Category: Audio

Audio, Belfry News, Quarter Peal

Wimborne Minster Ringers’ Summer Outing 2025

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The Wimborne Minster Ringers’ Summer Outing 2025 was a weekend affair based in St. Columb Major. Fourteen members of the band headed to Cornwall at different times and from different directions, firstly for a peal attempt at Phillack on the Friday afternoon. Sadly, a surreptitious swap caused the attempt to fail, but there was time to complete a successful quarter of Cornwall Surprise Major on these delightful Taylor bells – followed by even more delightful refreshment at The Bucket of Blood. The area has plenty of attractive and varied accommodation available after the summer throngs have departed, and everyone found somewhere to suit their preferences.

Saturday’s ringing began at the lovely six in St. Erme, followed by the two towers in Truro – Kenwyn and the Cathedral where we were joined by locals Jo and Andy, and a very accomplished ringing quartet who happened to be holidaying in the area. After quickly getting accustomed to the long draught and distinctive acoustics of the Cathedral ringing room we rang some pleasantly fluent Stedman, Cambridge and Bristol Maximus – and a helpful foretaste of the bells for the 2026 SW 12-bell competition.

Lunch was enjoyed in several places around the city, before we all headed to Probus, St. Stephen in Brannel and finally St. Columb Major for three excellent eight-bell towers where we were able to practise a special touch of Grandsire Triples for the forthcoming Guild Striking Competition as well as exploring a variety of other methods – including a successful attempt at a ‘scat’ raise. The evening was rounded off with a lovely relaxed supper at The Ring O’ Bells and a presentation to Harry as thanks for organising a wonderfully efficient, enjoyable and successful outing. 

Audio, Quarter Peal

Funeral of Jim Sexton, Bell Ringer at Wimborne Minster

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James Sexton was a long-standing and loyal supporter of the ringing band, and wider Minster community, for well over fifty years.He was one of the ten ‘named’ Minster Ringers and regularly rang the sixth (Jim’s bell) to Grandsire Caters on a Sunday morning. During his ringing career he was for a time Tower Secretary and forever encouraging and helpful to younger members of the band. Although well into his eighties when the bells were augmented, he enthusiastically committed to twelve-bell ringing and was proud of his ability to master Grandsire Cinques. After the age of ninety, he came to the conclusion that the descent of 72 steps down from the ringing chamber was becoming unduly perilous, and he stopped ringing, but did not lose his social connection with the band. He chimed ‘his bell’ with the Rector (from ground level, see picture) at his last communion at the Minster before leaving Wimborne to join his wife Beryl (also a bellringer) for a Care Home in Bournemouth. Many ringers attended his funeral at the Minster, and a quarter peal was rung half muffled immediately following the service.

Extract from the Quarter Peal of Half muffled Grandsire Caters
Audio

Easter Sunday ringing

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It’s been just over 3 months since the bells were rung for a service (the last occasion being Christmas Day). But for such a special date in the Christian calendar, the Rector allowed 8 ringers up the tower to ring for 15 minutes to call the congregation to the Easter Day service.

A short touch of Grandsire Triples, a plain course of Stedman Triples, followed by a burst of call changes and our time was up. Rob Child made a short recording of the Grandsire which you can listen to below.

Roll on the end of lockdown when we can all be together again in the belfry!

Audio, In the News

Wimborne ringers on ‘Bells on Sunday’

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For those of us involved in the ‘exercise’, appearing on Radio 4’s Bells on Sunday programme is the bellringing equivalent of winning Britain’s Got Talent. Well, almost…

A recording of Wimborne Minster bells ringing Cambridge Surprise Maximus appeared in the schedule for the programme – with the first airing at 5.43am on Sunday 7th February.

Those of us who are accustomed to hitting ‘snooze’ on a Sunday morning these days (in the absence of having to get up for Sunday morning service ringing) will be pleased to know the programme is available on iPlayer and the BBC Sounds app for some months to come. You can listen to the recording here.

The ringing is from a recording taken by Rob Child of a quarter peal by an all-local band for the installation of Revd. Andrew Rowland. The band was as follows: 1) Katie Child 2) Rosemary Duke 3) Hilary Child 4) Trish Hitchins 5)Flick Warwick 6) Keith Fleming 7) Alan Bentley 8) John Riley 9) Graham Duke 10) David Warwick 11) Rob Child 12) Harry Blamire (C). Full details of the quarter peal can be found here.