Due to popular demand, Strictly Come Striking is back for another season! 30th May, 2.30-4.30pm at Horsington.
Striking competitions can be a bit… So let’s scrub that. What we want is fun, ringing, and cake. Mostly the cake. The competition element is secondary. We have it only to help focus our listening to help improve our striking.
Ringing is a real skill but listening is a skill that’s just as important. Being able to hear your bell helps you place your bell. Well struck bells, fab-u-LOUS. Clashing bells, di-SAH-ster darling😊
We’ve ditched the professional judging panel. There’s no strikeometer. Instead, we all listen and score. It forces us to listen out for what works and what doesn’t, helping us improve our own ringing.
So, come as band – 6 bells. Prepare and practice striking together if you like. Or, come on your own or with a friend – we’ll mix and match people together to create bands on the day.
Most of all, it’s about fun, listening, and learning together. There’s no Glitter Bell trophy to take home 😊
Keeeeeep striking!
🎉 We did it! Not only did we ring all 44 full-circle towers but we also rang four chiming towers too – beating our target. Over 245 bells rang out across Cary Branch. Over 100 ringers raced across the branch showing that ringing is alive and well in Cary Branch!
It was a fantastic day to celebrate our bells, ringers, and all that’s good in our communities. 🥳
We were covered on the BBC Somerset website, our ringing appeared on that night’s BBC Points West evening news bulletin, and we were part of the BBC’s “The One Show” which hit prime time viewing on the preceding Friday night.
We had chimers aged <10, ringers in teens, twenties, and all the way through to 80+ . It's a rare activity that can bring so many people together. Indeed, we had ringers that took part from across the "border" in Mere, from Bristol, and all the way from Inverness!
Rev'd Guy Scott, the Master of the Association was also able to join us ringing at Ansford (on the oldest bell in the branch, c1350) and Castle Cary. He was able to present to Jenny Alderson of Castle Cary a framed certificate commemorating her 50 years of Association membership.
We were also able to wrap up the day with a successful quarter peal at South Cadbury to celebrate the event.
A big shout out to all the clergy, wardens, key keepers, and congregations who supported us on our way round – providing access, moral support, applause, cake, tea, and even prosecco (thank you All Saints, Castle Cary 😄).
Finally, a huge thank you to all the ringers, bands, and leads who made it possible to sound out our incredible bells across our branch and communities 👏👏👏
It was a ding dong of a day 🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔🔔😄
