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AGM 2020 – Reminder

A reminder that the Reading Branch AGM is on Saturday 8th February, and all members  are both welcome and encouraged to attend.

For more details, visit https://reading.odg.org.uk/wordpress/agm-2020/

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December Branch Practice 2019

It’s coming up to that time of the month where we all get to venture to a different tower to ring with ringers from around the branch. December sees us head to St Giles, Reading. This feels like it is almost becoming tradition, and with a slightly later start (10.30), there will be mince pies, tea and coffee available from 10am at the back of the church! So why not head down early, grab a hot drink and mince pie to help you warm up for a good old ring?

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November branch practice

The November branch practice sees us return to St Margaret, Mapledurham. Last time we were there for the monthly Saturday meet, I decided to cycle the only route I knew – a very steep climb up the hill from Caversham, followed by an equally scary decent into Mapledurham. I wasn’t much looking forward to the return journey until a fellow ringer informed me of a reasonably flat route that could be taken using a bike. Why not try it out yourself this Saturday (9th November) and join us for a ring? All abilities welcome.

Here’s a map of the route described above, starting from Reading station:

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Tilehurst wins striking competition – again!

The 2019 Reading Branch Striking Competition took place at St Mary, Purley-on-Thames (six bells – 8-1-27), on Saturday, 14th September. There were six entries, representing five of Reading Branch’s 23 towers (St Giles-in-Reading entered two teams).
The Tilehurst team came first, beating the St Giles 2 team by two points. Many congratulations to Tilehurst, who also won in 2016, 2017 and 2018!
Caversham came third, beating Pangbourne by one point. St Giles 1 came fifth, three points ahead of Mortimer.

presentation
Jo Druce, conductor of the Tilehurst team, was presented with the Topper Trophy by Judge Steve Smith.

It was good to see four young ringers in the competition. Congratulations to Tom Sherwood, who rang the tenor in the winning team, to Jennifer Ellis, who rang for St Giles 2, to Daniel Page, who rang for Caversham, and to Joseph Barrett, who rang for St Giles 1.
St Mary, Purley, was a lovely setting for the competition, and the weather was perfect for sitting in the sunshine, while the church bells rang out. Many thanks to the Purley band, who served morning coffee with a splendid selection of delicious cakes and biscuits.
See below for photos of the six teams, their score, the position in which they rang, and some of the comments by Judge Steve Smith – who was thanked by Branch Chairman Giles Winter. St Giles 1 rang Call Changes, and the other five teams rang doubles.

Tilehurst band
1stwith 16 faults: Tilehurst team: l to r: 1 D Giles Winter, 2 Joanna E Knight, 3 JoanneP Druce (C)–with mascot, 4 Colin R Cairns, 5 Colin G Newman, 6 Thomas R Sherwood. . “Very nice ringing, a few early clips and a crunch around row 36.” They were the first team to ring.
St Giles 2
2ndwith 18 faults: St Giles 2, l to r: 1 Sarah Barrett, 2 Jennifer Ellis, 3 Peter Bennett, 4 Helen Bennett, 5 Steve Bennett(C), 6 Chris Barrett. “First-class ringing from an experienced band. Some general small clips. They rang more slowly than most of the other bands.” Last team to ring.
Caversham
3rd, with 26 faults: Caversham, l to r: 1 Doug Beaumont, 2 Jenny Page, 3 Gill Hopkinson, 4 Daniel Page, 5 James Champion (C), 6 Roger Hopkinson. “Good ringing with many clean rows. Some clashes around half way”. They were the fourth team to ring.
Pangbourne
4th, with 27 faults: Pangbourne, l to r: 1 Susan Norbury, 2 Richard Carpenter, 3 Ann Gardiner, 4 John Harland, 5 Michael Palfrey (C), 6 Leonard Palfrey. “A few nervy clashes at the beginning, then really pulled itself together. Good second half” They were the fifth team to ring.
St Giles 1
5th, with 44 faults: St Giles 1, l to r: 1 Joyce Vernon (C), 2 Toni Smith, 3 Colin Blayney, 4 Joseph Barrett, 5 Keith Vernon, 6 Chris Philips. “Good overall effort although there were quite a few faults.” They were the second team to ring.
Moritimer
6th, with 47 faults: Mortimer, l to r: 1 Jackie McGee, 2 Linda Finney, 3 Elaine Perkins (C), 4 Janet Carless, 5 Peter MacNaughtan, 6 Andrew Slater. “They rang more slowly than any other team, and the slow pace made things harder for them.” They were the third team to ring.
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St Mary and St Giles win ODG 8-Bell competition

The St Mary and St Giles team won a hard-fought ODG 8-bell striking competition on Monday 6th May.

It was fantastic to see two teams from the Reading Branch taking part, as well as having representation from the branch in the ODG Youth team.

The winning team with the trophy. L-R: John Wells, June Saint, Stephen Rossiter, June Wells, Daniel Page, Steve Bennett, Jenny Page, Tim Hayward

A full report to follow at http://odg.org.uk/8-bell-striking-competition-2019/.

 

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AGM papers now available

The Papers for the 2019 AGM are now available. You can download them using the links below. For details of the AGM, please see this page.

Reading AGM Feb 2019_Agenda

Reading AGM Feb 2019_7a Accounts

Reading AGM Feb 2019_7a Treasurer’s Report

Reading AGM Feb 2019_7b Secretary’s Report

Reading AGM Feb 2019_7c Ringing Masters’ Report

Reading AGM Feb 2019_7d Branch Representatives’ Report

Reading Branch Feb to July 19 Practices_updated