Faithful Servants

Today was the AGM of my local ringing association, so on a surprisingly warm spring day we journeyed not to some well known beauty spot, but to The Lye in the Black Country.  The bells were light (tenor 3 and a half cwt), dutch and easier to ring that I anticipated!  Although it is a year since we began ringing again,  I am very aware that my striking is not as consistent as I would like!  I have to concentrate, trying to pick out my bell from each change, asking myself  "Am I too quick, or too slow, are both strokes even?  I decided that I would play safe and stuck to call changes - and some of the second lot of we rang was beautiful to listen to, until there was some confusion as to which bell was which - easily done when there is little visible indication.

The plain red brick church has a war memorial situated prominently in front, upon which was inscribed many names of those who had given their lives during the two world wars of the twentieth century.








The plain exterior contrasts with the rich colours inside. The chancel walls were a rich red, and the rest of the walls were a contrasting yellow.  This should have made it look like raspberries and custard, but the strong red colour contrasts well with the  fixtures and fittings, complementing  candlesticks, altar cloths and white roof trusses.
The stained glass included further war memorials. I counted about seven with the same surname - Wooldridge I think it was. I hope some survived and the family didn't die out.

After the service we had the AGM.  According to my records I last attended one of these in 1997 in the Bridgnorth area.  Nominations for officers were read out, many of these names were familiar to me, and I was struck by the length of service people give to little known organisations.  It is easy to be critical of these volunteers and accuse them of hanging on to their posts for too long, but these people who serve for many years are the backbone of the organisation - they stand for election because they are passionate about that they do.  Having served my branch in the past I know that a lot of work goes on unseen.

Our tower is part of the smallest branch - we switched from the larger Northern branch in the late 70's   as my mother had little taste for driving in the more urban areas the branch covered - Dudley, Stourbridge, Kidderminster, Birmingham and North Worcestershire.  Instead we opted for the more rural Southern branch, which covers the vale of Evesham, and the Pershore area and out as far as the  edge of the Cotswolds.  The trouble is we don't fit neatly into this more rural area either... Over the years it has been suggested than an Eastern branch should be formed - but there is no clear centre or catchment area.  So we remain on the furthest fringe of the Southern Branch, close the the Coventry Guild - the tower immediately south of us is in Warwickshire and belongs to both associations.  Another tower close by comes under the St Martins Guild, covering Birmingham and surrounding areas.  We remain nowhere and on the edge of everywhere.  So we plod on, ringing Bob Doubles when we can, visiting when we are able, and being faithful in our own way.