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Stratton handled 6th April 2016

On Wednesday 6th April 16 ringers (8 locals and 8 members from around the branch) attended the branch practice at Stratton Audley – a spectacular turnout compared to previous practices at Stratton Audley!

After ringing up (mixed successes and help for one of the ringers) we rang call changes, Grandsire Doubles (plain courses), plain hunt on 5 and rounds for the most recent local recruit. This pattern repeated itself throughout the evening with various ringers showing how easy it is to get caught out by slightly less easy to ring bells (springy ropes being the main issue).

We ended the evening with a 120 of Grandsire Doubles which, whilst approached with some trepidation by the branch secretary, was not only successful, but rather well struck, as if to prove that it could be done.

As a branch we are fairly well spoiled by our very easily handling bells, but bells such as Stratton Audley should be approached as a challenge to be mastered! The locals manage well and with practice anyone can master them and improve their handling which sets them up well for visiting other towers where the bells might not always be as easy to ring as our towers.

The next branch events is the outing on Sat 23rd April to Herefordshire. The (small) coach is full and I am certainly looking forward to it – full tower details for those wishing to attend but not on the coach will be posted shortly.

Anthony Cole

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Bletchingdon #2 16 March 2016

On Wednesday 16th March 16 ringers travelled to Bletchingdon for its 2nd branch event of the month!

We started with (a better than last time) ringing up which was followed with plain courses of Grandsire Doubles. After more Grandsire Doubles we moved to plain courses of Plain Bob Doubles requested by the Middleton crew. We stuck with Plain Bob for a while as many of the Bletchingdon folk wanted to ring it also, but we did go back to Grandsire later in the evening when we rang a touch (including Singles) for Anne.

We finished with (what started as a very well struck) plain course of Plain Bob Minor .. however, it wobbled rather mid-course and the conductor had quite a lot of work to do to get it round.

Time for a week off (no ringing in Holy Week), but looking ahead we have a branch practice at Stratton Audley on Wed 6th April and the branch outing is coming up soon – Sat 23rd April – and there are only 3 places left for the coach so book your place soon if you want to go.

 

Anthony Cole

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Bletchingdon March #1 2nd March 2016

On Wednesday 2nd March 20 ringers (including some new recruits from Kirtlington and Stratton Audley) headed to Bletchingdon for the Kirtlington branch practice… (and yes I did type that right – Kirtlington’s ringing chamber floor is being repaired so the branch practice had to move venues).

We started off with a number of goes at rounds and call changes to ensure everyone had a go (and for the lesser experienced they got used to the bells which were lighter and easier going than they were used to). Then we rang some plain courses of Grandsire Doubles for those trying to learn that.

Back to rounds and call changes (more confidently this time – great to see really apparent progress in such a short space of time) before attempting plain hunt on 5 for a couple of the Stratton Audley recruits. We then rang more rounds & call changes before some plain courses of Plain Bob Doubles. After more round and call changes, and more plain hunt we finished (by way of a thank you to the willing helpers who stood behind giving tips and advice much of the evening) with a touch of Plain Bob Minor and a good ring down (ending in Queens which wasn’t something that had been attempted by a couple of the band before, but it worked so well that we received applause for our efforts).

The next branch event is (again) at Bletchingdon – two weeks time we have a special practice focusing on Plain Bob Doubles and Grandsire Doubles (but we’ll also ring whatever those that attend are working on) so do come along if you are able.

Anthony Cole

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2016 AGM at Caversfield

On Saturday 20th Feb 11 branch members, one new recruit, and a couple of hangers on attended the branch AGM at Caversfield.

The church was a little cold, but (I hope, talking as the host) the welcome was warm. We started with 30 minutes ringing before the service where we rang plain hunt, Grandsire Doubles and a touch of Plain Bob Doubles.

Given our number was small we all sat in the chancel which, together with 3 gas heaters, made it a little warmer as Penny Wood led our service.

The meeting took around an hour (minutes to follow) with all branch officers being re-elected and 8 new members being elected (from Islip, Kirtlington and Stratton Audley). We then headed for the Bure Farm pub in Bicester for warmth and a lovely lunch.

Our next branch practice is scheduled for Kirtlington next Monday, but as the floor work has been delayed we will likely have to move it to another tower – keep a watchful eye on your emails (and the website event list) for an update shortly.

Anthony Cole

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Islip Delight 2nd February 2016

On Tues 2nd Feb Islip hosted the February branch practice. 20 people (19 ringers and 1 vicar) attended the practice.. most folk at a branch practice for a while… a delight to see 😀

We started off with rounds on 6 and then on 8, followed by call changes on 6. Becky then had a go at the treble to Grandsire Doubles which was followed by more rounds for Chandon and call changes on 8.

We had another go at Grandsire Doubles (with Becky on the treble again) followed by plain courses of Plain Bob Doubles. Next we did a touch of Grandsire Doubles with Anne on a working bell (a 60 with only bobs, twice through), which also gave Rachel a chance to look at what hunting the treble is all about. Then Rachel had a go at plain hunt on 5 from the treble and seemed to get the idea fairly quickly – well done Rachel! We rang a touch of Plain Bob Doubles and a plain course of Stedman Doubles to finish before ringing down 8 in peal (with applause at the end so it was a decent down :D).

During the evening Laura had a few handling practices too.

As is custom in Islip we then headed for the pub for refreshments and a chance for me to have a quick pre-AGM chat with the VP and Secretary.

Our next event is the Branch AGM at Caversfield on Sat 20th Feb – 10:30am start with ringing and service, followed by the meeting and a pub lunch. It would be nice to see at least one representative from each tower especially as attendance in recent years has been sadly quite low. Full details are on the Branch AGM page.

Anthony Cole

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AGM 2016 – Caversfield

Our branch AGM this year will be in Caversfield. Please note: park in the lane to Home Farm (opposite side of the road from the church, and slightly further out of Bicester, on the Banbury Road – see the Caversfield page for more details).

The format of the meeting will be as follows:

10:30am Ringing
11:00am Service
11:30am Meeting
12:30pm Lunch at the Bure Farm pub, Banbury Road, Bicester OX26 3HA

Papers for the meeting:

Kathryn Grant

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Useful nonetheless – 19th Jan 2016

On Tuesday 19th January 4 branch members, 1 former branch member and 3 recruits headed for Islip and the first “special” practice of the year.

We started with rounds for the more recent recruits and then progressed to Plain Hunt on 5 for Becky.

Next we rang a touch of Grandsire Doubles – this didn’t go exactly to plan (the conductor miscalled it and had to swiftly recompose to get it back round .. much to the amusement of Willy Haynes!).

Next we had more rounds before Becky had her first attempt at Plain Hunt on 6 (successful!).

After more rounds before Sue left, we rang some plain courses of Grandsire Doubles with Becky having her first attempt on the treble (having watched earlier) – with Teresa as a minder. It went well so plenty of homework to look at in the coming weeks 😀

We finished with a short touch of Grandsire Doubles with Sally half-hunt before heading to the Red Lion to help our branch president celebrate his birthday.

A few regulars were unable to attend so we didn’t try our nominated methods (PB Minor and Winchendon Place) but it was a useful practice nonetheless.

The next branch event is (again) at Islip – the February branch practice – a slight change from the advertised schedule to allow Kirtlington’s ringing room floor to be fixed before we visit in March.

Anthony Cole

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Apply now for Radley 2016 ringing course

Message from the Guild Representative.

One of the things that the Guild provides for all members, is to run courses.

The next course to be run is at Radley (near Abingdon) on Saturday 9th April 2016 and applications need to be in by 31st January.

See http://odg.org.uk/pdf/Radley2016.pdf poster for how to apply, or use Guild Website link below.

These courses provide an excellent opportunity for anyone needing help in learning methods. The Radley course covers basic methods such as Plain Bob Doubles and Grandsire doubles, and is for all members meeting the criteria outlined below.

(The Guild also runs courses for more advanced methods at other times in the year, see the guild website for details, Education tab).

Oxford Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers

Education Committee

Ringing Criteria for the Radley Course

To ensure the safety of the students, helpers and tutors on this course a standard of ringing competence and understanding is required.

While we try to make sure that all of the bells we use are suitable for teaching, they may be much lighter or heavier than the bells in your home tower, there may be steps or ladders to access the ringing room, the length of the draught may be much longer or shorter than you are used to, and there may be any number of other peculiarities to deal with.  For this reason, we ask that you are able to ring a bell competently and confidently on your own, and you should ideally have experience of ringing a range of different bells, including bells in other towers, so that you are not impeded in your progress and can take full advantage of the tuition provided on the course.

All students must be members of the Oxford Diocesan Guild, and therefore regular Sunday service ringers.

The tower Captain or Tower ringing Tutor should fill in the ringing ability section on the application form giving their name to this.

If the student is under 18 a permission to ring form needs to be filled in and this will be forwarded on receipt of the application. A parent or an appointed responsible adult needs to be present on the course. This could be a helper.

This criteria will also help the tutor to plan the course as they will be aware that the student understands these requirements.

From the point of view of the student, the day goes like this:

Meet at the hall approx 9 am

Tea and coffee available. Bookstall also available.

Meet the other students in your group, and your tutor.

Students are put into groups of 5 people, according to the method they requested.

Theory for about 1 hour, then travel to your first tower. Cars are shared, so that less parking space is needed.

At the first tower, you will meet the helpers. In my experience, the helpers always ring up and down at the first tower (volunteers at later sessions). Early on, you will need to select your meal for the pub lunch (or you can take your own packed lunch).

The tutor then needs to find out what each student can do, so each student in turn has a go (together with 5 helpers).

Each tower session is 1½ hours, so at the first tower, each student will probably get 2 goes.

Pub Lunch

In the afternoon, there will be 2 more tower sessions, and they will develop according to everyone’s ability. The tutor may keep to only one student at a time, or he/she may include two or more students at a time.

The great advantage of these courses is that, as a learner, you are surrounded by helpers who know the method well, as well as a tutor standing by to help you. This is a brilliant way to get to know a method, and I would thoroughly recommend these courses.

After the 3rd tower session, everyone returns to the hall, where a meal is provided (cooked by volunteers, and is always excellent). The tutors give a short summary of their class, and certificates are provided. The day finishes at around 8pm.

For the last couple of years, applications for the basic methods courses were very low, but are now rising again. I would encourage anyone who needs some help with a method to go on one of these courses. (They are not just for some mysterious elite ringers. All who meet the criteria above may apply). The day is long, but very satisfying and beneficial.

I have attended a few of these courses myself. If anyone has any questions, or needs a bit more encouragement to go, please feel free to email me.

Anne Martin