The Four Shires Guild of Bell Ringers
Four Shires is the group we are closest to at Pebworth. The Four Shires Guild caters for towers where four large counties meet: Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire. It started about 100 years ago. Most towers belong to other associations too, either because of their geographic location or their diocesan links. It is a non-territorial group,
Saturday evening practices every week are the biggest feature of the guild’s activities. These are held at towers across the region including ours. There is also a Four Shires week day outing every month for those who are not working.
We are active guild members and our team members can often be seen attending the Saturday evening practices. We have also entered and won several prizes in the Striking competitions of recent years.
Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association of Church Bell Ringers.
St Peter’s Church is part of a benefice of six churches, called ‘Cotswold Edge’… All are in the Gloucester Diocese. Strangely, Dorsington is in Warwickshire, and Pebworth and Honeybourne are both in Worcestershire. Church boundary’s certainly do not follow political ones! We are the Association’s most north-westerly tower and part of the North Cotswold Branch.
We are becoming increasingly involved with the association and bi-monthly 10-bell practices are held at Pebworth on the third Thursday of the even numbered months.
Worcestershire and Districts Change Ringing Association...
We are the most easterly of all the towers in Worcestershire, so we are also WDCRA. The village was originally in Gloucestershire, but it moved to Worcestershire in the early 20th century when ancient anomalies were sorted out by local councils. Our tower is part of the Southern Branch of the Association.
Coventry Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers
We are not directly affiliated to this Guild as Pebworth is not in either the Coventry Diocese or the Warwickshire area it serves. We do however, still feel a strong link to the Guild. The county border follows our parish boundary and most towers to our North and East are Coventry Guild towers. In recent times, we have helped with judging Coventry Guild striking competitions and they have occasionally had meetings at our tower… And sometimes their members just join us at our practice on a Friday night.
