To ring in the New Year, six longstanding members of our local band assembled to ring some Rounds and Call Changes shortly before midnight on 31 December 2023. They were Henry & Sheelagh Lewis; Bill & Sue Rees; and Peter & Sue Cornah.

On New Year's Day itself, a Quarter Peal of 1250 Cassiobury Surprise Major was rung by members of the Wednesday morning Surprise Major practice group. For all but one member of the band, this was their first Quarter Peal in the method.

The video below is of the back six being rung down following the New Year Quarter Peal.

We are delighted to have our two new training bells in place and ready to use. They were installed this week by Neil Thomas and Julian Ferrar on behalf of Matthew Higby and Co. Ltd Church Bell Engineers and will enhance our ability to teach beginners the initial stages of handling a bell. (The sallies on the ropes are designed with three separate bands of colour, making it easier for the learner to work out where to catch it.)

We also plan to add sensors to the training bells, which will enable us to practise ten-bell methods via our Abel simulator when all of the other bells are tied.

These training bells are a brilliant addition to our teaching and training set-up at Stoke St Milborough Bell Ringers and if anyone wishes to come and give them a go, do get in touch.

Footage of one of the training bells in action:
www.youtube.com/shorts/NpJQ9uwCTw4

Our 'Ring for the King' band performed Rounds and Call Changes between 10am and 10:30am on Saturday 6th May, just prior to the King Charles III's Coronation Service.

​The band were (L-R):

Sue Rees; Bill Rees; Catherine Evry; Ashley Smith; Henry Lewis; Camilla Lewis; Astrid Davies; Katherine Askey.

Special congratulations to Catherine and Camilla, for whom this was the first performance with a full band of ringers.

Many thanks to everyone who came along to try out bell-ringing at St Milburga's this afternoon (Monday 8th May 2023). We had a cohort of enthusiastic participants who had a go at pulling in their backstrokes on our tied fifth, and some of whom also enjoyed climbing up the ladder to view the bells. Tea and cakes kept everyone well fed and watered, and there was a great community atmosphere to the event. We hope that those of you who expressed an interest will continue to explore the possibilities that bell-ringing has to offer as a lifelong hobby, and we will welcome you back any time to continue your journey.

Ashley Smith

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Our article about the new bells of St Milburga's is featured in this week's issue of Ringing World.
You can download a pdf copy of the magazine at this link > https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/issue.php?no=5807

Click this link to read the full article:

​https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/south-shropshire/ludlow/2022/06/13/the-chimes-they-are-achanging-at-south-shropshire-church-with-new-bells/?fbclid=IwAR08EXxlKX1K916RCXxa7A-e-Ji1Yo9BBJCTbcPQPQEnLaqWlApoqqLxnbE

The final day of St Milburga’s Bell Festival was a resounding success, with the bells being enjoyed by people of all generations from far and wide. In the afternoon, we welcomed Caring for God’s Acre, who explored the churchyard in search of slowworms and other mini-beasts with children from Bitterley school. The children were also given a brief introduction to bell-ringing, so we look forward to welcoming some of them as the next generation of ringers if they choose to take up this lifelong passion.

In the evening, the festival closed with our Service for the Dedication of the Bells, led by the Bishop of Hereford, Richard Jackson, and Reverend Father Justin Parker. A variety of readings and a veritable feast of wonderful hymns and anthems were enjoyed by the congregation, and the bells were given the Bishop’s solemn blessing in the hope that they will ring on for centuries to come.

Our photos and video clips of the Service can be viewed in our Google Photos album of the Festival here
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We would like to thank all of you who have supported our bell project, whether by helping to finance the bells themselves, by spreading the word, by coming to ring with us, by attending our events or by listening in and contemplating in your own way. We will continue to use the bells as a means of helping St Milburga’s church to grow and thrive into the future, so do keep an eye on everything that we get up to via our website www.stmilburga.co.uk and don’t hesitate to get in touch. We always love to hear from you.