Sutton Bonington
WEEK OF PRAYER. A week of prayer for Christian Unity will be celebrated with a joint service at Sutton Bonington Baptist Church on Sunday, this weekend, January 19.
The week of prayer runs from January 18, until January 25, and on January 19, there will be no morning services at the two Anglican churches or the Methodist church in the village.
LADIES WALKING GROUP PROGRAMME. A new programme of walks has been planned for the Ladies Walking Group that meets in Sutton Bonington before setting of to various destinations.
The walking group meets at the Sutton Bonington Playing Fields Car Park.
The programme of walks began this year on January 9 with a walk of three or four miles at the Outwoods. The group meets at the Playing Fields Car Park at 9.30 am or at the Outwoods Car Park – the starting point of the walk – at 10 am. There were no stiles, just easy walking. The leader of the walk is Pat Gassor who can be contacted for more details on 01509 827028.
On Tuesday next week, January 21 the walk is three and a half miles at Trent Lock. It is described as an easy
walk. The group meets at the Sutton Bonington Playing Fields Car Park at 9.30 am or at Trent Lock car park NG10 2FY – the start of the walk – at 10 am.
The leader is Bonnie Holland who can be contacted for more details on 07484 658749.
On Monday, February 10 the walk is four and a half miles at Dishley Pool.
The walk is described as flat walking beside the canal. The group meets at the Sutton Bonington Playing Fields Car Park at
9.30 am or at Canal Basin, Loughborough – the start of the walk – at 10am.
The leader is Carolyn Brock who can be contacted for more details on 07720 661351.
On Friday, February 28th the walk is four to five miles at Woodhouse Eaves.
The group meets at The Sutton Bonington Playing Fields Car Park at 9.30 am or at the Village Hall car park in
Main Street in Woodhouse Eaves LE12 8RZ – the start of the walk – at 10 am.
The leader is Gill Coates who can be contacted for more details on 07870 124039.
The walking group is open to all ladies of any age.
The walk days vary each week and it is free to join the very sociable group. Any ladies who would like to join is asked to send their email address to pat@gassor.com or telephone Pat Gassor on 01509 827028.
The walks are in various locations at fortnightly intervals throughout the year and are usually between three and five miles. Walks are about two hours in the morning and are followed by lunch. Wherever possible, the group car share.
CAMERA CAR TO CATCH IRRESPONSIBLE PARKERS. In an effort to deter drivers to irresponsibly park in and around the area of the village school at Sutton Bonington, Notts County Council are to continue use of a camera car there to record details of incidents that do cause a nuisance.
The local County Council member Coun. Andy Brown has told the parish council that the County now have three camera cars that work towards stopping poor parking problems and one had been used in Sb and would continue to be sited there.
LET THE BELLS RING. Church bells have always played an important role in the life of any parish, and in May this year that will come to the fore again, with the country marking the fact that it will be 75 years to the day on May 8 that Prime Minister Winston Churchill announced that hostilities with Hitler’s Germany had come to an end following their surrender after six years of battle that saw hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians killed.
There was good reason to ring bells on that day in 1945, to celebrate the fact that the war was over and that life could begin to return to something like to normal.
Sutton Bonington was no different to any other village in celebrating and those years ago the bells of St Michael’s church rang out in joy of the country’s victory.
The tall church tower at St Michael’s has a peal of six bells, although originally the peal consisted of just three bells, cast by Henry Oldfield’s foundry in Nottingham, two of which remain. the oldest dates right back to 1579 and is the second oldest bell in Nottinghamshire.
Two more bells were added in 1849/50 and a sixth bell in 1977 purchased for the sum of £320 from St Andrews church Watton at Stone Hertfordshire to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The weights of the bells range from 4cwts 86 lbs (treble) to 17cwts 97 lbs (tenor). The installation has recently been restored by John Taylor and Co, the large bell foundry in nearby Loughborough who cast a number of the bells. The bells are rung for Sunday morning services and at fortnightly practice sessions. More volunteers are urgently needed.
Two more bells were added in 1849/50 and a sixth bell in 1977 purchased for the sum of £320 from St Andrew’s Church, Watton at Stone, Hertfordshire, to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II. The weights of the bells range from 4cwts 86lbs (treble) to 17cwts 97lbs (tenor). The installation was restored in 2009 by John Taylor and Co, the large bell foundry in nearby L:oughborough who cast a number of the bells. The bells are rung for Sunday morning services when a team is available.
The importance of the bells to the people of the village is underlined by the fact that an old newspaper cutting reports on the installation of the Jubilee Bell in 1977. Installing that was obviously a tremendous feat, and more particularly so because it was all done by volunteers!
That part of the story began in 1977 when the then Rector, Philip Pennant, thought it would be nice to install a sixth bell to celebrate Queen Elizabeth 2nd’s silver jubilee, bringing the peal from 5 bells to 6, in the same way that In 1583 a new bell had been hung in St Michael’s to celebrate Queen Elizabeth 1st’s Silver Jubilee. –and that bell is still there.
The cost of a new bell in 1977 was around £2,500 and for a time it looked as if this wouldn’t be possible. But then a second-hand bell was found for sale in Watton-at-Stone in Hertfordshire at a cost of just £320.
The enthusiastic bell ringers from Sutton Bonington made the 104 mile trip, bought the bell, and brought it back on a trailer!
The bell had then to go to the lo cal Taylor’s foundry to be tuned and fittings manufactured. Metal was purchased from scrap suppliers to make two main H joists and the A frame for the bell, which was also made at Taylors. Three trips had to be made from Taylors to bring the bell, the frame and the fittings from Loughborough to St Michael’s because of the weight! The bell itself, which is the smallest in the tower, weighs 4 cwts 86 lbs (242.2 kg).
That part of the task was over, but then the real work started! It would have been impossible to get the bell and the frame up the tower steps, so it all had to be hauled up the outside of the tower. The louvers and central mullion had to be removed from the south facing belfry window. A long arm sliding pulley system was constructed to haul the bell up. Then the frame had to be concreted into the tower and the old treble bell had to be rehung. Many people helped, Sheila Turner brought the workers tea and sandwiches, and Bernard Smith calculated that they took at least 370 man hours to complete the job, probably a lot more! But completed it was and on 23rd April 1977 the first peal of Minor was rung on 6 bells. The total cost of the project , as well as much sweat and labour, being £715. All of the funds had been raised locally, which was yet another tribute to the people of Sutton Bonington who were obviously keen to ensure that the plan of the Rev Pennant came to fruition.
The bells rang again in May 1995, the 50th anniversary of VE day, and hopefully, if a team can be arranged, they will ring again in May 2020 for the 75th anniversary.
KEEP ALLOTMENT PLOTS
TIDY. Parish council allotment holders in Sutton Bonington are being reminded that they should keep their plots tidy.
Recently the council agreed to give notice to quit to one tenant where the plot had not been maintained for many months#
ANNUAL VILLAGE SHOW PRESENTATION. The annual presentation night for Sutton Bonington’s biggest social event, the annual village show, is taking place in the village hall on Wednesday next week, January 22, with a 7.30pm start.
Annually the event sees the Show committee make cash handouts to local and other charities, part of the proceeds of the event held in September and the cheques will be handed out on Wednesday.
Sutton Bonington show itself draws hundreds of people to the village on the first Sunday in September and is recognised as one the best and biggest of its kind in its area. It includes a flower and vegetable show and this attracts in the region of 1000 entries each year and is a big attraction to visitors on the day.