This is a list of HRGB Registered Teams in South West Region. Some are school teams or otherwise affiliated to a particular church or organisation. Not all are active and may not be available for events etc. If no contact details given please email the Regional Secretary who will advise on the best way of contacting the team.

Bristol

AXBRIDGE
BARN BELLS
DECIBELLS
IRON ACTON CofE SCHOOL
SODBURY RINGERS www.sites.google.com/site/sodburyringers/
WINTERBOURNE ST MICHAELS www.winterbourne.freeuk.com/handbells.html 

Cornwall

147 CAMBORNE & DIST ATC
HEYL HANDBELLS
ILLOGAN HR
K.N. RINGERS
PERRAN REBELLS
PERRAN-AR-WORTHAL HR
PILLATON & ST MELLION
ST BREWARD HR
ST KEA BELLRINGERS
ST MARWENNE HR
ST PETROC'S CHURCH HR BODMIN
TRESMEER SIDWELL
WILCOVE HR

Devon

ASHREIGNEY HR
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Okehampton)
BLACK SWAN RINGERS (Dawlish)
DART VALLEY HB
ESTUARY BELLS (Teignmouth)
HARBOUR BELLS (Torquay)
HEAVITREE HR (Exeter)
LAMERTON ASSN OF HR
LIFTON HR
MANATON MADHATTERS
OCKMENT VALLEY RINGERS (Okehampton)
OTTERY ST MARY HR
SANDFORD HR
ST MARY'S RUBY RINGERS (Black Torrington)
THE JOLLY JINGLERS (Modbury)
THE PHOENIX RINGERS (Chudleigh)
THE SOU'WESTERS (Regional Team)
TOR BELLS (Okehampton) https://www.facebook.com/torbells/
WESTMINSTER CHIMES (Newton Abbot)

Dorset

BOURNEMOUTH YOUTH www.byht-handbells.co.uk
CLAPPER CHAOS (Poole) www.sites.google.com/site/clapperchaos/home
CROSSWAYS VILLAGE HR
LADY ST MARY HR (Wareham) www.ladyebayhandbellringers.weebly.com 
SYMONDSBURY HR

Herefordshire

BURGHILL & TILLINGTON
TINTINNABULIS

Gloucester

BELL-TIDE (Stroud)
BLOCKLEY HR (Moreton in Marsh)
FROME VALLEY HR

Jersey

CAESAREAN HR

Somerset

ASH PRIORS HR
BELLEHARMONY (Wellington)
BERROW HR
BRING ME SUNSHINE (Taunton)
CHEDDAR VALLEY U3A
JOY BELLS (Taunton)
KINGSTON ST MARY HR
LADYE BAY HR
MARTOCK BELLES
MINEHEAD HR
NEROCHE HR
ST MARY'S (Bawdrip)
STOGUMBER HR
THE DOWLISH WAKE RINGERS
TRINITY HANDBELLS OF STREET
WEST BUCKLAND W.I.
WINCANTATA (Wincanton)
WOOLAVINGTON HR

South Wales

OLD NEWTONIANS (Porthcawl)
ST MARY'S TENBY HR
ST CADOC'S MILLENNIUM CHIMES
SWANSEA ST MARY'S BELLRINGERS

Wiltshire

BROCKLEAZE BELLS
CRUDWELL HR
MARDEN VALE HANDBELLS
MERE MELODIES
MERRIBELLS (Swindon)
PEARTREE PEALERS
PEWSEY VALE
RAINBOW RINGERS (Swindon)
SALISBURY METHODIST CHURCH BELLETONES
URCHFONT HANDBELLS
WANBOROUGH HR

Worcestershire

ST BARTHOLEMEW< ARELEY KINGS

Role of Honour

Recipients of the SW Region Honoured Member Award (and the date and event where awarded)

• Don Bedford (March 2012 AGM)
• John Willis (March 2012 AGM)
• Richard and Sue Page (December 2012 Christmas Festival)
• Janet Thomas (April 2013 Cornish Rally)
• Adrian Foss (May 2013 Wincanton Mini-Rally)
• Robert Willis (March 2014 AGM)
• Jane Willis (November 2015 Autumn Rally)
• Geoff Hill (October 2016)
• Alex Freeman (April 2017)
• Paul Scoble (April 2018)
• Cathy Beeby (December 2019)
• Robin Benton (June 2025)

Don Bedford	John Willis	Richard and Sue Page
Janet Thomas	Robert Willis	Adrian Foss
Jane Willis	Geoff Hill	Alex Freeman
Paul Scoble	Cathy Beeby	Robin Benton

Background

Several  Regions  have  adopted  an ‘Honoured  Member’  scheme  to recognise  people  who  have  done much  to  help  their  Region  but  who have not merited being proposed for Honorary Life Membership of HRGB – which  is  specifically  for  service  at  a National level. Typically, the award might recognise one or more of the following:

• Outstanding involvement in the development  and  promotion  of handbell ringing in the Region
• Regular or frequent organisation of ringing events
• Presenting workshops to enable ringers to improve their ringing  or  learn  new techniques
• Taking handbell ringing into the wider community
• involving non-ringers
• Representing the Region at  a  national  or international level
• Raising significant money for donation to charities (using handbells)
• Regular or long term service to the Region
• Donation  of  equipment  (bells, music etc) for Regional use
• Regular work with young ringers

This is not an exhaustive list and all nominations  will  be  carefully considered.

Would you like to nominate someone in our Region for this recognition?

Nominations  should  be  sent  to  the Regional  Secretary  and  must  include the name of the member and team(s) together  with  background information (no more than half an A4 sheet)  and  reasons  why  the nomination is being put forward.

Ensemble Information - for details of planned attendance

Since 2006, ringers from all over the South West Region have met to practise muisc to perform at the Regional Rally and Christmas Prelude and occassional public concerts. This group is known as the Sou'westers.

Sou’westers

Most regions now have a regional ‘orchestra’.  SERBO (from the South East) was first and there are now the East Anglia Regional team and Northern Bell Orchestra. Scotland have their Celtic Carillon and there is a group in the Midlands too.

We have 30+ ringers belonging to the Sou’westers (all of whom must be HRGB members), many come from Somerset, Dorset and Devon, but there are significant numbers from Bristol, Gloucester, Cornwall and Wiltshire – we even have intrepid travellers from beyound the SW Regioanal borders.

The object of the group is to give established ringers and their leaders/conductors (who may not get much ringing themselves) the opportunity to tackle more advanced music written for 5 octave groups, often with a variety of special techniques. The music is challenging but not impossibly so, and help is always available!

The atmosphere of the rehearsals is calm and friendly; there is no test or audition for joining. The conductors don't pick on individuals but they do try to help and encourage ringers to improve their ringing knowledge, skills and style. Because there are 2 or 3 people ringing in each position, the odd wrong note or omission is not noticed and ringers can always negotiate with their fellow ringers to agree ‘who rings what’ during more difficult passages. We don’t insist on a particular style, in-hand or off table are fine.

The Sou’westers meet monthly, on a Saturday, usually at Staplegrove Village Hall near Taunton, setting up is from 10.30, we ring from 11.30am to about 4.30pm with a stop for lunch and two short tea breaks

We supply:

• tables and foams,
• bells (although some ringers like to bring along their own, which is fine if they are in the correct pitch), mallets and chimes,
• music (usually via email or downloaded from the SW website so that ringers can print their own copies. Members are permitted to print just one copy of each piece of music to go into their folder and we have the legal number of original copies. Ringers are asked not to share this music with anyone else or use it within their own teams),
• tea, coffee and biscuits (for which there is a donations dish)

Ringers supply:

• a music stand and riser if needed, gloves (mandatory please) and often a split-back music binder,
• their time to download, file and mark up the music as much or as little as they wish, and familiarise themselves with it between practices,
• a pencil (at least) to mark on their music any and all instructions given by the conductors,
• a commitment to attend as many practices as possible (we understand that there are times when people can’t make it, but we hope they will try). The various rehearsal dates are published in the Newsletter each issue and we ask ringers to let us know if they cannot attend,
• a packed lunch for themselves and occasional assistance in the kitchen,
• able bodied ringers are also asked to assist in setting the room up and packing away at the end.

The Sou’westers fee is currently £25 per year payable in September which includes all music; ringers starting mid-term are asked to pay £2.50 per session (after an initial free ‘trial’ month). The subs do not cover rally fees; these are collected from those going to any event (unless they are already registered with their own teams).

The Sou’westers usually ring as a group at rallies and Christmas and occassional public concerts – we feel it is important to have something to aim for!  Dress is informal at rehearsals but a Sou’westers polo shirt and sweat shirt are available to order.

Any questions? Just drop an email to us at jThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or ring on 01837 52565 for a chat. We’ll let you know what bell positions are available and how to get the current music.

What is the Young Ringer Fund?

It is a fund set up by SW Region to provide financial support to young ringers from the Region who wish to attend National – or perhaps even International – handbell events.

also

Vaughan Evans Fund for Young Ringers

Applications for funding can be made to the Vaughan Evans Fund for Young Ringers for handbell ringers from the UK in full/part-time education, and aged under 24, to attend any HRGB sponsored event whether Regional, National or International. Applicants should be members of HRGB. Membership of HRGB is free of charge for those in full-time education aged under 24. For more details https://handbells.org.uk/vaughan-evans-fund-young-ringers

Read more: SW Young Ringer Fund