Site last updated 24 July 2024
Welcome
The Shropshire Association covers the towers in the Salop Archdeaconry of the Lichfield Diocese, and is roughly the area north of the River Severn, from near Wolverhampton in the southeast to Selattyn in the northwest. The rest of Shropshire is in the Hereford Diocese.
If you would like to know more about bellringing click here www.cccbr.org.uk/bellringing/what-is-bell-ringing/.
If you like to learn to ring please contact our secretary [ ], or go along to a tower near you on a practice night.
Information about the towers in the Association, practice nights and Association events, and much else, can be found by following the links on the left or below.
Next Association event(s):
Wednesday 21 August 2024 - Morning practice
10:00am - 12:30pm
at Lilleshall
Saturday 14 September 2024 - Striking Competition
4:00pm onwards
at Calverhall
Saturday 12 October - Practice, Quarterly Meeting
7:00pm - 9:00pm approx
at Moreton Corbet
Wednesday Morning Practice - 21 August
The next Wednesday morning practice is scheduled for Wednesday 21 August, at Lilleshall from 10:00am to 12:30pm. A donation of £2 is requested to cover the use of the bells.
The church is hosting a coffee morning at the same time as our practice, so tea / coffee and refreshments will be able for an additional donation.
Please let Matt Lawrence [ ] know if you are planning to attend, so that he can make sure that there are enough ringers to make this a viable practice.
Third Association Peal in 2024
The third Association peal of 2024 has been rung at Haughton, Staffordshire.
Shropshire Association
Haughton, Staffordshire, at the Church of St Giles
on Thursday, 4 July 2024 in 2 hours and 45 minutes
A Peal of 5040 Minor
4 methods: 720 Kent Treble Bob, 720 Oxford Treble Bob,
1440 Cambridge Surprise,
2160 Plain Bob
Tenor 5-3-21 in B
| E Ann Williams | Treble | Trevor L Lock | 4 | |
| Nicola J Galton | 2 | Adrian G Roberts | 5 | |
| Jennifer M Beech | 3 | Andrew W Gordon | Tenor |
Conducted by Andrew W Gordon.
Rung to celebrate Jocelyne and Mervyn Lock’s diamond wedding anniversary today,
on the 4th July.
Mother and Father of Trevor.
Treble and 4’s 25th peal together;
51 years since Treble and 3 rang a peal together.
It would have also been Pat and Martin Jones (of Stafford) 60th wedding anniversary today.
1150
July Newsletter
The July Newsletter can be read and downloaded here.
The June Newsletter can be read and downloaded here.
Belfry Upkeep
The Stewardship & Management Workgroup of the Central Council are pleased to announce Belfry Upkeep, an online document aimed at the Steeple Keeper – the person responsible for keeping the bells in order.
The aims of the document are:
- To help you understand the installation in your tower.
- To describe the checks you should carry out to identify any problems.
- To advise you on the maintenance tasks that you should be able to carry out, possibly with expert advice or assistance.
- Most importantly, to help you recognise the tasks that require specialist knowledge from a Bell Hanger or other expert
The document can be found at https://belfryupkeep.cccbr.org.uk
Safeguarding Training
The Church of England has been working on an updated framework for Safeguarding training within the church. Dave Bassford (CCCBR Safeguarding Officer) and The Ringing World have given the Shropshire Association permission to include on this website an article written by Dave and appearing in the 21 January 2022 issue of The Ringing World.
In this article Dave explains that all ringers must take the Basic Awareness training (formerly C0). This is free, done online, takes about an hour to complete, and must be renewed every three years.
The Lichfield Diocese requires Tower Captains and those ringers in a role which involves work with children, young people or adults at risk, to also take the Foundation training (formerly C1), but not the Leadership training.
The trainings can be accessed by going to https://safeguardingtraining.cofeportal.org/.
"Calling It Round"
The Central Council has issued a new publication focused on the first steps in
calling and conducting from any bell. The publication has been written by
Bryn Marie Reinstadler and is free and available at
https://callingitround.cccbr.org.uk/
About the Central Council
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has issued three documents about its work, volunteering with the Central Council, and what it means to be a Central Council Representative.
Those documents can be read and downloaded here:
What's the point of the Central Council.pdf,
Volunteering with the Central Council.pdf,
What does being a Central Council Rep mean?
Index of YouTube Videos
The Central Council has put together a list of training webinars and videos which have been recorded and posted on YouTube.
Support Your Association with SACBR Clothing
We can now offer members a range of items embroidered with the SACBR logo. These are embroidered to order: contact Biff Patterson [ ] for details or to place an order.
COLOUR
The background colour for ‘corporate’ events is burgundy (as shown) but feel free to choose
a different background for personal use. Check availability but navy or black are obvious
options.
PRICES
Polo shirts, as worn by those manning the Lichfield Diocesan Mobile Belfry at Newport Show,
£15. Biff has one lady-fit medium in stock. If you would normally buy small, this is for you.
Sweat shirts £17.50
Rugby shirts £25.
If you supply a garment it can be embroidered for a cost of £6.
SIZING – READ CAREFULLY PLEASE
The polo shirts are pure cotton, wash very well, BUT are skimpy. Biff suggests going up one or even
two sizes on what you would normally select. Available in standard rectangular shape (men or
unisex), quite long in the body; or lady-fit, which is shorter and more shaped. Choose from M,
L, XL, XXL, XXXL.
Sweat shirts are only available unisex: S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL.
Rugby shirts are available in men’s or women’s: S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL.
Photos by Biff Patterson, Edric Broom
Books For Bellringers
Are you looking for some practical, written help for yourself or your tower but don’t know what is out there? If so, Books for Bellringers may be what you need. It is a small collection of books aimed mostly at beginners but with some material for those learning methods. Towers can borrow the collection for a period of up to two months so that everyone has a chance to see what they might find useful. Individuals or towers can order copies of the books using the details in the catalogue supplied.
If you would like to borrow the collection please contact me at: or telephone 01939 291014.
Tower Access Guidance Notes
The Towers and Belfries Committee of the Central Council has produced some guidance notes on the various ways we access towers. The notes cover the condition of stairs and ladders; handholds; lighting; doorways and trap doors; and some potential hazards.
The notes can be found at, and downloaded from, https://cccbr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/stairways.pdf
Committee Meeting
The next Association committee meeting will be held on Sunday, 15 September 2024.