My mentor Robert and I are fortunate to be part of a ‘benefice’ band which means that we get to run practices at two towers, Newton St Loe (6 bells) and nearby Corston (a very pretty light 8.)
Corston tower has for many years been run and supported by the Parfrey family. Grandparents Harold and Bette who had met through bell-ringing, (both now sadly deceased,) their children,
grandchildren and even one great grandchild have all been bell-ringers. Recently we have been really pleased to have had sisters Philippa and Helena Parfrey join in with our merry band.
Philippa had been taught to ring some years ago but had always been quite a nervous ringer and had not rung regularly. Helena had somehow managed to keep her head right under the ringing radar but one evening she arrived at the tower and said she’d like to learn. Helena was my first left-handed pupil which certainly kept me on my toes and kept me thinking! She picked it up very quickly and then both girls started to get interested in method ringing and were pleased to start collecting their ‘Learning the Ropes’ certificates and to be gradually working up through the levels.
We rang a number of quarter peals with the girls taking turns between ringing the treble and the tenor and the fantastic thing was for them to be able to ring as a family with their parents Debbie and David who had drifted away from ringing for quite a while.
L-R: Debbie, Helen, Phili, Nicki, Robert and David
Just after Christmas the sisters rang their first peal in fine style on the treble and tenor with Mum, Debbie, ringing her first peal on an inside bell. We rang it at nearby Farmborough – the tower where their Grandfather, Harold, had been taught to ring. Not to stop there, the girls have now both rung quarter peals on inside bells and last week they both went on to ring their first quarter on eight bells. It’s been a real pleasure for Robert and I to be a part of this progress and we’re proud to see what they have both mastered in a relatively short time. We’re looking forward to seeing what the band will go on to achieve during 2017.