At this year’s AGM in Peterborough, seven ringers were identified as having completed 50 years membership of the Peterborough Guild. They are
John Holmes (Great Doddington)
Sandra Whitlam (Weldon)
Alan Ellis (Braunston-in-Rutland)
Diana Street (St Mary’s Peterborough)
Christopher Groome (Peterborough Cathedral)
Susan Parker (Bulwick)
Ron Goodey (Upper Boddington)
Our congratulations go to all of them along with our appreciation and thanks for their service to the church and the community over the years.
They were all invited to give a brief resume of their ringing career and three of them kindly sent the following
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Diana Street I started bellringing at St. John's Peterborough because ringers didn't 'have' to come to Evensong unlike the choir - I couldn't as our family visited my grandmother every Sunday afternoon for tea! Ray was/is a very good teacher and I learn lots very quickly as I just fitted into the slots of a very good band then. Sadly, Ray got moved away from Peterborough for work, I missed his teaching and encouragement a lot. But it was great that he came to ring with me/us for my Golden Year Triples Quarter Peal, at Castor where I was elected 50 years ago in January, on 2nd July 2022, when I was presented my Certificate by the President who rang in it too. |
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Ron Goodey Along with some of my brothers and sisters, l was evacuated during the war and ended up in Wardington. Not too long after, my parents were bombed out and they joined us and we became a family again. I became a member of the church in Wardington and joined the choir. With the vicar’s encouragement, some of us were introduced to bell ringing. So, in my early teens l learnt how to handle a bell and rang the bells until I left to join the Royal Navy for nine years during which time l got married. After leaving the navy, l worked for Decca before moving back to this area to Boddington in 1965. It was not long before I took up ringing again in Upper Boddington church and have been ringing there ever since. I landed the job of tower captain by default when the previous captain died. |
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Sandra Whitlam I have completed 67 years of bellringing. When I started bellringing, Weldon was affiliated to the Kettering Branch of Bellringers, it then moved to the Oundle Branch, later to the Peterborough Branch and then to the Thrapston Branch. Mr Fred Ginns taught me to ring, and I have been attached to St Mary’s Weldon, ringing on a Sunday to call people to the services. I became Tower Captain some 15 years ago after the retirement of Dick Webster and am proud to say I am still Tower Captain of Weldon and Deene. I have been all around England ringing and enjoyed every moment of it. I still enjoy ringing, and nothing gives me more pleasure than helping to train the new ringers. |
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