Tag: Cycling

Gary Verity talks bells

July 4, 2014

In the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Tour de France in the FD Arena at Leeds, bellringing received kind words from Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire.

Arena - bell  Arena - MashamArena - crowd

“My greatest thanks for tonight is deserved for every man, woman and child who supported, encouraged and believed in our dream. As I speak, 600 bell ringers across 60 churches across the county are ringing hundreds of bells in celebration of this moment, in itself an inspirational example of what we can achieve together.

“I am certain that thousands of young people across the UK will be inspired by the champions of cycling this weekend.

“This is our destiny – you are part of history – vive la Yorkshire vive la Tour de France.”

The Tour de France riders were presented to the world’s media and to a crowd of over 10,000 in the Arena.

Bands played including Embrace, Alistair Griffin & Kimberley Walsh, Opera North and Hope & Social.

Every day folk across the county had their say on film “Bienvenue a Yorkshire”.

And the event reached a climax with an absolutely enormous standing ovation for Gary. Bigger even than the cheers for any of the cyclists. Well, we were in Yorkshire after all. A big warm welcome to everyone, but a rapturous cheer for the man whose idea and energy made this whole thing possible.

Massive thank you to ITV Calendar for filming with us – Simon, our cameraman, even started to learn bellringing.  Brian never lets any into Cawthorne without a lesson on the bells.

Now, for the race. And, ahem, some bellringing. Look to…. Trebles going… #bepartofit @YFest2014 @LeTourYorkshire @LeTour

http://www.letour.yorkshire.com

 

Le Tour – TV and web

July 4, 2014

Tour news, footage, TV schedules, handy websites – here’s a few.

Le Tour de France YouTube site

http://www.youtube.com/user/letourdefrance

ITV – daily coverage on ITV4. Yorkshire stages on ITV1

http://www.itv.com/tourdefrance

BBC Cycling

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/

France Televisions

http://www.francetvsport.fr/tour-de-france

SBS Cycling Central

http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/tour-de-france-2014/teams-riders

Le Tour de France website

http://www.letour.fr

Welcome to Yorkshire – Le Tour Yorkshire website

http://www.letour.yorkshire.com

 

8.20pm – Bells in Opening Ceremony 3 July

July 1, 2014

Ringing at 8.20pm for the Opening Ceremony.

Thursday 3 July – ring across the county at 8.20pm for the Opening Ceremony.  Cawthorne, Masham and Chapel Allerton pre-recorded along with Yorkshire Tykes band at Ossett.

Check the invitation on the Le Tour Yorkshire website below – “..a symbolic bringing together of the entire county to herald the beginning of Yorkshire’s Grand Depart..”

http://letour.yorkshire.com/the-grand-d%C3%A9part-2014/tour-de-france-opening-ceremony

Ring a bell with us at your church, school, shop or on your bike.  And if you don’t have a bell you can get an app to shake your phone and ring a bell. eg.

http://www.appszoom.com/android_applications/handbell

So what do the press say? 🙂

Bell Ting Idea says @TheYorksTimes

http://yorkshiretimes.co.uk/article/BellTing-Idea-For-Yorkshires-Opening-Ceremony

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/11287679.

Bells_to_ring_for_start_of_Tour_de_France/

And here they are on ITV!

http://www.itv.com/news/calendar/update/2014-06-18/bell-ringing-to-welcome-tour-de-france/

Please do join us to ring to welcome Le Tour.  Please share this exciting news as widely as you can.

This is a huge media event with global TV coverage.  We are privileged to have been invited to be part of it. 

http://letour.yorkshire.com/the-grand-depart-2014/tour-de-france-opening-ceremony

At 8.20pm the cameras will cut to Yorkshire bellringing. We are invited to ring from all our towers across the whole of Yorkshire.

With 52 practice nights that day anyway, we had a good start. Other bands are now rearranging their diaries to join us.

We will give a short coordinated burst of ringing from all towers at 8.20pm (this final time was confirmed on Monday 30 June).

I will share more info as it evolves here and on Facebook and Twitter @bellsandbikes and via the email group I use for Tower Briefings.

Please could you share this with everyone.

Please reply via Facebook or email rismay@virginmedia.com to confirm your involvement.

This is a wonderful chance to share Yorkshire bellringing with the world.

And it is for ALL towers in Yorkshire. Not just the race route. And for one bell, two bell and campanile towers.  [ but if you live elsewhere you’d be welcome to pile in too 🙂 ]

Our invitation is to get the county ringing. (and the world! York in Australia and New York in America will be ringing Yorkshire too!)

Please also visit www.yorkshire.com for more news about Le Tour, the Grand Depart and the Opening Ceremony.

Pop it in your diary now. Maybe a quarter or peal to precede it too? Over to you

Its About The Bells and the Bikes

June 30, 2014

Its not all about the bells?  Well of course it mainly is.

But back to cycling for a moment

Port dEnvalira

Have you tried cycle touring?  Have you spent a day exploring your neighbourhood by bike?  Have you spent a week living on your bike on holiday?  Please do have a go.  You experience so many wonderful things on a bike that you just wouldn’t in a car – the sights from a different height, a different pace, the scents, the chat.  I’m no pro cyclist.  But I like my bike.  And here’s one of my favourite photos as we crossed the Port d’Envalira into Andorra.  This wonderful Pyrennean summit strangely decorated with two petrol stations. And yes that’s the same spotty top I wear most days!

West Tanfield welcomes Le Tour

June 30, 2014

West Tanfield has a most beautiful church and a very enthusiastic band who are at the heart of village preparations for Le Tour.

I met the band last August on a day scouting The Dales.  We had a great time ringing and an equally fine pint next door.  The village was already well into Tour plans a year ago.  Check out their website below to see the huge range of events planned for the coming weekend.  Bellringing will be one of many activities.  Nice Post Office too 🙂

http://www.west-tanfield.com/tour-de-france/

17 West Tanfield West Tanfield Band

Grinton – Tower Open Day 28 June

June 23, 2014

Grinton Church (St Andrews) welcomes the world to its Tower Open Day this Saturday, 28 June from 10am to 4pm.  Come along and have a go

Displays, demonstrations, have a go.  And, oh yes, refreshments.

Its a most beautiful place.  And it is superbly located at the foot of the Cote de Grinton on Stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de France.

http://www.2dales.org.uk/diarydates.html

Some wonderful photos via google search at

St Andrew's Church, Grinton, Swaledale

 

 

Dewsbury Minster Fest and Wombel

June 15, 2014

Dewsbury Minster Fest was a rip-roaring success on Saturday 14 June.  Bells were part of it.  But there was so much more to do aswell.

Well done Derek and Ronalda and all the team at Dewsbury for their hard work and enthusiam.

This was a fringe event for the Yorkshire Festival. Formal advert available via the link at the foot of this post.

It attracted good crowds to come and have a go at huge range of activities from drumming to creative writing, from biscuit dressing to bicycle yarnstorming, from learning ukelele to learning handbells.  And trying church bells up the tower and on the Wombel training bell.

We were also joined by local press from Dewsbury and Huddersfield so watch out for stories in the papers.

DMFest - Dewsbury Tower and Spots    DMFest - Drumming   DMFest - WombelDMFest - Tower Tour Have a Go

DMFest - Yellow Jersey Handbells  DMFest - Yarnstorming Bike - Noahs ArkDMFest - Yarnstorming Bike - Titanic

More photos on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dewsbury-Minster-Festival-2014/1424435387807226

And the advert for the event on the Yorkshire Festival site is below:

http://festival.yorkshire.com/events/art-and-culture-yorkshire-festival-at-dewsbury-minster

 

Coxwold Cyclists Church Service

May 25, 2014

Bellringers required for 10th May 2015 for the next Coxwold Cyclists Church Service.  Beautiful church with 3 bells.

This is a nationally supported event run by CTC Teesside.  This year it featured as a fringe event in the Yorkshire Festival ahead of Le Tour de France in Yorkshire.  Click the link below to see the advert on the Yorkshire Festival site.

http://festival.yorkshire.com/events/coxwold-cyclists-church-service

On Sunday May 11th, over 300 pedal cyclists from across Yorkshire and Teeside, converged on the village of Coxwold, east of Thirsk, for their 88th annual Service of Remembrance at St. Michaels Church, beginning at 1.30 pm.

The small 14th century church was filled with a sea of multicoloured jerseys. Cyclists acted as bell ringers, sidesmen, offertory collectors, lesson readers, choristers and organist. Local residents and visitors to the area were welcomed to come and join the group.

The service was led by the Rector, the Rev. Liz Hassall. The guest preacher was the Rt. Rev. Glyn Webster, Bishop of Beverley.

Organised rides to the service were arranged by local CTC members, from Hull, York, Leeds, Malton and Teesside.

Refreshments were on sale in Coxwold village hall from 11 am, and after the Service.

Would you like to be part of it next year?  Let Paul Hepworth know by email to:

paul hepworth <paul@hepworth77.freeserve.co.uk>