About the UBSCR

The University of Bristol Society of Change Ringers was founded in 1943 and is one of the oldest university societies in the city. We currently have more than 300 members made up of current and past students and staff of the University of Bristol. Society membership is for life and the society is open to any student or member of staff in higher education at the University of Bristol or elsewhere within the city. Anyone who has studied in Bristol and has taken up ringing since leaving is also welcome to join!

The society has two main groups; the residents and the non-residents. Society members currently studying in Bristol are residents whereas anyone who has graduated is considered a non-resident. Members of UBSCR can be found all over the world!

The resident society has its own committee (follow the link here for info) but there are also roles within the wider society. The main ones are the President and the General Secretary.

Annual Dinner

On the 4th weekend in January every year, the whole society comes together for its annual dinner weekend. Over the weekend there is a plenty of ringing in the form of Peals, Quarters and a tower tour, a church service and Special General Meeting (SGM) and of course the dinner itself on the Saturday evening. In 2019, we celebrated our 75th Anniversary and to mark the occasion, the annual dinner was held in the Great Hall of Wills Memorial Building.

The 80th annual dinner took place on Saturday 27th Janurary 2024 at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel, and a lovely evening was experienced by all who attended.

History

The UBSCR was founded in the Autumn Term of 1943 through the courage and foresight of Miss Monica Richardson. Since then generations of student ringers have come and gone, contributing along the way to the development of the Society and its traditions.

The Society's first rounds were struck on 6th November 1943, at Long Ashton. In 1944, the UBSCR moved St Michael on the Mount without. The Society’s first peal was rung on the 17th May 1947, this was a 5040 of Grandsire Triples.

St Michaels remained the home tower of the society until 2012 when safety concerns limited the amount of ringing. The society moved again at this point to St Matthews, Kingsdown where it remains currently. Ringing continued, albeit sporadically, at St Michaels until October 2016 when the church suffered a major fire.
In January 2020, the bells at St Michaels were rung for the first time since the fire, and have since been rung on several occasions for weddings held in the church, and more recently a student practice night.

More information on the society can be found in a book published in 1999: "UBSCR: 1943 -1999". If you are interested in purchasing a copy, please email Alex the GenSec.