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The Founders Prize competition continues to be organised as before and in 2005 the fifth such prize has been awarded. The new Founders Prize for the Encouragement of Young People had its first winner. The Committee's main task for the future will continue to be increasing the network of ringing centres and new ways are being considered to further this aim. Roger Booth has been working with other ringing centres on a new project called Teaching Best Practice.
The Founders Prize for the ringing centre which made the greatest contribution to the teaching of ringing in 2004 was presented to The Cinque Ports Ringing Centre in Dover. The presentation of the £500 cheque and a bronze plaque was made at the ringing centre by the Master of the Worshipful Company of Founders. The judges in this competition were Christine Baldock, Roger Booth, Alan Frost and Ernie Runciman. The other contenders for the Prize were Aston Clinton, Barrow upon Humber, Gordon Halls Centre at Eckington and The Troyte Centre at Bampton. Winners in the previous five years are not eligible to compete.
The first year of the new competition took place for a £500 prize about the encouragement of young people in ringing. This prize is also provided by the Worshipful Company of Founders. There were six entries - Lincoln DG (West Lindsey Branch), Thurlaston, Wethersfield and Finchingfield, Campton, Chester DG (East Cheshire Branch) and Winchester Cathedral. Some of these provided some very strong competition but the clear winner was Wethersfield and Finchingfield. The judges were representatives from the CC Education, Ringing Centres and PR Committees, the Vice-President of the Council and Andrew Gillett from the Worshipful Company of Founders This competition is not specifically to do with ringing centres but for convenience is managed by the Ringing Centres Committee.
Thanks are due to Christine Baldock for managing both competitions.
There are still only 40 ringing centres of which 36 are CC Recognised. The original target of 25 centres was passed with the aid of grants from The Worshipful Company of Founders, but since then things have been more or less static. Now enquiries about setting up ringing centres are being made and this is probably due to the improved image of ringing centres created by Ringing World publicity and through the good work of the ringing centres themselves. However despite this interest, only one new ringing centre has actually been set up since the end of the Founders grants, The Yorkshire Dales Ringing Centre at Settle, North Yorkshire and it will shortly apply for CC Recognition.
The Committee has a long term vision of several hundred ringing centres. Our medium term aim is to achieve 100 ringing centres. The 2005 Ringing Roadshow was used to further this aim with displays, literature and a publicity package. The Committee also produced a brochure which will be used by Committee members in encouraging associations, branches and groups to set up ringing centres.
The Ringing Centres Conference in the Autumn of 2004 discussed ways of expanding the network of ringing centres. There was general agreement that we need to be able to offer something in addition to the current package. There was also agreement that spreading best practice was one of our principal functions. The outcome of this meeting was that we would try and develop an integrated recruitment and training package, not only for use in ringing centres, but also in any tower that wished to use it.
This package would exploit the latest technology, particularly the internet. In the last 18 months a pilot DVD 'basic change ringing' has been produced to demonstrate what we have in mind. About 100 copies have been produced and circulated throughout the world for comment. Comments have been posted on our website www.learn2ring.com.
From the comments received it is clear that there is a tremendous need and demand for our recruitment and training package. Whilst it will take several years to produce the complete package, the software needed is now widely available and much more user friendly than it was even five years ago. What we do need is to find more volunteers to help with its development. We are collaborating with several other committees and the project will be discussed at this year's ringing centres conference at Warwick on 11th November.
In the next year we will be investigating obtaining grants from bodies such as the Lottery, in order to have the final versions of the package made professionally.
GAIL CATER (Chairman)
CHRISTINE BALDOCK
ROGER BOOTH
ALAN FROST
NORMAN MATTINGLEY
BARRY PEACHEY
DAVID POPE
ERNIE RUNCIMAN