Ringing Forums

Do we want something about maintaining a welcoming and safe environment?

Yes, there is. It was mentioned in the talk at the ART conference in Birmingham earlier this year.

Ask an experienced ringer to watch what you do carefully and then advise you. It may help to ask a friend to take a video of your action while ringing then replay it slowed down so that you see your hand movements in detail. Compare that with what an experienced ringer with a good style is doing.

Thanks Neal - if the parishes have any comments on the information as they use it, then please do let us know. We will then make appropriate changes.

I seem to recall that initially 'Ring for the King' was for the week from 1st - 8th May. We are arranging ringing on 6th but also on 8th and other days when bands can get together.

Join the Young Change Ringers Ringers Association? https://ycra.org.uk

But why not also get them involved in their own local association events - presumably the ODG. Most societies are looking for committee members and a group of younger people co-opted / elected and supporting activities with a youthful outlook would be great. More than one joining a Branch committee and helping focus activities for younger people would help in most areas. It would also look very good on their applications for jobs / college / university.

Ask your novice how much other manual work (yes - I mean with the hands) she does elsewhere. If she is accustomed to using hand operated tools and equipment (not electrically powered) e.g. in gardening, DIY, car maintenance, laundry or cooking, then her muscles will be used to gripping and releasing tools and equipment, firmly with the necessary strength. Now, with 'labour saving' devices fewer people build their manual strength and dexterity so they may well find ringing takes time to build the technique. Traditionally everyone used their muscles in every day tasks, but who now wrings by hand several double bed 100% cotton or linen sheets routinely on the weekly washday? As she has already consulted her Dr, hopefully she has avoided the risk that something more serious may be amiss.

As a tip, she says her right hand is dominant, then advise her to develop consciously the use of her left hand to equal effect. Also check her rope hold - she may well be using her right hand predominantly, Many ringers use their left hand for the tail end through the palm and not just under the thumb so rely on the right hand almost entirely for the sally. This means the left hand is not gripping the sally fully especially with small hands or fatter sallies, consequently tiring her right hand.

Thanks to those who responded; I now have a good copy.

Thanks Alan - yes, I had seen that copy on Amazon!

Simon is correct that inflation is a problem now but there are ways to account for that in contract terms. People who lived and worked through the 1970s and 80s were well aware of that!

What should be considered is who is actually leading and managing the project. I note the comment "The rest of us have a responsibility to ensure that the project will be delivered properly" This seems to suggest that no single person (or perhaps 2 people) was really grasping and managing the project. With several people involved it is easy for one person to think someone else is checking something. This then leads to comments like "oh, I never realised that that was needed and it will cost £......!"

A good way of avoiding extra unexpected costs (no they are NOT "unforseen", they mainly arise because of insufficient planning and managment) is to think through everything in great detail by mentally and even physically "walking through" the project from start to finish. Consider what will happen now and what will be needed, who provides it and so on. It is often the most obvious things that are missed!

There are also a few hints on bell projects here: https://cccbr.org.uk/major-projects/

John - thanks for the advice. I am already aware of the online version and have used it so thank you for that. However, I am looking for a "real" paper copy this time. Thanks

Since people are more likely to move from of a society area much more often now than was the case decades ago when most society rules were written, is length of membership the point that should be acknowledged or the contribution that someone has made to the society?

I have no evidence but a feeling that ringing offers fewer awards / accolades etc than many activities and pastimes do.

Regarding Martin's comment that the bells are provided free by the parish, I would be very cautious. Yes, the bells in the vast majority of towers are now owned and the responsibility of the church authorities. However, many towers were constructed and provided in the parish from funds from philanthropic donors and voluntary contributions. The bells themselves were often donated similarly as is often evident in the comments cast in. Maintenance of towers and bells, as well as the churches themseleves relies on substantial contributions from outside the parish. I don't know about archery clubs, but most club activities rely on volunteers and grants for funding in a very similar way to churches.

Use handbells for tune ringing as a start, then introduce "what else could you do with handbells?".
Having demonstrated change ringing to non-ringers at events such as carol services in churches, schools, care homes etc, children and older people are fascinated by the change ringing and some then want to have a go. The opinion of the carols can be "oh the same carols but on a different instrument - we know that carol anyway" but the change ringing is what catches their attention.

If you want to hear music on handbells that is not ringing "lite", then listen to some of the larger bell choirs in the USA!

We also have to remember that a lot of the older material is filing cabinets of paper of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Transferring that to digital formats is not quick or cheap to make is usable.

Even with digital, many of us will remember saying that floppy discs were a great low volume cost-effective storage medium. And who now could read one? So even digital has to be kept up to date and the medium kept in safe and secure condtions.

I asked the CCCBR to set a policy recently as I had been collecting old CCCBR records and equipment for the Workgroup I lead. The new policy is to retain very litte, sadly. The problem is mainly one of storage ie again the issue of money. Also the question of storage medium but that again goes back to money when thought through. .

... a sensible level of annual subscription or weekly contribution by members and participants, as is expected for most other activities / hobbies and pastimes. The membership subscription may include newsletters or similar at a local and wider scale perhaps monthly or quarterly, plus otehr benefits such as some limited training.

Additional training and events, activities etc are mostly at cost - as has been discussed elsewhere - with paid trainers and paid for materials.

This is a rather different way of operating from what has become the norm in ringing.

I may be able to find some of the past questions for reuse if required, if old computers and paper files cooperate. However, from my previous work with the old CCCBR Trends Committee, it is worth revising the questions carefully before reusing.

We need to decide what answers we want, then construct the questions to elicit responses clearly. We found before that analysis was hampered because the question sets had not been constructed appropriately. Also, don't be overambitious about the answers to be obtained - too many questions just annoy those being surveyed.

Previous work also highlighted the need for more use of initial informal discussions face to face with a few people with different experiences, to understand how they would interpret the questions. This then needs to be followed by a small scale pilot survey to make sure that the responses can be analysed appropriately and will produce meaningful results, before going further.

This discussion has veered away from hard hats in belfries.
Perhaps start a new discussion thread for clarity, if you wish to continue.

Information on hard hats is available on HSE (Health & Safety Executive) websites. The circumstances and requirements will depend on the specific tower concerned and the activities underway so the decision is therefore partly a matter of judgement on each occasion.

If the main concern is, as you suggest, "bumping your head", then a baseball style "bump cap" is probably helpful for the very reasons that you give. One major reason for a hard hat is to reduce the risk of injury from falling objects. If people are working at a higher level then that becomes a more significant risk so it is good practice anyway to minimise working above each other as much as possible.

If using a hard hat, then there are Standards to be met - for example, they must fit the wearer and be adjusted to fit properly each time they are used, be clean, undamaged and not too old (probably less than 5 years), stored properly when not in use (especially out of sunlight), etc. They are Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), preferably not shared. They and any other PPE required should be provided by the church to volunteers. Standards also apply to bump caps.

It is the church responsibility to set out what PPE they expect volunteers to wear, but ideally in discussion with ringers who are experienced in the sort of activity that is to be undertaken by volunteers in a bell chamber.