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Work this year has included the now routine business of administering the competition for the £500 Founders' Prize and maintaining the list of CC Recognised ringing centres. A second competition has been developed for the encouragement of young people in ringing. This also has a £500 prize provided by the Worshipful Company of Founders. A crucial focus for the year has been the future of ringing centres and the Committee's role with them.
The annual competition for the Founders' Prize for achievement by a ringing centre was won by the Gwennap Ringing Centre. The judges were Christine Baldock and Phil Gay (both from former winning ringing centres), Gail Cater and Derek Sibson. There were five entries: Barrow-upon-Humber, Eckington, Gwennap, Shiplake and Troyte. All were of a good standard and some were from newly established ringing centres which showed promise.
Gwennap won because they demonstrated how an excellent management team had produced courses week in week out and had thus made a difference to ringing in the area. The presentation of their cheque and commemorative bronze plaque was made in November and was reported in the Ringing World and local press. Richard Martin, the Master of the Worshipful Company of Founders and Andrew Gillett, the Clerk, travelled to Cornwall for the occasion which was held at Gwennapp. It was a memorable weekend and as well as arranging quarter peals, a dinner, lunch and the presentation, the team had also managed to fit in their regular weekly training session.
The list of these centres is being updated every two years. Centres are asked to provide a report of their activities through which their status is reviewed. Recognised centres now receive a certificate of recognition.
An Email 'chatline' is maintained and although it is not extensively used, it is supportive to new ringing centres and those in the process of being set up.
The Worshipful Company of Founders has generously promised an additional annual prize of £500 for the group of people who have carried out a project to encourage young people in ringing. Entries for this competition were invited in November.
The main issues this year have been: first, how the network of ringing centres can be widened now that Founders' grants are not available to provide incentive; and second how the quality of what ringing centres do can be assured.
To try to move forward on these points, representatives from ringing centres were invited to attend the November meeting of the Committee at the Moulton Ringing Centre. At the meeting, Roger Booth and Heather Peachey gave wide ranging presentations on 'Increasing the Network' and 'Accreditation of Tutors'.
Increasing the network
On the subject of increasing the network, the Committee will make use of the coming
Roadshow, and ringing centre articles in the Ringing World. A leaflet has been devised
providing basic information about ringing centres. The Committee thanks Richard Parsons
for his help with this.
Spreading best practice
As in the past, there was no widespread agreement on accreditation of ringing tutors,
but it was agreed that some way of spreading best practice was urgently needed. It was
agreed that a Teaching Best Practice scheme would be devised, led by Roger with the
support of Heather. Ringing Centres and other interested parties would have input.
The scheme will have a Charter to which tutors can subscribe. Information will be available on the WWW about how tutors can achieve Best Practice Charter Objectives at a local level. The project will be centred around a package of teaching material which will be downloadable free. This will be supplemented by a series of five-minute videos available on DVD or CD-ROM. The scheme will be launched at the 2005 Roadshow.
Next year's report should show substantial progress on these two topics.
Christine Baldock
Roger Booth
Gail Cater (Chairman)
Alan Frost
Phil Gay
David Pope
Ernie Runciman