Ringing Forums

The business plan is a high level document but has some useful pointers for all ringers, and although this is a generailisation, my opinion is that a lot of tower ringing lacks leaders with the foresight and determination to make any difference. — Phillip George

Back of a fag-packet, we need 10% of ringers to have leadership, foresight and determination. It’s a pretty big ask and perhaps we’d be more likely to have that local leadership if we had an organisation unit that’s smaller than a district but larger than a band.

In a situation where ringing is in an overall decline, we need more active and strategic leadership at all levels. @Phillip George I have unfortunately done the sums at a couple of towers I’ve known and identified that they were losing ringers faster than they could recruit newbies, and losing leaders/organisers faster than they could replace them. The conclusion they came to was that it was a bit alarmist and that things normally work themselves out. Lo and behold, the stats didn’t lie and now several of those towers are in difficulties when decisive action could have changed their circumstances dramatically.

It’s a pretty big ask and perhaps we’d be more likely to have that local leadership if we had an organisation unit that’s smaller than a district but larger than a band. — Tristan Lockheart

Yes, I agree. The Victorian model is no longer fit for purpose. We need a modern approach for Ringing 2030 to be effective.

Angela (as a RFTK returner) has used a variety of ways to ask people to get in touch if they are willing to join the Marketing workgroup and what she gets is lots of views on what the workgroup has done badly in the past or what needs to be done beyond the remit of the Marketing workgroup and no actual volunteers to get involved.
It’s no wonder that available enthusiasm walks away and focuses on more local activities where it is easier to make an impact as a willing individual.
The major challenges don’t change, small scale solutions are being tried in a variety of local ways, failure to drive bigger / faster change is the responsibility of everyone who has awareness of the issues and the chance to be involved. The Central Council is an amalgamation of ringers who aim to work together to help improve ringing but we all have the chance to be part of it and it’s easy to criticise without investing time in trying to help.
I understand the frustration that change can be very slow in a volunteer led set up which relies on people (associations and towers) choosing to adopt ideas and strategies (because they can’t be told what to do) but I don’t think the Exec or the Council can be held responsible for the current situation without acknowledging that they are the product of the ringers overall.