Towers and Belfy Committee - Main objects of the sub-committee's work

The following is a precis of the work undertaken by the Towers & Belfries Sub-committee. A more detailed guide is also available.

• To provide advice to towers within the Oxford Diocese on their bell installations and associated matters. This advice includes:

  1. routine maintenance
  2. minor restoration
  3. rehanging
  4. safety matters
• To provide advice to the trustees of the Oxford Diocesan Bell Fund regarding requests for grants from the Bell Fund.
• To respond to requests from the trustees of the ODBF, for the purpose of advising them that work has been correctly carried out, and thereby recommending that grant monies awarded should be paid out as appropriate.
• To provide similar advice to the administrators of the Guild Restoration Fund as is provided to the trustees of the Bell Fund.
• To run training courses with the aim of providing towers and ringers with self-help information.
• To run the Best Kept Towers competition in the Diocese of Oxford.
• To act as the focus for the exchange of information on redundant bells between the Central Council of Church Bellringers, the Guild and other Associations.

In addition, the sub-committee is producing a series of technical notes to help steeplekeepers, which can be downloaded from here:

TBC01 Emergency Lighting for Ringing Chambers

TBC02 Risk Assessment in the Tower

TBC03 Correcting Oddstruckness

TBC04 Clapper Bush Wear

TBC05 How to make a FRED (Friendly Rope End Drier)

Further information is available from the Towers & Belfries Sub-committee Chairman