Our September meeting was at Kislingbury, now with a splendid toilet facility in the north aisle. Richard Hartley chaired the meeting because the chairman and ringing master were ringing for a late wedding. Gaynor Yates was elected a new member for Hellidon and £150 was voted towards new ropes for Whilton. There were 14 at Holy Sepulchre, Northampton in the evening, but one short for Superlative which Mary Horsley had spent the afternoon revising.

There were six teams for Alan Marks and Brenda Dixon to judge at our five-bell striking competition at Hellidon in October. The collection raised £75.75 for the Guild Bell Fund. Teas made a profit of £99 for the stained glass window repair fund. Weedon won the Ron Woodward trophy, with Badby as runners-up. Later, 12 rang at Southam followed by a ‘welfare’ stop at The Countryman, Staverton.

The chairman and ringing master also missed the November meeting. Tea was in Byfield church benefitting from the new heating system. Money was voted to Byfield, Staverton and Dodford for ropes and repairs. Evening ringing was moved to Whilton because Cropredy could only offer their simulator.

Great Brington attracted 30 in December before 41 assembled at Heyford for ringing, tea, meeting and the carol concert. The meeting was short, despite the chairman, but time was filled by drawing sixteen prizes for the branch bell fund raffle raising £44. The Revd Ann Slater led prayers and started the programme, prepared by Janet and printed by Gwynneth, which flowed through 11 carols and 13 performances. The Braunston sketch highlighted Alice the computer and the Heyford one, three burly health and safety inspectors who dampened the carols sung sweetly by Shirley and Sarah Waterhouse. A tall disgruntled elf from Byfield incited us to Unite! Hugh and Deena served mulled wine with mince pies, afterwards.

The annual general meeting, postponed from January due to treacherous frozen roads, was held at Braunston in February. Forty three attended the service, led by Rev Claire Rose-Casemore and accompanied by Michael Haighton on the organ. A good tea was served in the vestry by the local ringers. Officers and committee were thanked, especially retiring member Jill Harvey for her work and a presentation of Bells was made to Ted Garrett to mark his retirement from the branch committee – see photo by Colin Anderson. Ted joined the Guild in 1946, was on our committee from 1954, branch ringing master from 1960-2, branch chairman 1964-89 and committee member again from 1993 and branch rep. for the Guild 100 Club. Ted, still the Guild’s Peal Secretary, was made a Life Honorary Member by the Guild in 2004.

Graham White had his moment of glory in the chair and the officers were re-elected and additional branch committee members are now Dan and Fliss Lister, Gwynneth White and Alison Willgress. Two items enlivened the gathering. The branch ringing master described the afternoon’s ringing as appalling, and Ian Calvert raised the retired members subscription rate. Apologies were given to Peter Clifton who had put the lights out at Long Buckby when the first of 14 of us arrived late for evening ringing.

QUARTER PEALS
Did you see the article in the Ringing World about the learner who discovered that what she had heard for some time as ‘court appeals’, turned out to be quarter peals!

Everdon bells were very active last Autumn. The village band rang a quarter peal for a christening on September 13. Rhona Anderson conducted Plain Bob Minimus (first as conductor) with Alex Libby ringing his first quarter – on the tenor behind. Anne Ford, Colin and Rhona Anderson rang Grandsire Doubles on Trafalgar Day, conducted by our Guild President. On October 4 there was a traditional harvest quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles rung by friends of the late former tower captain and branch steward, Chris Dalton, conducted by Chris Pickford. Then Rhona was inactive for three months after an operation on her foot!

A quarter peal of Grandsire Triples was rung in thanksgiving for the life of Jan, Peter Clifton’s wife, on September 4 at Weedon by friends and conducted by Colin Lee. The start was somewhat delayed by your correspondent being at the wrong tower at the wrong time! A branch quarter peal of Yorkshire Surprise Royal was rung at Daventry and in memory of Joan Calvert, Ian’s mother on September 13. Ten days later Charlotte Wilkins marked her departure to Lancaster University by conducting for the first time a quarter of Plain Bob Doubles at Bugbrooke. Peter, her father, rang the treble for this, his first. The October branch quarter was Double Norwich Court Bob Major at Kibworth Beauchamp conducted by Ian Willgress. Congratulations to Hilary Aslett who rang her 750th quarter peal on October 22 – Double Norwich at Easton Neston.

To occupy time before the evening Guild Quiz on October 31, a quarter peal ¾ day started with the organiser forgetting and arriving very late. This omen preceded three of the four being lost. Only Plain Bob Minor at Badby came round at the right time, having withstood a visit from a churchwarden and friends! It was Christine Rodhouse’s first inside to minor.

On November 5, Staverton practice became a quarter peal of Reverse Canterbury and Bob Doubles conducted by Phil Saunders. The change of method was described ‘as smooth as a vintage wine!’ The November quarter was of excellent Plain Bob Royal rung in 52 minutes for Remembrance Sunday, conducted by Ian Willgress. This was the first use for a new set of ‘Uncle Wilf’s’ muffles. A half-muffled quarter on November 12 at Heyford was rung in memory of a former headteacher of Daventry Grammar School, Denis Weaver. A quarter peal of Cambridge on November 16 at Harpole celebrated the birth three days earlier of a second granddaughter, Charlotte, for Bridget and Graham Paul (conductor). Dan Lister rang his first quarter peal on November 18 at Pattishall – treble to Plain Bob Minor. Fliss Lister rang her first on December 4 at Long Buckby, by ringing the treble to Plain Bob Triples, conducted by Richard Waddy, with husband Dan on the tenor – his first on eight. Both were rung within a year of first touching a rope. The first-Sunday in December quarter peal was of 4-spliced surprise major at Long Buckby in a speedy 43 minutes. In January, it was Yorkshire Surprise Royal at Daventry again and in February, at Byfield, first inside to Grandsire Triples for Colin Anderson. These were conducted by Ian Willgress.

SOCIAL
On September 12, Ian and Alison Willgress raised over £200 for historic churches by walking 13 miles to the branch meeting and visiting 11 churches.   Peter Wilkins cycled 25 miles to visit 12 churches. He raised £110 on, this, his and Angela’s wedding anniversary. They were married at Kislingbury, and a copy of their wedding service sheet was spotted, still pinned to the wall.

Barby Sporting Club was the venue for the branch dinner on October 3. Thirty-three ringers and families enjoyed a filling meal. Janet set up an old photographs competition between courses. There were 29 photographs showing diners in former years. Gwynneth White won by getting under 50% of the 29 photographs of diners correct! Quite a few wrong-sex answers were revealed!

PEOPLE
Stan Ruddlesden went home from months in hospitals on September 21.  Stan has been able to return to ring at the ground-floor ring of Weedon but suffered a fall in January.

At the deanery service at Kislingbury on October 1, Sarah Waterhouse from Nether Heyford was confirmed. The bells were rung by the local ringers supplemented by Sarah’s supportive contingent from Heyford.
At his original home tower, Bugbrooke, Ken Ramsbotham organised a quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles, conducted by Jim White, on October 10. It celebrated the lives of Ken’s parents, Etty and Ken, who died in July and January 2009 respectively.

In November, Rosemary Davidson celebrated her 80th birthday by ringing at Hellidon for the first time for several months.

Harold Thompson had a couple of operations around Christmas and got back to ringing in February.

TOWERS
Fifteen ringers from Daventry and five villages rang the ten bells for the deanery Advent Carol service. On Christmas morning, eleven turned out in the slushy weather to ring. At Dodford the architect has stopped ringing until the loose plaster on the wall alongside the 3rd and 4th ropes is removed. Richard Hartley still indefatigably organises ringing practices at Staverton on Monday mornings and Thursday evenings. As a pay-back to the village, twice monthly Sunday ringing is by the Farthingstone ringers who are currently without their own bells. The Braunston team took over on the Sunday when the sole Daventry Team service was there. We understand that the new vicar for Welton learned to ring in Wales but had to give up after a car accident. We hope to have her restored! The old year was rung out and the new year in at Badby, Barby, Braunston, Heyford and Litchborough at least. Several snow storms and freezing side-roads caused a few practices and Sunday ringing to be cancelled.
Geoff Pullin