​July started with an excellent performance of the Three Spires team entered by the Lichfield Guild in the Ringing World National Youth Competition held in London on July 6th. The team, including one of our youth ringers, Xavier, came third out of the fourteen teams competing. Well done!
The midsummer bellringing season began with rather a small turnout on our Thursday 11th July practice with only six ringers turning up. As those present were all familiar with ‘Grandsire Doubles’ the band concentrated on polishing up their grasp of this basic method.
Saturday 13th saw a depleted band of four ringing at St Cuthbert’s for the memorial service for Mary and Maurice Woodward, previously the Tower Captain at St Cuthbert’s, Shustoke.
Those at our Thursday 18th practice were held in awe by a very young ringer, 10 years old, who very shyly, but competently rang ‘Grandsire’, ‘Bob Doubles’ and a more complicated method, ‘Stedman’ faultlessly.
Roy, Doreen and Catherine from Kingsbury joined us on our last two sessions in July.
The resident band with an invited conductor,  Michael Chester, rang a Quarter Peal of 1260 Stedman Doubles in 43 minutes, before the induction service held on Tuesday 30 July, for Rev Mark Waterstreet as he took up the post of Rector of the Whitacres, Lea Marston, and Shustoke churches and Vicar of Dosthill, with other local ringers taking us up to the start of the service.
Newly inducted Mark, was ceremoniously handed the keys of the church and invited to chime the church bell which he did eight times.- Traditionally, this is the minimum number of years the new vicar can be expected to serve the congregation. 
On Friday 2nd August the group were pleased to be invited to ring for the wedding of Margaret and Simon. We wish them much happiness in their future lives together.
Our August Thursday night sessions were well attended with Jonathan progressing to ringing rounds and called changes and ringing his first full public performance for the Sunday service on the 25th August.  Well done!

The summer ringing season has been interesting, particularly the Thursday night practices which have to be tailored to the abilities of all who turn up. Quentin has to do mental gymnastics to sort out a programme to accommodate new ringers, returning ringers, bogged down ringers, advancing ringers and the experts. Throw in a couple of visiting ringers of unknown ability, and you have the ‘perfect storm’. However, every practice night is enjoyable and all members of the band are given the opportunity of advancement.
The rising stars are now extending their ringing experience, visiting local towers, Kingsbury and Tamworth on a regular basis, and joining the Lichfield Guild as part of their striking competition team.
On our 16th May practice, St Giles’ was visited by a pair of ringers, Lois and Stevan Kelly from Stockport who enabled our A team to ring a few methods, Kent, Oxford Doubles, and Cambridge  which are normally beyond our scope. A very fulfilling evening for all.
​On Saturday,1st of June, the band were privileged to ring for the wedding of Stephanie Terri Charley and Jack Robert Taylor, which was very uplifting. The band were pleased to be witnesses at such an important occasion and send their best wishes for a happy and joyous future.

​After a winter of intense ringing for Remembrance, Christmas, and New Year, we have now taken the opportunity to ‘spring clean’ the belfries and towers, particularly at St John’s in Lea Marston where crows nests were removed and their access holes through the louvres and parapet door were sealed with chicken wire. The parapet gutters were inspected and cleared, but a slippage of hip tiles from the north east slope of the belfry roof will need to be rectified. The usual crow nesting problem at St Cuthbert’s is evident with us being greeted by masses of twigs in the clock room below the belfry on our first April weekly winding session. The crow accesses here are more difficult to seal, being through the spire apertures.

Our Thursday practice nights at St Giles are very well attended with additional half hour beginners’ sessions being provided by Quentin and Xavier for new and novice ringers. The regular band are extending their repertoire with some exciting advanced methods, but it is encouraging to see the novice ringers joining in with the experts performing simple rounds and called changes.

​The band are extremely proud of Xavier, who had the privilege of ringing at St Martins in the Bull Ring at the beginning of April, and especially so, as he rang the heaviest bell of the sixteen, weighing in at 39 hundredweight, 1 quarter, 19 pounds.  (39cwt. 1qr. 19lbs) this is close to two tonnes! He must be one of, if not the youngest, to have mastered the St Martin's tenor.

The Tuesday night 8.00pm clock winding gang at St Cuthbert’s is regularly attracting more visitors who are welcome to visit the ringing room in the tower and help with the winding of the hundred year old clock.

​We started the winter season with a couple of us muffling the bells on Thursday 9th at St Giles in preparation for Remembrance Sunday which was on the twelfth. 
A band of seven, led by Hazel, grandma of the tower, performed the solemn muffled ringing very well. Even the church clock, which we had forgotten to silence, struck dead on cue, just before the bugler sounded the last post.
The Tuesday group which meets at St Cuthbert’s at 8pm to wind the clock,  rang at least three of the six bells after carrying out the weekly winding and tower maintenance tasks during November and December.
On Tuesday 21st we unloaded the stands ready for the Christmas tree installation and we were  joined by ‘Wooly’ who successfully chimed a bell….  Perhaps we have a new ringer?
On the 2nd December we joined the fieldpath team installing the trees in St Cuthbert’s.

Because of illness and family commitments we weren’t able to provide full bands for all of the Christmas Carol services, however, we rang the two bells at St Leonard’s and rang two bells at St Cuthbert’s before their Carol services. We did better at St Giles and rang five of the six on the Tuesday evening. A band of five rang at St Cuthbert’s on Christmas Eve at midnight and the year finished with a good turn out with a band of eight at St Giles to ring in the New Year.

After a busy year which included the Royal Funeral ringing tributes, the ‘Ring for the King’ campaign to encourage new ringers, the subsequent Coronation ringing which included a number of celebration ringing half marathons   -  (Quarter Peals) and a handful of weddings, - we had a rather quiet month in October. 
We took advantage of the lull to carry out essential inspections and repairs in the four Parish Church belfries.
At St Leonard’s, the two bells and ringing gear were checked and the clock bell hammer mountings were tightened.
At St John’s the three bells and gear, headstocks, bearings wheels and ropes were checked and it was noted that further attention to exclude crows was needed. Minor mechanical maintenance is required to the bearings and sliders.
The wheel and headstock to the tenor bell at St Cuthbert’s were braced and bolted to remove the backlash caused by the loosening of the wheel centre. Further clearing of nesting debris is to be undertaken.
St. Giles’ bells were found to be in good order.

The usual Thursday night practices at St Giles’ are eagerly attended by an increasingly skilled ‘masterclass’ band, but there is ample time and enthusiasm for more beginners. Spectators are welcomed.
The Tuesday night clock winding/ ‘bell turning over’ group at St Cuthbert’s manage to ring three or more of the bells most weeks and welcome any interested visitors. Access is by ladder.

We are now preparing for the solemn muffled ringing for Remembrance Sunday and in contrast, are looking forward to the Christmas ringing frenzy. We hope to ring for most Carol services in the parishes and then look forward to ringing in the New Year.