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Many bands celebrated St George's Day (23rd April) in response to a nationwide initiative appeal for special ringing , endorsed by the ODG . Two quarter peals were rung, at Hurst and Eversley (out of our area, but a mainly ODG band). Two quarter peal attempts were lost, at Sonning and Wokingham. There was general ringing at Arborfield, Easthampstead, Finchampstead, Sandhurst, Twyford and White Waltham.
All four students had no prior experience of rope splicing, but under the watchful eye of course tutor John Harrison, they all ended the evening having produced a neat splice, which they took away with them as a reminder of having done the course.
Click on the images for larger pictures.
 Four students + an onlooker |
 Mhairi Miller |
 Simon Graves |
 Joyce Crockford & Simon Mabbott |
If you are interested in attending any training course, see the training page , where you can sign up for courses on different subjects.
Five teams entered the 6-bell striking competition at Shottesbrooke on 17th April, judged by Jim and Helen Diserens.
Judges general comments – Very varied ringing. Congratulations to the bands that got together a team and entered. Bands that ring Doubles should put their strongest ringer on the Tenor if possible (though it might not always be possible). The Tenor can make or mar the piece. The bells sounded very nice outside.
| Position | Team | Faults | Method | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wokingham All Saints |
18 | Cambridge Minor | A joy to listen to. Obviously an experienced band. The odd irregularity. Maybe marked more strictly than the less experienced teams. |
| 2 | Easthampstead | 24 | Grandsire Doubles | A good rhythm with the occasional irregularity. Nice ringing |
| 3 | Sandhurst | 44 | Grandsire Doubles | Erratic leads caused most faults. Cartwheeling or open leads are acceptable, providing it is consistent. A reasonable rhythm. |
| 4 | Sonning | 58 | Plain Bob Doubles | Settled a bit, but then got scratchy. The knock-on effect [see below] led to many faults |
| 5 | Twyford | 67 | Rounds | A valiant go. Some was quite good at the times when it settled.. It was a nice slow pace, and he was quite impressed. There was a knock-on effect if one bell held up or pulled in, a mark of an inexperienced band. It is vital to keep the rhythm. The Tenor rang very well. |
Our congratulations to Twyford for entering a team with one member who has only been ringing 7 months, and two who had not rung outside their home tower before this week.
Click on team images for larger pictures.
 Easthampstead |
 Sandhurst |
 Sonning |
 Twyford |
 Wokingham (All Saints) |
Branch competitions are open to teams from any Branch tower (or combined teams, see competition rules ). Dates of competitions are in the Branch diary .
Will your tower enter a team in the next competition?
The course was led by John Davidge and Len Palfrey, of the ODG Towers & Belfries Committee. Initial instruction and demonstrations were at All Saints Wokingham. After an excellent lunch at the Duke of Wellington in Twyford, the students were 'let loose' on the bells at St Mary's Twyford, armed with check sheets of things to look for, to see how much of what they had learnt they could put into practice. The pictures below show both tutors and students hard at work.
Click on a thumbnail to see the full size picture.
 Tutors and students |
 Checking a clapper |
 Checking a rope |
 All hard at work |
 The tutor explains |
 Checking a headstock |
 The tutor explains |
 Using checklists |
If you are interested in attending any training course, see the training page , where you can sign up for courses on different subjects.
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