The Browning Society visited both Over Whitacre and Lea Marston churches today before travelling on to sample other three bell delights at nearby Wishaw and Middleton. The opportunity was taken to record the bells in their frame in action.

​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.

The bells were rung to ring out the old year and to welcome the new year in. Xavier rang the midnight tenor for the first time tonight and the band rang a rang from very good rounds and called changes to Stedman doubles as well as a super lower in peal at the end. For once after many years it was lovely to have more than six ringers present. Happy New Year to you all.

Maurice was a keen ringer with our band but was also in charge of Shustoke for many years. Whilst he has not rung with us due to ill health since before Covid prior to this he was a regular attender to both practice nights and service ringing at Whitacre. Our thoughts are with his family as they mourn his passing.

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. 

Seven ringers were able to ring for the service with some excellent rounds being completed and Hazel back ringing on a bell for the first time in a while after an operation. Well done to all.

1260 Plain Bob Doubles
​On Thursday 13th April 2023 in 45 minutes
1    Steve Collins
2    Helen Howell
3    Xavier Howell
4    David Jackson
5    Quentin D. Howell (c)
6    Mike Miller

Rung to celebrate the forthcoming Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III on May 7th.
First quarter inside for Third

Got passed two photographs today which have helped to illustrate the history of our church and bells. The first is an interior shot showing the rear of St Giles church before when the bells were rung from the downstairs. Although the image shows the newly installed electric lighting probably dating from the 1920's or 1930's it clearly shows the three bell ropes and the area as it was when the six bells were installed in 1977. The second shows a "swiftways" lorry collecting our bells from their original home church of Hampton in Arden circa 1975. This lorry was paraded around the village to show the inhabitants the new bells, hence the loudspeaker attached to the lorry cab. Interesting the bells still have their cannons and wooden headstocks so this shows the bells before they went to Taylors to be tuned and machined. My thanks goes to those who both loaned and found these photographs which have been added to the history area of this website too.

Once again a local band met to ring the New Year in as is tradition. Some good ringing was had especially the final leading down and our youngest ringer rang her first New Year in as a capable member of the band.