What an amazing number, TEN contestants have now come forward as having rung the ‘Rolling Ring’ challenge and the latest is HERTS with their Western District that started out with the 8 bells of SS Peter & Paul church from Tring seen below. Well done to all the ringers.
There were nine contestants for this the first year such a challenge has been presented to ringers. The Rolling Ring was to get as many towers as possible within a Branch/District to ring out consecutively throughout the day as a ribbon of ringing in celebration of ST.GEORGE’S DAY. Reports are beginning to come in and it seems it has been a huge success. One of the organisers saying it was the best day’s ringing they had ever had. Those that took up the challenge were:
Guilsborough (Peterborough), Rochdale (Lancashire), North Bucks (Oxford), North West (Essex). Southern (Derby), Taunton (Somerset), Preston (Lancashire), Tewkesbury (Glos & Bristol) and the Devon Association Open Festival which grew into a Rolling Ring. More news to follow………..
Church spires across PRESTON at sunrise, setting the scene for the start of the Rolling Ring!
The NW District in ESSEX organised 4 teams to achieve a record number of bells to be rung out throughout the day to celebrate ST.GEORGE’S DAY. The RforE Campaign is justly proud of this amazing effort and here are Teams 1 and 2 as they set out to conquer the day. The photo is of both teams outside St. Christopher’s in WILLINGALE which was the start for Team 1, and Team 2 then started from St. Swithin’s in GREAT CHISHILL. A terrifc effort but terrific fun, so very well done all of you.
St. Christopher’s, Willingale
The village of LITTLEBURY in the North West of Essex near Saffron Walden has a delightful church dating from 1200. The 6 bells were rung by a band that were part of Team 4 taking part in the RforE Campaign challenge for a ‘Rolling Ring’. Here are the team at the end of their hard work standing in front of the Holy Trinity’s window dedicated, appropriately, to ST.GEORGE. Well done to them all.
The church of St. Mary The Virgin has been standing in the centre of the village of RADWINTER for the past 700 years. Just think how many people must have heard its 6 bells ring out across the countryside. And they rang again on Saturday as part of a challenge to create a ‘Rolling Ring’ across the NW of Essex. Here is the successful band who were in Team 4.
St. Mary’s 6 bells in STEEPLE BUMPSTEAD was in Team 4 of this amazing event to see how many towers could ring out throughout the day to celebrate ST.GEORGE’s Day. This village has sadly lost the steeple that gave it its name and the Bumpstead part is said to be from the Anglo Saxon meaning ‘place of reeds’. But it gained a tower where bells could be rung.
HADSTOCK was the start of Team 4 as they led the day to the ‘Rolling Ring’ challenge set out by the RforE Campaign to see how many towers could ring throughout the day in celebration of ST.GEORGE’S Day. This is where Team 4 of the North Western District of the Essex Guild of Bell Ringers started at St. Botolph’s where they rang its 6 bells . This village just north of Saffron Walden is a delight with half timbered houses surrounding a village green who all listened out to hear them take part and cheered them on. Well done to the band and to the event organiser Carol Wilkinson.
The RYBURG RINGERS were part of a concert held at St. Andrew’s in GREAT RYBURGH where there were musicians, Shakespeare’s works set to music, and the day rounded off with the band ringing out the 6 bells all in celebration of a great day – ST.GEORGE’S Day. This is the photo at the end of the day sent in by Anne Prentis.
A great cheer for this band of St. Nicholas in BRUSHFORD who are new ringers and this was their first ring for ST.GEORGE’S DAY. Lets hope there will be many more years when they will ring out on April 23rd. Well done. The photo was sent in by Jude Atkins.
Here is the band – a very merry band, of ringers who rang the 6 bells at St. Hugh’s church in DURLEIGH and how brilliantly decked out they all are in acknowledgement of England’s Day, ST.GEORGE’S DAY. Thank you for such wonderful support for the Campaign.
