Andy died on the 30th July in intensive care at Southmead following an illness of about two weeks.  He was seventeen years old.
He started ringing at Thornbury in 2001, and was a ringer when schoolwork (he'd just taken his A/S levels) and his other activities allowed.
Andy's mother Leanne, a very well known voice and singing coach in Thornbury, died two years ago (almost to the week) and although at the time it hit Andy hard he seemed to have recovered well and was following much in her footsteps with a keen involvement with school drama and in the Thornbury Amateur Dramatics Society, and with some school friends he had developed an interest in producing and directing video. He was thinking of applying to Southampton University to study History.
Our thoughts and prayers are very much with his father Ian, and his younger brother Matt.    His most untimely death leaves a great gap in the hearts of all the Thornbury ringers.
                                               A.A.

Ken Weeks 1939 - 2004
Kenneth  George Weeks died on Saturday 7th August 2004,    he was born  on 9th June 1939Ken was born in Clifton Bristol and his early years were spent in Stapleton, from where his father a fireman mother moved to West Harptree. It is said that this move in his early life instilled in Ken his life long passion for fishing with the views over Chew  Valley Lake.
Ken’s Mother and younger sister Janet now live in Castle Cary.
Ken’s early years were formed in the Chew Valley and he was apprenticed as a motor mechanic to Henley’s in Bristol and we are told he travelled daily to work on his motor bike. He later moved to Dunlop as a vehicle inspector where he worked for about thirty years, he also drove coaches for National    Express and during this time other private coaches for outings for Kingswood Holy Trinity and Warmley churches. Many of our members will also remember him driving the coach for our branch outings and some of the escapades such as getting stuck in country lanes and heading for red traffic lights        through the cones at a high rate of knots. Ken set up on his own in business in Warmley repairing and preparing vehicles for their MOT.

Ken’s introduction to ringing was in 1963 when his ringing girlfriend Dian Rogers took him along to a Warmley Practice and subsequently Tony Gibbs taught him to ring, Ken and Dian were married in August 1964 but sadly they split up some 25 years later.
It is said that the Warmley ringers were at their peak at that time under the tower captaincy of Tony Gibbs and consequently Ken as the only learner made rapid progress.
His   first peal was at Warmley St Barnabas on Monday 9th April 1965 when he rang the third for Plain Bob Doubles. There were five first pealers in the band, and they were all Sunday service ringers. He also rang the tenor for the local band to ring a peal 118 doubles variations a year later.
Over the years Ken had an interest in many of the local towers perhaps the first involvement in a rehang would have been at Warmley when the Warmley six were replaced by eight from St George in east Bristol. This was carried out in 1976 by the bellhanger Arthur Fidler, aided by Tony Gibbs the tower captain and his Warmley team. Later Ken was instrumental in having Syston’s bells rehung   and shortly after this Ken was made an Honorary Life Member of Bristol Rural Branch.
He also held various branch officer posts over the years which included one year as ringing Master, two  sessions amounting   to five   years as chairman, and two sessions as MC rep amounting to seven years. Ken became a member of the Bath branch of the Bath and Wells Association in 2000 and held officer posts as Chairman, Ringing Master and bell maintenance contact up until his death. He was also instrumental in putting together a band at St Nicholas Kelston for the millennium ringing.
Ken had other interests including playing skittles, which he played on a regular basis and as we alluded to earlier, his life long interest in fishing on the Blagdon and Chew valley lakes, he spent a considerable amount of time right up until the last few weeks at the lakes. Ken died after a long illness which he fought very bravely and thought he had won, but unfortunately it returned.
We all have a lot to thank Ken for, his unbounded enthusiasm for ringing and all its subjects, the number of people he taught to ring over the years, which must go into dozens, most of them probably  being  younger  ringers,  the help and guidance he has given to all of us and the memories he has left with us for ever.
Ken leaves a daughter and two sons Kate, Andrew and Martyn.
I am sure the members of the two branches Bath and Bristol Rural will all offer their heartfelt sympathy to his family and friends in their sad loss?

Tony York
Bristol Rural Branch Secretary

Denis Arthur Jones 1924 - 2004  
                                                                  Ringer at Frampton Cotterell
Denis Jones, of Frampton Cotterell has died in 2004. He was born in 1926 
Denis was born in Bristol in St Michael’s hill where his father was a grocer, he must have listened to many hours of ringing as a child and young man as the bells of St Michaels rang out for services and practice nights. He also said that as a lad he chimed a bell at St Michaels for service.
When Den left school he went to work at Bristol University as a Laboratory Technician taking up his trade as a glass blower.  Eventually he started his own business manufacturing scientific glassware in Downend, and in recent years was joined by his youngest son Mathew who took up the same trade. He made lots of interesting items including lasers…and lovely glass handbells.
Denis in his adult life lived in Frampton Cotterell for 41 years and had associated with many local ringers; he did not take up ringing until 1999. As one of the oldest millennium ringers: Denis had to work hard to master ringing, and was often heard to say he wished he had taken it up at seven not seventy. As a scout he did bring three important attributes to the Frampton band – reliability and timeliness for his service and practice ringing, and also his ability to splice ropes perfectly.
Den had lots of other interests including life long interest in Scouting, sailing (which he passed on to his children who are still messing about in boats and also many of the local scouts and guides), he was an accomplished swimming, canoeing and life saving instructor.

At a recent church and tower open weekend, Den did his duty, on the roof, in the ringing chamber, and conducting visitors up the tower. His picture was even found in an ‘old’ photographic exhibition – dressed in his shorts and a white apron manning the BBQ at a Frampton Carnival. Although not retired, Denis did allow his wife Francis to organise frequent short holidays – glass blowing conferences in Venice, cruises, South Africa in the last year. He even managed a trip to the top of Reykjavik Cathedral – 300ft (it does have a lift)
At his funeral Denis’s family and friends filled the church to capacity, to celebrate the life of a good man.
He will be missed by the Frampton Cotterell ringers, his many friends and acquaintances.
Our Sympathy goes to his widow Francis and all the family.

 The world will be a poorer place without Denis Jones.
 

Anne Catherine Cunliffe 1955 - 2003
(nee Perrett, Freestone, Taysom)
Born April 1955           Died May 2003 

Anne was born in Downend, Bristol but brought up in Bitton where she attended The Gateway School, Clifton High and Soundwell Technical College.  Anne then went on to train as an Occupational Therapist at St Loyes Exeter and spent all of her career in Bristol Hospitals, most of the time at Frenchay where she was responsible for managing a hand clinic until her forced early retirement at the age of 48 – cancer has no respect of age .
Anne was a good local ringer who dedicated her ringing career to St Mary’s, Bitton, for over 30 years and introduced her sisters Sarah and Ruth to ringing (and in later years her father on his retirement).  As children it was a good youth club and even in later years it was still our youth club, even though we grew older together.  On the arrival of both her girls Elizabeth and Rachael, Anne couldn’t stay away, it was her time out.  In 1985 Anne together with her sister Sarah organised a trip to Woodstock where after 15 years of call changes Rounds, Cross, Queens, Whittington and Titums we were advised how to call changes correctly and to plain hunt.  Since those days the Tower has never looked back, we are still not that good but better than we were!  Our first striking competition was held at Bitton in 1988 where Anne and Sue shared the calling of the changes, Anne counted and Sue called, much to the amusement of the person sitting with us and everyone else when he told them.  I remember going to Midsomer Norton with Anne, she was told she would be a good ringer if she practised more.  You could imagine Anne's reply, with 2 small girls and a non ringing husband but the other ringers just didn’t understand. 
On the wall are 4 pictures of Anne all with different surnames as pointed out by her sister Sarah.  One of the first is as a ringer for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 but since then Anne has rung over 14 quarters mainly at Bitton with a few at Abson, and was widely known within the branch and country due to her marriage to Henry Taysom.
Anne rang with both her daughters and was especially proud of her youngest, Rachael Freestone who rang her first Quarter to mark Anne’s father, David Perrett’s 80^th birthday in April 2003.  Although Anne was not well enough to ring for this occasion, she was honoured to have Rachael as her representative and listened from her bedroom window, as Rachael joined four other members of the family.  Sadly Anne did not make her Mothers 80^th Birthday in October but Rachael again rang a Quarter to mark the occasion and we are sure that Anne would have been pleased.
Anne was a great asset to our Tower and will be sadly missed.  St Mary’s church was full to overflowing at her funeral and so many ‘youth club’ ringers were there, some came to ring for Anne that hadn’t rung for over 20 years and wouldn’t know what call changes were!  Uncharacteristically the ringing at her funeral was perfect but the ringing down was something that would have made her smile, as Henry would of put it true ‘Bitton Syndrome’.  The bells were half muffled before and after the service and she now lies within the sound of the bells no doubt making notes.
This year Bitton managed a quarter during quarter peal week and this Anne is dedicated to you.

Phillis B.G. Livsey  1924 - 2002
Ringer at Alveston and Farcited Member

 Phyllis Betty Georgina (Phyl): wife of the late Robert Livsey. Died peacefully at Southmead Hospital on December 16^th 2001, after a short illness, aged 78. Phyl took up ringing late in life, starting, during the 1970’s. She had wanted to ring when she was young, but had been told that ringing was not suitable activity for young ladies! She had always had strong ties with the church, being a devout Christian and almost had a service named after her, the ten past ten Thursday morning communion service at St Helens, Alveston, a service she was regularly late for! She learnt to ring at St Helens, Alveston, and, though not progressing beyond bob doubles, was a useful member of the band and encouraged other members of the church to "give ringing a go". She was well known to the Farcited ringers, often joining them on their outings, she almost became the official photographer, as with her family and friends she will be missed for her lively and infectious personality.

Robert A. Williams 1924 - 2002
Robert Williams, of Tytherington died in 2002 he was born in 1924.
Robert lived all his life in the village of Tytherington, Gloucestershire. He attended the village school and won a scholarship to Thornbury Grammar School. On leaving, Robert went to work on the family farm. He played the horn in the Tytherington band and also learnt to ring on the then five bells and quickly progressed to Grandsire doubles. He was part of the handbell team, which rang carols at Christmas time to raise money, funds for a new treble bell, which came to fruition in 1959. With this completed, the next project was to refurbish the handbells and this was duly done by 1970. He taught his five children to ring, culminating in a family Silver Jubilee quarter peal. His involvement with church life spanned almost all his life with ringing, the church choir, and being churchwarden for 40 years. His dedication to church life was reflected at his funeral service with the church overflowing. The bells were rung open before the service by Rural Branch members, and the tenor tolled on interment. A successful quarter peal of Plain Bob Minor was rung in the evening by the local Sunday band.

George Blagg 1922 - 2002
St. James, Mangotsfield, has died in 2002. He was born in 1922
George was born in Gainsborough, Lincs. and came to live in Kingswood when he was 14 years of age. In 1949, George and Gwen were married and moved to Mangotsfield. George joined the ringing band at St. James then under the leadership of Mr. John Jefferies and in due course became the steeple keeper.
George was a man of many parts! Mainly he looked after the mechanism of the bells but he was also tower secretary, tower treasurer, ringing instructor and clock man. As clock man he had to ensure that the clock kept good time and this involved him going to the tower twice a week to wind up the heavy clock weights that came down from the ringing room to the ground floor of the porch. This he did until the early 1980’s when the PCC replaced the heavy winding gear with two electric motors.
In the 1980’s we began to experience problems with the bells and it became more and more difficult for George to combat the wear and tear that was slowly affecting the behaviour of the bells. However, he nursed the bells with loving care and affection until 1990 when the Diocesan Bell Advisor announced that ringing must cease and a refurbishment programme put into effect.
Maybe it was preparing the bells for removal culminating in stopping the clock that prompted George to declare that he was retiring from his duties in the tower. This was quite understandable since he had given more than 50 years service to the old bells and thought it was time to stand down. George continued to serve the church as a communicant and could be called upon to help with any task that required attention.
George and Gwen had three children, John, Richard and Grace, who were all taught to ring at St, James Church. Richard and his family are now registered ringers at Littledean, Glos, and John and Grace continue to ring elsewhere in the Country.
     

This page was last updated on:-

24/05/2007