This brings to mind the difference twixt biannual and biennial ...- Three weekly blogs — Simon Linford
Of the many words written, and to be written, on this subject, we will all be most interested in your thousand words of reflection ...... death of Queen Elizabeth and the ringing surrounding it as a subject worth mentioning ... — Alan C
I am 71. When I die, I take with me all my knowledge and experience. My learners will never achieve the experience I have because they all started at a "mature" age, and that also means that I can't necessarily pass on my knowledge either. We are an active tower but with a CC and PB5 repertoire. — Phillip George
There needs to be a paradigm shift amongst ringers at grass roots level! — Phillip George
More places could be encouraged or given the tools to establish ringing ‘schools’ that provide regular (weekly if possible) training and longer courses, particularly targeted at the Blue Zone / Red Zone border where we try and get ringers beyond Bob Doubles and Grandsire.
There is what I call the 'service' group who are happy to do their stuff at their local tower with no particular need to progress, and then there are those who are interested in developing their ringing and will read and travel in order to do it. The latter might join a direct membership organisation that served to develop change ringing, and pay for it, while the former group probably wouldn't see the point. — Simon Linford
I'm sure that's true. Of the ringers I've taught it's the good ones who are still ringing. And I'm sceptical that youngsters have more alternative uses of their time than older folk. I suspect they only stick of they get something out of ringing, whereas older people may be motivated by other factors, loyalty, service, etc.It's easy to assume that most young ringers are good ringers whereas I think it's truer to say that there's some heavy selection going on ... the dedicated, and almost by definition, good ones who stick around. — John de Overa
Do we want keen ringers who will ensure ringing thrives? Or do we want it kept on life support by well meaning people who aren't that keen? — John Harrison
Older people may be motivated by other factors, loyalty, service, etc.
I remember when I met Pat Canon in 1964 he bemoaned the fact that most of his band only rang out of duty, and weren't really interested in ringing. That remark stuck with me, and I think it is very relevant. Do we want keen ringers who will ensure ringing thrives? Or do we want it kept on life support by well meaning people who aren't that keen? — John Harrison
I think my comment about life support hasn't quite been understood ... I was referring more generally to ringing — John Harrison
Excellence at all levels is a good focus, and I would interpret it in terms of attitude more broadly rather than narrowly in terms of just striking. — John Harrison
Belfry Reform was the biggest thing to hit ringing since the Restoration but it is widely misunderstood. For example, before it there was no 'service ringing'. Services were introduced by chiming and 'ringing' was completely divorced from services. Ringing often took place on Sundays (to the displeasure of the church) because that was the only day most workers were free. Even Ellacombe (the earliest reformer) didn't want ringing for services. He wanted his ringers to practice their art twice a week and to attend services, but for services he invented his eponymous apparatus to improve the quality of chiming.I think we are still dealing with the damage caused by Belfry Reform, historically change ringing was separate from service ringing, and I'm sure that's what drove innovation and standards, not clanking away on a Sunday for 30 minutes — John de Overa
Clearly it's not possible to 'keep getting better' indefinitely, so that simplistic goal is easy to shoot down by those who don't want to make any effort — John Harrison
I think it's hard to weigh up the balance because you can't put a number on each poor and con, and in any case it would be comparing apples and bananas.Overall though I still think it's had a negative impact, at least at the present time, because the last four of your points appear to have completely eclipsed the first tw — John de Overa
And I have no idea how you'd work you the alternate timeline! :lol: — John de Overa
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