We are delighted to welcome the Central Council’s first employees, starting in April:

• Gemma Groom as our new Marketing and Admin Officer
• Josephine Leggett as our new Youth Development Officer

These two part-time, fixed-term appointments will focus on support for Ringing 2030 projects.  Gemma will be focused primarily on projects around Marketing and Recruitment (including a national awareness campaign and the ringing survey), while Josephine will be focused entirely on youth projects, including the new Youth Development Pathways project.    Both appointments will last one calendar year.

Find out more about them:

Gemma Groom

Gemma comes from a family of bellringers and remains an active ringer within her local community. She brings energy, organisation, a genuine commitment to supporting Ringing 2030 initiatives, and the ongoing tradition of bellringing. When not bellringing you will find Gemma, enjoying time with her family and friends, photography, and hiking!

Josephine Leggett

I started ringing at age 14 in Sussex where I grew up. Throughout my school years, I regularly rang with the Sussex young ringers and other youth groups. I was very fortunate to have a group of friends who all went to the same school as me and expended a lot of effort teaching me methods when we should have been doping homework! I have continued my involvement in youth groups through establishing the YCRA, being master and now central council representative for the UBSCR and having some tangential involvement in the young ringers workgroup.

At University, I studied law and went on to complete a masters in socio-legal studies, with a focus on neurodivergence and culpability. I now work as a teaching assistant in a Special Educational Needs School, which I absolutely love.

Youth ringing has always been a huge passion of mine and I can’t wait to take on this role and get stuck in!