If you’ve worked in an office environment you may be familiar with the Monday morning ice-breaker “good weekend?”, after which you are encouraged to enthuse about how you spent a couple of days off before the rigours of the week restart. For me, weekends have usually been so complicated with ringing engagements that I just lie – “quiet weekend, just did some work.”

Last weekend was a case in point. It would have been quite enough to have done a parkrun in Oxford, gone to and spoken at the Worcester & Districts annual dinner, fulfilled service ringing duties, called a peal on Sunday afternoon and a quarter peal for evensong, then caught up on Top Gear and Masterchef. But oh no. I had to fit in five hours of strategy meeting with members of the Executive and Workgroup leaders as well. “Quiet weekend, just did some work.”

Five hours of meetings might sound tough, but if you are discussing lots of interesting things with unlimited tea and biscuits it flies by. The focus was on how the Ringing 2030 project impacts on the Council’s current Strategic Priorities, and how we move that project forward. We hypothesised what ringing would be like in 2030 if the status quo prevails, what it could be like if there was a will and a way, and whether our current structures support change. Next stage is to have separate groups looking at three potential “pillars” of focus, after Chris Ridley’s three-legged stool analogy could not be shaken off. A Ringing 2030 website will be produced to share all this thought.

We’ve been doing quite a bit of work towards the ringing branding project (which feeds into Chris’s stool), in preparation for a workshop with Yellowyoyo. They’d sent us long questionnaire to complete in advance, but we thought it needed some collective thought just to start answering their questions, let alone brief them. So we assembled a diverse group of about 30 to help. Elva Ainsworth facilitated half a dozen separate sessions in which each group was initially awed by Zoom’s interactive whiteboard feature!

Each group explored the same three questions: “What might attract a new group of recruits in the future?” A few people mentioned maybe getting a remake of the Mars advert that has done us so much harm. Second question was “What might keep a new group of recruits in the future?”, with the leading responses being around providing a sense of progress and achievement, and there being a good social side to their ringing. The last question was “What can we do to raise the profile of ringing?”, and suggestions included training every tower to promote themselves actively using social media, and generally things that can be done locally to each tower and community. Again – we’ll get this all up on a website and invite input, then feed all these thoughts on the important characteristics of ringing into YYY.

As some have observed, we don’t want to describe ringing as something it isn’t, but we want the key characteristics of ringing to come across to potential recruits so we get those recruits for whom those characteristics connect. Interestingly, quite a lot of people who responded to early Ring for the King publicity had not picked up on the fact that ringing is something that you have to learn how to do. Top marks to Madeleine Neave (SW15) who managed to describe ringing on the letters page of The Times, supporting the Ring for the King campaign. “You make music without being a musician, connect with your heritage, learn arcane bell-language, commune with ringers and get a very respectable upper body workout into the bargain.”

Not many people picked up on this entry in the missing words round of Have I got News for You two weeks ago “Villages across the UK are reporting a worrying shortage of ___________”. Picking up on the Ring for the King campaign, the correct answer of “bellringers” did not generate enough humour and the piece was relegated to the extended iPlayer edition (Series 64, Episode 6). One panellist was high profile mathematician Hannah Fry – she’d be a good bellringing ambassador if anyone knows her. I’ve sent Emily Russell’s YouTube video on the mathematics of bellringing to her agent.

There is more and more interest in the value of ringing centres and group training, and I have been to two pioneering ringing centres in the last couple of weeks. I particularly wanted to experience the MRDC in Norwich as inspiration for what we hope to do in Northampton. It’s an awesome set up, and I was invited to join a lunchtime Minor practice on the ring of training bells, ringing Forward Minor for the first time. Every day’s a learning day.

Then a work journey to the North East enabled me to drop into the Darlington Ringing Teacher Centre and ART Hub (website pending!), where I was able to join another daytime practice run with simulated sound, run by Chris and Anthea Enzor. That was more about sharing experiences from the Birmingham School of Bell Ringing. A happy group of learners making progress together.

More Ring for the King coverage (old news now). An excellent piece from Edinburgh aired on Channel 5 News. You can watch it here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPpxfMIkKWo  Did new learner Edna Inal really say “I got roped into it” accidentally?!

Also getting into the news was bellringer and Clerical Guild member Max Drinkwater, who hit the front page of the Sunday Mirror suggesting that his constituent Matt Hancock’s time might be better spent in his constituency. https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/matt-hancocks-vicar-says-mp-28475890

We have booked the venue for the 2023 Central Council meeting in Ipswich – the headquarters will be Ipswich Town Hall. The weekend will again look to involve local ringers and make the most of the multiple rings of bells that Ipswich has to offer.

Finally, are there any mechanical engineers out there who might be able to help with something to do with the Mobile Belfry? Knowledge of hydraulics useful but not essential.

Finally finally, (online edition only) if you’re looking for a fun video to show your potential recruits, this one is really good fun! https://youtu.be/Ouyqdux_V38

Simon Linford
President CCCBR