A fair bit has happened in the past 3 months at Harby!

We held a tower open day on 9th July. We took people up the tower to see the bells (as well as turning one over to show them what actually happens). We also gave them a quick handling session, and also demonstrated with some rounds and call changes.

The morning was quite busy, and we had 4 or 5 people interested in learning, as well as one former ringer who hadn’t rung for over 30 years, who showed that it’s just like riding a bike, by joining us for some rounds.  We thank the Guild for the loan of the notice boards and various promotional materials.

We had 2 weddings to ring for this summer, however before ringing for the second wedding, I had noticed a crack in the headstock of the tenor.  I marked the end prior to ringing,  just in case it was old, and nothing to worry about, however after the wedding, the crack had travelled further, so it was decided to stop using it.

The PCC gave permission to seek assistance, and Simon from the Bellfoundry came out to assess the situation, and after some heavy tools came out, the bell was very much tightened on its headstock, and went like a new bell! Further spraying and tightening of nuts and bolts was done at the same time. To date the crack doesn’t seem to have spread, so it may have been caught just in time.

HM Queen Elizabeth

On news of the passing of the Queen, I was able to toll the tenor on the Friday at noon for an hour.  As has been customary in Harby over the years, the invitation was made to anyone from the village come and have a go – and we potentially have another couple of recruits from this. 

The church held a memorial service on the Friday evening, and we were able to ring all 5 fully muffled for the service.  We also rang 5 on the morning of the funeral.

We have also just started a regular practice on a Thursday evening from 7:30 – 8:30.  To start with I expect this to be mainly bell handling for some time, as although there are now 4 residents who can ring competently, it makes sense to try to fast-track the learners to ringing on their own.  We are also keeping the muffles on for the time being to reduce the volume outside, as the village gets used to the bells being rung more often, after at least 20 years of hardly any ringing.

The future?

Having had a scare with the tenor headstock, we are now considering a restoration project to improve the go of the bells, and we are in the process of getting quotes for this. As anyone who has rung there will know, they are not the easiest bells in the area and could certainly do with improvement! It is noted that there is a space in the frame, so who knows with a generous benefactor, an augmentation may also be a possibility.

Jonathan Dickenson