Ringing Forums

Over the next decade, I suspect that as so many of us are in the over 60 bulge, that either the 30% will increase, or that as a significant number will no longer be with us, unless they are replaced at the same rate, total membership will steadily go down.

I am sure that everyone will want to collect the basic data anyway, the point that I was making was that it was all the other stuff in the 1988 survey which is very interesting and will provoke debate on how things have changed and what we need to do going forward.

However I think we do need to be careful to define what is meant by an 'active' ringer. We may have 30,000 or possibly even 40,000 'ringers', but how often do they ring? From my experience I suspect that there are quite a few 'ringers' listed in annual reports, who have their membership paid for them, even though that have been living in a care home for a year or more. At the other extreme is someone who has had a few handling lessons, or someone who hasn't come for a couple of months, to be counted in the overall total?

I like Graham John's suggestion. Some form of CCCBR template for societies to use would enable them to conduct (and update) local surveys of the state of ringing in their area, and perhaps put an action plan together. There would also be consistency between the data. Is this something that Paul Wotton and the V&L Group could organise?

I think we have a reasonable consensus on the the number of ringers, the demographic profile, what methods are rung at practices and on Sunday, the numbers of silent towers and struggling bands, and where this is all leading us. However the 1988 survey (http://bellringing.co.uk/1988%20survey.pdf) included a whole lot more information which if updated would help Guilds and Associations and Districts and Branches and the CCCBR to do something to address the trends.

• The relationship between ringers and the church (today Evangelical churches are in the ascendancy and we need to understand the impact of this)
• Teaching the art - tower captains
• Recruitment and retention rates
• Publications (today things are much different and we are heading for everything to be on line)
• Ringing courses - preferred topics
• Effectiveness of Guilds and Associations
• Grass roots - how Districts and Branches are regarded by their members
• Care of bells (besides restoration, ought to include how welcoming the ringing environment is)
• Regional variations
• Effect of settlement size
• Sociological profile (today would include BME participation and inclusivity data and relate this to the local community)
• Itinerant bands (today would include clusters, hubs etc)
• The Ringing World (today would include various forms of communication)

We need to be clear that we are not undertaking a census. A 10% sample, as in 1988, or less would be adequate, provided that participants were chosen at random. There are statistical techniques for verifying randomness.

Also one large survey form as in 1988 would take too long for participants to complete. A suite of more focused on-line surveys would be better, and this would enable them to be developed and issued over time, rather than have to wait.

I think the problem is that the gap between the top and bottom ends of ringing has widened significantly during my 50 year ringing career. There is now a 'squeezed middle' which makes it difficult for many to progress up the ladder or pyramid beyond LtR3, unless you happen to be lucky enough to ring at one of those towers with a competent band.

The fragmented communication structure of the exercise and a number of individuals who hold positions of influence and resist change (and who have been in post a long time), also makes it difficult to address current issues and move forward. We need more new leaders but with the squeezed middle there are few candidates willing to come forward.

There was a comprehensive survey of the state of ringing in 1988 which if replicated today would help move the debate forward. Although some work was also undertaken in the early 2000's which helps identify what towers ring on practice night (if they hold one) and confirms that a large number of bands do not ring much more than PB and Grandsire, it's a shame that a more comprehensive survey has not been undertaken, especially as modern technology makes this far easier than 1988.


2004 Survey


1988 Survey extract

Although Gordon Lucas published his book in 2004, dodging and place making exercises are included in the 'One per Learner' books first published by the late Pam Copson in 1982. Kaleidoscope is just a development of this. There are also a number of other bell control exercises common to the OPL 'Bell Club Awards' and ART's 'Learning the Ropes' scheme.

You need to be very careful in quoting dB as it is a logarithmic scale and you can't simply add the figures of two sounds together. To be useful you also need to give the distance from the source. There are also different weighted scales to consider as the sound of bells is not constant - the bell is at its loudest when it strikes. For construction site noise Town Planners consider a time weighted scale over a period of hours.

However most noise complaints about bells are made to the Environmental Health Officer and considered under the law of nuisance, and that depends on what is 'reasonable'. I was once involved in a case where neighbours in a block of flats were making a lot of noise. One neighbour was elderly and as they were hard of hearing it didn't affect them. However it seriously affected the neighbour who worked shifts and wanted to sleep!

I'm not even sure that the inspecting Architect or Surveyor would spot many of the issues that an experienced steeple-keeper would spot. The problem is that many ringers are now quite old, and there are less people with the energy and skills to go out and look after these towers. Some Guilds and Associations are contributing towards periodic maintenance inspections by a professional bell-hanger. Several of these can be undertaken in the same area in the same day, making this relatively inexpensive. However, as with the other issues, it comes down to the ringing community needing to make a reasonable financial contribution in future.

The problems for ringing are far more than just the risk of closure of say 350 churches. In far more cases, even if a church is kept open, the frequency of services may be reduced to once or twice a month, as parishes are combined into larger benefices sharing a priest. Within a 5 mile radius of where I now live in Hampshire there are two rings of six and a ring of five in small villages where there is just one main monthly service and perhaps an 8am communion or weekday service once or twice a month as well. Realistically there is no prospect of establishing a local band. Encouraging ringers from other towers in the benefice to ring in these towers is not easy as even they are now struggling with reduced numbers after the pandemic.

We also have a cultural problem about where we should direct our resources in future. Is it hardware, or people. Two of the three towers are major restorations and augmentations which have taken place in the past two decades.

A third issue comes from my experience in London in the 1980's and 1990's where significant money was invested in making church buildings suitable for community use. We then found that the community spaces were hired out to various groups most days. We couldn't hold a practice on Monday evenings because of the community choir were rehearsing below Tuesdays the parish room next to the tower was being used by Al Anon., etc., etc. As ringers we are used to a cheap hobby as it was traditionally seen as a service to the church. Even if an active church or a CCT one becomes a teaching centre, we are going to have to make a larger financial contribution than we have done in the past

I like the idea of an international festival of bells, but why are we as change-ringers so inward looking and just talking about things like Stedman's birthday or the anniversary of the CCCBR. We're missing out on a huge amount of potential and PR here. There's already a festival of bells on New Year's Day in the US which covers all forms of ringing, and this would be the ideal date to choose - https://www.bells.org/events

Why are we change-ringers so inward looking when it comes to PR. There is already a festival of bells in the US which embraces all forms of ringing (including carillons and tune ringing on handbells) and this is on New Year's day. This would have far greater public appeal than Stedman's Birthday or anniversary of the CCCBR - https://www.bells.org/events.

By being so inward looking we as change ringers are missing out on many valuable PR opportunities.

For example, our local band have loaned a set of handbells to the local Girlguides, who are using them to rehearse tunes and perform at a local carol service. The Guide leaders are very enthusiastic and thrilled that we have made this happen. Many towers have similar sets of handbells which they could use in a similar way. It is wonderful way of engaging and networking with the local community, especially young people, some of whom could then become change-ringers. Explaining to change-ringers where to get the music from, how to use the handbells, and the support available from HRGB would make a great topic for a PR day. It would make a welcome change to the usual negative complaint that Scouts and Guides only come along for the badge, and then give up.