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THE SECRETARY'S UPDATE

February 2007

The Society has enjoyed another busy and successful few months since my last update.

Anniversary Dinner

By tradition, the first Saturday in November always features the Anniversary Dinner.  This year's event again took place at the Guoman Tower Hotel, and by all accounts it was a huge success.  The attendance (301 members and guests) was the biggest since the Society’s 350th anniversary in 1987, illustrating the Society’s current health.  We seemed to have sorted out most of the previous years' teething problems with the venue; the pre-dinner bar arrangements in particular worked much more smoothly. 

The events of the weekend are captured in more detail in the write-up by "Turning Course", which can be read in the Ringing World and elsewhere on this Web Site.  We are already making plans to return to the Tower for the 2007 Dinner, which we hope will be an equally splendid occasion.  Our two main challenges are to get the wine pre-ordering system right (much better this year, but still not perfect) and to shorten the length of the speeches, so as to allow more time for socialising afterwards.

New faces on Top Table

The November meeting saw Chris Kippin take over from Stef Warboys as the Society’s Master.  Stef’s energy and dedication have been immense; her achievement in ringing over 100 Society peals during her year of office is testimony to that.  We thank her again for her huge contribution to the Society's continuing success.  We wish her well as she returns to the Birmingham fold, although we are pleased that she is still a Tuesday night regular.  Peter Valuks (the Ringing Master at Southwark Cathedral) joined the Top Table as Junior Steward, with Mark Humphreys moving up to Senior Steward.  The Secretary, Librarian and Trustees were re-elected.

The other big change saw Andrew Stubbs leave the Top Table after 25 years as Treasurer.  Andrew has served the Society magnificently over that time; he has very much made the job his own and we will indeed miss his wisdom and experience.  The standing ovations which he received at both the Anniversary Dinner and the November meeting are ample tribute to the affection in which he is held.  We are planning to use this year's Informal Dinner as the occasion to mark his retirement; please put the date (Friday 11th May) in your diary.

The contest for Andrew's replacement featured two excellent candidates, with Phil Rogers ultimately being chosen over fellow Past Master David Hilling.  Phil of course is well-known to most of you and we are delighted to welcome him back to the Top Table.  He has already begun to get to grips with the Society's finances and to make changes in areas such as Gift Aid donations.  Electronic payments next, Phil?

St Mary-le-Bow

As reported in my last update, following Mark Regan's retirement as Tower Secretary and Steeplekeeper at St Mary-le-Bow, the PCC decided to select his successor through an open advertisement and interview process.  That process has now been concluded and Simon Meyer has been appointed.  We are delighted that the job has gone to a Society member and we are looking forward to maintaining (through Simon) the strong historic links between the Society and St Mary-le-Bow.

To thank Mark for his 25 years' service and to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the casting of the present Bow bells, we joined with the Church in an event held last Thursday (1st February).  The evening began with a Eucharist Mass, with the Ringers' Choir singing the "Bow Bells Mass" - a setting composed by the current Director of Music (Alan Wilson) based on the famous Stanford clock chime.  The Rector (George Bush) spoke of Mark's contribution and the place of Bow bells in the Church's life, and David Baverstock added to the atmosphere with copious quantities of incense.  Afterwards over 70 of us descended to the crypt to enjoy an excellent supper, plus free beer generously donated by Fullers.  Alan Hughes of Whitechapel regaled us with some fascinating stories about his family's involvement with St Mary-le-Bow, the casting of the bells and the subsequent work on the tower.  The Church presented Mark with a pair of silver cuff-links, and everyone went away happy.

Elections and deaths

We have elected 6 members since my last update, and it has been pleasing to welcome 4 of them (Daniel Smith, Louise Palmer, Ed Gosden and Phill Payne) to their election meeting.  To all our new members we extend a warm welcome.

Sadly we have also lost 7 members by death, including some well-known and long-standing members.  It is always invidious to single out individuals, but I'd like to make particular mention of Gerald Hemming (a real character) and Wilf Moreton, a true giant of the Exercise whose ringing career was cruelly cut short by illness.  Wilf's brother Michael paid eloquent tribute to him at the December meeting.

Ringing

There is usually a surge in Tuesday night attendance at the beginning of each Master's year, as members come to see how the "new boy" will fare.  This year has been no exception, and most practices have been well attended.  Chris's declared intention to have longer touches and to give all those attending a "fair crack" has at times made it hard to fit everyone in, but despite this we have managed some good ringing.  The focus methods so far have been Zanussi, Phobos/Bristol/Orion spliced and a new method - provisionally named Gracechurch Delight - which sadly came to grief at the first attempt, but came round at Bow last Tuesday (despite the challenge posed by the stretchy new ropes).  There has also been plenty of opportunity to ring simpler methods, with Stedman, Cambridge and Bristol much in evidence.  Zanussi featured at the Special practice at Cripplegate in January, followed by a creditable peal by a band of "Tuesday nighters" on the same bells.

In response to the apparent lack of budding Stedman conductors in London, Chris invited Paul Mounsey to hold a Tuesday evening masterclass to explain the mysteries of Stedman Cinques.  This replaced the scheduled handbell special on 23rd January and was attended by no fewer than 14 people - some hardly in the "budding" category - who declared it extremely informative and useful.  The plan is for the students to put their learning into practice at Special practices over the course of the year.

Other news

December featured the now-traditional Ringers’ Advent Carol Service at Cripplegate, with the Ringers’ Choir in fine voice and lessons read by representatives of the London societies, including our Master.  The service included the dedication of the new sharp 2nd and a touch rung on the light 8, which are already being put to good use (the first peal on them was rung by a Society band on New Year's Eve).  The Ringers’ Christmas Party at the Red Herring afterwards was hosted by the University of London Society; our thanks to them for facilitating a highly convivial evening.

The December and January meetings were both held at the Chamberlain Hotel, our usual venue (the Counting House) being unavailable on both occasions.  In December we had exclusive use of the bar area, which proved to be highly suitable, and we managed (just) to consume the stipulated £500 worth of food and drink.  Due to a mix-up in January, we were re-located to the Sovereign Suite downstairs; this was a little cramped, but otherwise serviceable.  All being well, we should be back in the Counting House for the rest of the year.

At the December meeting we elected Janet Carless and Andrew Keech as Independent Examiners.  Janet replaces Nigel Bailey, who was forced to stand down after only a year due to his recent move to Singapore; we thank Nigel for his contribution.  We also received a progress report on the St Magnus the Martyr fundraising appeal, including the pleasing news that the Past Masters have raised sufficient funds to buy the 7th bell.  A sponsored peal day is being arranged in the London area on Saturday 19th May to raise funds for the appeal; again please put the date in your diary.

The January meeting featured the annual reports of our Tower Officials - the appointed Secretary and Steeplekeeper at each of the towers which fall within the Society’s care (St Mary-le-Bow, Cornhill, Cripplegate, St Sepulchre and St Lawrence Jewry).  Matters arising this year included the faculty application for the new ring of 12 at Cornhill (we await the outcome with interest) and the news that several of the clappers at Cripplegate were badly in need of re-bushing (this work has now been done).  The Tower Officials do sterling work, much of it unsung, in both looking after the bells and maintaining relations with the incumbents; we are most grateful to them.

At the January meeting, we also received a report from Chris Rogers and Stef Warboys on the Central Council PR Committee's meeting to discuss the possibility of including ringing in the programme for the 2012 Olympics.  This is a long-term project in which the Society (in common with other London societies) has a major interest.  Our thanks to Chris and Stef for agreeing to remain involved in this initiative going forward.

Finally, January saw the broadcast (on BBC4) of Trophy People, the programme based around the 2006 National 12-Bell Contest and designed to showcase the British competitive spirit.  Stef Warboys was undoubtedly the star of the show and, despite its humorous and at times gently mocking tone, the view seems to be that overall the programme shows ringers in a positive light.  We are looking forward to competing in a more relaxed environment in this year's Contest eliminator at Saffron Walden.

Looking forward

Plans for the rest of the year are already taking shape.  Apart from those mentioned above, events to come include a long weekend in Washington DC in April, another midweek striking contest with the Cumberlands over two evenings in May and June, the Country Meeting in Exeter on 7 July and a peal weekend based in Leeds in August, as well as the main Peal Weekend in September.  More on all this next time.

Good ringing in 2007, and best wishes to all,

John Hughes-D'Aeth

June 2007

With the Newsletter safely in the mail (electronic or snail, according to preference) it's time to post another update on the Society's day to day activities.

Informal Dinner

Possibly the highlight of the last quarter was the Informal Dinner, this year held at the Hop Cellars in Southwark and additionally branded "In honour of Andrew Stubbs on his retirement as the Society's Treasurer".  No less than 110 people signed up for the event, including many old friends of Andrew's, some of whom are by no means regular attenders at Society functions.  The tables spilled over from the main Porter Room into the Malt Room next door.

A delicious meal was followed by the now-traditional musical interlude.  "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" was a predictable choice, spiced up with lyrics by Scurrulius Scribo.  The Master (Chris Kippin) toasted Andrew in verse and presented him with an antique print as a retirement gift, accepted by Andrew with a few well-chosen words in reply.  The drinking and merriment went on late into the night, with old friendships being renewed and new acquaintances forged.  A most appropriate tribute to a loyal servant, and an example of the Society at its convivial best.  My thanks to Becky Sugden and Martin Cansdale for all their help with the arrangements.

Gathering in North America

The day after the April meeting saw a group of Society members (led by Chris Kippin) head for Washington DC, where we were joined by several North American members for a weekend's ringing.  This was a follow-up from last year's trip to Toronto and is part of a growing trend of exchanges between the UK and North American branches of the Society.  Our programme (meticulously planned by Cecily Rock) included peals at the Cathedral, the Post Office (Bristol Royal, the focus method for the trip and Cecily's first in method), Frederick and Philadelphia, plus quarter peals, general ringing, a tour of the Capitol and much wining, dining and good fellowship.  Our thanks to Cecily for making all the arrangements.

A few of the party took the opportunity to extend their trip to Victoria and Vancouver, where they were able to join the locals in quarter peals and general ringing.  Again, by all accounts they were royally welcomed and enjoyed splendid hospitality.  We look forward to welcoming many of the North American (and other overseas) Members back to Blighty for UK08, which is currently being planned by Simon Linford; more details to follow in the next few months.

Projects

The St Magnus the Martyr fundraising appeal has continued to make excellent progress, with a couple of large donations helping it to reach 90% of its target.  As a result, the Trustees have taken the decision to place an order with Whitechapel for a 26 cwt ring of 12, with Gillett & Johnston profiles - a sister ring for the new installation at Crediton.  The faculty process will also shortly be put in train, with a view to the bells being cast by Christmas and hung by Easter 2008.

In support of the appeal, a Peal Weekend was held over the weekend of 19/20 May, arranged by David Dearnley, Gwen Rogers and Dickon Love and involving both Society members and others.  It was a great success, with over 30 peals being rung.  All the peal fees were donated to the appeal by the churches involved; we are most grateful for their support.  Many of those taking part gathered in the Paternoster on the Saturday night for a sociable evening's drinking to mark the occasion.

Frustratingly, the project for a new ring at Cornhill has been further delayed in the faculty process.  As readers will recall, the project (funded by Dill Faulkes) enjoys the enthusiastic support of the overwhelming majority of ringers, as well as that of the Rector and PCC.  However, a small number of objectors has succeeded in sowing sufficient doubt in the Chancellor's mind that he has decided to refer the matter to the Consistory Court for a hearing, probably in the autumn.  This is galling for both Dill and the Tower Secretary, Tony Kench, who has worked unstintingly to make and promote the case for the project.  We can only wait and see what the result will be - fingers crossed.  I will of course keep you informed of developments.

Elections and deaths

We have elected 8 members since my last update.  It has been pleasing to see many of them at their election meeting, including up and coming youngsters such as Tom Hinks, Will Bosworth and Dale Winter.  A warm welcome to all our new members.

The shocking news of the sudden death of John Leary cast a shadow over the April meeting.  John was a first-class ringer, a brilliant composer and a friend to many of us.  We also paid tribute to Deryk Bugler and Ray Baker at the May meeting.

Striking contests

The Society's band successfully negotiated the National 12 Bell Contest eliminator at Saffron Walden in March, finishing a close second behind Bristol.  We are now busy learning Superlative and practising for the final at St Stephen's, Bristol on 23 June.  Birmingham will no doubt be hot favourites again, but I have a hunch that the home team may prove a real threat this time.

The midweek contest between the Society and the Cumberlands has now become an annual event, and the first leg of this year's renewal saw the Society triumph over two courses of Stedman Cinques at Cripplegate.  The second leg - involving touches on 6 and 8 - is to take place at Spitalfields on 13 June.  The Society has also been invited to enter a band in the National Call Change Competition at Branscombe (Devon) on 1 September; please contact the Master if you would like to take part.

Ringing

February to April saw continuing high attendances at Tuesday night practices.  The Master's inclusive approach has proved popular, although at times managing the numbers has proved quite a handful.  Nevertheless some good ringing has been achieved, particularly at St Sepulchre and Southwark.  We enjoyed a trip west to St Martin-in-the-Fields in March (the ringing room full of scaffolding provided an extra challenge) and welcomed several Cumberlands to the Holy Week practice at St Mary-le-Bow.  We also rang a touch and drank the traditional toast in memory of Rev F Llewellyn Edwards on Shrove Tuesday.

The focus method for February and March was Gracechurch Delight.  Many members took the opportunity to learn and ring this new, but neatly structured method, culminating in a peal at South Croydon at the end of March.  Since then the focus methods have been Orion and (for obvious reasons) Superlative, plus Bristol/Orion/ Phobos/Zanussi spliced.  Stedman, Cambridge and Bristol have also continued to hold a large place in the repertoire.  A handbell Special in April saw an inexperienced band put up a creditable effort at Cambridge Maximus, and other Special practices over the last quarter have included Orion at Bow and Stedman at St Paul's.

As part of the strategy for managing practice night numbers, it was decided to hold an extra Special on the evening of the 1 May practice at St Paul's.  Typically, this coincided with the thinnest St Paul's attendance of the year so far (Chris was moved to comment that Governments often suffer a mid-term dip in popularity).  So, as Dickon was miscalling Lincolnshire at Jewry, the main practice began with Stedman Triples on the back 8.  Numbers eventually swelled to 16, but clearly the experiment hadn't quite worked and we'll need to do some market research before repeating it.

Library

Following the September 2006 meeting's endorsement of the Library sub-group's initial report, the Librarian brought to the February meeting a further paper seeking agreement to the wording needed to capture the recommendations in that report and to guide the Librarian's future work.  In the course of approving the paper, a discussion ensued about the policy to be adopted in disposing of unwanted items.  This led to a motion (which was passed at the May meeting) requiring all disposals to be first approved by a Business Meeting.  The general view is that this approach is sensible and offers valuable safeguards for both the Librarian and the Society.  It also produced an almost unprecedented show of unity among the Past Secretaries' Club.

The need to rationalise the Library has acquired greater urgency with the request from the St Paul's Cathedral authorities that we vacate the room below the ringing chamber by 1 October 2007.  This room has housed the Society's library for many years, but apparently the Cathedral now wish to convert it for use as a reading room.  The request arrived without warning and came as a shock to both the Librarian (who has been in regular contact with the St Paul's librarian) and the St Paul's ringers.  The Officers are currently considering possible alternative homes for the Library and hope to bring a proposal to a meeting in the near future.  If any of you has any suggestions, please contact the :Librarian as soon as possible.

Other news

At the March meeting we re-elected the Tower Secretaries and Steeplekeepers at the towers for which the Society is responsible (Cornhill, Cripplegate, St Sepulchre and St Lawrence Jewry).  A notable omission this year was St Mary-le-Bow, where - following the PCC's appointment of Simon Meyer as Steeplekeeper - there was felt to be no purpose in the Society holding an election.  A motion was therefore passed noting Simon's appointment, offering him the Society's support and suspending the rule requiring the Society to elect Tower Officials at St Mary-le-Bow for the time being.  Obviously we will do all we can to maintain relations with the Bow authorities, but clearly our position there has changed and the motion recognises this.

The March meeting also approved a grant from the Society's Bell Restoration Fund to fund the purchase of a new set of ropes for Cripplegate.  Work is ongoing to develop a medium-term plan for further work there, focusing particularly on the go of the bells and the ongoing issue of rope noise.  The BRF can expect a further call on its funds in the coming months.

The April meeting was a busy one and featured Phil Rogers presenting his first set of Accounts (actually covering Andrew's last year as Treasurer).  Phil has introduced a few innovations, including accruals accounting for the General Fund (starting in 2007) and a report from the Bell Fund Trustees (required by new Charity Commission rules, we were told).  He also proposed two motions authorising the transfer of funds between the General and Bell Funds.  The wording seemed very involved and I'm not sure how many of us really understood them, but they sounded like a good idea (something to do with charity law and saving tax) and David House told us to vote for them, so we did.  We also received the Peal Recorder's analysis of Society peals rung during 2005/6 (another record year with 290 in total, including 104 by Stef Warboys, itself a record) and a sample of books from the late John Illingworth's extensive library, presented to the Society by Clarke Walters on behalf of John's widow Linda.

Finally, at the May meeting, we congratulated the Cambridge handbell band (Philip Earis, Andrew Tibbetts and David Pipe) on their astonishing feat in ringing 72,000 Treble Dodging Minor.  Much has been written already about these three remarkable young men and their achievements.  All I need add is that they have simply wiped out all existing records and have raised the bar of long length ringing to a previously unimagined level.  They have certainly earned a full page in the Society's Peal Book, but they surely deserve even greater recognition.  We will see what we can do.

Looking forward

Plans are well advanced for the Country Meeting in Exeter on 7 July, a major peal weekend based in Leeds over the August Bank Holiday and the main Peal Weekend in September.  The 370th Anniversary Dinner on 3 November is also taking shape, with all our speakers now confirmed.  We hope to see many of you at one or more of these events, or indeed on a Tuesday evening if you find yourself in London.

Good ringing in 2007, and best wishes to all,

John Hughes-D'Aeth

October 2007

The temporary loss of one of our key communication tools (the Web Site) reminds me that it's time to post another update on the Society's day to day activities.

Exeter and Leeds

The summer months have featured two major "out of town" gatherings of Society members.

The first weekend of July saw around 100 members descend on Exeter for our first ever Country Meeting there. As usual, the weekend was prefaced by peal attempts on the Thursday and Friday, allowing us to sample some of the many magnificent rings of bells in the region. Evening gatherings in the cavernous Imperial allowed peal ringers and others to meet up, relax and compare notes. Dickon and Mark Humphreys were surprised to see themselves on the big screen in the re-run of "Trophy People" (the programme about the 2006 National 12 Bell Contest) as they arrived in the Imperial on the Wednesday night.

Saturday began with general ringing on the magnificent new 12 at Crediton, the recently-augmented 10 at St Mark's and the mighty Cathedral bells, where egos were massaged and Bristol and Orion rung in fine style. The Business Meeting was held in the Cathedral Chapter House, followed by a Devon call change competition - hastily moved from St Petrock's to St David's due to a clashing event. The locals duly showed us how it was done, but we novices would like to think that we didn't disgrace ourselves. The weekend was rounded off in fine style with a splendid dinner in the Great Hall of Exeter University, followed by much drinking and merriment. The whole event was meticulously planned and organised by Matt Hilling and was described by one Past Master as "one of the best Country Meetings ever". Our thanks to Matt and all those involved - a super weekend indeed.

August Bank Holiday saw the focus shift from the South West to Yorkshire. What started out as "a few peals and an informal gathering" became a large-scale event in its own right, with again around 100 Members in total taking part in a weekend of peals and conviviality based in Leeds. Jeff Ladd did an excellent job of matching peal towers to demand, despite one or two last-minute hitches; the Master organised the bands and cajoled Members to ring; Rob Childs arranged a splendid dinner on the Sunday evening, courtesy of his employers at the Royal Armouries Museum; Katie Town sold tickets and extorted payment with chilling efficiency; and the rest of the party concentrated on ringing and trying to drink the Palace out of beer. The eventual peal ratio (14 out of 20) perhaps indicates how much everyone enjoyed themselves! Another highly successful occasion; thanks to all who helped with the arrangements.

Striking contests

Unsurprisingly, the Society's band produced the slowest piece of ringing in the National 12 Bell Contest at St Stephen's, Bristol on 23 June. The churchyard judges were impressed, but the real ones placed us only third, behind Birmingham and the host team. Yet again it was a creditable performance, but we always seem to find one or two too good for us. Still, the day was as enjoyable as ever, and our thanks to the Bristol ringers for being such excellent hosts. We will need to put away Superlative and brush up on our Lincolnshire for next year's Contest. Mark Humphreys has taken over from David House as the Society's representative on the Contest Committee; our thanks to David for his contribution over several years.

The second leg of the ASCY/SRCY midweek contest (at Spitalfields on 13 June) saw the Society slump to its first ever defeat in the event, with the Cumberlands winning both the 6 and 8 bell sections to overcome a 1-0 deficit from the first leg. This has rapidly become a keenly-fought annual fixture, but numbers attending were down this year. We are planning to tweak the format slightly for 2008 to try and overcome this.

Peals

As usual, the third weekend in September featured the Society's Peal Weekend. This year's event did not enjoy quite such a high profile as 2005 and 2006, but the momentum from past years appears to have been maintained, with almost 50 attempts planned. Reports of peals rung and lost are still coming in, but it has clearly been another very good year.

Overall the high rate of Society peals over the last two years has continued, led by our Master, who has belied his advancing years (sorry Chris, that should read "taken advantage of being retired, but still young and fit") to travel considerable distances and ring peals with many Members around the globe, including most recently in Perth (WA) last weekend. Chris's mission is to beat the record (set by his son-in-law Simon Linford in 2005) of ringing peals with more Members than anyone else during his year of office. By all accounts, he is well on the way to achieving this.

Elections and deaths

We have elected 10 members since my last update, including two from Devon (Lynne Hughes and Roger King) who were present for their election at the Country Meeting. To all our new members we extend a warm welcome.

Sadly we have lost 9 members by death, including some very old stagers such as Bill Myers of Plymouth (aged 99 years) and Frank "Chutney" White of Appleton. The tragic death of Keith Buckingham in a car accident came as a particular shock; he had been very much looking forward to taking part in the Leeds weekend and will be sadly missed in the Lincolnshire and Shropshire areas.

Library

Following the notice from the St Paul's Cathedral authorities to quit the room below the ringing chamber there, our efforts have been focussed on finding a new home for the Society's Library.

Enquiries and discussions amongst Members and others eventually produced two options for consideration; either to house the Library in a new meeting room at St Sepulchre, or to hand it to the Guildhall Library for safe keeping. The alternatives were debated at length at the July business meeting, with the case for each being eloquently argued by their respective supporters. At the end of a high quality discussion, Members voted overwhelmingly for the St Sepulchre option.

Needless to say, there are strings attached. The new room (in the north-west corner of the church) is currently unfurnished, and the Society is required to provide lockable bookcases of a suitable quality to harmonise with and enhance the ambience of what will be a fine room. We are most grateful to those Members who have kindly offered to donate bookcases. The Society has agreed to make a contribution of £250 pa (indexed) towards the Church's running costs in return for the use of the space. We have needed to obtain a Licence to Occupy from the Archdeacon of London; our thanks to Tony Kench for arranging this. We have also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the PCC governing matters such as the term of the arrangement (initially 5 years), access, security and so on.

The Librarian (Chris Ridley) is currently in the process of sourcing bookcases. These will need to be "made to measure" in order to fit the available space and to meet our and the Church's requirements. To complicate matters, Chris has been incapacitated after breaking two ribs in a holiday accident. Partly for this reason, we have approached the St Paul's authorities and been granted a two-month extension of their original 1 October deadline. All being well, it is hoped that the physical move into St Sepulchre will take place by the end of 2007.

Projects

No more news of the Cornhill project, which is still awaiting a date for a Consistory Court hearing. This is most frustrating for the project's funder (Dill Faulkes) and for its promoters, who have worked so hard to make the case for a new ring at Cornhill. Meanwhile the proposal for a new 12 at St Magnus the Martyr is currently making its way through the faculty process. I hope to be able to bring you more positive news of both projects in my next update.

On a happier note, conditions in the ringing chamber at Cripplegate have been instantly improved with the removal of the water tank behind the 9th, which has been moved up to the intermediate chamber as part of the project to replace the Church's entire heating system. This will enable the ringing chamber to be re-decorated and the window behind the tenor repaired, since the hole for the vent pipe is no longer needed. We are also promised a new set of ropes at Cripplegate before Christmas.

Ringing

Attendances at Tuesday night practices over the summer have been more variable than in previous months, with very high numbers on meeting nights and some fairly thin practices in between. Nevertheless, some good ringing has been achieved and many Members have benefited from the chance to expand their repertoire. The focus method was Superlative until the 12 Bell Contest and since then has been Rigel, although the opportunities to ring it have been relatively limited due to the lack of experienced ringers. Stedman and Bristol have also been heavily rung. The annual Out of Town practice (this year held at Kingston upon Thames) was much enjoyed by those who attended, although again numbers were down on the last couple of years.

The summer's Special practices have seen some high-quality ringing. Two quarters at St Paul's Cathedral were among the highlights; the first (of Bristol, Orion, Phobos and Zanussi spliced) featured a fine performance by Steve Coaker on the tenor, whilst the second (of Bristol) allowed Matt Hilling to demonstrate his prowess on the box. Other Specials have taken place at Jewry (twice), St Mary-le-Bow and Cripplegate. A handbell Special in July saw a band including several novices struggle manfully with Superlative Maximus; it was a useful practice, although a quarter peal was beyond us.

Other news

The June meeting featured the report of the Society's Central Council representatives on this year's meeting in Cheltenham. By the sounds of it, 2007 was not a vintage year and there appeared to be a widespread view that the Council was in need of reform. Andrew Stubbs indicated his wish to stand down after no less than 33 years on the Council; we thank him for his magnificent contribution over that time.

June also saw David Baverstock tender his resignation as Tower Secretary and Steeplekeeper at St Lawrence Jewry. We wish him well as he leaves for Cambridge to train for the ordained ministry. Becky Sugden (Tower Secretary) and David Maynard (Steeplekeeper) were elected in his place at the August meeting.

Finally, in addition to the Library debate, the July meeting featured a discussion about the arrangements for insurance of the Society's property. It was ultimately agreed that we should insure only the mace head, the Master's badge and the four sets of handbells owned by the Society, since most of our other property would not be replaced if it were lost or damaged. This will lead to a considerable saving in premium costs. We have since had the mace head and Master's badge valued for insurance purposes; they have turned out to be more valuable than expected and we have also obtained some interesting information about the provenance of the Master's badge in particular.

Looking forward

Plans are well in hand for our trip to New York City at the end of October, closely followed by the 370th Anniversary Dinner at the Tower Hotel on 3 November. Tickets for the Dinner are still available from me (price £46 each). We look forward to seeing many of you there for what is always a highlight of the Society's year.

Good ringing in 2007, and best wishes to all,

John Hughes-D'Aeth