Despite missed and cancelled trains and an ailing car (which only got back to Dorset the next day thanks to a recovery truck), six young ringers plus parents and supporters gathered outside St Mary’s in the Lace Market church in the centre of Nottingham on Saturday 4th July for the RWNYC (the national young ringers’ day). We started with an unscheduled ring on the six-bell mini-ring outside; it had just been set up and those in charge of it were keen to test it out.
In contrast, we then enjoyed a brief ring on the 35cwt ring of twelve at St Mary’s itself, with Alastair ringing on twelve for the very first time. A short walk took us to St Peter’s, a 22cwt ring of twelve. Here we were with just one other group, so had time to ring call changes and plain hunt on eleven, as well as rounds.
Next, we took a 20-minute tram ride out to Clifton to get the minibus shuttle to the competition tower of St Mary’s. After a team photo, the test piece (120 changes, from rounds to queens to kings and back) was completed without incident and we then headed on the minibus to Holy Trinity, Clifton. Everyone enjoyed a bit of late lunch before ringing. The bells are a 3cwt ring of eight, cast by Gillett & Johnston in 1924. The treble weighs 0-2-8 (or 29kg) and has a diameter of only 13 inches. You don’t see that very often on a list of church tower bell weights! Luckily, all the bells have metal stays to minimise the chance of breakages. We had a really fun time ringing here, just with our group; the young ringers all rang a variety of bells (including the tiny treble) and the supervising steward kept us all entertained.
Then it was back on the tram to St Mary’s in the city centre for cups of tea, cake and our scheduled time on the mini-rings: We were pleased to manage plain hunt on five on the one outside and call changes on ten on the one located inside the church.
With everyone gathered in the church, it was time for the results and presentations. Having had a band member drop out a couple of weeks before the event, unfortunately we hadn’t had a practice with the whole band. It was disappointing, but not entirely surprising, to finish joint bottom of the advanced 6-bell call changes category but the judges’ feedback said, “the kings came up well and was enjoyable to listen to” and there were “some moments of good rhythm”. They praised the team’s “resilience and teamwork” and everyone came away with a lovely medal.
The band was:
- Esther (East Dorset branch)
- Alastair (Salisbury branch)
- Daniel (Devizes branch)
- Annabelle (East Dorset branch)
- Ben (East Dorset branch)
- Bobby (Dorchester/West Dorset branch) (C)
A big thank you to everyone who helped to make the trip financially possible. Next year’s event will be in Guildford, which is obviously much easier for our SDGR group. All young ringers in the guild are welcome to get involved in the day. The only rule is that participants have to be under 19 on 31st August 2027.
Hilary Child
Here are some links to other media taken on the day.
