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Master of the Guild - 7 January 2007

Reproduced from the January 2007 edition of Lincolnshire Life.

Sue Faull, LDGCB Master

Sue Faull, the first female Master of the Lincoln Diocesan Guild of Church Bellringers, has been ringing since she was thirteen. She is passionate about her hobby and optimistic about the future of ringing in the county. But her introduction to this peculiarly English tradition came by accident, when she was a Girl Guide. Whilst camping at Scothern the pealing of the bells nearby intrigued her. She followed the sound to the church, was invited in and has never looked back! As a teenager she rang at St Mary le Wigford in Lincoln and then joined the University tower when she was a student in Nottingham. After a gap of seventeen years she moved to Willingham by Stow and formed a new band of ringers. She has rung in most churches in the county.

The guild was formed in 1899 in the Chapter House at Lincoln Cathedral, with Bishop Edward King as its first patron. Following on from a distinguished line of Masters, Sue modestly attributes her election to office to the work she has done at grass-roots level, encouraging young ringers. As a teenager she was herself inspired by the popular and accomplished Jack Millhouse, Master of the Guild in the 1980s. She remembers Jack as a generous and talented man who did much to promote ringing with young people throughout Lincolnshire. He was something of a role model as encouraging 'new blood' is high on her list of priorities as Master.

She also takes very seriously the Master's responsibility to uphold the aims of the Guild which include recognising the contribution ringers make to their communities, promoting the care and restoration of bells and encouraging and training ringers.

Ringing has become a way of life taking up most of her spare time. It is the friendship which keeps her commitment strong. "As a ringer you have an immediate circle of friends no matter where you are," she said. Ringers come from all walks of life and all age groups. Her current 'recruits' include an eight-year-old and a seventy-year-old, both eager to learn new skills. Anyone can ring but a sense of rhythm and good concentration are important. Ringing keeps you physically and mentally active. An ability to memorise numbers is important as learning and changing number sequences is what ringing is all about. The more experienced you are the more complex the ringing sequences. Mental agility is a must for the most difficult tasks.

A layman might be forgiven for thinking that bells and towers are much of a muchness. Sue explains that most village church towers have five or six bells whereas the large churches such as Grimsby and Louth have eight, Grantham and Boston have ten and the Cathedral an impressive twelve. Her personal favourites 'and they are all different� are on the East coast in Ingoldmells and Burgh le Marsh. "They have a resonance which is extraordinary and quite beautiful," she explained.

Sue points to many milestones in her career. She remembers ringing her first peal, involving more than five thousand (!) changes when she was just fourteen at St Giles in Lincoln. It took two hours and fifty-eight minutes. She vividly remembers her blistered hands! Establishing the Willingham band of ringers from scratch when she returned to Lincolnshire after working away, is something she speaks of with great affection and demonstrates her commitment to the future. The band, made up mainly of young people, has been thriving for the past ten years. Sue's daughter is a former member and it was especially satisfying teaching her to ring. Like her mother before her she is now a very proficient ringer in her university band.

Being elected Master was an unexpected honour but is a role which Sue obviously enjoys. With so many groups of enthusiastic young ringers she believes the future of ringing in Lincolnshire is very secure. A grant from 'Awards for All� is enabling the Guild to create a mobile interactive display from Easter 2007 allowing simulation of bellringing to be taken into schools, arts centres and shopping centres.

A recording of bells from twenty churches in Lincolnshire will be released for December 2007. Anyone interested in ringing should do what Sue did and simply follow the bells!