We now have an active team from Cottingham and Middleton ringing the bells at St Mary Magdalene Church.
Supported by tutors Nick and Helen Churchman, and other ringers from the Welland Vallley Benefice, the Cottingham and Middleton team is Joanne Leaning (Tower Captain), Andy Veasey, Hannah Conlon, Jane Smith, Jean Wilkins and Mary Knott.
The team is still learning the ropes (literally!), and bell ringing practice takes place at the Church from 7pm to 8pm on Fridays.
Repairs to Bell No.3
To ensure ringing can continue well into the future, we need to make sure that the five bells, frames, bearings, ropes etc are well maintained.
As part of this, we’ve raised more than £800 to make essential repairs to the frame for Bell No.3, which has rotted quite badly. This frame is supporting a bell weighing around 300kg (a third of a ton), and repairs are needed to maintain the integrity of the bearing mounting.
The work entails removing all rotten wood, treating the affected area, then strengthening and filling the cavity with resin. It’s anticipated that the repair work will be carried out in Summer 2024.
Most of the money for these repairs has been raised from the Dr Albury ghost story events held in the Church in December 2023. Thanks to author Pete Bowman, our narrator George West-Robinson and everyone who supported these events.
New bell ropes
Thanks mainly to a donation from Mary Freestone, whose coffee morning in April 2023 raised a whopping £760, we now have a new set of bell ropes, at a cost of £175 + VAT for each of the five bells.
