BellBoard

A tribute to spiders everywhere.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

In thanksgiving for the life of Reginald A Dorling, lifelong bellringer and parishioner at Newton le Willows, who died on 2nd August.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

A Ruby Wedding compliment to Andrew & Janet White. First Surprise Major as Conductor.

2,100th peal: 8.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

Circled the tower twice: 1.

50th peal - 4; 500th together (allegedly) - 2, 8.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

1,600th peal: 1.

Rung to celebrate the forthcoming feast of St Bartholomew, on 24th August.

Also as a 102nd birthday compliment to Harold Parkinson, currently of Bacup, a former ringer at this tower.

700th together: 1 & 4.

Rung as part of the annual L

A compliment to John P Partington on his completion of 50 years as Ringing Master at this church.

50th peal together: 2 & 3.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

125th quarter on the bells - 2.

Rung to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the casting of the back six bells in the tower.

Also to mark the retirement of the Revd Iain Rennie, Vicar at this church for seventeen years.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

Congratulations to Robert Hutchings, son of the treble ringer, and Dominic Holden, nephew of the fifth ringer, on their respective A-level successes.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

Get well wishes to Robin Craddock.

First surprise major: 7.

Circled the tower: 1.

200th for Association: 3.

Most methods as conductor. Circled the tower - 2.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

Dedicated to the memory of Geoffrey Fothergill, former Tower Captain at this tower, who was the instigator of, inspiration for, and, for many years, the organiser of the Lancashire Peal Week.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

Rung in memory of Frank Tomlinson, QPM, former Police Chief Superintendant on Bury Division (1966-1981), who died three days previously.

Rung as part of the annual Lancashire Peal Week.

21st birthday compliment to Sam Haste.

1st of Stedman for the 7th ringer.

Rung immediately following the wedding of Stuart and Leanne Howarth.

For practice.

Rob's birthday peal.

100th peal together: 4 & 7.

400th tower-bell peal: 6.

Rung prior to the service to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Rev Mark A Jones as vicar of Padiham.

First peal in the method by all except 3,6,10.

Compliment to James Marchbank and Ben Hockenhull on their wedding at Manchester Town Hall on Saturday 3rd September.

Arranged and rung to wish Garry Peel a happy 30th birthday.

50th peal on the bells.

300th for the Association: 8.

Rung for the Ludlow Food Festival.

First peal of Bristol S Royal on the bells.

Rung in memory of Frank Tomlinson QPM, 1926 - 2011. Chief Superintendent Bury Division 1966 - 1981. An outstanding commander and gentleman.

Rung to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Ordination of Rt Revd John Goddard, Suffragen Bishop of Burnley and resident of Tarleton.

1st in method: 5.

Rung on the front 6 to wish Jack all the best as he moves to pastures new. Keep ringing Jack!

First quarter peal by a local Sunday service band for a long time.

First quarter-peal as conductor

First quarter-peal 'inside': 3

Ruby wedding anniversary compliment to Les and Margaret Kott, married in this church on 11th September 1971.

With the best wishes of the band and ringers at Stand to Catherine, our associate priest, and David on their wedding day.

Rung in memory of Frances Mary Latham 1920-2010, former tower captain, mother of 2, aunt of 6.

Also remembering her husband Richard Latham 1913-1972, former tower captain, on their wedding anniversary date.

First peal as conductor.

To celebrate 40 years living in Liverpool: 1.

Most methods: 2.

50th quarter - 5.

Rung to mark the opening of the "Come Home" art exhibition in the church.

Rung as a 21st birthday compliment to Ryan Battersby of Westhoughton.

200th peal together: 1,7.

Rung after morning service for Patronal Festival.

First peal of Lincolnshire S Royal: 2, 7.

1,250th peal: 6.

On the back 8

First in method 2, 3, 4, 6

First Quarter 1

With many congratulations to Kenneth and Sybil Edwards for their Golden Wedding anniversary on 30th September.

For Choral Evensong with the installation of Rev'd Dr Shannon Ledbetter as Community Canon.

Owen's birthday peal.

250th peal for the Association: 8.

First peal of Bristol S Royal for 38 years: 7 (welcome back!).

Rung in thanksgiving and celebration of the life of George Warburton 23.04.35 - 23.10.11.

First peal as conductor.

Rung to celebrate George and Pauline's 33rd wedding anniversary.

First peal in the method.

Evergreen A Major:

3-3.6-56-6-2-1-5 lh12 (e)

Rung as an 18th birthday compliment to Michael Jones (Mottram).

First of Grandsire:- 3. A 70th birthday compliment to Paula Bento.

Umpires: D Robert Pettifor, R Owen Battye and Pauline Campling.

Longest peal on the bells and in the method.

50th peal on the bells: 5.

Rung to celebrate the birth of William Lawrence Harvey Houghton on 13 October 2011, first grandchild for Marion Lawrence.

First in the method for the whole band.

Rung to mark the 150th anniversary of the granting of a Charter of Incorporation to the town of Burnley by Queen Victoria on 24th October 1861.

Ormerod Road S Major:

56-56.4.56-56.3-4-5.4-2.5 lh18 (l)

Rung in memory of Stanley Jackson, lifelong member of this church and churchwarden for 30 years, who died on 30th October, aged 91, and whose funeral took place in this church earlier in the day.

Has circled the tower to peals: 3.

Rung in memory of Mrs Joan Barton, who died on 4th April 2011. A dearly loved Mum and Mum-in-Law to the ringers of 1 and 5.

Also first quarter in the method by all the band except the conductor (7).

Rung for baptism of Hermione Grace Warburton, Connor Ellis O'Kelly and Callum Benjamin O' Kelly (Daughter and Step-sons of 8).

For evensong

First peal in the method.

Proper Job A Major:

34-5.6-36.1.36-1.36-2.7 lh12 (C)

Rung half-muffled for Remembrance.

"When You Go Home, Tell Them Of Us And Say:

For Their Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today".

Rung on Armistice Day in celebration of peace following the two World Wars.

For Remembrance Day.

2,150th peal and 250th peal in hand as conductor: 5-6.

Rung for Remembrance.

Rung half muffled in memory of Peter Furniss' old knee.

First Grandsire - 3

As part of Branch Quarter Peal Week.

Rung half-muffled prior to Evensong for Remembrance Sunday.

First Q: 1

Rung half-muffled for Remembrance Sunday

Rung half muffled following the Service of Remembrance.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the conductors first peal - Bob Minor, rung on these bells on Remembrance Sunday November 14th 1971.

1,000th peal of Minor: 5-6.

Rung for the 60th anniversary of hallowing of the bells.

Also rung to congratulate the former Dean of Liverpool, Justin Welby on his forthcoming enthronement as Bishop of Durham.

Circled the tower to all 14 positions: 1.

Rung for the Bolton Branch A.G.M.

Rung for the Installation of Honorary Canons at Evensong.

In memory of Nicholas Helliwell, former ringer and organist at this church, friend of a number of the band and conductor of John's first peal.

Rung for Christingle Service on Advent Sunday.

1st inside & 50th birthday compliment - 2

200th peal together: 7 & 8.

On a dark and stormy night in November 1961 two fourteen year old school friends who happened to be choristers at different churches were chatting to a couple of girls at the youth club, in conversation it turned out that the girls were both bell ringers. Of course the topic of conversation eventually turned to wedding payments. The bell ringers were paid 15/- (75p) per wedding, choir boys were paid 2/6d (12.1/2p). This called for further investigation!

So it turned out that on 27th November two shy, nervous teenage boys ventured up the tower at Saint Michaels Church, Flixton.

Progress was slow as Flixton was rather a ‘stoney’ tower in those days, but the boys stuck to it, the promise of payments considerably more than pocket money being a great incentive to progress (added to which their voices had pretty well broken). There was also a bequest paid annually to the Eight Principal Ringers and it wasn’t too long before the boys were able to ring the tenor behind sufficiently well to each be made ‘Half of a Principal Ringer’ and it went without saying that the Bell Ringers Pew behind the choir stalls had two new occupants at both services each Sunday, the boys being used to singing in the choir previously had no problem with that arrangement.

So it came to pass, the boys, along with three Flixton ringers of considerable experience (ahem)! A couple of old friends, and a mere youth assembled in Flixton tower to celebrate the 50th anniversary of that momentous day with a quarter peal of Plain Bob Major.

The quarter peal was rung befor the Advent Carol Service

The band would like to associate the quarter with Susan Sharrocks (nee Mitchard), one of the said girls who now rings at Sedbergh. The late William (Bill) H Riddle, and the late Rev. Douglas Burnett who both did so very much to turn Flixton ringers into one of the strongest eight bell bands in the area of the 1960/70’s.

Arranged to celebrate 50 years ringing by 5 & 8

It is estimated that there was almost 400 years of ringing experience in the tower for this quarter!

Rung for the Patronal Festival.

1,200th peal together: 3 & 10.

First in the principle - 4 and 5.

50th quarter this year - 9.

For the annual Whalley Pickwick Night.

First in the method: 2,5.

500th for the Association: 6.

Circled the tower as conductor.

Rung for Evensong, and to mark the tenth anniversary of the appointment of the Very Revd Christopher Armstrong as Dean of Blackburn.

200th peal together: 1,4.

First peal in the method (previously rung in 23-spliced on 31 Oct 2011).

Rung prior to the annual NHS Carol Service at the Cathedral.

The band consisted of an operating theatre sister, a dentist, a surgeon, an oncologist, an anaesthetist, a pain specialist, three general practitioners and two patients!

First Surprise as Conductor. For the Carol and Punch Evening in the Church.

Rung to celebrate the birth of Miranda Erica Marjorie James, born this morning. Third niece for the 2nd ringer.

First in method - 2.

Rung in fond memory of Bill Millington, former ringer at St Helen’s.

Also wishing Bill’s wife Kate, well on her recent move back to Cheshire.

1st as conductor.

Rung as a 1st birthday compliment to Isla May Battye.

To mark the tenth anniversary of the second ringer’s first peal.

First of Yorkshire 3 & 4.

Circled the tower: 3.

50th peal for the Association: 4.

First peal in the method: 2,7,8,9,11.

50th peal on the bells: 1.

In memory of Peter Midwood, 1954 - 2011; a ringer at Kendal since 2005. On the front six.

Rung in celebration and thanksgiving for the life of Don Sutton.

Also rung to mark the 40th anniversary of the first peal on the bells.

Completes Standard Eight: 3.

200th peal together: 1,8.

First peal at first attempt: 2.

100th peal: 1.

Rung by tutors and friends of the new band at Up Holland.

A significant birthday compliment to the tenor ringer.

300th together: 6 & 8.

For Christmas.

Rung on the conductor's birthday.

First peal in the method.

Dordrecht A Major:

-3-456-56-1-34-5.6.7 lh12 (b)

To welcome Olivia Josephina Ramirez born on 22 December 2011 - first great granddaughter for Celia.

First quarter in method - 2

Rung to celebrate the birth of Jack Thomas Mitchell, born 21.12.2011, great nephew for Lenard J Mitchell.

First of Yorkshire Major:3

First peal in the method: 5,7.