University Ringing Update!
Apologies for not getting this out sooner – I got delayed by baby stuff!
UNIVERSITY RINGING SOCIETIES IN THEIR OWN WORDS 2017: www.universityringing.org
Llanbadarn Fawr ringers (formally Aberystwyth University Society Change Ringers)
Llanbadarn Fawr ringers warmly welcome student ringers and those interested in having a go!
Please join us on Thursdays from 19:30-21:00 and afterwards for a drink in The Black Lion. Sunday service ringing is from 9:15-10:00 and we follow this with breakfast at Wetherspoons and a stroll along the promenade. We maintain strong links with the Welsh Colleges and join them on tour whenever we can!
Please contact Tower Captain, Bob McIntyre or Secretary, Victoria Evans.
Victoria Evans – Secretary ( / / universityringing.org/auscr)
Bangor Student Society Change Ringers
BSSCR is a small group that runs alongside local ringing. The day and time of practices vary depending on current membership, but are currently on Wednesdays or Saturdays. Ringing is at Llandegai, a few miles outside of the city, but transport can be provided. Students are also made welcome at nearby Beaumaris and Llandudno. All are welcome – experienced ringers and anyone wishing to learn. There is significant scope for development of the group depending on how active members wish to be.
Llandegai Bell Ringers – Bangor Student Society of Change Ringers ( / universityringing.org/bsscr / facebook.com/Bangorbellringers)
Birmingham Universities Society Change Ringers
Much like the University of Birmingham’s admission policy, BUSCR welcomes all student ringers unconditionally from any of the higher education institutions in Birmingham. At the centre of BUSCR are three fundamental “B’s”: Banter, Banter and Banter. BUSCR is a very active society with a varied calendar of social events and on 18th March joined our NUSCR friends for a day outing to Nottingham. We also held our annual dinner in January, where undergraduates serenaded guests with some ‘sick handbell toons’. Finally, we have a weekly Wednesday evening practice night at St. Bartholomew’s Edgbaston under the intense gaze of our newly-acquired mascot, Sheila the Tortoise. The church is roughly 5 minutes from the University of Birmingham’s student accommodation, and is very easy to reach on public transport from the city centre universities. Banter is further cultivated post-practice in a nearby Wetherspoons.
BUSCR continues to be just a small cog in the well-oiled machine that is Birmingham’s ringing scene. There are numerous other practices one could attend to satisfy each and every desire related to bells and rope, most notable of which are the Strikeometer-assisted practice at St. Paul’s and the fortnightly practice on the ring of 16 at St. Martin’s, both of which are within walking distance of the University of Birmingham. If any ringers are coming to university in Birmingham in September or would just like some more information, please email .
Jack Page ( / universityringing.org/buscr)
University of Bristol Society of Change Ringers
Coming to Bristol as a new fresher? Are you a bell ringer already? Have you never rung a bell? Do you like meeting new people and drinking on a work night?
If you answered yes to any of the above questions then come and join us! We welcome all students from the University of Bristol, the University of the West of England and all other higher education institutions in Bristol.
We have a weekly practice night in term time at St. Matthew’s Kingsdown (8 bells, 22cwt) on Tuesday evenings, 19:30-21:00. Usually there is also a “quarter peal” beforehand at St John-on-the-Wall (6 bells, 11cwt). We then go to a local pub for some drinks for at least the time we’ve spent ringing! Once a month have Sunday service ringing at Kingsdown.
There are many other towers in the city at which students are made very welcome. These are great because many experienced bell ringers attend so it’s a good opportunity to progress.
The towers include:
- Mon: St Stephens – 12 bells, 19 cwt
- Tues: St Philip & Jacob (Pip’n’Jay) – 8 bells, 19 cwt
- Thurs: St Mary Redcliffe – 12 bells, 50 cwt
- Fri: (Once a month) Cathedral – 8 bells, 21 cwt
We sometimes have extra UBSCR practices on Saturday afternoons at either Pip’n’Jay or St John-on-the-Wall, which are of course followed by a meal and drinks in the pub! If you’re really keen it is possible to ring every day!
There are many other annual events we hold which do not directly involve ringing a bell, but are just as fun such as: annual UBSCR dinner weekend, SUA striking competition weekend, pudding party, Christmas dinner, summer BBQ and summer tour to name some.
Julian Howes ( / bris.ac.uk/Depts/Union/UBSCR)
Cambridge University Guild of Change Ringers
Hi, we’re from the Cambridge University Guild of Change Ringers! We’d really recommend keeping up ringing at university – it’s one of the most exciting times in your life and ringing is a great way to meet new people outside your subject, make friends and find out where all the good pubs are!
At Cambridge we have two practices a week – always followed by a pub session – and two sessions of service ringing a week. Our practices are social, fun events (which sometimes even include chocolate – hooray!) and additional teaching sessions for beginners and new learners give newer ringers the chance to progress rapidly. We also have two service ringing sessions on Sunday, so even if you are busy one night there will almost certainly be something available for you.
Of course, no ringing society would be complete without socials, and at the Guild we always find something fun to do. Whether it’s pancakes on Pancake Night, punting and a trip to the Isle of Wight in summer, a Christmas dinner together, or pub trips and dinners throughout the year, we’re a sociable bunch!
Come and find us at the fresher’s fair – we’re the friendly-looking people standing next to the bells!
Rachel Anderson ( / cugcr.org.uk)
University of Chicago Guild of Change Ringers
The Guild of Change Ringers at the University of Chicago (Mitchell Tower) consists of a healthy mix of undergraduate and graduate students as well as community members and university staff. Our tower generally hosts practices twice weekly during the school year, though open ringing is restricted to once monthly. Our main annual event is the Illinois Tower Bell Bash, the only student-focused change ringing event in the US. This event usually attracts visiting Ringers from Kalamazoo, Michigan as well as from other towers across the Northeastern and Midwestern US, in addition to occasional visitors from the UK. The Bell Bash usually entails ringing from 10 to 5, including two full hours of open ringing, tours of the belfry, and opportunities for visitors from across Chicago to witness a change-ringing practice first hand.
We also make twice-yearly trips to Kalamazoo for their fall and spring ringing weekends. Within the tower, other highlights include open houses (with homemade focaccia!) that accompany open ringing at the end of each month, as well as a small end-of-year ice cream social.
Noah Kahrs ( / uchicagochangeringers.wordpress.com)
Durham University Society of Change Ringers
DUSCR is a friendly group from all backgrounds, from complete learners to seasoned ringers. We practice weekly from 7.30 to 9pm on a Wednesday, of course followed by a trip to the pub! We go on tour at least once a term – for day trips in the first two terms and a longer tour in the summer. This year we’ve been to Newcastle, York and Birmingham, which were all great fun. Our annual dinner is also a social highlight, with fantastic food and a ceilidh! We ring regular quarter peals and peals can be organised on request. In short, there’s something for everyone! Please have a look at our website for more information, and send the master an email if you’d like to come along to one (or more!) of our practices.
Elizabeth Hopper ( / community.dur.ac.uk/change-ringers.society/index.php)
University Edinburgh Guild Change Ringers
The student band in Edinburgh is building on the many developments made in the last years. We hold student-exclusive practices fortnightly during term time, with the opportunity to join the local bands at their weekly practices. Our newly reinstated handbell group has flourished this year, culminating in successful busking in multiple locations around the town, ringing a variety of Christmas carols. We also plan to move forward with our recent resurgence in change ringing on our handbells in the new academic year. Besides our practices, we host a variety of socials, having seen this year an unconventional Christmas curry, a build-your-own sandwich lunch, and a more formal annual dinner, along with informal after-practice drinks. We look forward to welcoming ringers enrolling at the universities in Edinburgh when they join us in the coming weeks!
Craig Robertson ( / uegcr.wordpress.com)
Exeter University Change Ringing Society
EUCRS is a small but lively student society that teams up with the local ringing community for our handbell and tower bell practices every week. We cater to a wide variety of abilities from beginners, with early evening practices to help you learn the ropes, right through to the most experienced, with regular quarter peals and the occasional peal to keep you challenged.
Our flagship event is the Annual Dinner in February where we visit a variety of towers across Devon, enjoy a black tie formal dinner and ring at the Exeter Cathedral all in one weekend. We’ve also had success with local ringing competitions, already winning some call change competitions in 2016. We’re all set for another exciting year with more outings, socials and ringing festivities to come in 2016/17 so if you’re heading to Exeter in September, be sure to join us. You’ll be most welcome!
Evan Jones ( / empslocal.ex.ac.uk/change-ringing)
Kalamazoo College Guild of Change Ringers
The members of the Kalamazoo College Guild of Change Ringers include students, college faculty and staff and residents of the Kalamazoo area. We are proud that at the end of last term we were able to stand an all-student major band for call changes.
We host twice annual ringing weekends which are open to all visiting ringers and also welcome visitors to our Monday and Wednesday evening practices. As the only change ringing tower in the state of Michigan, our nearest neighboring tower is at the University of Chicago. We usually see members of their band a couple of times a year, either in Kalamazoo or in Chicago.
Kit Almy ( / reason.kzoo.edu/ringers)
Manchester University Guild of Change Ringers
Here in Manchester the MUGs are not only very active ringers, but also enjoy a great social scene. Over the last year we’ve enjoyed Sunday lunches, bowling socials, ringing tours and of course the infamous annual dinner weekend – guaranteed to include plenty of ringing, eating, speeches, lots of drinking and a tower sleepover!
We also love to get involved with local branch practices and their events which range from post-practice pints to Christmas dinners and from ringing teacher training to summer barbeques, there really is a lot to offer!
So if you’ll be studying in Manchester in September we’d love to see you!
Laura Turner ( / mugcr.co.uk)
Nottingham University Society of Change Ringers
NUSCR are a lively bunch including ringers from both universities in Nottingham. Our Tuesday night practices at All Saints’ in Nottingham (7.00 to 8.30pm) range from teaching new learners to Surprise Royal, followed by a lengthy session in the pub of course! These practices are watched over by our faithful mascot Scruffy, who also oversees service ringing, peals and quarter peals rung at All Saints’.
We always attend the Annual NUA where we have the opportunity to mingle with the other northern societies. Recently, we had a joint tour to Birmingham with BUSCR, it was a huge success!
2018 is our 60th Anniversary! Our Annual Dinner will be bigger than ever in the University of Nottingham Campus’ Great Hall.
We’d love you to join us at our practices and outings – visit our website or email us for more information!
Emily Hall ( / nuscr.org)
Leeds University Society Change Ringers
Leeds has an active and welcoming student society with social and ringing events throughout term-time. Highlights include the annual dinner and ceilidh and the NUA as well as film nights and the infamous Leeds pub crawl – the Otley Run. Practices cater for all abilities from complete beginners upwards and are always followed by a sociable trip to the pub! If bell ringing one night of the week is not enough there are also plenty of other towers in Leeds which welcome students!
Mariko Whyte ( / luscr.wordpress.com)
Liverpool Universities Society Change Ringers
The Liverpool Universities Society of Change Ringers is a very active society. Along with regular ringing we organise a number of quarters throughout the year to further improve our standards and abilities. We hold a number of socials, including pub crawls, beer festivals and our Christmas meal. The largest social of the year is of course our annual dinner weekend, held in the third weekend of February. This includes a number of peals, a tour and, of course, the dinner itself. Another big event is the NUA in November which provides a great opportunity to meet fellow university ringers from across the north. After last year’s NUA, we participated in a collaborative tour of Liverpool with both the Manchester and Sheffield University societies.
We have a strong relationship with the ringers of St Nicholas, Pier Head, the local 12 bell tower which allows our ringers to develop their abilities on higher numbers. This relationship includes the occasional joint practice, most recently for BBC Music Day 2016. If you’re coming to any of the universities in or around Liverpool, or already study at one, then please send us an email and we look forward to seeing you in September.
Russell Scudamore ( / luscr.org.uk)
University of London Society of Change Ringers
The ULSCR offers a unique experience to its members.
There really is nothing else quite like it. Obviously we have the weekly practice nights and service ringing, but over the year there will be more ringing and social events than you can cram into your diary. These include the Summer Tour, a fantastic annual dinner (and disco!), Freshers’ Pub Crawl, Christmas Party, and much more. There are so many students in London, and plenty of other young ringers who are not UL members but regularly ring with us. The night life is terrific, and you will have happy memories of crossing London Bridge at 1am while trying to find a bus home. The ringing opportunities are plentiful, and the social dimension virtually unrivalled. It will change your life!
Richard Pullin ( / www.ulscr.org.uk)
Oxford University Society of Change Ringers
Beyond normal practices and service ringing in term-time, the OUS does its best to ring a couple of quarters a week, the band being anybody who wants to ring and the method being whatever’s considered fun. Peals are organised according to resident demand both in and out of term, with help from the Badgers (old student members) almost always forthcoming. You will (perhaps) be relieved to hear that ringing is not all we do! Trips to the pub after a practice are very much the rule rather than the exception. We have breakfast with, and occasionally play rounders against, elements of the non-university societies in Oxford, and our annual dinner always involves good food, good drink and good fun. There is also generally a strong OUS contingent at the dinners of our colleagues in London and Cambridge. At the end of term, someone hosts a cheese and wine party with plenty of both, and out of term time, we have a 4-day-long tour and quarter peal weekend somewhere away from Oxford.
Wilf Lewis ( / www.ouscr.org.uk)
Portsmouth Union of Bellringing Students
PUBS (Portsmouth Union of Bellringing Students) is a friendly and fun university society actively involved in all three churches in the city of Portsmouth and the rest of the district.
We attend the Portsmouth Cathedral practices on Thursday nights from 19:30 – 21:00 and always go to the pub after! While the word ‘cathedral’ sounds scary, they are a welcoming bunch who cater for all abilities. We also ring at Portsea once a month on the second Tuesday and regularly organise practice nights at the city’s newest tower, St Agatha’s. Our recent members range from complete beginners through to Surprise Maximus ringers.
We all look forward to our annual dinner, held in January, where our members (both current and alumni) have the opportunity to attempt a peal on one of the city’s rings of bells, tour some of the towers in the district, catch up on old times and make new memories!
We always look forward to meeting new members! Contact if you have any questions or would like to join us at one of our practices.
Sheffield Universities Guild of Change Ringers
Over the next year, SUGCR has a number of exciting events to look forward to including the dinner day and the NUA which we will be hosting in November with plans already well underway. Sheffield is a city with many ringing opportunities at a wide range of towers, including our home tower of St Marie’s Cathedral where we are supported by ringers from local towers. We look forward to welcoming both new recruits and those who already ring to join the guild and to enjoy the events and practices we have planned. Look out for our give it a go session which we have planned on the 10th October at St Marie’s Cathedral, for students to come and meet us to see what we do!
Joe Waters ( / universityringing.org/sugcr-sheffield)
St Salvators Society of Bell Ringers
The St Salvator’s Society of Bellringers is a mixture of town and gown ringers. We have several members who have learnt to ring from scratch while at the University, as well as more experienced ringers. We are privileged to ring at the University’s Chapel. We practice regularly on Tuesday evenings and ring for Chapel services on Sundays, as well as graduation ceremonies. See recent edition of the Ringing World for featured article (page 700).
Rachel Williamson ( & st-andrews.sacr.org)
Southampton University Guild Change Ringers
SUGCR has regular ringing throughout the academic year. We have a regular practice preceded by a learners practice. This helps new ringers, or those wanting to focus on something new. We ring regular quarter peals to help everyone improve, as well as a lunch time practice with some members of staff. We also have a regular handbell practice for those wanting to ring handbells, and we aim to ring some more handbell quarter peals this coming year.
We are friendly with the Southampton City Ringers who have regular practices which our members can attend which helps our ringers to improve, and gives us more opportunity to ring on higher numbers. We have many socials throughout the year, ranging from regular pub visits, to Quiz Nights, and cinema trips. We have an annual dinner every year, attended by a large number of past and present members. Dinner weekend involves a number of peals, a tour, and of course, the dinner itself, which for many is the highlight of the year. We have three tours every year, with a tour to Bath planned for October this year.
If you are planning on coming to Southampton to study, or indeed if you are studying at Southampton already, then please email us and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Clare Merivale ( / sugcr.susu.org)
University of Surrey Society of Change Ringers
The University of Surrey Society of Change Ringers (USSCR) would love to welcome any ringers coming to the University of Surrey in September. We are a small society that is currently made up of past students and current students are always made welcome at the local practices in Guildford. The society holds two events a year, a summer tour and an annual dinner. These are both well attended and are a great place to meet other university ringers. Our summer tours have been organised by past students in their local area. This has let us explore lots of areas of the country from Northumberland to Wales to Somerset. This summer we are going to Essex and our dinner is being held in September on the University Campus. Please do contact us via the contact on universityringing.org/usscr if you are coming to Surrey so that we can send you our event information. We hope you enjoy your time at Surrey as much as we all have!
Charlotte Ellis (universityringing.org/usscr)
Walsgrave Society of Change Ringers
We’re the Walsgrave Society of Change Ringers (WSCR), formerly the Warwick University Bell Ringing Society. We’re a group of friends & ringers that get together every Monday evening at a lovely ring of six, followed by a pint at the nearby pub. It’s an easy commute from Warwick and Coventry universities. For any more details, join us on facebook (Look for WSCR)!
Jim Eisenberg ( / www.stmarys-walsgrave.org.uk/churchbells/)
Welsh Colleges Society of Change Ringers
The Welsh Colleges Society of Change Ringers is open to all ringers attending Colleges of Further Education in Wales. We are a thriving friendly society embracing ringers at all levels, from those learning to handle a bell with supervision, right through to the clever types who can ring spliced surprise maximus! As we are not based in a single tower (or even a single town), we arrange tours to various areas of Britain. The summer tour is normally a cycling tour and we’ve had brewery trips, steam train tours etc. to add variety.
The annual dinner is always a very well attended event, usually in a hotel with a full black-tie dinner, speeches and a disco or barn dance. There is always plenty of beer!
Richard Wolfgang ( / facebook.com/groups/welshcolleges / welshcolleges.org.uk)
York Colleges Guild of Change Ringers
This year has been another great year for the York Colleges Guild. In September, we welcomed many new members, including six complete beginners who are now very competent ringers. Over the last few years we have seen the society thrive, with regular towerbell and handbell practices, quarter peals, socials, outings, dinners, and even the occasional peal! We have been everywhere from Busking in York, ringing at minsters and cathedrals, to sleeping on the floor in the church hall in Leeds at the NUA.
One of the highlights of the year was our annual dinner in June, which saw YCG past and present come together for a weekend of ringing, and an evening of food, dancing, and good company. We are all looking forward to another year of YCG, and are excited to welcome many new ringers at our Fresher’s fair on the 1st of October! (keep an eye out for our mascot, Bob the badger).
Claire Reading ( / facebook.com/YorkCollegesGuild / ycg.org.uk)