The bells will be rung half-muffled this evening for the annual bereavement service. This service is open to all, particularly those who have lost loved ones recently. In addition to the bells being half-muffled, we will be ringing the middle 8 of our 10 bells. This produces a “dorian mode” scale, which is as close to a minor scale as possible.
We are very lucky to have a strong band of around 20 ringers here at All Saints' Staplehurst. We practise on a Tuesday night from 19.00 to 21.15. From 19.00 to 20.00 we concentrate on ringing for our younger members then move on to more complicated methods.All are very welcome to join us, whether a learner, accomplished ringer, or someone just wanting to know what it's all about.
Quarter Peal for Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday this year was marked with a slightly unusual quarter peal, rung half muffled on the middle 8 bells. These bells make up the Dorian Mode, which is a Major scale starting one note higher but results in something that sounds Minor. (It’s like playing the white notes on a piano from D to D.)
This was the first quarter peal rung on this set of bells at Staplehurst.
1287 Grandsire Triples
Composed by Daniel W Brady
1Richard H Bourne
2Debbie C Brady
3Susan C Gullett
4Jack A Velvick
5Roy A Barclay
6Daniel W Brady (C)
7Adam A Brady
8Andrew R Brady
Rung half muffled on the Dorian 8 prior to the service of Bereavement.
Winners of the District Striking Competition for 6th year
The Staplehurst band won the local method ringing Striking Competition for the 6th consecutive year. A much closer call this year, with the team in second place trailing by only half a fault!
Heritage Open Days
Thursday 8th September – National Ringing Moment at 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. A Quarter peal will be rung to mark the start of this national event.
Friday 9th September – By appointment only between 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. – Ringing demonstrations and tours of the tower.
Saturday 10th September – Church and Belfry tours between 10:00 and Noon, then 14:00-16:00 with bell-ringing demonstrations.
Sunday 11th September – Church and Belfry tours between 15:00 and 17:00 by appointment only. This will be followed by a quarter peal to mark the end of the Heritage Open Day weekend.
If you would like to attend any of the “by appointment sessions” or have any questions about ringing please email towercaptain@allsaintsstaplehurst.co.uk.
Recruitment 2016
Around a dozen people came to our first recruitment session on Sunday, everyone enjoyed a tour up to see the bells and to see them ringing. The majority of people even had a go at ringing for the first time and showed great promise. We look forward to seeing even more at the next event which is this Friday morning.
Recruitment 2016
At All Saints’ Church we have a successful band of ringers and are always on the lookout for new recruits, to keep this tradition going.
Bells don’t automatically ring for services and weddings, it takes a team of people ringing together to achieve the sound that we’re all used to.
Ringing is open to all ages from about 10 upwards, and is a great thing to do with the whole family. There is no obligation to attend services.
Our regular practice is from 19.00 to 21.15 every Tuesday evening. Anyone is welcome to come up and see what goes on. We can also be found in the Kings Head from 21.15 to late. We’re normally the big table of people, don’t be afraid of coming and having a chat!
Open Tower
We are also offering a few occasions where the tower is open on other occasions, these are listed below. The first two will be principally for tours of the tower, where you can see the bells, get a little history of the tower and bells, and if you want, have a go at ringing. The second two sessions will be the same, but with a focus on giving people a chance to really start to learn to ring if they want.
Sunday 20th March: 11.30 – 13.00
Friday 25th March: 09.00 – 12.00
Wednesday 30th March: 10.00 – 12.00
Friday 1st April: 19.00 – 21.00
Learning to Ring
At Staplehurst we are lucky to have several very experienced teachers of ringing, the majority of which have been or currently are involved with organising ringing and training in the local county association. All ringers involved in teaching young recruits hold current DBS clearance.
Learning to ring isn’t something that happens overnight. There are several sections you will learn in turn, before putting these all together. Depending on how often you practice, this phase of “learning to handle” can take as little as a week, but don’t be put off it takes longer. As with driving, once you are able to handle a bell safely, you will then continue to gain confidence the more you ring, or the more “rope miles” you get.
If you would like any more information, please contact Tower Captain – Daniel Brady.
Practice Night
Practice this evening was incredibly well attended, with 25 people in attendance. Ringing ranged from Rounds upwards, however we had a good focus on Plain Hunting. We also rang Bristol Major, which was a rare treat for some, and had a couple of people getting their first go at Grandsire Caters.
Plain Bob Minor Practice
This Monday, Staplehurst hosted a Plain Bob Minor practice on our simulator. This enabled our “students”, from Boughton Monchelsea and Marden, to ring with some experienced ringers on silenced bells. Everyone progressed really well, with some people advancing as far as ringing touches for the first time by the end of the evening.
Christmas Display 2015
This Year the Friends of All Saints’, Shepherd’s Market featured a display of Christmas Trees from various village organisations. Amongst these were offerings from Brownies, Guides and Nursing Homes. This is the bell ringer’s entry, featuring our 12 hand-bells. Our thanks to Chris and Sue for putting it all together.
Sunday Ringing
While missing some this Sunday, we were quite lucky that for a change no one needed to go down early to do anything for the service. Some excellent call changes on ten and some Grandsire Caters as well as Stedman Triples and London Surprise Minor as we were all assembling.
