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Vicki Chapman

At my home tower we will soon be welcoming around 150 visitors from the Cathedral Music Trust, who are spending several days in the area with a schedule of activites arranged by our Director of Music (DoM). I was approached several months ago as to whether we might be able to do something to show people the bells etc. We had a planning meeting yesterday and have agreed to do a short talk in the body of the Cathedral, then take a couple of groups of up to 20 people to the ringing room for some demonstration ringing and have a go at trying to chime the tenor (or a smaller bell), then in smaller groups up to see the bells. Our DoM was very excited about what we could offer. Then he asked a question we couldn't easily answer:

"What would you like from us"?

We don't need a donation, we have failry healthy accounts. The only reply I could give was "just the chance to talk about bells and bellringing. Maybe someone will take that away with them and talk about it at their local church, and who knows, it might spark someone's interest".

If you were asked that question, how would you answer?

Lucy Chandhial

I think you are right, you want them to understand a bit about Bellringing, to consider whether they might like to learn and to be ready to talk about what they saw, heard and learnt to interested friends and family. Maybe you can ask them to fill in some feedback afterwards, to say what was interesting for them, what was confusing for them, what most surprised them. This might help future similar open day tours and could help with recruitment / pr ideas for what the public need to know to understand that it is real people, etc.

John Harrison

That's an interesting question. My answer would be similar, that we would like their interest, and their help spreading information about ringing to a wider audience.
Re what you give to them, you might be interested in these four articles written specifically for musicians: https://jaharrison.me.uk/Ringing/Music/

Vicki Chapman

↪John Harrison

Thanks John, that's helpful.

Phillip George

If you were asked that question, how would you answer? — Vicki Chapman

Perhaps invite them to take photos and write an article about their visit - for the tower, the cathedral and for the Cathedral Music Trust. See if you can find a connection between ringing and singing. How many ringers are/used to be choristers? Is there a connection. Three of our ringers are in the church choir, although I appreciate that at a parish level the relationship is quite different.

Vicki Chapman

↪Phillip George

That's a good idea Phillip, thank you.

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