Site last updated 6 May 2025

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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 would like to learn to ring please contact our secretary [ ], or go along to a tower near you on a practice night.

If you would like to learn to ring but you don't live in this area, please visit https://bellringing.org/contact-us/find-a-teacher/.

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):

Friday 16 May 2025 - Surprise Practice 7:30pm - 9:00pm at Wem
Saturday, 17 May 2025 - Training Morning 10:00am - 12:30pm at Meole Brace
Saturday, 21 June 2025 - Association Outing all day in Leicestershire

Surprise Practice - 16 May 2025

The next Surprise practice will be held on Friday 16 May 2025, from 7:30pm to 9:00pm, at Wem.

Please let Tony Freemont [ ] or Gareth Jones [ ] know if you plan to attend so that they can make sure that there are enough ringers for a viable practice.

May 2025 Newsletter

The May 2025 Newsletter, which has details of some upcoming Association events, including Ringing for Peace on 8 May, Bell Sunday on 18 May, Lilleshall ringers' 3 peaks challenge, and details of the Association's June outing to Leicestershire can be read and downloaded here.

The April 2025 Newsletter can be read and downloaded here.

Association Outing - 21 June 2025

Arrangements for the summer ringing outing are now complete. The trip will begin at Measham in Leicestershire and end at Polesworth Abbey in Tamworth, with lunch booked at The Queen's Head in Belton. The cost will be £nn per person.

Please contact Vicki Sivess [ ] if you are planning on coming, so that she can pass on further details. Vicki will need to collect pre-orders for lunch in good time.

The outing itinerary can be read and downloaded here.
More details for parking at Polesworth Abbey can be read and downloaded here.

list of towers for SACBR Outing 2025

Lilleshall Bell Ringers Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge

The bells of St Michael and All Angels Church in Lilleshall have been a cherished part of our community for over 200 years. However, they are becoming increasingly difficult to ring and maintain. We are now raising funds to restore the bells, to ensure they continue to ring out for generations to come.

We’re aiming to raise around £60,000 and have already made an excellent start.

As part of our fundraising efforts, a team of bell ringers will be taking on the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Challenge in June 2025. This 24-mile circular route involves 1,585m of ascent and includes the peaks of Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside, and Ingleborough. We’re aiming to complete the challenge in under 12 hours!

We've been training hard - fitting in early Sunday morning circuits of Lilleshall Hill and the Wrekin, as well as full-day hikes in the Shropshire Hills.

If you’d like to support us, please visit our JustGiving page:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/lilleshall-bells?utm_medium=FR&utm_source=CL&utm_campaign=015

Thank you for your support!

Text and photo Matt Lawrence
Lilleshall ringers on walk

Bell Sunday 2025

Bell Sunday this year will be held on Sunday 18 May. Resources are available at https://bellsunday.org/

Ann Williams

It is with great sadness that the death of Ann Williams is reported. Ann had been unwell for some time and had spent the last few days of her life at Severn Hospice in Telford. Ann is the leading woman peal ringer for the Shropshire Association, having rung 175 peals for the Association. She had rung more than 500 peals altogether. Ann was one of the Association’s Central Council Representatives and had also led the planning for the centenary of the Association in 2026. She was awarded the St Alkmund’s Canons at the 2025 AGM in recognition of this work.

Ann's funeral will take place on 15th May 2025 @ 1.00 pm at Holy Trinity Church, Church Road, Meole Brace, Shrewsbury, SY3 9HF. Refreshments afterwards at the Trinity Centre.

Ann stipulated that there were to be family flowers only, but donations in lieu of flowers can be made to Cancer Research UK and/or Severn Hospice.

April 2025 Practice and Quarterly Meeting

The Association’s April practice and quarterly meeting were held at Oswestry. The ringing was led by Tony Freemont and included Grandsire Triples, Cambridge Surprise Major, Stedman Triples.

The following were elected as new members of the Association: Beatrice Cains (High Ercall), Tom Derrington (Meole Brace), Rowena Pett (Meole Brace), and Isabella Mingaye (Dawley).

The accounts for 2024 had been inspected by Peter Bruty, and found to be accurate.

Eight young ringers had attended a practice at Stanton and Moreton Corbet, with the next practice scheduled for 14 June. There would be a Training Morning at Meole Brace on 17 May.

Vicki Sivess gave an update on the plans for the Centenary of the Association in 2026. It was hoped that as many members as possible would take part.

Madeline Harris said that she had the new Report/Handbooks for distribution, and asked that those present take those ones for towers they belong to or for towers they would be able to deliver to.

Nik Galton ran the raffle, raising £50 for the BRF. The prizes of alcohol, chocolate, and kitchenware were won by Biff Patterson, Tony Freemont, Phil Murphy, Madeline Harris, Si Rice.

Thanks go to the Oswestry ringers for hosting this meeting and providing much appreciated hot drinks and biscuits.

The next practice and Quarterly meeting would be held on Saturday 13 July at Baschurch.

Second Association Peal of 2025

The second Association peal of 2025 has been rung at Worfield.

Shropshire Association

Worfield, Shropshire, at the Church of St Peter the Apostle

on Friday, 11 April 2025 in 2 hours and 57 minutes

A Peal of 5040 Surprise Minor

7 methods: Carlisle, Sandiacre, Northumberland,
Cambridge, Bourne, Ipswich, Norwich

Tenor 15 in F

Stephen G Askew Treble Martin D Scott 4
Gail K Lawrence 2 Matthew Lawrence 5
Andrew W Gordon 3 Stuart C W Hutchieson Tenor

Conducted by Stuart C W Hutchieson.

Sponsored in aid of the new rope guide.

1154

North West Ringing Course 2025

Applications are now open for the North West Ringing Course 2025 for both students and helpers.

The Course will be based at Borwick Hall near Carnforth in Lancashire from Thursday 7 August to Sunday 10 August.

All details can be found at https://nwringingcourse.uk or contact enquiries@nwringingcourse.uk

Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has now published guidance for the change in arrangements for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, detailing how claims will be handled up to 31 March 2025, and from 1 April 2025 onwards.

The guidance is available here https://listed-places-of-worship-grant.dcms.gov.uk/changes-to-the-Scheme-from-1-April-2025/

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: burgundy or navy, with embroidered logo and lettering in blue/white/black/gold

PRICES
Short sleeve polo shirt cost £15, long sleeve polo shirt cost £20. Both of these are lightweight cotton pique with cuffed short sleeves, button placket and fold down collar. Sweat shirt costs £20.
T-shirts (cost £10) are also available.

SIZES ARE UNISEX

12-13yr S M L XL XXL
Chest 32 - 34" 34 - 36" 38 - 40" 42 - 44" 46 - 48" 50 - 52"
Length 27" 28"
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, quite long in the body.

SACBR Logo on maroon shirt LDMB at Newport Show

Photos by Biff Patterson, Edric Broom

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/.

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?

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 Gill Glover [] .

Committee Meeting

The next Association committee meeting will be held on Sunday, 8 June 2025.