Annual General Meeting of the Bellringers

St. Julian’s Church Wellow

Friday 10th January

Present: Brian Sutton, Richard Holland, Clover Holland, Gordon Hewlett, Geoff Pike, Colin Tremellen, Jill Tremellen, Joss Binns ,Janet Plater Michael White, Bert Fulton, Jenny Barr, Pam Pike

Apologies received from Sue Nandi, and Jill Oatley.

Minutes of the last AGM were agreed, there were no matters arising.

Tower Master’s Report

We are pleased to have welcomed new members to the Tower this year. These are Mike White and Jill Oatley - Mike being an experienced ringer whose skills are very much appreciated and Jill who had not rung before and has made great progress in the few moths she has been coming. Our grateful thanks go to John and Peggy Fray from Marskbury whose great experience and teaching skills have brought us all on well with a band now capable of ringing Plain Bob Doubles and Grandsire Doubles. Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to John who is still recovering after his prolonged time in hospital in the latter part of last year. We look forward to the time when John and peggy are able to join us again.

Brian has continued to inspire and instruct the Tower towards greater skills with his great patience and sense of fun. Gordon and Geoff have performed sterling work in maintaining the Tower as our redoubtable Tower Keepers.

The annual bellringing tour took place in June and our thanks to Jill for her work in contacting the various towers and making the necessary arrangements. The tour visited the Towers at Horsley, Minchinhampton, Leonard Stanley, Eastington and Cam with lunch being taken at The George Inn in Frocester. This proved to be a highly enjoyable and successful tour.

On a couple of occasions this last year the Branch has met at Wellow for their Branch ringing which have been rewarding and fun. The Branch proposes in future to arrange branch ringing to coincide with the various practise nights of Towers throughout the branch.

Our aim this last year was to fund raise for the badly needed new bellropes. This was achieved by the introduction of a £1 practise night subscription and the extreme generosity of Geoff and Valerie Pike and their daughter Mandy's offer to host a Bellrope Appeal Lunch on the 17th Novenber 2002 - the day after the new bellropes were installed.

The Lunch raised over a third of the required sum of £623.06. Fantastic. Not only did we raise the required amount but also managed to pay all the members branch annual subscription fees and purchase 3No Steve Coleman reference books on ringing and still be left with a few shillings in the pot.

All in all a very successful year on which to build.

Towerkeeper’s Report

Three problems dealt with

The Tenor clapper swing has not been satisfactory since its repair in 2001. The spring has now been removed and polished it is not a complete solution.

A new wider staple would help, as would a hard metal brush or a needle bearing.

Project for coming year: Another coat of paint to the metal parts & explore a solution for the tenor clapper.

Treasurer’s Report

We started the year with £56.00. Income from weddings, visiting ringers and not least the band’s £1.00 a practice, had enabled us to spend £623.00 on new bell ropes: special thanks to the Pike family for the excellent money raising lunch they gave us all in the autumn which had contributed at least a third towards the funds. We had money left over to buy some ringing books which are currently in the Tower for anyone to borrow. It was agreed that our present policy of £1.00 a ring on practice nights should continue. We ended the year with £12.00 in the account.

Bellringing Tour

In June fifteen of the St. Julian’s Band travelled to Gloucestershire for their annual Bellringing outing. We chose five churches on the edge of the Cotswolds and rang for about half an hour in each. We saw some beautiful villages and were welcomed by by enthusiastic bellringers who let us into their towers and explained the eccentricities of their bells, we rang from high towers, and short towers and even from the middle of the church. An excellent lunch at a pub that had been recommended to us from a Tower Captain in Cam called Mr. Dingle. The lunch happily coincided with the England v. Argentina World Cup Match

2003 Plan to tour in Wiltshire perhaps around the Deverills.

ELECTIONS

Election of Tower Master Richard Holland was elected.

Ringing Master Brian Sutton

Election of Tower Keepers: Gordon Hewlett and Geoffrey Pike were elected

Election of Treasurer Clover Holland was elected.

Election of Secretary Jill Tremellen was elected.

Membership of Bath and Wells Diocesan Association of Change Ringers Branch meetings are to be held on the practice nights on which the resident band ring, to encourage a wider range of people to attend. The Association is host this year to the Diocesan AGM. Wellow tower will be open on Easter Monday from, 9.30 – 10.30 as part of the AGM.

Sunday Services To continue to ring for the 11.15 services and miss the third Sunday 9.30.

Practice Night To continue as Friday, but to try and substitute another church if there were too few ringers. Learners to come at 7.00 in order to have half an hour dedicated ringing time. Brian offered to teach. Camerton tower is short of ringers on Tuesdays.

Projects for 2003

A rope is needed as a guide up the Tower to act as a baluster.

A photograph to be taken of our Tower Keepers at work on the Bells and sent ,with an article, to the Ringing World.

Repaint the ringing Chamber perhaps in time for Easter Monday

Start works on making new mats.

Muffles to be saddled soaped.