As a band, we have continued to take it in turns to run the ringing throughout the year – again my thanks to everyone who has got involved. However, personally I feel that this year we have lost some of the common threads of the prime ring and taking time to concentrate on striking. Furthermore, the principle of structured learning for individuals to allow us to improve standards across the whole band seems to have suffered. I suggest we reconsider this approach at the AGM.
We are continuing to have teaching sessions at the start of our Tuesday practice nights – newest recruits, Hannah Newman and James Hill have both nearly mastered the basics. Hannah has just achieved Learning the Ropes Level 1. My thanks to our teachers: Terry Williams, Tina Stoecklin and Jonathan Frye.
In May, we entered two bands in the SACR Striking Competition and retained the Inveraray Trophy for a second year. We are also lucky to have the St Andrew’s Shield for the best call change band in the tower at the moment thanks to local ringer, Thomas Gay, who won it ringing as part of the SACR Youth band, the Spartan Tartans.
As well as normal ringing for Evensong on a Sunday, we have rung regularly in the morning on third Sundays. We have also rung for Ascension Day, Pentecost, Christmas Morning, Christmas Eve Carols, Epiphany, Candlemas, Easter Sunday and Maundy Thursday services.
In September, we supported the Cathedral Doors Open Weekend and this year we took about 70 visitors right up into the bells to allow them to explore the tower in full and a get a view up the inside of the spire.
We rang for one wedding and hosted the October, January & March SACR ten bell advanced practices.
As a local band, we have rung twelve Quarter Peals throughout the year marking a number of special occasions including twice for the 90th Birthday of the Queen in both April & June. We rang to celebrate Andy Murray’s win at Wimbleton and to congratulate our ringer, Iain Milne on his confirmation. We rang to mark the 10th anniversary of Kelvin’s appointment as Provost at St Mary’s Cathedral and also for BBC’s Music Day.
Poignantly in June, we rang a quarter peal for Kerr. Kerr learnt to ring at Glasgow and was elected a member of the tower at last year’s AGM. He was really pleased to have been able to join us in the tower for the quarter peal despite his illness but he sadly died in July. We rang for his funeral in the Cathedral and appropriately raised a glass to him in the Bon Accord afterwards.
In September, we rang Ruby Delight for the 40th wedding anniversary of David & Jan Dobson, winners of a sponsored quarter peal arranged by Bishop Idris retired Bishop of Glasgow & Galloway for the Rotary Club.
At the end of September, we rang a quarter peal of Bristol Royal to say fare ye well to Sue Wilkinson – who was moving back to Yorkshire and to Jonathan Spencer, who had finished his summer studies at Strathclyde University. It was first in method for them both and a real achievement for the local band. We will all miss port & cheese parties at Sue’s Hobbit Hole and wish her all the best in her new job.
The local band has also rung three peals – in June, we rang to congratulate local ringer, Jennifer Tomkinson and her husband, Mike on their Golden Wedding Anniversary. In December, we rang 8 Spliced Major and in April, we rang the collection of methods know as the Nottingham Eight to congratulate Thomas & Inga from the Bon Accord on birth of their son, Thorfinn.
We have a Glasgow & Paisley Tower Outing to the Ringing Centre in Tulloch planned for September 2017.
Ruth Marshall