Events

Regular bell practice nights

 

Now that our restoration is complete, we are keen to see a thriving band of bell ringers in Newnham.  If you would like to learn to ring church bells then please contact our tower captain, Jane Curtis on 01594 516716 or just turn up on a practice night.  Our practice night is weekly on a Thursday.  Learners have a dedicated session from 7pm.  That is followed by open practice from 7.45.

For children we also run an After School Bells Club.  This meets on a Monday at 3.30 for an hour.  If you think this might interest your child, please contact Jane on the number above.

For the time being both these opportunities to ring with us are unavailable due to the Coronavirus pandemic.  We still welcome expressions of interest and enquiries so do get in touch if you would like to ring.  Hopefully, a vaccine will become available by next spring and we can begin to think about restarting our practice programme sometime in 2021.

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Past events:

Saturday 14th and 21st September:  Tower Open Days.  As part of National Heritage Fortnight, we offered two mornings of tower tours to show visitors around.  The tour started with the new bells in the belfry, then down to the clock room to watch the Victorian carillon in action.  Next into the new ringing room with it unusual view over the nave.  Here, visitors were shown how bells work using our model bell and were invited to have a go at trying to chime a bell using a bell rope.  Finally on the ground floor we opened the Ellacombe chime cupboard where a set of ropes enables one person to play tunes on all the bells by activating hammers.  Several visitors had a go.  In all 60 people came on the tower tours and seven signed up to come on a bell ringing taster afternoon.  Of these, six hope to be part of our band in the future.

Sunday 7th July 2019.  Dedication of the bells.  Almost exactly a year after the bells were taken away, they were back and ready for action on this great day.  The Bishop of Tewkesbury returned to do the honours with a full church present for the celebration.  After the service there was a throng of ringers eager to try out the new installation and the universal verdict was what a clear sound they made and how easy they were to ring, which was just what we had hoped for and made all the years of planning, fundraising, and sheer hard work helping the bellhangers, worthwhile.  The evening was rounded off with a pie and mash supper washed down with Prosecco.

Friday 23rd November 2018.  Celebrating our parish millennium.  St Peter’s was full for our special service followed by a simple supper to mark the 1000 years of Newnham parish.  It was King Canute who ordered the monks of Pershore abbey to provide a priest for Newnham back in 1018.  There have been vicars here ever since.  The service was led by Bishop Robert of Tewkesbury with our own vicar, Rev Rob James. The anniversary has been commemorated through an inscription across the glass screen which separates the new ringing room from the nave of the church.  The design, including the cross, was created by Newnham based designer Paul Manning.

Saturday 18th August.  Coffee morning at the Armoury Hall, Newnham.  This was well attended.  Our Tower Captain, Jane Curtis, gave a short talk about the project and our new banner was on display.  The banner has subsequently been displayed in the Newnham Club and the Newnham Pharmacy.

Tuesday August 7th.  A ‘tour and tea’ at the home and garden of Lady Bathurst our patron – Cirencester Park.  At least 25 people attended this unusual opportunity.  Lady Bathurst gave us a personal tour of her home which is steeped in history.

June 23rd 2018: Riverside Rock – with harpist, Jemima Phillips, Indie-gypsy-rock band, Lila J and wedding band, Nine Square Feet.  Over a hundred people attended this event on the lawn at Newnham House.  We are grateful to Ray and Corrie Puttock for hosting the concert.  

7th June to 16th June: Newnham Live – this year’s festival was even better attended than last year.  A brilliant line up of 6 concerts, headlined by Fairport Convention.  We are grateful to the Newnham Live team for sharing half the festival’s profit with the Bells Appeal.

19th April 2018: Wartime Newnham – talk by Robert Selby raised nearly £400.  We are grateful to Robert, who grew up in Newnham and was the local doctor’s son, for bringing the war years to life.

17th March 2018: The Royal Forest of Dean Orchestra raised £304 in a retiring collection at the end of their concert in St Peter’s church.  We are grateful to their audience for their generosity and to the orchestra for their backing of our appeal.

13th January 2018:  Cuban Salsa Returns to Newnham.  Rueda de Casino, line ups, dancing, guest DJ.  Over 60 people, mostly with no experience of Salsa dancing, came to join in the fun.  Led brilliantly by local teachers Matthew Barnes and Sarah Guilfoyle.

16th December 2017: Good Golly, It’s Christmas Holly.  A tribute to the Rock and Roll legend, Buddy Holly, from the amazing Sunjay and his Rock and Roll Band.  With Delrae and the Gypsies providing an excellent support act.  This concert was a sell out curtain raiser for the 2018 Newnham Live festival, 7th – 16th June, 2018.  Attended by over 80 people.

21st October 2017: Ross Choristers – this well known community choir brought a repetoire of well known songs many from musicals.  John Rutter and Dick Brice were among the composers featured.  Attended by 50 people

9th – 22nd June 2017: Newnham Live Festival of Acoustic Music – five concerts through June, featuring Wild Willy Barrett’s French Connection, Ninebarrow, Mark Harrison, Ric Sanders Trio and Richard Digance.  Audiences ranged from 80 – 120.  Watch out for next June’s festival which promises to be even better.  Fairport Convention is among the musical acts booked.

24th March 2017: Here Comes the Sun – a quadrophonic playback of the Beatles Love Album in St Peter’s church.  Attended by 40 people.

28th February 2017: Mardi Gras concert with Dom Pipkin and the Ikos.  This was an evening of New Orleans Jazz washed down by Paddy’s great gumbo.  Nearly 80 people attended.

28th January 2017:  Burns Supper – Hosted by Jock Morris, this was a traditional Burn’s Night Supper finishing with a ceilidh to live music from Banshee.  It featured a piper, songs and poems, marvellous raffle prizes.  80 people attended.

13th December 2016:  Mad Enchantment –  talk by Ross King about Claude Monet and his last paintings.  This took place in the Gallery at the George where there was French impressionist music and French cheese and wine too.  Ross is author of a series of books about the history of art and design.  He is perhaps best known for his bestseller, Brunelleschi’s Dome.  Seventy people attended and he signed copies of his book for those who bought copies.

14th October 2016: Another quadraphonic experience in Newnham! St Peter’s Church provided an atmospheric venue for a quadrophonic playback of Pink Floyd’s albums, Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.  Our thanks once again to David Freeman and Ceritech.  Attended by 135 people

1st July 2016:  An Evening of Peace and Harmony with Terry and Soraya Oldfield at St Peter’s Church.  Terry, a flautist, percussionist and composer, returned to his former home in order to support our Appeal.  Along with his wife, Soraya Saraswati, he performed to an audience of 100.

3rd May 2016: Tubular Bells for Church Bells, a quadrophonic playback of the famous Mike Oldfield album at Newnham Club.  Mike’s’s intention was for this iconic recording to be heard in quadraphonic sound.  We made it happen thanks to Cinderford hifi firm Ceritech and broadcaster and sound expert David Freeman.  70 attended.