ringing was of a very high quality, especially considering the band don‘t ring together and it was on bells most of them didn‘t know. All of Visit: https://eastdorsetbranchbellringers.squarespace.com/ for the band were very impressed with the sound of the bells. more information and wonderful pictures. From the Master As a rule I don‘t take much notice of ‗ringing chatter‘ at a national level. I read with interest what ‗ball is rolling‘ in the letters column of The Ringing World; I don‘t subscribe to e-mail lists or ringing social media. However two ‘news stories‘ have aroused my interest recently, although I would be the first to admit that I have not thoroughly researched or read up on either. The first was some loose talk of ‗winding up territorial societies‘ (like ours) and the second was all this Blue- Red-Black Zone business (no idea what I‘m talking about-read on!) On the first, I hope that you, dear readers and Guild members will allow me, your Master, an occasional diversion from my moderated and measured language in this column and say, as far as our beloved Guild is concerned: ―Over my dead body!‖ Well that feels better! But seriously, I realise that this proposition comes from a genuine concern that associations like ours are not serving their members. I can only speak for our Guild: it is of course true that our Guild is not perfect; we have areas where we could improve or do things better (what organisation hasn‘t?) and we all know the challenges that we all face on recruitment, keeping tower bands going, training and communication. But nevertheless, I am incredibly proud of this old Guild of ours (and all its eight Branches) and how it helps keep ringing going across our Diocese and most of all for the friendship and fellowship that we have together; we mustn‘t lose that. And I still believe, even in our rural patch, that we as a Guild (and its Branches), supported by organisations such as ART, can today offer anyone who has the talent and wants to progress, the best opportunity to do so of any generation. And so this Zone business—this has come from an analysis of ringing from the new President of the Central Council, Simon Linford, which categorizes ringers as either in the Blue Zone-roughly handing a bell to Kent (90%)-the Red Zone-Cambridge Minor to simple methods on 12 bells (9%) up to the Black Zone-the ‗elite‘ you might say, Bristol Maximus upwards–you can work out the percent yourself; and importantly the transition (the ringing equivalent of ‗social mobility‘) between these zones. My reflection, you might be surprised to hear, is on Black Zone ringers, who in our Guild are predominately, but not exclusively, centred around Wimborne. First we should value and appreciate this talent and dare I say it, not resent it. Also (and again I can only comment on what I have seen in our patch) over the last few years I have had the chance to get to know some of our ‗Black Zone‘ ringers and (we may be lucky in our elite!) they ‗give back‘ at so many levels, encouraging and helping other ringers in and around their towers and in the life of their Branches and the Guild—not to mention supporting the advancement of young ringers. And I might add a further reflection: this analysis should surely not only be understood in absolute terms: if you can ring Cambridge in an area that is predominately ‗rounds and call changes‘ you might be perceived in the same way as a ‗Black Zone‘ ringer would be in the generality of ringing. Whatever else we do, for the future of ringing in our Guild, we must embrace (perhaps literally-safeguarding permitting!) our ‘Black Zone‘ ringers. Robert Page 1 Guild News New Ringing Members 2019 Mere David Banham (Gillingham) Angela Page (St Peter‘s, Many thanks to Branch Secretaries Lionel Clarke (Stalbridge) Shaftesbury) Sophie Eden (Chilmark) Robert Sargent (Mere) for providing the details of Ringing Carol Feast (Gillingham) Frederick Shotter (Kington Members elected to the Guild in Paul Feast (Gillingham) Magna) 2019. (Arranged below by Branch Delia Lord (Stourton Caundle) Kate Smith (Melbury Abbas) Greg Lowe (St James, Lenka Stokes (Mere) and alphabetically) Welcome All! Shaftesbury) Corinne Tucker (Melbury Abbas) Calne Salisbury Sam Brown (Hilmarton) Paul and Karen Jordan (Bromham) Heather Coutts (Sarum St. Julian Grant (Chitterne) Thomas) Ted Last (Coombe Bissett) Devizes Alan Frost (Sarum St. Thomas) Cathie Turner (Durrington) Clare Golden (Ebbesbourne David Brown (Rowde) Tatiana Rhodes (Trowbridge) Wake) Maeve Gogarty (Corsley) Steve Roberts (Hilperton) Ian Greatwood (Hilperton) Antony Robson (Westbury) West Dorset Anita Grooby (Upavon) Della Sheppard (Hilperton) Hilary Jenkins (Corsley) Jess Sheppard (Hilperton) Louise Boty (Yetminster) Janet Robinson (Bradpole) Yasmin McKenzie (Westbury) Debbie Stott (Unattached) Andrew Joliffe (Yetminster) Richard Thomason (Sherborne) Phil Meats (Hilperton) Aisling Wagstaff (Southbroom) Cheryl Moore (Upavon) Lesley Walford (Upavon) Mark Newbery (Hilperton) Andrew Weeks (Upavon) Safeguarding Update Graham Preuveneers (Bratton/ Paul Whiffin (Edington) Edington) Jane Wildey (Steeple Ashton) From Alan Butler (Guild Safeguarding Officer): Dorchester Safeguarding, properly Ian Bishop (Puddletown) Harry Little (Dorchester) observed, protects the Valerie Cheeseman Robert Mears (Puddletown) vulnerable and enriches (Piddlehinton) Courtney Moon (Piddlehinton) Georgina Collington Tia Moore (Piddlehinton) the experience of all. (Piddlehinton) Deane Parr (Stratton) Safeguarding does not Kate Forrester (Dorchester) Susan Payne (Piddlehinton) need to be at the Rose Hill (Stratton) Les Seamark (Wyke Regis) f o r e f r o n t o f o u r Peter Holtom (Stratton) Anthony Smith (Piddlehinton) Rebecca Howard (Piddlehinton) Daniel Smith (Piddlehinton) thoughts, but it should Herbert Hudson (Piddlehinton) Rosie Stead (Piddlehinton) underpin our actions and reactions to one another. To John Hudson (Piddlehinton) Harry Steven (Piddlehinton) that end Safeguarding is promoted across the Guild Bronwen James (Piddlehinton) Clive Thurtell (Dorchester) Timothy Jeanes(Piddlehinton) Julian Wardlaw (Piddlehinton) and should be an agenda item for each branch Paul Johns (Piddlehinton) business meeting, as it is for the Guild Executive. Is it on your agenda personally as a ringer and on your East Dorset branch business meeting agenda? Who do you know Coralie Anstee (Shroton) Sarah Kelsey (Winterborne who has completed C1 and C2? Hopefully you can put Agnes Brooke (Wareham) Whitechurch) your tower captain and ringing master in that Andrew Burton (Winterborne James Lawrence (Child Okeford) category straight away! I am pleased that 23 people Kingston) Ann Manning (Lytchett took part in a C2 training session held at Market Stephen Chisman (Lytchett Matravers) Minster) Don McQueen (Lytchett Lavington in the autumn. Jonathan Whiter of the Jeanette di Marti (Brownsea) Matravers) Salisbury Diocesan Safeguarding team led the session Richard Earl (Worth Matravers) James Mercer (Worth Matravers) (pictured above).