Monthly update – December 2023

100 Club Results
1st No. 18            Alan Cottrell      £49.50
2nd No. 74          Clive Day            £14.85
3rd No. 24           Peter Bennet      £  4.95

Sheldon Special Practices
Sheldon are still progressing work to their bells and so once again there will be no Special Practice this month. Dependent on the completion of the work, Margaret Burling now envisages that the next special practice might be February 2024.

Guild Newsletter
We’re almost ready to put the next Guild Newsletter together so please give some thought to what you will submit for others to enjoy? The deadline for submissions to Andrew is 20th December. Send articles and photos to avb@btinternet.com. Thank you!

Surprise Major Practice
7:30pm 2 December 2023 – Solihull St Alphege
The special method is Glasgow with a focus on going into and out of it in spliced and 4th/6ths place calls. The spliced repertoire could include anything from the Core Seven (Cambridge, Yorkshire, Superlative, Lessness, Bristol, London, Cornwall), Double Norwich, Deva and/or Lancashire. London and Bristol are always rung as single methods.

See below for the proposed changes to these practices in the New Year.

Tidying up Cambridge Minor – Workshop
7:30pm 13 December 2023 – Birmingham St Paul’s
There are a couple of places still available for this workshop if anyone is interested. Please get in touch with Phil Ramsbottom via smgcbr@gmail.com, if you’d like to come along or would like to know a bit more about the evening.

Midweek Open Ringing
10:15am – 11:45 Thursday 21 December 2023 – Moseley St Mary
All members welcome, ringing from rounds and call changes upwards depending on who attends. Tea/coffee and cakes at half time so please bring a donation with you.

Higher Numbers
7:30pm Wednesday 27 December 2023 – Solihull St Alphege
Last month we met rather short albeit that we had a really productive practice so, with Christmas commitments in mind we would like to ask if you are interested in getting together in Christmas week?  We may arrange a quarter peal, most likely Grandsire caters or cinques. If you are interested in joining us can you please let Sand Cooper know via smgcbr@gmail.com. Make it clear what you’d most be interested in and, we’ll see what we can arrange.

Please get these practices into your diaries, they are every 4th Wednesday of the month, we’d love to have your support.

And into the New Year!
Surprise Practice – Entry level
7:30pm Saturday 6 January 2023 – venue TBC
The outline plan for 2024 is to continue with Surprise Major practices on the first Saturday of each month but alternating between entry level (Cambridge, Yorkshire & Superlative as focus methods) and more advanced (Core 7 as minimum plus special methods and spliced). Saturday 6 January will be the first of these and we will start with an entry level practice. More details including location and a sign-up sheet to ensure we have the right sort of number of experienced ringers to support, will follow.

Guild AGM 2024
12:45pm Saturday 13 January 2024 – Coleshill St Peter & St Paul
The 2024 AGM will be at Coleshill. Lunch will be available from 12:45pm and the local team will be offering.

Jacket Potatoes (with a choice of fillings), cake tea/coffee/soft drink for £8 
or 
Cake with tea/coffee/soft drink for £4.

The google form for lunch orders can be found at this link and we will need your responses by close Sunday 7th January. AGM 13th January 2023 (google.com)

The meeting will start at 1:30pm and general ringing will follow.

The proposed rule changes were shared with members 4th October 2023, drop me a mail at this address if you need me to send a reminder. Agenda and other papers will be shared ahead of the meeting, in the New Year.

Phil Ramsbottom, Ringing Master and Tracy Stevens, Treasurer have decided to stand down and we have already invited nominations for these roles. We are sorry that they feel it is time to move on but understand that they want to encourage others to become involved. We are immensely grateful for all their work with the Guild.

In accordance with rule 3.4 we asked for nominations for these roles by 2nd December 2023 and at the time of writing we have received only nominations from the Standing Committee. Rachel Mitchel has agreed to stand for the position of Guild Ringing Master and if she is successful then we will take nominations from the floor on the day of the meeting, for the role of Public Relations Officer.

Other officers of the Guild have indicated that they are happy to stand again with the exception of James Ramsbottom, one of our CCCBR Representatives who would like to step aside. James, thank you for your hard work in this role. And again, we will seek nominations from the floor if none are received by Sand, Guild Secretary, before the close 2nd December.

Henry Johnson Dinner
6:00pm for 6:30pm Saturday 24 February 2024 – Burlington Hotel, Birmingham
Henry Johnson Dinner 2024: tickets now on sale | (stmartinsguild.org)
The dinner will once again be held at the Burlington Hotel. Tickets will be £46.50 and £35 for students in full-time education. Tickets can be booked via this link: Participant.co.uk – 136th Henry Johnson Commemoration Dinner

Real ale will be available at the venue this time round. There will be a limited number of rooms at a concessionary rate which will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, which might be helpful if you are looking to stay overnight. To book a room at the Burlington please call 0121 643 9191 and quote GUIL240224. Rooms will be charged at £160 Bed and Breakfast single occupancy and the double occupancy rate will be £175.00. Full pre-payment will be required at the time of booking, all rates are nontransferable and non-refundable. These discounted rooms, if not already snatched up, will only be available until 13th January 2024.

All that is left to say is that we all hope you will have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year and enjoy your ringing over the festive season.