PR Committee Report to 2007 Council
The committee has met four times during the year and conducts very regular discussions by email.
An announcement has been made that the next Ringing Roadshow will be held at Stoneleigh Park Exhibition and Conference Centre, Warwickshire and will be a two day event on 5th and 6th September 2008. It has been decided to retain the name 'Roadshow'. The organising team is led by John Anderson of the St Martin's Guild for the Diocese of Birmingham and a past-President of the Council. It is planned that the style of the Roadshow will be changed to incorporate a range of new events to attract the general public as well as ringers from around the world. There will be a bellringers' party on the Friday evening, and hotel accommodation is available at Stoneleigh as well as a range of bed and breakfast and hostel accommodation available locally. Pictures of the Showground are provided, and for further information about the venue visit www.stoneleighpark.com
Work is in hand to extend the email network of public relations contacts around the country as well as the rest of the bellringing world so that publicity for the 2008 Roadshow will reach every belfry. To join this network please contact the Committee Chairman.
On 6th January 2007 representatives from all ringing societies operating within the M25 were invited to a presentation about making a case for ringing to be a part of the 2012 London Olympics (see photo). Tim Joiner, immediate past Lord Mayor of Westminster, has acted as a consultant to the committee in making this presentation and this work is acknowledged with thanks. The discussion is continuing through a Yahoo discussion group and is revolving around a concentrated recruitment drive so that the case can be argued that the Olympics coming to London has led to a big upsurge of interest in ringing and therefore that ringing should be represented at the Opening Ceremony as well as in advertising material and in the media. To join this Yahoo group email <>. A small working group from the Middlesex C.A. & London D.G., the Essex Association and Docklands Ringing Centre has been formed to develop these ideas and a further meeting of representatives of all London societies is planned for summer 2007. Once plans are in place for London ringing, then work will develop into promoting this in other areas of the country where Olympic events will take place.
Building on the success of the 2005 Workshop, a second Public Relations Workshop was held in Melbourne, Derbyshire in October 2006. Guest speaker Viscount Raynham showed the BBC2 film 'A Passion for Churches' and gave a presentation about spearheading the East Raynham bells project. Achieving publicity for ringing in the media was discussed and participants also had the opportunity to share experiences and ideas.
The BBC4 TV series 'Marcus Brigstocke's Trophy People' opened with an episode about bellringing. It followed the Masters of the ASCY and Birmingham bands as they prepared for and rang at the National 12 Bell Striking Competition at Worcester Cathedral. In February BBC Radio 3 featured the ringing at Crowland Abbey in an episode of 'Music Matters' which explored Lincolnshire traditions. Much other media coverage has taken place during the year at the initiative of local ringers. Of particular note are the Essex Association's peal for the 60th anniversary of BBC Radio 4's 'Woman's Hour' and the Southwark Cathedral band's appearance in the Queen's Speech (produced by ITN) on Christmas day.
Over the year the committee has collated up-to-date information on university societies for www.cccbr.org.uk This has also been published in The Ringing World and on www.ringing.info/ It is now considered to be easily accessible. The information is under review to ensure it remains current. Updates and information should be sent to prUniInfo@cccbr.org.uk. Articles were produced promoting student ringing in The Ringing World during the summer of 2006 (and more are planned for 2007) and contact has been made with the Northern and Southern University Associations asking about further help and support which may be required.
Reports from all groups of change ringers beyond the UK have been sought and the following received:
- Geldrop Association. 'We have had a change-ringing Guild here in Geldrop for 30 years. We ring the changes on 'chiming bells' that is to say the largest bells of the carillon in the St. Brigida church in Geldrop. We have developed a 'Dutch' way of ringing the changes which requires following a schema board. We have no 'full circle' bells so have devised a way to learn and ring methods on our 8 bells. We can ring many 'major' methods now and have had many favourable compliments from other ringing groups who have visited us over the years from the UK. Last October we celebrated our 30th jubilee with a visit from George Dawson and Co. with the Willoughby Campanile. We could then ring full-circle with them, which is wonderful. We have a 'dumb-bell' in our tower to practice on. It was a wonderful party with many visitors from other Guilds in Holland and the general public and local friends. The local council of Geldrop-Mierlo financed the occasion and we had very good press coverage. We have many bell-ringers in Holland who follow their own traditions of ringing 'tolling bells'. We have had many successful meetings together and the following National Bell-ringers Day is planned for the 12th May, 2007 in Brielle in the S.W. of Holland. Our website is at www.dse.nl/wisselluiders'
- Irish Association. 'One of the highlights of the year was in March when the bells of St Fachtna's Cathedral at Rosscarbery in West Cork were rededicated. These 5 bells are a joy to ring and the event was well attended by ringers from all over Ireland and also from the U.K. A group of our ringers joined up with the Italian Association on their summer outing to Rome in June. Over 300 ringers and friends from Northern Italy arrived in Rome to take in the sights and also set up their mini-ring of bells in St Peter's Square to an audience of thousands. A new venture was the West Cork Ringing Festival held in September which attracted many visitors from the UK, together with the local ringers and those from the other districts. The whole event was very successful and is a certain for 2007. The Association Ringing Festival held every year in October and rotated between the districts brings together a gathering of ringers for a very relaxing and enjoyable weekend of ringing. The highlight of the weekend is the dinner and in 2006 this was held in the medieval crypt of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. The impromptu hand-bell ringing after the dinner was enjoyed by all. Monthly practices are held throughout the three Districts presenting the opportunity for a good range of ringing from call-changes right through to surprise methods. Also, the many cup competitions held at district level culminate in the winning teams competing at all-Ireland level. Our website is at www.bellringingireland.org'
- North American Guild of Change Ringers. 'In North America we gained two new towers during 2006: Birmingham, Alabama (8 bells) and the first 12 in the USA in New York City. Progress has also been made in finding a home for the Pewaukee bells. Efforts to have rings of bells in Seattle, Washington and Portland (Oregon) are still continuing. As usual, numerous events were held throughout the year including a very successful AGM and course in Vancouver and Victoria. Handbell ringing is a significant part of ringing in North America and the annual festival was a great success. St Paul (Minneapolis) celebrated their 100th quarter peal in December. The Philadelphia Guild of Change Ringers rang the 100th quarter at St Mark's right before their very successful annual quarter peal weekend and held their annual dinner in March and birthday celebrations for both St. Mark's and St Martin's in June. 'Ring Round Charleston', The Five Towers Festival, Kalamazoo Weekends, Mid-Atlantic Area weekends, Dallas' novice weekend, Victoria Day and Brewster annual anniversary celebration were just a few of the other events that brought ringers together. Sadly, we lost several of our members in 2006: Bob Verrey (Honolulu), Derek Sawyer (Toronto) and Arthur Izard (Victoria) were all very instrumental in getting bells ringing in their respective cities. Our website is at www.nagcr.org.'
- South African Guild of Church Bell Ringers. 'The Guild has members in four major centres within South Africa which have their own local organisations. Each of the centres has two towers. A second tower in the Johannesburg area will shortly have a ring of four and this will be augmented to six in the foreseeable future. Any one centre is a good day's drive from the nearest other centre and interaction between them on a daily basis is impracticable, although individual members on holiday or business enjoy ringing hospitality when travelling. Ringers visiting from outside the country play an important part in enabling experience, even if they have time for one appearance only at a practice night. In recent years the projects officer of the Guild has been active in helping to create towers with ringable bells and it is partly through his help that Grahamstown and Johannesburg have acquired second towers. Durban and Cape Town have had two rings for a much longer period. Kimberly is destined to become the fifth ringing centre. The speed at which this is achieved will depend on adequate fund raising. The focus of activity is an annual general meeting, which rotates between centres. It is unusual for any one centre not to be represented at these meetings. A striking competition is held and the winner's shield is a prized trophy. It is often at these meetings that the best ringing is heard but more important is the opportunity they give to whet the skills of those recently joining the change ringing community. The biggest challenge to any given centre is the creation and maintenance of a pool of bellringers. Ideally leaders are required who are good ringers, successful teachers and with a charisma to hold bands together. These characteristics are rare alone, rarer in combination and statistically unlikely to be all found in one person in groups of a score or less. Each centre does its best. The sometimes lamented loss of ringers around 1994 was not balanced by an influx of ringers who would not, for clear reasons, have come to this country before that date. We are pleased when we successfully teach and keep a new bellringer, we rejoice when each one rings a first quarter; we continually remind them that they are part of a large community of likeminded people and that the manifestation of this is not only the Exercise's open tower tradition, but also this Guild's representation on the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers.'
Complaints Helpline: There have been seven requests for advice to the Complaints Helpline during the year, including about the electronic bells at Los Angeles, California – which is beyond the remit of the Council! Contacts for complaints are available in the diary and on www.cccbr.org.uk General advice was given in 'The Ringing World' about the sensitivity of ringing during the two minutes' silence on Remembrance Day – which in 2006 fell on a Saturday.
An outline database of contacts of societies affiliated to the Council is now available to council officers and chairmen.
Ringing was encouraged to celebrate the 80th birthday of HM The Queen, and there was a very active response. Ringing was also encouraged to celebrate the 125th anniversary of The Children's Society. Groups around the country were successful in raising money for The Children's Society and at the same time gaining local publicity for ringing, especially of young ringers.
A reprint of a further 50,000 Ringing Publicity Leaflets has been made and leaflets are distributed on request by email to <> Further information and telephone contacts are available on www.cccbr.org.uk Requests vary from between 1 and 1000 leaflets and approximately 60,000 have been sent out since the launch in September 2005. Work is in hand to design a publicity poster in the same style as the leaflet and it is anticipated that this will be ready for production during the summer of 2007.
Work has continued in responding to requests of where to go to learn to ring. These are received via www.ringingworld.co.uk/learntoring/ and an individual response and local contact information is given. 'Learn to Ring' is continuing to gain response from returning ringers as well as new recruits.
A library of photos of bells and ringing is available to download. The work of Richard Offen (acting as a Consultant to the Committee) and Peter Trotman (CC Webmaster) in developing this is acknowledged. A CD including a talk about ringing and the library of photos is being prepared and will be made available for sale.
Peter Robson has been co-opted as a member of the committee with a specific remit of developing links with and publicity about university societies.
JUDITH ROGERS (Chairman) prchairman@cccbr.org.uk
BRUCE BUTLER
ALAN CHANTLER
NEIL DONOVAN
SIMON FARRAR
ROBERT LEWIS
BOBBIE MAY (Secretary)
PETER ROBSON
ADRIAN UDAL
STEPHANIE WARBOYS
JANE WILKINSON