There have been 71 peals this year, with eight more people ringing than last year. Members have rung to celebrate national events, including the 200th anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar and the 60th anniversary of VE/VJ Day. This year sees the 80th birthday of the Queen - a chance to ring a peal or quarter?
Mary Venables and Jenny Booth rang their first peal, to celebrate their 60th birthdays. Gill Hughes also rang her first handbell peal. Other, more prolific, personal footnotes include 500th peal for Pam Timms and Bob Smiths 1800th peal as conductor. Pat Halls celebrated the 50th anniversary of her 1st peal with a method called Anniversary Delight and also rang her 2200th peal and 1600th for the Association.
The Association handbells were pealed for the first time since being refurbished. These bells belonged to Sir A P Heywood, a great ringer from Duffield and founder of the Central Council. The bells are available from the Southern District Secretary.
Three honorary life members died this year. Of these, George Roobottom rang 47 peals for the Association in the 30 years since 1961 and Richard Fox rang 2 in the early 1960s.
Reviewing the Association peals, I note a downward trend for the last 10 years, with the exception of the year 2000. Perhaps there are too many other activities competing for ringers' time?
I would like to finish my report with thanks to those who kindly send peal fees to me promptly. Of course the odd few don't and have to be chased, along with new Non-Resident Life Members elected prior to a peal. Please remember that NRLMs need to be ratified at an Association meeting.
I wish you all happy peal ringing and many successes for 2006.
Anthony P Cotton
2005 Peal Analysis
Total number of peals rung - 71 (113 ringers / 17 conductors)
Tower Bell Peals
| Total | 59 (104/15) | Leading conductors: JV Chadwick (27) , PAM Halls (7) . |
| Minimus | 1 (4/1) | Conductor: PAM Halls. (11 methods) . |
| Minor | 7 (26/5) | Leading conductor: PM Mason
(3) . (4 methods) , Surprise (6 methods) , (7m) , S (9m) , S (14m) , Cambridge S, Plain B. |
| Triples | 2 (15/2) | Conductors: AJ Burns, P Jopp. Plain B, Stedman. |
| Major | 35 (50/4) | Leading conductors: JV
Chadwick (27) , AP Cotton (3) , PAM Halls (3) . 3 Spliced S (4m) , 2 Bristol S, 2 Lincolnshire S, 2 Pudsey S, 2 Uxbridge S, 2 Yorkshire S, Spliced Major (5m) , Spliced S (6m) , Alderney S, Beaconsfield S, Cassiobury S, Christchurch S, Cornwall S, Dedham S, Deritend S, Evesham S, Fordcombe S, Lindum S, Maldon S, Original, Painswick S, Raunds S, Rutland S, Sedbergh S, Stand S, Stockport S, Trafalgar S, Wombourn S. |
| Caters | 1 (10/1) | Conductor: PJH Hudson. Grandsire. |
| Royal | 6 (28/2) | Conductors: JE Heaton (4) ,
PAM Halls (2) . 2 Spliced S (8) , Anniversary D, Broadheath S, Triton D, Yorkshire S. |
| Cinques | 2 (18/1) | Conductor: RB Smith. 2 Stedman. |
| Maximus | 5 (27/4) | Leading conductor: RB Smith
(2) . 2 Cambridge S, Plain B, 2 Yorkshire S. |
Hand Bell Peals
| Total | 14(23/5) | Leading conductors: RB Smith (5) , L Goodall (4) . |
| Minor | 1 (3/1) | Conductor: JA Cater. (1 principal, 3 methods) . |
| Major | 8 (16/3) | Leading Conductor: L Goodall (4) . 3 Plain B, 2 Kent TB, 2 Oxford TB, Superlative S. |
| Caters | 1 (5/1) | Conductor: P Jopp. Stedman. |
| Royal | 2 (6/1) | Conductor RB Smith. 2 Cambridge. |
Peal Ringing Centres
| 29 | Belper | 4 | Litton, Clergy Cottage |
| 7 | Melbourne, SS Michael & Mary | 3 | locations with 2 peals |
| 5 | Duffield | 20 | locations with 1 peal |
Leading peal ringers
| John V Chadwick | 31 | Ian Duff | 17 | Canon David H Sansum | 11 |
| W Arnold Morley | 30 | Raymond H Daw | 13 | F Gordon Faulks | 10 |
| Patricia A M Halls | 29 | Alec A Hetherington | 13 | Jim Heading | 10 |
| Robert J Marchbank | 29 | Robert B Smith | 12 | John E Heaton | 9 |
| Mike Lilley | 27 | Emma St John Smith | 12 | ||
| Anthony P Cotton | 19 | C Luke Heaton | 11 |
|
Non-Resident life-members who rang peals during 2005
| James E Andrews | 3 | Andrew E Else | 1 | S Geoffrey Pick | 1 |
| Val A Andrews | 3 | Philip W Gay | 5 | Robert G Radford | 3 |
| Christopher M Bennett | 1 | Rev Brian Harris | 1 | Alan G Reading | 1 |
| Gordon R Birks | 1 | David Hird | 1 | Ian N Robinson | 6 |
| Elisabeth A G Bowden | 7 | Trystan M Hitchens | 1 | Judith M Rogers | 3 |
| Richard C L Brown | 2 | Ian M Holland | 2 | Robin H Rogers | 3 |
| Andrew J Burns | 1 | Philip J H Hudson | 8 | Rosemary R A Ross | 2 |
| Andrew J Cairns | 1 | Derek C Jackson | 1 | Philip A B Saddleton | 2 |
| Lorna E Champney | 2 | John M Jelley | 1 | Canon David H Sansum | 11 |
| Rupert A Clarke | 4 | Trevor H Kirkman | 2 | Elaine Scott | 1 |
| Anne P Cook | 5 | Richard Knights | 1 | Alistair J E Smith | 2 |
| Roland H Cook | 4 | Susan E Marshall | 4 | Clive M Smith | 1 |
| Michael W Crowder | 6 | Paul M Mason | 7 | Lucy Smith | 1 |
| Raymond H Daw | 13 | Judith S McCoy | 1 | Emma J Southerington | 1 |
| William H Dowse | 3 | Peter W McCoy | 1 | Ian W Taylor | 8 |
| Anthea S Edwards | 3 | Alan McFall | 2 | Scott Wheaver | 3 |
| Margaret Edwards | 1 | Simon J Oram | 1 | Howell J Williams | 4 |
| Maurice F Edwards | 6 | Andrew C Ogden | 3 | Timothy Wylie | 3 |
Peal fees
Peal fees are currently charged at 50p per rope. They should be sent to the Peal Secretary, with details of the date, place and method rung. Please forward this as soon as possible after the peal has been rung, and this is particularly important if the peal was rung at the end of the year. Thank you.
Non Resident Life Membership is currently £2. Details (name, address) should be sent with the payment to the Treasurer, the Peal Secretary or a District Secretary.