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Now that our bells have been delivered from Italy to Matthew Higby's works in Somerset, we thought a group of us should go down and see them going through the initial stages of the tuning process. We did this on 30th January 2020 and you can see the photos and a video from our little outing below. The bells will be here for a few weeks to be tuned and prepared before finally coming to St Milburga's for hanging in Spring 2020. Click here to read the full report on our visit to see the foundry where our new bells are being cast.   Fancy trying your hand at bell-ringing? Here's your opportunity!
On Saturday 9th November, we will be hosting a taster morning from 10am to 12 noon. Come along and have a go at handling one of our bells, see how we use our simulator to facilitate learning and even climb the tower ladder to see the bells themselves (as long as you have a head for heights!) There is no charge for the taster morning and participants of all ages from 11 upwards are welcome. Tea and coffee provided! Free parking is available outside the church. Please note that the ringing room is accessed via a small wooden staircase. If you would like to participate, please fill in this form or follow the contact link at the top right of the page. We look forward to hearing from you! Henry Lewis & Ashley Smith  On Saturday 17th August 2019, members of the St Milburga tower went on a tour of Herefordshire, visiting the following towers for up to an hour of ringing at each: Dilwyn Kington Presteigne Staunton-on-Arrow Eardisland Each session was run by a different person, ensuring that a good variety of methods were rung. Over the course of the day, we covered the following: Rounds and Call Changes Grandsire Doubles Plain Bob Doubles April Day Reverse Canterbury Doubles Stedman Doubles Plain Bob Minor Single Oxford Bob Minor Cambridge Surprise Minor Grandsire Triples Plain Bob Triples Single Oxford Bob Triples Stedman Triples Plain Bob Major All participants felt that they had been spoiled by the quality of the bells at the towers that we used and we look forward to having our own new set of evenly matched bells very soon! A fine lunch was had at the Cattle Shed in Kington and the day was rounded off with dinner at The Temeside Inn. Thanks go to Henry Lewis for setting up the day and to all of the tower captains for making us feel so welcome.   Top photo: Presteigne; Bottom photos: Staunton-on-Arrow
 You may have seen in the national news the efforts by bell ringers across the country to mark the centenary of the Armistice by ringing as many bells as possible 11th November. The bells of St Milburga’s were rung half muffled before the Remembrance Service. This technique involves strapping a thick leather cup over one side of the clapper in order to deaden the sound of alternate strokes to produce an echo effect. Additionally, we rang the middle 6 bells of the 8 to create a minor key and a more mournful sound. For many in the local band, this was the first time they had rung in such a way and all agreed that the result was a haunting and evocative tribute to the men from the village who sacrificed their lives. The Act of Remembrance was taken by Rev. Ian Gibbs who had researched the lives and deaths of the 8 men from Stoke who died in the Great War. His address allowed the congregation present to really get to know more about the stories behind the names we see on the memorial each time we enter the church. At 11am, the tenor bell was struck eleven times to mark the start of the 2 minute silence. Together with many churches across the country the bells were then rung again without the muffles at 12.30pm and the performance will be recorded in the forthcoming special edition of The Ringing World. If you have been inspired to learn more about bell ringing or are interested in having a go yourself, do not hesitate to make contact via our website www.stmilburga.co.uk  A fabulous afternoon was had by all on Sunday 12th August at Little Stoke Bank Farm, where Peter and Sue Cornah hosted a garden party in aid of St Milburga’s Church Bell Project. In spite of the ominous weather outlook, the rain fizzled out just in time for the arrival of the Lichfield Diocese mini-ring of bells, which would form the centrepiece for the afternoon. Spanners in hand, a group of dedicated St Milburga ringers helped Phil Gay to unpack the apparatus from its trailer and set it up with all the skill (if not the speed) of a team of Krypton Factor contestants. Two hours later, a full mobile belfry had miraculously materialised and the garden party was all set to get underway. Behind the scenes, Peter and Sue had been working round the clock to set up a number of family attractions for non-bell ringing enthusiasts, such as a treasure hunt, a campfire bake-off, a DIY puppet theatre, giant bubble making and story time in the tipi. Plus, there were always Angela & Geoffrey (Stoke St Milborough’s celebrity mini-donkeys) to make a fuss of. There were fabulous performances from Sue’s madrigal group and the Stoke St Milborough hand-bell ringers and, of course, copious quantities of tea and cakes! The mini-ring of bells was a great success, attracting much interest from established and new ringers alike. The technique required to ring them is certainly very different from that used in a traditional bell-tower, but with perseverance, everybody was able to get them going and ring some rounds, call changes and even methods. Ringers from all over the Church Stretton district came along to offer their support and, along with those attending for the family activities, the number of attendees was well over one hundred. In total the event raised £375 for the ongoing project at St Milburga’s to fit a new ring of bells in the tower and huge thanks should go to Peter and Sue Cornah for their hospitality and generosity in creating this event for the benefit of the community.  From 20th to 23rd March, seventeen bell-ringers from Stoke St Milborough undertook a tour of eight different churches on and around the Suffolk coast. The aim of the trip was to give the Stoke ringers the opportunity to try out the bells in another part of the country, both to hone their existing skills and to add some brand new experiences. For example, the tower at Grundisburgh has 12 bells (four more than we are used to at Stoke), so we were able to ring methods and call changes which would not be possible in the local area. Ringers of all levels were present on the trip and their various needs were amply catered for: with at least 45 minutes of ringing at each tower, there was more than enough to keep everyone busy. There was also ample opportunity to look around the churches themselves, complete with detailed and fascinating historical notes compiled in advance by Peter Cornah. Other churches on our circuit were at Chediston, Wissett, Blythburgh, Reydon, Ufford, Orford and Aldeburgh. We enjoyed taking the time to look around the towns and villages during our ‘down time’ and evenings were rounded off with fantastic meals in assorted local hostelries. Huge thanks go to Peter and Sue Cornah for organising the trip and to the captains at the towers we visited for their kindness and hospitality.
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