The Bath & Wells Diocesan Association of Change Ringers

BATH AND WELLS DIOCESAN ASSOCIATION – HLMs' RE-UNION - 2012

Reports for other years:-

2009

Honorary Life Membership of the Association is awarded at the discretion of the General Committee to people who have given outstanding service to the Association or one of its branches over a long period.  Apart from getting let off paying your annual sub, I have yet to discover any other material benefits (!) but it is an honour which all of us greatly value!  At the Association AGM in 2009 it was suggested that a gathering of the HLMs should be arranged and the Master, Reverend Tim Hawkings took this up energetically and invited us to a short ring at Rowberrow followed by a splendid lunch and lots of chat at his home at Axbridge in July of that year.  16 of the 23 HLMs at that time attended and everyone said that it would be good to meet up again soon.

On July 19th this year a similar event was organised, this time hosted by two of our own number at Westonzoyland, following some ringing at the handy ground floor six at Ashcott.  The capacity of Barbara and Brian Wylde to conjure up meals for infinite numbers of people is legendary in the village and the Bridgwater Branch and they certainly did us proud - many thanks, Barbara and Brian.

Both the Master and his Deputy for this year, Fred Sage, were able to join us and of the current number of 20 HLMs, 12 were able to attend; ill health, holidays and living too far away accounted for the others.  We remembered with affection Reverend Roger Fry, Lloyd McCreadie, George Massey, Ann Stenning, John Brain, Norman Yeo and Carol Hardwick, all of whom had moved on to higher things during the last three years.

Both before and after the obligatory group photograph, there was no shortage of chit-chat - how fantastic we must all have been in our earlier years (!) and we all departed hoping that we would be able to meet up again before too long.

Michael Horseman