Ingredients:
4 Towers
17 Young Ringers
A few foolhardy adults
Method:
- advertise date to YR
- work out possible route, taking bus timings into account
- write to towers
- wait for answers
- receive various answers
- rejig routes…..
- request alternative towers
- arrange QP bands
- arrange tea facilities
- work out all bus routes and send “final” email
- madly try to re-arrange last minute QP venue amidst manic days of New Year, visiting family on South Coast and Wales (Many thanks to Tower contacts)
- Add in: one horrid lurgy!
- Penultimate day: work out adjusted bus routes and send final emails (again) to QP Band
- Drive back to Kent from West Wales (via Reading Rail station.. of course!)
Result:
All meet (on time) at first QP tower. YR from as far afield as Faversham, Westerham, Hadlow, Groombridge etc
Very nice P B Major rolling along happily until sadly stood up up just after halfway due to indisposition of one ringer (oh well…)
Walk and bus to next tower . Lovely crisp and sunny weather. Meet rest of party ( 2 unable to join us today). A variety of ringing. 1 handbell QP rung in body of church.
Try to get everyone out of church at end.. trickier than it may seem as the lavatories held a special appeal. Miss the intended bus…. but we have enough time, it seems, and arrive spot on time at Hayes to a very warm welcome, along with Jelly Babies and “Jelliatric” Babies (very tasty) courtesy of Graham. We raised a virtual glass to Dan’s parents, married here, and marked the occasion with Norwich, Cambridge, College Bob, along with Plain Hunt, P B Doubles, R & CC etc. The Youngsters arranged their own bands and ringing while we oldies looked on….!
Then we sallied forth to our final tower; this meant changing buses in the grand metropolis of Bromley, with its appealing shops and more…… ” Herding teenagers” was definitely the name of the game here! We finally all arrived to find the kettle and tea things ready for us in the comfortable room at the bottom of the tower at Beckenham and had time to boost energy levels before climbing the steps to the ringing room. And what a treat it was to ring here: we started off with our strongest band ringing Plain Hunt x9 and then swapped the others in, one or two at a time, so all but one rang plain hunt. They all rang various Call Changes. Then we rang a plain course of P B Caters….all 10 young ringers with hardly a blow out of place. It was soon time to say farewell to those who were not staying for the QP attempt and for me to listen from down below: 9 Young Kent Ringers and one Ben Legg ( definitely “young@heart”! ) rang a very nice Quarter of Plain Bob Caters:
https://bb.ringingworld.co.uk/view.php?id=1318155
Thank you so very much to everyone for their hospitality (especially Becca) and for helping me with all the arrangements and stepping into the breach to make this such a fantastic day. Jen Thomas