Bell-ringing is (almost) as dear to my heart as folk-song. I hope you will forgive this digression away from folk and blues. BS is not a suitable title.

The tenor (ie the largest bell) at Liverpool Anglican Cathedral weighs 4 tons. It is generally rung by two people, although for short periods of ringing one man (ladies, I mean no offence: it's just that I have never seen the bell rung by a single female ringer) can handle it. Peter Border has turned this bell in alone to a full peal. That (on those bells) is a continuous ringing-period of about four hours! As a merely competent ringer of light bells, I can only marvel at this feat.

Two years ago when my son left school, he went to live near Warwick, which was Peter's neighbourhood. Peter "adopted" him, encouraged and helped him in his ringing and was a friend to him. He was a gentle man and a gentleman.

Yesterday morning, Peter Border died whilst ringing: about 5 minutes before the end of a peal. I am sure he would have wanted to go no other way.