Bristol Rural Branch
Part of The Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers
History of Farcited
Extract from the the September 1995 issue of the Rural Branch Newslettter:
THE FAR CITED COMPANY OF CHURCH BELL RINGERS
The Far Cited Company of Bell Ringers was inaugurated in 1989, the inspiration of Arthur Herbert, who sensing a growing number of retired, out able bodied ringers around, decided to do, something about it . His idea of a monthly gathering primarily a social occasion with opportunity to ring with old friends and new, was an immediate success.We have only two rules: No one is in charge (a Ringing Master is delegated conscripted for each meeting) and there are no inquests when (occasionally) the ringing comes to grief! All this time Arthur has willingly made the arrangements for the meetings, and our annual outings; so efficiently that, as is the way of things, we've come to believe it will always be so. It was therefore with surprise tinged with sadness that we learnt at our August gathering that after five and a half half years he’s decided to relinquish some of his responsibilities. Fortunately an able successor has been found. From now on Mary York, who with Tony already organises our Christmas outing, has agreed to take on the task of organising our monthly meetings. Arthur for the time being is happy to continue organising the Mystery Tour. We are sure that we express the gratitude of all the Exercise locally in thanking Arthur for the work he's put into the promotion of the FarCited Company - may we enjoy his, and each others companionship for a long while yet!
THE FAR CITED COMPANY OF CHURCH BELL RINGERS
The Far Cited Company of Bell Ringers was inaugurated in 1989, the inspiration of Arthur Herbert, who sensing a growing number of retired, out able bodied ringers around, decided to do, something about it . His idea of a monthly gathering primarily a social occasion with opportunity to ring with old friends and new, was an immediate success.We have only two rules: No one is in charge (a Ringing Master is delegated conscripted for each meeting) and there are no inquests when (occasionally) the ringing comes to grief! All this time Arthur has willingly made the arrangements for the meetings, and our annual outings; so efficiently that, as is the way of things, we've come to believe it will always be so. It was therefore with surprise tinged with sadness that we learnt at our August gathering that after five and a half half years he’s decided to relinquish some of his responsibilities. Fortunately an able successor has been found. From now on Mary York, who with Tony already organises our Christmas outing, has agreed to take on the task of organising our monthly meetings. Arthur for the time being is happy to continue organising the Mystery Tour. We are sure that we express the gratitude of all the Exercise locally in thanking Arthur for the work he's put into the promotion of the FarCited Company - may we enjoy his, and each others companionship for a long while yet!
Extract from the February 1998 issue of the newsletter:
By Tony York
It has been suggested that we include in the Newsletter a brief occasional article on members of the branch who are well known and not so well known. To get this underway I have written a small piece on my ringing history which should not take very long.
'Me' the editor and branch secretary started ringing in 1960 at Wrington which has a very heavy ten. I was doing my National Service at Locking Weston at the time. The reasons for learning to ring are to complex to go into here. Having started ringing in the Chew Valley Branch I started to attend branch meetings and at Portbury met Mary Powell a ringer from Nailsea who has now been Mary York for thirty seven years. However I was then posted to the Shetlands and ringing stopped.
I commenced ringing again in 1992 when I retired and then had to relearn to handle a bell again. I have been ringing since at Frampton Cotterell with a year out whilst getting over a heart attack. Somewhere along the line I was encouraged to become branch secretary. I do not know what the encouragement was.
I do know that it was a hard act to follow with Alan Freke being secretary before me, and here I am on Christmas Eve penning the February Newsletter.
Not only are Mary and myself members of the 'Rural Branch' we are members of the Farcited band who meet on the first Thursday of each month in the afternoon for ringing and a cup of tea. We are also members of the Moonrakers group who only meet twice a year, a week of ringing somewhere in the UK (this year Norfolk in July and August) and a reunion in November which in 1998 was a long weekend staying in Ilfracoombe. For our sins Mary and I organise both these events. We are members of the Moonrakers group because Dawn and Liz the twins were members of the group back in the days of yore and parents seem to be able to go along as honorary members. The Farcited group was a different story started By Arthur Herbert in 1989. Arthur asked Mary and myself to take over the activity in 1995.
So you can see ringing is quite a busy activity in our lives.
By Tony York
It has been suggested that we include in the Newsletter a brief occasional article on members of the branch who are well known and not so well known. To get this underway I have written a small piece on my ringing history which should not take very long.
'Me' the editor and branch secretary started ringing in 1960 at Wrington which has a very heavy ten. I was doing my National Service at Locking Weston at the time. The reasons for learning to ring are to complex to go into here. Having started ringing in the Chew Valley Branch I started to attend branch meetings and at Portbury met Mary Powell a ringer from Nailsea who has now been Mary York for thirty seven years. However I was then posted to the Shetlands and ringing stopped.
I commenced ringing again in 1992 when I retired and then had to relearn to handle a bell again. I have been ringing since at Frampton Cotterell with a year out whilst getting over a heart attack. Somewhere along the line I was encouraged to become branch secretary. I do not know what the encouragement was.
I do know that it was a hard act to follow with Alan Freke being secretary before me, and here I am on Christmas Eve penning the February Newsletter.
Not only are Mary and myself members of the 'Rural Branch' we are members of the Farcited band who meet on the first Thursday of each month in the afternoon for ringing and a cup of tea. We are also members of the Moonrakers group who only meet twice a year, a week of ringing somewhere in the UK (this year Norfolk in July and August) and a reunion in November which in 1998 was a long weekend staying in Ilfracoombe. For our sins Mary and I organise both these events. We are members of the Moonrakers group because Dawn and Liz the twins were members of the group back in the days of yore and parents seem to be able to go along as honorary members. The Farcited group was a different story started By Arthur Herbert in 1989. Arthur asked Mary and myself to take over the activity in 1995.
So you can see ringing is quite a busy activity in our lives.
Copied from original Bristol Rural website:
By Tony York
Just a few details about the Farcited Band of Church Bell ringers
The Farcited group are not really part of Bristol Rural Branch, but as the greater number of the members live and are members of the branch, it is probably not wrong to include information about the group in the rural branch web pages.
The group was formed in 1990 by a Rural Branch member Arthur Herbert left and above. His aim was to get together the retired members of the branch for ringing in mid week, the objective being to ring, have a cup of tea and have a relaxing afternoon with one's ringing friends.
From its humble beginnings it now has about seventy members who come from as far afield as Wotton-under Edge, Forest Branch Swindon and Bridgwater. The average attendance for a first Thursday in the month 14.30 - 16.00 is twenty. It not only meets now on a Thursday, but about every three months it spreads its wings and visits a tower in the morning, a pub lunch and a further tower in the afternoon. It also has two major outings a year, the famous 'Arthur's mystery tour' which is no longer a mystery.
It also has a Christmas outing, when on the first Thursday in December we ring at two towers in the morning, a long and leisurely Christmas lunch in a suitable hotel. In recent years these have been at Morton in Marsh, Wells, Stow on the Wold, Taunton, Chippenham, Salisbury, Cardiff, Exeter, Worcester, Hereford (2003) Evesham(2004) Oxford (2005). Watch this space.
In 1995 Mary York (picture above) took over from Arthur as (he thought he had organised it long enough) to organise the Farcited group on a monthly basis, in August 2005 after ten years she arranged her last regular Farcited event and Wynne Holcombe (above) took over the task of arranging the monthly meetings and events. In September 2006 Wynne for personnel reasons gave up the organisation and Ruth and Eddy Welch have taken it on.
Now once again in 2014 Mary and Tony York have risen to the challenge, starting in May they will be organising the monthly towers again, but I hope we do not have to organise it for 10 years as last time.
April 4th 2019 was Mary Yorks last Farcited organised day, from this date Linda Gittings took on the organisation of FarCited but in a slightly different formatt,
individual FarCited members organise the days out, Linda will then distribute the information to the group. Linda has now moved on in November
2023, having arranged it for the almost 5 years including the covid years.
By Tony York
Just a few details about the Farcited Band of Church Bell ringers
The Farcited group are not really part of Bristol Rural Branch, but as the greater number of the members live and are members of the branch, it is probably not wrong to include information about the group in the rural branch web pages.
The group was formed in 1990 by a Rural Branch member Arthur Herbert left and above. His aim was to get together the retired members of the branch for ringing in mid week, the objective being to ring, have a cup of tea and have a relaxing afternoon with one's ringing friends.
From its humble beginnings it now has about seventy members who come from as far afield as Wotton-under Edge, Forest Branch Swindon and Bridgwater. The average attendance for a first Thursday in the month 14.30 - 16.00 is twenty. It not only meets now on a Thursday, but about every three months it spreads its wings and visits a tower in the morning, a pub lunch and a further tower in the afternoon. It also has two major outings a year, the famous 'Arthur's mystery tour' which is no longer a mystery.
It also has a Christmas outing, when on the first Thursday in December we ring at two towers in the morning, a long and leisurely Christmas lunch in a suitable hotel. In recent years these have been at Morton in Marsh, Wells, Stow on the Wold, Taunton, Chippenham, Salisbury, Cardiff, Exeter, Worcester, Hereford (2003) Evesham(2004) Oxford (2005). Watch this space.
In 1995 Mary York (picture above) took over from Arthur as (he thought he had organised it long enough) to organise the Farcited group on a monthly basis, in August 2005 after ten years she arranged her last regular Farcited event and Wynne Holcombe (above) took over the task of arranging the monthly meetings and events. In September 2006 Wynne for personnel reasons gave up the organisation and Ruth and Eddy Welch have taken it on.
Now once again in 2014 Mary and Tony York have risen to the challenge, starting in May they will be organising the monthly towers again, but I hope we do not have to organise it for 10 years as last time.
April 4th 2019 was Mary Yorks last Farcited organised day, from this date Linda Gittings took on the organisation of FarCited but in a slightly different formatt,
individual FarCited members organise the days out, Linda will then distribute the information to the group. Linda has now moved on in November
2023, having arranged it for the almost 5 years including the covid years.
News of FarCited can also be found in the following issues of the newsletter (see here):
- 1996, August
- 1997, May
- 1998, February
- 2000, August (available online soon)