A bright, sunny but chilly morning greeted us on Saturday 15th February for the District Practice at St. George, Gravesend. In stark contrast to the ‘norm’, we had one of the best attended District events for some time with at least 24 people coming along for a ring.
The 2 hours were filled with a good variety of ringing including rounds, call changes, plain hunting, Grandsire, Plain Bob and Stedman Triples, Plain Bob Major, half a course of Yorkshire Surprise Major and even a couple of goes at a course of Double Norwich Court Bob Major!
Everyone had the chance to have a good few rings, with those less experienced being assisted by others around the ringing chamber when required. The ropes were quite springy with the bells having not been rung for many months which proved to be a challenge to even the most experienced of ringers! Despite this, it was lovely to hear these wonderful bells ring out and to be part of a very enjoyable morning of ringing in good company.
Some clips of the ringing can be seen in the video below.
Next month’s practice is at Rodmersham (6) on 15th March – please put the date in your diaries and encourage people to come along for a ring. And if anyone want to try anything in particular, just let me know beforehand and I’ll make sure the opportunity is given.
Doug, Rochester District Secretary & Ringing Master
Note: if the video isn’t showing above, you may need an updated version of Adobe Flash Player which you can get here.