The Hereford Ringing Course Bell Fund Trust is a charity associated with the ringing course. It was originally set up to provide two new bells - one to augment Stoke Prior from five to six to celebrate 50 years of the course, and the other in memory of Wilf Moreton, the main founder and organiser of the course. This is the sixth at Yarkhill - the church where Fabian Stedman was baptised. These bells were installed in 2012 and 2013.
At the general assembly on the Sunday of the course, we hold a collection to pay for the donations we make to each tower we visit. Our steeplage rates are £10 per visit, plus £1 per rope per visit, so each six bell tower is given £16 per visit (and we visit some more than once), and ten bell towers are given £20 per visit. In total, we gave over £1700 last time. We encourage everyone on the course to give generously to this cause - if everyone contributes £2 for every tower they visit, we receive more than enough!
The surplus has in recent time been used to help improve the 'go' of the bells we use. So far we have given two grants for this purpose - one to replace the pulley boxes at Lugwardine, and one as a contribution towards the rebushing of the clappers at Kentchurch. Further grants are in the pipeline. Being a charity, we are able to collect the tax you have already paid on your gift if you are a UK tax payer, and you complete a gift aid form. Monies collected at the course are not handled by the course organisers, but are dealt with by the trustees.
Trustees:
Adrian Moreton (Chairman)
Norman Mattingley (Secretary)
Robyn Lee (Treasurer)
Jane Mason
Mark Pugh
