Lovely to get this write-up from James:
KCACR Young Ringers’ Inter-District Striking Competition 2026
On Saturday 7th March, the annual KCACR Young Ringers’ Inter-District Striking Competition took place, and what an amazing afternoon it was! The sheer amount of organising that it took must have been immense, so I would like to thank Benjamin Legg for organising the two practices at Sturry and Jen Thomas for organising the majority of the afternoon and the towers, so I am very grateful for both of you. I would also like to thank all of the towers that invited us in to ring their bells and all of the people who let us in, so thank you to them as well. It is really appreciated by all of us.
For us Canterbury folk, it all started at our practice in Sturry. It was lovely to see some people who have rung with me before and some new faces too. The decision of call changes was made, and the ringers were appointed a bell each. In our one-hour slot, we managed to achieve some rather good ringing, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all of us.
The next practice was also at Sturry, and the ringing was improved and we built up confidence.
Soon the big day came around, and we all arrived at Kingsnorth and we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to practise at the test tower as we were second in line for ringing. The overall quality of the practice was very good and well enjoyed. After a quick lunch at the pub, we headed back up the hill to begin the test piece, and after a quick practice, we began. It was so much fun and there wasn’t really anything to be nervous about seeing as we’d practised so much.
After our test piece, we went off to several different towers and had an enjoyable afternoon doing some quality ringing.
Very soon it was time for tea and results. There was a great selection of cake and the millionaire’s shortbread was absolutely delectable. Then the two judges came in, and it went (almost) silent. They gave their comments about the team and then the anticipation was on; it was time for the results. As each team’s place was announced, our team was getting more and more excited. We didn’t come third. We didn’t come second. We came first! What a stunning result! Much celebration was enjoyed afterwards, and we all went home feeling on top of the world.
Thank you again to all of the organisers for putting together a wonderful afternoon and I hope I get invited back to do it all again next year!
James Carter (aged 11)