Derek Jackson

the national association ever since  - both at  Regional  and  National  level.  The teams have made six  concert  tours  in  the U.S.A  and  five in  Europe.    We  have  performed  many  times on  radio and  television -  including an appearance on Blue Peter.  We have also played for  Her Majesty, the Queen and twice for H.R.H. Prince Charles when they visited Chester.   The various teams have raised well over £50,000 for local charities. We are honoured to have His Grace, the Duke of Westminster as our Patron. In September 2001 the BlaconTeam was disbanded and  I am now running a new team Bishops' HR at Bishops' Blue Coat CE High School, Chester.

Jennifer Jackson

'If you can't beat them  -  you'd  better  join them!'   So the old saying goes!  For the last twenty five years  I've  tried  to lead an 'ordinary' life just keeping myself busy with  my  teaching  career  and  my  love of  amateur  operatics  -  to say  nothing  of bringing up a family,  constantly being on the  end  of  a  telephone  and acting as a 'surrogate mother'  on   Blacon's   international   ventures.  All seemed  well  until January 2000 when, after the regional A.G.M.,  I was coopted onto the committee - the main reason being that  ' I was perhaps better in the  meeting than  'banished' to the kitchen during the meeting!'

   

Derek has been  teaching handbells as an after school activity at  Newton  School for the last twelve  months- using  Blacon's  'old' bells  and the school has bought a  3 octave set of belleplates, which I have been using regularly in music lessons.  To date  one  hundred  older juniors have had  a  chance  to  make  music  and   from September 2000 a hundred younger  children will also  have  the  same  opportunity.   Well -  I did  say that  I'd tried.

I suppose veteran ringers would say  " c'est la vie!

                                                                                                        Tel. 01244 350293

My first connection with bells was as a young  Scout  leader in Bromborough.    As a tower  bell ringer  I was helping  to clear  out  the   ringing chamber, when   we  found  a   three  octave set of   Whitechapel  bells.   After  much  effort they were cleaned  up and  we  used  them  to  ring  in  church at Christmas.   In  1972  I  formed  the  handbell  team  at  the Blacon High School, Chester,  where  I had begun teaching in the Science Department. Blacon Handbell Ringers soon joined  H.R.G.B and have taken an active part in the life of   

Derek and Jennifer