Campton, Bedfordshire
17 Gravenhurst Road
Wednesday, 3 June 2020 in 2h 12 (14 in D)
5040 Plain Bob Minor
Seven different extents
1–2 Linda M Garton
3–4 David Kemp
5–6 John P Loveless (C)
Specially arranged in memory of Stan Ashton and Roy Webb, long-serving Bedfordshire ringers and great servants to the Exercise, who died recently.
Stan, who died on April 9, aged 86, learned to ring at Pirton in 1950 and was tower captain there from 1957 to 1959. His association with All Saints, Clifton, where he taught his daughter Ros to ring in 1973, started in 1972, and he was tower captain at Clifton from 1990 to 2017. He taught a band on the old ring of 5 at All Saints, Campton (not a task for the faint hearted) and he and his family contributed generously to the new ring of 8 in 2007.
Roy died on May 28, aged 87. He learnt to ring at Norton, Herts, in the mid 1940’s, with his first peal at Royston in February 1948. A highly capable ringer, particularly on 6 and 8, he rang 569 peals. Roy rang at Stotfold from 1968 for the rest of his ringing career. He achieved over 70 years membership of several ringing associations, including the Ancient Society of College Youths, collecting his certificate to mark his 70 years membership at last year's annual dinner.
Roy and Stan were true gentlemen who ran friendly towers that enabled others to progress their ringing and many will remember their contributions with gratitude.
The peal was rung fully socially distanced (not exactly something Stan and Roy would have wished for) and was the first peal at no 17, in the garden shed AND garden, an eclectic mix they might have quite liked.
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