• How many elephants do we have in the room?
    Anyone know how to delete a comment that you've started writing then changed you mind? (like this one!)
  • favouristism and experienced ringers
    a set of four objectives for 2924Richard Pargeter

    A slow learner perhaps?:wink:
  • Is ART the answer to recruitment, training & retention? Expand ART carefully from NOW to deliver?
    Since I retired from ringing I'm obviously a little out of touch, but we regularly rang 60 on 3rds for weddings. With my calling it lasted nearly 20 minutes, we could always add in a few more call changes if I'd been fast. As others have said, far, far better to competently ring the changes for a brides special day than to go off into some method that the working bells are uncertain of.
  • We Are All Residents Now
    'Tis a hardship many of us exiles have to bear.
  • PSP rope
    Rogue yarns also identified ordinary commercial ropes from the superior admiralty ropes. Being caught with naval rope used to lead to you dangling from the same!
  • ringing on a heavy eight irregularly
    If you just need to get them used to the bigger bells, 3-7 makes a lovely minor key. Where I used to ring we used 3-7 half muffled for remembrance and funerals, which left the tenor open for tolling off the years after the funeral.
  • Advice on ringing for older ringers
    The treble where I used to ring is just over 4cwt so perhaps "lighter bells" will always be relative. At the tower where I learnt to ring the treble is 5-3-7 and oddly enough I found it more flighty than the 4cwt one.
  • Methods on small numbers
    OK, thanks. That answers my question, as the saying goes; if you don't ask you don't learn.
  • Methods on small numbers
    Interesting. I thought that a repeated row made it false and unacceptable for record purposes. Is this a new change in definitions or have I been misinformed?
  • Advice on ringing for older ringers
    Slight tangent: the advice for pregnant women was that if they were competent ringers they could continue, but learners should stop. Perhaps something similar would apply to age/infirmity? I don't know.
    For knees/hips, moving to lighter bells may help for a while, but ultimately if you can't stand for a 5 minute set of call changes it is time to retire. You also need to have a realistic appreciation of how easily you can get down the tower in an emergency.
  • When do you *stop* recruiting?
    @Alan C
    I was trying to give you a smiley or similar in agreement, but I may have flagged your post as problematic. It's not a problem, I am! Is there anyone I should contact to reverse the flag?
  • Contact details for tower correspondents
    The date shown on a website may be a copyright claim, and generated automatically each time it is downloaded. Examining the HTML may help sometimes.
  • Was the Buxton Too Quick ??
    Thanks for the link. I also heard the next item which was about a boat up near the Shetlands that had managed to leave their mike open on channel 16. For those not in the know, channel 16 is the emergency and hailing frequency which should always be kept clear for "Mayday" traffic or similar. 12 hours of Radio 4 does not count as a "Mayday"! Ooops.
  • Pedant’s revolt
    Excellent. Thanks.
  • Pedant’s revolt
    A cotter pin has a variety of meanings:

    • a pin or wedge passing through a hole to fix parts tightly together [British usage]
    • a metal fastener with two tines that are bent during installation [US usage]
    • R-clips [US usage]
    • circle cotters; similar to a keyring but with one end protruding inwards to locate in a hole [US usage]

    However, in some trades US usage has crossed the pond, maybe this has happened in Richard's case?
  • Pedant’s revolt
    Err, <pedant>a steeple is the assemblage of tower and spire, not just the spire.</pedant>

    From the OED:
    "A steeple is the tower of a Church with all its appendages, as turret, octagon, and spire. It is often incorrectly confounded with the spire."

    W. F. Hook, Church Dictionary (1871) 725
  • When do you *stop* recruiting?
    OK, I'll put the question back on the wall. Thanks for the reply.
  • When do you *stop* recruiting?
    Totally off the wall question: if you have a surplus of ringers could you form two bands and get the bells going in on of the other towers in the town?
  • Increasing sound levels in a ringing room
    89voisrb7j1496o4.png

    I couldn't get the forum to accept formatted text, so I hope the screenshot works.

    Here is part of a risk assessment which may be of interest to readers in this context.
  • The road to Wigan's tears
    Link to the history here.

    Scroll to the end to see the "old" (1966) church with its diminutive tower.