Bingley Handbells News

A cold, wet Saturday afternoon in the cafe at East Riddlesden
Hall was the scene of our first performance of 2018

We were fortified with refreshments including a warm (non-alcoholic)
punch and played at a social event arranged for the friends of East Riddlesden
Hall. The age of the venue fitted in perfectly with the age of some of the
pieces we played and the audience were most appreciative.

At the end we had our usual ‘have a go’ session and many
of them joined in. A number of them were knowledgable about music generally and
some even about bells specifically. Two of the ladies joined us at our next
practice and we are hopeful they will become permanent members of our band. To
assist we are trying to organise a special practice for them rather than
throwing them in completely at the deep end.

Things are usually quiet at this time of year. However March
sees a Get Creative week organised by the library service. We are hopeful that
we will be able to arrange an exhibition, performances by ourselves and the
children of Holy Trinity School and a have a go session for library goers young
and old in Bingley Library. Maybe this will attract some more budding ringers.

Watch out for posters and other advertisments!

The Christmas period was busy as always.

Firstly we entertained the Wilsden senior
citizens prior to their annual lunch at the village hall and the residents of
Aire Valley Court in Bingley. We had rung at both these venues before and it is
always gratifying when we are asked to return because we feel that we must have
done something right the first time. This does however mean that we need to
ensure that we play different pieces for them.

The same weekend we played for All Saints
Carol Service, both as the congregation entered the church and in the middle of
the service. The following day came our major performance at the Anchorage in
Shipley where we played all three octaves as part of a musical evening together
with the Shipley Male Voice Choir. This of course meant that when we reached
the sing-a-long pieces the vocals were so strong!

So what will the New Year bring?

In the last month we have said farewell to
Ann Parkinson and Ashleigh Holland both of whom have moved away. However Ann is
only going to Skipton so we hope she will still play with us occasionally. Ann
had rung with us since we first began playing our newly restored two octaves.
She often marked up music, conducted us and was a keen supporter of the project
to bring handbells into local schools. When Ashleigh moved to the area she was
already a tower bell ringer and soon joined both groups. One of her many
talents was the ability to ring both very high (small) and very low (heavy)
bells often at the same time – something most of us struggled with.

We wish them both well and hope that we will find new
recruits in the New Year to swell our numbers.