• Hard hats in belfries
    ↪Alison Hodge
    "Hard hats" (builders' helmets) must be dated as they have an expiry date based upon the date of manufacture. Time-expired helmets ought not to be used on building sites but, like many things, they still have a little useful life remaining. The contractor who worked on my home tower had a small stock of helmets that were required wearing for visitors. When the works were finished, the builder kindly donated those helmets to the tower. In this instance the helmets had years before expiry. A minor task for the Steeple Keeper is to bear that date in mind. In view of the very limited exposure to UV and hardy any impacts, those helmets are likely to offer protection for many years to come. Rule of thumb - touch your toes with your head protection on - if it falls off, it isn't properly fitted. Soft bump caps to industry standards can be obtained from stores such as ScrewFix, Machine Mart etc and are usually available online for delivery.
  • Central Council less democratic?
    Rank & file ringers' engagement with CCCBR fluctuates for a multitude of reasons and their individual perceptions of it must fluctuate also.

    I've had some highly satisfactory dealings with individuals on different workgroups etc but also some disappointing ones as well. I suspect that the reps of the County Associations, Guilds etc have similar experiences during their working with the CCCBR. Perhaps the problem lies with the quality and depth of the information that gets transmitted from the Guilds etc to their members.

    Much of the CCCBR's work would not concern me beyond the fact of knowing that someone, somewhere has a firm hand on each issue. But my opinions on some issues are skewed by lack of knowledge, and hence lack of full understanding, and that nurtures criticism. I laud the work of my County Association, but they are also effectively the gatekeepers for the normal information flow both between myself and the CCCBR.

    I suspect that there are times that I only become aware of something that concerns me by catching a comment in the Ringing World or the Presidential Blog. Is there not some way of increasing the amount of information about the CCCBR's work that gets published, and providing it in, say a monthly summary on the website - a position statement, if you will?

    Feedback is a two-way street that defeats criticisms such as those discussed on this Forum.
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