Shipton Bell Fund Update

9 May, 2018

SHIPTON BELL FUND APPEAL NEWS

update by Chris Seers, May 2018

The bells of St Mary’s, Shipton will shortly be undergoing major refurbishment. In 2017, an Appeal was launched to raise the £70,000 required for the project. We are delighted to let you know that to date (May 2018) we have raised just over £61,000 through a combination of individual donations, event tickets and sponsorship, and grants from charitable trusts.

We are very grateful to everyone who has supported the appeal so far as it means we have been able to confirm a slot with John Taylor & Co, the Loughborough Bell Foundry, for the restoration work. The work is scheduled to start on 24^th September and we hope the bells will be returned in December in time to celebrate Christmas.

We need your help for this to happen! With a little under £10,000 left to raise to complete the project, we hope you will consider supporting it in one or more of the following ways.

Shipton Quiz Night in aid of Shipton BellsCome along to the first quiz night in aid of the bell fund on Sunday 20^th May from 7.30pm, kindly hosted by the Wychwood Inn. Come as a team or join a team on arrival – the more the merrier! £2.50 per person to enter; pay on the door.

Make a donation
You can make a donation of any amount by bank transfer or cheque, for details of how to do this, email Clare [email protected] If you would like to contribute to a specific part of the project, the following fittings may be sponsored:

Headstocks £1500 each (includes display of donor’s name) 2 remaining

Wheels and braces £750 each

Bell ropes £250 each 6 remaining

Ash sliders £100 each

Ash stays and bolts £100 each

Floor bosses £50 each

Sponsor the last Quarter Peal on the ‘old’ bells
On Monday 27^th August to coincide with the Shipton Fete, we will be ringing the last Quarter Peal on the bells prior to their refurbishment. Most ringing consists of several short pieces (5-10 minutes each) during which different groups of the ringers present, ring different methods. There are normally more ringers than ropes, so that shares the ringing around. A quarter peal is different; it is a much longer performance, of a set length, to a specific composition, and with the same person ringing each bell throughout. On our bells, a quarter peal takes 45 – 50 minutes. There will be 8 of us ringing; we plan to start at 12.00 and we would welcome sponsorship of this event.

Please consider supporting this local heritage project ensuring that the Shipton Bells are fit to ring out for events and celebrations in the village for the next 100 years and beyond.