A bellringer at Shiplake has retired as Tower Captain after almost 50 years' service.
Cyril Crouch decided the year of his 90th birthday was a fitting moment to pass the leadership baton on, but remains determined to ring the bells as long as he is able.
He said: "It is both the range of people and it is the activity itself that I love. It is very good physically, and part of my service within the local parish church. I have enjoyed teaching people over the years too."
Cyril joined the bellringing team at Shiplake in 1970, having learned his craft in Whittlesey in Cambridgeshire where he grew up. In that time Cyril has made a massive contribution to keeping the bells ringing and improving the facilities. He has taught countless people of all ages to ring over those years and has always looked forward, never getting despondent when numbers were low, fully supported by his wife Mavis who was also a ringer. He was the instigator of the creation of the Shiplake Ringing Centre which is a nationally registered centre for the teaching and development of bellringing and which was awarded the 2006 Founders Prize for the best UK Ringing Centre.
Cyril has always been supportive of developing the facilities and was a very enthusiastic and active participant in the 2009-10 project to replace the old bells with a completely new ring hung in a new bell-frame, (now considered to be one of the finest rings of eight in the Diocese).
The Revd Robert Thewsey paid tribute to his contribution to Shiplake. He said: "Despite his heavy commitments with the ringing, Cyril also found time to be in the choir, on the PCC and to be involved with a lot of maintenance jobs around the Church. He started, and still runs, a handbell tune ringing group. We owe Cyril a huge thank you for his dedication and hard work over half a century and look forward to him continuing to ring with us in the years to come."