Suffolk and the town of Woodbridge were privileged to have been chosen to host the first stage of the Men's Tour of Britain, on Tuesday 2nd September, and we were delighted that the stage began just down the road from the church (near the Crown in Quay Street) and that our Bellringers were asked to ring the bells in celebration of the start of the event. There's something special about the sound of church bells, and this was no exception.

By 8am it was obvious something big was happening, as there was a hive of activity around Market Hill, with recovery trucks, a whole host of motorbikes, and all manner of support vehicles arriving. What a huge amount of organisation an event such as this needs in order to run successfully, safely, and on time!

Groups of people arrived throughout the morning, to bag their spot to see the cyclists go past, and there was an increasing air of excitement as it got nearer to 11am. With just a few minutes to go until 'the off' people were still arriving, the bells began to ring, and the sounds of cheering, shouts of encouragement and car horns swelled up from Quay Street as the cyclists set off, travelling up Church Street, past the church and onto Market Hill. The peloton passed by in a blaze of colour, passing St Mary's House, turning right and then left, leaving along Theatre Street.

We knew they would reach Great Bealings around 11.15am, and the television coverage clearly showed them passing St Mary's, Great Bealings, easily identifiable (even though the church wasn't visible) by the sight of the War Memorial opposite.

As the crowds dispersed from Market Hill, the bunting came down, and the signage and vehicles all quickly disappeared, it was soon 'business as usual' but, even if you're not a fan of cycling, you couldn't help but feel this was a great event, and were glad you'd been here to witness it.