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?
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:
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.
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.
Diana has been hard at work putting together what seems like a bumper edition of the Reading Branch Newsletter. Everyting from Striking competions to Armistice rining. There also appear to have been many outings recently. Find a copy at your local tower, or download using the link below to read it now!