Peter and I set out to ring a couple of courses of Belfast Minimus –
which can be achieved with the treble taking the lines for 5, 6, 7 & 8 just like Bristol Minimus – but we couldn’t do it:-( we needed to be wrong hunting and our pesky bells/brains just wouldn’t oblige. Here we are instead with a quick qtr of bob minimus 🙂
9 ringers from Alderney, Guernsey and Jersey took part in the annual ‘Reading & CI fortnight’ @ Tulloch in October 2025
With ringing ranging from bob doubles to Zanussi S Maximus there really was ‘something for everyone’:
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/event.php?id=21983
We also had dog walks, jigsaws, poker and board games, superb catering & loads of fun
Matthew Higby of:
the man responsible for installing Tulloch Bells, Wells Bells and the augmentation of St Anne’s had offered to arrange our annual outing.
We arrived in the area on Thursday lunchtime (Sept 25th) and then visited 2 towers ( a 19cwt 12 and a 4cwt 6) before heading to Matthew’s works. There we were given tea & biscuits 🙂 and a very interesting tour which included seeing how bellropes were made, how bells were tuned, different clapper designs etc and a chance to ring on their very musical peal of 12 where the tenor weighed just 1 3/4 cwt. in addition we were delighted to sample Matthew Higby’s ‘Peals on Wheels’ – what a triumph:-) The future of mobile belfries?
Matthew recommended we ate supper in a local Italian restaurant -it was delicious. See photo clockwise from bottom left – Peter, Alexis, John, June W., Jenny, Nick, Heather, June B., Donald & Helen
On Friday we rang at Kilmersden (where Jack & Jill went up the hill…)
https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/magazines/somerset/25100767.jack-jill-nursery-rhyme-originate/) and Mells – our heaviest bells 26cwt 8 & where little Jack Horner sat in a corner….
http://www.house-historian.co.uk/tag/little-jack-horner/
Lunch in a most beautiful walled garden was followed by Nunney, Marston Bigot and Buckland Dinham. We then returned to Matthew’s works for what for some was the highlight of the trip – watching a sally being incorporated into a bell rope – fascinating
Mathew had invited us back to his house for a delicious meal and an opportunity to ring the Pig Sty mini-ring (43lb 8)
Such variety – towers with 6, 8 & 12 bells, varying ceiling heights and very different weights – ranging from less than 1/2 a cwt to 26cwt –
gave everyone an education (or at least a reminder) of the importance of the backstroke ‘flick’ and the need for a long pull not a strong pull.
Missing from photo = Gail. Intending to accompany us but thwarted by Alderney Ferry = Aileen
The Alderney Band have just hosted 40 ringers here from UK to help celebrate Helen & Peter’s 45th wedding anniversary (Sapphire) & 70th birthdays (Platinum)
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/event.php?id=21423
Notable events by local band = peal of Belfast S Major for Helen & Peter, peal of Cambridge S Major for June (first peal of surprise & not going to be her last!), Ines first peal on 12 (Stedman Cinques), Alexis rang not 1 but 2 qtrs of Kent TB Major, & Aileen rang a very confident qtr of mixed Ipswich & Norwich after losing a peal when she had already rung beautifully 720 changes each of Bourne, Hull & Norfolk, Arthur’s qtr peal of treble to bob triples was his first on 8. Some great local practices where we were supported by very friendly visitors.
Photo is of birthday BBQ
Now looking fwd to July 2026 for ‘same again’
Chris & Judith Frye left Alderney on the morning of July 8th after a fortnight of tremendous help & support. They worked hard advancing our repertoire, our styles, our understanding & in addition we had a lot of fun 🙂
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/search.php?from=24%2F06%2F2025&to=08%2F07%2F2025&place=Alderney & we had LOADS of extra practices – local band qtr Kent major is within our grasp:-)
Looking forward to the Anniversary Week
23/6/25 & we have just come to the end of 10 days of ringing on Alderney with a group of novices from Singapore, England & Scotland. We were VERY grateful for Jane Le Conte’s assistance & support & together with the Alderney band we have rung bob doubles, St Simon’s doubles, Stedman doubles & bob minor. We have examined the theory on grandsire doubles, watched video recordings of our ringing & examined our Hawkear results. Practised raising & lowering in peal. Mostly we rang at Wells but with some extra sessions, standard practices and Service Ringing at St Anne’s – not a minute has been wasted:-)
A total of 6 quarter peals were scored:
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/search.php?from=16%2F06%2F2025&place=Alderney+
Standout qtr had a footnote of ‘1st as (c) and 1st inside’ for the SAME ringer!!! , others were ‘just’ first (c), first inside for doubles and first inside for minor 🙂
Fabulous time witnessing great progress. Next year we will be embarking on Stepping Stones Level 1 from June 1 – 5th, email me for details
The Alderney band is riding high! Last night at practice we achieved 3 leads of Kent TB Major:
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1858553
What a result for an isolated local band 🙂
Well done all
On Monday evening May 12th His Excellency The Lt Governor joined the bellringers for their weekly practice. He came up the belfry specifically to award those of us who had rung for the Coronation of King Charles III on May 6th 2023 with their Coronation medals.
His Excellency explained that the medals were being awarded in recognition of the enormous effort various folk had made in volunteering on the day & whose combined contribution had done so much to make the event so very special. The casting of the medals had been done in secret, it being very much the case that the medals were in recognition of effort undertaken when there had been no expectation of reward
Medal recipients absent from the photo: Jane Trought, Logan Lord, Martin Jacques & Pam Sargent
Photo, left to right: Nor James, Gail Norwood, June Banister, His Excellency The Lt Governor, Jeremy Penrose-Stupart, Heather Winder, Aileen Wilson, Sally Vos, Donald Hughes, Helen McGregor, Peter Bevis
