With the start of the second heatwave of the summer I hope you are managing to keep cool. We can all think of Towers close by which are like ice boxes in the winter but now are a good place to keep cool in. I was recently ringing at Fovant, a tower near to Salisbury, which the locals avoid ringing at in the winter months, if possible, but was on this occasion a pleasant place to ring and not to feel too warm!
As many of you know, if I am not out ringing I am in the garden at this time of year and it is heartening to see the fruits of all the hard work put in earlier in the year. Aside from salad crops, beans and peas I am busy picking red and black currants, gooseberries, and loganberries and wondering if I can summon up the energy and find the time to make some jams and chutney in this heat. I fear most will end up in the freezer.
This month, on July 5th, Bertie, the ‘Go Bellistic’ mascot, with some of our Young Ringers, will be heading to Birmingham for the Ringing World National Youth Contest. The headquarters for the day will be St Martin in the Bullring, right in the heart of the city. It houses the UK’s only ring of 16 bells which all the young ringers will have the chance to ring. Besides ringing in the contest, the team will have the opportunity to ring on other bells in the city including some mini rings. We wish them well in the contest and hope they have a wonderful day under the watchful eye of Bertie. We look forward to hearing all about the day on their return. Thank you to Hilary Child for all that she does in preparing the youngsters for this event and also to parents and supporters for their valuable help and support throughout the year.
The following Saturday July 12th, I hope to see many of you at the Guild Novice Striking Competition taking place during the afternoon from 2pm at Motcombe. This is one of the few times that the whole Guild comes together and it is encouraging to hear that we have a good number of entries from around the Guild. The emphasis for the event is that it should be sociable and enjoyable with the opportunity to improve striking and for us all to encourage our Novice ringers.
Looking further ahead to August I hope to see many of you at the Open Day in aid of The Llewellyn Edwards Bell Restoration Fund (LEBRF) on Saturday 16th August. This year it is the turn of West Dorset Branch to organise the Open Towers. This is a good way for new ringers to experience a wide range of towers and bells and enjoy the lovely Dorset countryside while visiting some beautiful churches and ringing their bells. Full details of the day are available on the Guild website.
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Enjoy the summer whatever you are planning, and I hope to see many of you as I travel around the Guild.
Pat Davidson
Guild President
