From my records we only rang for six weddings during the year. We practice regularly on Thursday evenings and cover all services. The second ring on the first and third Sundays always includes some of our younger members. We have two sixteen year olds able to ring methods and a twelve year old well on the way. They, as well as the seven new learners, are instructed by Don Ramsay, our ringing master, Paul Robinson, our tower captain, assisted ably by Jane West, John Hollis and John Letheren. The seven include three pairs of mothers and daughters. This was commented on at the Annual Divisional Meeting at Billingshurst on 14th February that I attended, and while there, collected their certificates as members of the Sussex County Association of Change Ringers.

Our tower membership is 29. We are hosting a Divisional Meeting here on 13th November, which includes ringing from 3 - 4.30pm followed by a service in Church and then tea in the Fishermans' Chapel Hall. We have had visiting ringers throughout the year from as far afield as Derby.

An unexpected and unusual occasion took place on 1st November. Mrs Doreen Combes, aged 90 years, from Hove and who was married here at Holy Trinity, was brought by two friends to present us with a certificate given to her husband in 1928 when he was a ringer at Bosham. Alice, our youngest member at the time, received it from her and it now hangs in the ringing room.

The Chichester Observer featured a half page article on Bosham bellringers during Christmas week. This prompted a lady from Littlehampton to write to the Observer to ask if there was anyone left at Bosham who remembered her Grandfather, James Blake, who lived at the Old Fishbourne Bakery. She had in her possession a silver teapot presented to him in 1906 for, I quote, 'his kind services to the ringers of Bosham Church'. We looked through our peal certificates and found that he was a member of a band that rang, and again I quote, 'a true and complete peal of Bob Minor', which took just under three hours. This was the first peal after the re hanging of the bells in 1904. I responded to her letter via the Observer.

We plan another quarter peal this year in May to celebrate a very special occasion, a 90th birthday tribute to George Smith who has been a ringer here for 40 years and a previous ringing master.

Joan King

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