Annual Bellringing Competition - Saturday 6th July 2024

On Saturday 6th July 2024, the ringers of South Brent and the South Dartmoor Ringing Centre played host to 7 teams from across Devon, all ringing to try and claim our fabulous trophy and the certificate for first place.

The independent judge was none other than Graham Sharland, one of our experienced teachers and the Education Officer for the Devon Association of Ringers.  He was treated to some very good striking on our lovely bells and managed to find time to record all the entries.

The certificates issued to the teams on the day included a QR code so that the competition peals can be enjoyed through our website for years to come.  Click on the buttons below to listen to the entries!

Results:

1st -

2nd -

3rd -

4th -

5th -

6th -

7th -

Devon Association of Ringers - Qualifying Competition 13th May 2023

After all the preparations for the coronation on 6th May 2023, there was very little time left for some of our experienced ringers to practice for the annual county competitions organised by the Devon Association of Ringers. 

On Saturday 13th May 2023, the team from South Brent joined eight other teams from around South Devon at Buckland-in-the-Moor for a competition to determine which teams will meet the best teams from North Devon in the county final, known as the Major Final, in June. 

Competitions are judged blind, so on this occasion three judges and the scrutineer (responsible for tallying and delivering the results from the judges) were housed in a trailer in a field near to the church yard where they could hear the bells clearly but not see which team was going into the church to ring.  To mix things up further, the teams draw for positions so that the order of ringing is random.  South Brent draw position 8 of 9, so there was quite a long wait until it was time to ring.  Those listening outside agreed that the team had rung a good peal and would likely to do well in the competition as not many faults had been accumulated in the ringing. 

After the last peal the judges and scrutineer were invited into the church and the scrutineer, Mr Mike Pascoe from Widecombe-in-the-Moor, delivered the results.  South Brent ringers were delighted to have come a very close third behind the two excellent teams from Shaugh Prior and Combeinteignhead, which also qualified the team for the Major Final in June. 

On 10th June 2023 the team will travel the short distance to Denbury near Newton Abbot, to ring on the newly reinstated 6 bells.  The prize for winning this competition is the Ross Shield, which was first presented to the county final winning team in 1930.  South Brent will join the following teams in the competition:

South Devon: Shaugh Prior, Combeingteignhead A, Combeinteignhead B, Stoke Gabriel

North Devon: Down St Mary, Bow, East Anstey, Swimbridge, Sampford Courtenay A.

There will also be two entries from the teams that come first and second in the Minor Final, to be held on 27th May 2023 at Stoke Canon. 

Wish us luck!

Ringing for the King! - 6th May 2023

The South Brent ringers and the team running the South Dartmoor Ringing Centre were delighted to be able to ring between 8.45am and 11am on Saturday 6th May 2023, prior to the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London.  All our ringers were given the chance to ring for this event, from our complete novices to our most experienced ringers.  A sequence of changes called Coronation was called three times throughout the morning - 48 changes that move the bells into the most musical and happy-sounding combinations.  Several of our ringers came and went throughout the morning as they were supporting other towers to ring and celebrate the coronation with their communities.

One of our senior ringers, Jerry Carter, is one of the few ringers in the country that has celebrated two coronations by ringing church bells for two monarchs.  In 1953 Jerry completed a full peal of changes, taking over 3 hours, to welcome Queen Elizabeth II to the throne.  Jerry was pleased to ring rounds and changes with us all for King Charles III, and told us stories of the celebrations from 70 years ago.  Jerry is pictured at the back of our group, in front of the green wall hanging.

We also offer our congratulations to a friend of the South Dartmoor Ringing Centre, Alban Forster, who was in the company of ringers that completed a full peal of changes called Cambridge Surprise Royal, taking 3 hours and 23 minutes, at Westminster Abbey immediately after the King and Queen left following the coronation. 

Here's a picture of some of the ringers on Coronation Day 2023!  If you would like to join our happy band, make new friends and learn a unique skill that can take you to some of the most amazing locations in the UK and beyond, please get in touch!

Association of Ringing Teachers - Teacher Training Day - St Michael's Chagford - Saturday 25th March 2023

On Saturday 25th March three of our experienced ringers travelled to Chagford for the ART Teacher Training event.  Suzanne, Graham and Lisa joined a group of 12 people for an intensive eight hours of dedicated tuition for ringing teachers.  This is the introductory module of a ringing teachers' pathway, which includes online resources and exams on the SmART Ringer programme.  From here people can progress to further teacher tuition or become ringing mentors.  As Suzanne and Graham are already experienced teachers, this session enhanced their skills and gave them some hints and tips for further development.  Lisa is new to teaching and she will have the opportunity to progress in her ringing journey.

Association of Ringing Teachers Event - 26th November 2022

On Saturday 26th November 2022 we welcomed Les Boyce, a member of ART, to South Brent in order to lead a module on teaching bell handling.  Ringers interested in teaching gathered for the day to learn about best practice when teaching and hints and tips for supporting learners.  These are popular events with a limited number of spaces available for budding teachers.  Les reported that they had a successful day and more teachers are heading back to their own towers to share their knowledge and skills with others.  

Photo credit - Les Boyce.

Ring for the King - Recruitment Campaign

South Dartmoor Ringing Centre is supporting the national Ring for the King campaign, which is recruiting new ringers to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III on 6th May 2023. 



Email us or contact the Devon Association of Ringers or the Guild of Devonshire Ringers for more information about ringing opportunities near you!

New Role for our Lord Chief Speaker - 12th November 2022

The Lord Chief Speaker of South Brent Ringers and a founding member of the South Dartmoor Ringing Centre, Suzanne Driscoll, has accepted the role of President of the Devon Association of Ringers for the next 12 months.

She follows in the footsteps of her father, Ray Mugridge, who was President from 2007 to 2008 and who also taught ringers at South Brent.

Suzanne is going to be using her joint passions for ringing and teaching to support the Devon Association with learning events for new and improving ringers. 

Suzanne is pictured here receiving the President’s sash from outgoing President Keith Bavin.

Picture credit to Jon Bint, Tower Captain at Chagford, which is also a ringing centre with two training bells and belfry live feed.

Competition Results - 9th July 2022

Here are the results from the annual bellringing competition held at South Brent on Saturday 9th July 2022.



1) Down St Mary - 15

2) Shaugh Prior - 18 1/2

3) Kingsteignton - 28 1/2

4) Kingsteignton B - 40 1/2

5) Widecome-in-the-Moor - 42 1/2

6) East Anstey - 43 1/2

7) Bow - 45 1/2

8) Sampford Courtenay 46

9) Broadhempston - 49 1/2

10) Holbeton - 64 1/2

11) Drewsteignton - 99

Judge: Owen Borlase

To find out more about Devon Call Change Ringing and how bellringers compete, do get in touch!

Saturday 9th July 2022

Annual Bellringing Competition at South Brent!

12 teams will be coming to South Brent today from 3.30pm onwards.  Teams of six bellringers will be performing a 15 minute sequence of ringing which includes three distinct elements: - The Rise - Competition Changes - The Lower.  The team that performs this sequence with the fewest errors wins our trophy!

The teams are judged by an experienced bellringer that can hear when the bells are striking with an even gap between them. Sometimes 2, 3 or even 4 judges listen to all the ringing and calculate an average number of faults for each peal between them.  This year we have asked Owen Borlase from St Dominick in Cornwall to adjudicate our ringing and he will be sharing the results these evening at about 7pm.   Check back here later to find out which team came out on top!

The ringers will also be treated to a sumptuous tea supplied by the South Brent Ringers, and there's also a raffle to help raise funds for the tower.  Bells, ropes, fixtures and fittings all require maintenance and the funds raised at the competition helps cover costs, as well as supporting our Ringing Centre activities!