The passing of Sue Philp on the 21st May brought much sadness to all who knew and rang with her, and is widely acknowledged to be a great loss of one of the most supportive and influential ringers in West Dorset.
Sue was born in Gosport, Hants in 1933 and, when war broke out, the family moved west. After school at Rookesbury, Devon and Blatchington Court, Sussex, she spent her agricultural practice year in Lillington, Dorset, then attended Studley Agricultural College. For the next 10 years, Sue worked as a relief milker around Cornwall, before meeting her husband David, and acquiring a farm of their own near Wadebridge with a much-loved herd of Guernsey cows. They happily farmed for 25 years, bringing up Sue’s two nieces, Caroline and Mary-Clare, and introducing farming life, sailing, wildlife and music to scores of children and foreign students.
In 1988, they retired to Chilfrome, near Cattistock where Sue created a breath-taking garden, joined local wildlife groups, volunteered at Kingcombe, and took up bell-ringing.
In 1991 the local team vicar, Tim West appealed for ringers to ring the 5 ringable towers in the Melbury team benefice. Sue and David were amongst 15 taught by a group of instructors from the Dorchester and West Dorset branches of the Salisbury Guild. A cluster group was formed crossing branch boundaries, a daring idea at the time. This group would ring at 2 towers on a Sunday and practice at Cattistock.
Sue and David rang a lot of quarter peals, many at Maiden Newton, Evershot and with the Melbury ringers at Cattistock. In 1999 they started peal ringing, progressing to multi Surprise Minor and 8 bell peals in Dorset and south Somerset, mostly conducted by Tim Collins. Sue rang 76 peals in all and over 250 quarter peals. In 2000 she was listed in the Ringing World as 6th in a table of people who had rung peals with 5 or more 1st pealers.
In 1998 she and David started a practice on Thursday mornings at Maiden Newton using a simulator that David had installed. On moving to Beaminster Sue continued this practice using the simulator at Bradpole. Sue ran ‘COOTS’ (Come Out On Thursdays) for 25 years; it still continues and is an important fixture in the West Dorset training cycle.
Sue was secretary of the West Dorset Branch for 10 years and Tower Captain at Beaminster. For her extensive service to the branch and its ringers she was awarded Honorary Life Membership of the Guild.
Concerned about her failing eyesight, and David’s declining health, they moved to Beaminster in 2007. David died four years later, but Sue, not one for stopping, continued bell-ringing, moth recording and became a volunteer gardener at Forde Abbey.
Sue was a woman of many parts: learning Spanish with weekly online conversation sessions; she learned poetry by heart “ to keep her brain active”; used Audible to access a wide range of reading matter which she would discuss and share with neighbour and fellow ringer Jill Parr and, as her eyesight failed and she had to give up tower ringing she continued to enjoy handbells having taught herself a few years previously. She was a keen naturalist, an accomplished gardener, a Christian, loved music and enjoyed sport.
When once asked what it was about ringing that she most enjoyed, Sue’s response was “Friendship, brain activity and gratitude for all the help I have been given”.
Sue died after a short illness on 21st May.
A memorial service was held at her beloved Beaminster church on 8th July with open ringing and a service touch of 360 Grandsire caters rung by a band made up of some of her many friends. Several other tributes, including a peal, were rung following her death which are recorded on Bellboard.
Many of us are grateful for Sue’s friendship and for all the help she gave to so many of us. She was an example to us all and will be long remembered.
