HRGB South West Region

Welcome to the web site of the South West Region of the Handbell Ringers of Great Britain. This page is updated on a regular basis so be sure to come back again for information on events, people, sales and a wealth of other information that we are keen to let people know about.

Within this site can be found information on active handbell teams in the South West with a map to guide you in finding your nearest team to ring at your event. There are over 80 registered teams in the South West with many more operating outside the umbrella of HRGB.

The South West Region is one of the largest regions in HRGB with its territory stretching from Cornwall to Wiltshire, Dorset to Gloucestershire and even parts of Herefordshire. The Channel Islands are also part of the South West Region as is the southern part of Wales.

Browse our Calendar of South West events and download booking forms where available.

Rehearsals and Performances 

As members of the SW Ensemble (The Sou'westers) we expect a certain level of commitment to rehearsals. Not only do you need the rehearsal time but it does tend to let the side down a bit when there are gaps at the table. However there is nothing we can do about illnesses, sudden holidays or vehicular malfunctions. So, here are the dates in advance if they can be inked into your diaries.

Please be at the hall for 10:30am for a prompt set-up and start. This is followed by the usual lunch and then afternoon rehearsal. If this proves successful we shall look to do more of these rehearsals with chosen conductors (so I can put my feet back up again in committee meetings)

Please see the events page for details of reharsal dates. 

Other Performances

It was encouraging to see you are willing to play at other events. We shall keep accepting invitations and arrange to play where we have enough ringers to field a team. 

Positions and Bells

• The shea set goes all the way up to 01C so all the bells will be Whitechapel along here.
• The freeman set (Malmark) are to be augmented with Ockment Valley’s top bells (silver case, gold stars on leather handles)
• The St Leonard’s bells (Schulmerich) are to be augmented with Ian’s small bells (green stars on leather handles)

Packing Up after Rehearsals

Bells

Put away (obviously) – Malmark and Schulmerich bells should be placed in their cases with the handles sideways – so you can see through them. Whitechapel handles go letter upwards.

Mallets

Seems people can’t sort mallets into he right boxes based on name labels so we have labelled them with Red or Yellow Tape. These go into the relevant cases

Foam

Please do not bring this outside until called for. Some ringers have a tendency to bring them out them leave them on damp ground or forget how heavy they get over time and put them down on the ground.

Trailer

• We need to pack the trailer in this rough order:
• Podium Base – collapses and goes in the trailer nose.
• 1 Foam - goes in the trailer nose
• Shea Boxes (these are the brown boxes with metal edges) – 6 of them
• Approximately 12 foams – these go on top of the brown boxes
• Podium top.
• Malmark Cases (these are black with National Youth Music Camp stickers on them) There are 4 of these
• Smaller Cases get packed around everything
• More foam
• Regional music stands in their suitcase
• Further foam
• Conductor’s stand in a bag squeezed between foam
• Even more foam
• Spare wheel

Of course, after a rally this goes completely out the window as we pack differently, ho hum)

The risers and the f-in-box (it’s an F in a box, ok?) go in the car along with general committee paperwork, the coolbag for the kitchen and assorted administrivia.

A volunteer to sweep the hall floor would be good.