My apologies for being a little later than usual writing these latest words. I wanted to write them after the General Committee meeting last weekend but have had a number of other things that needed sorting out this week.
Firstly, let me report on the Association Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral on the 16th November. My thanks go to the Canterbury Cathedral Company of Change Ringers and the Canterbury District for all of their efforts in helping to make this event happen. This year, ringers were allocated time slots to alleviate the problems of overcrowding that we encountered last year and this appeared to work extremely well. Several members had the opportunity to ring on 12 bells for the first time and many enjoyed the experience of visiting the Cathedral’s ringing chamber and being given the chance to ring at the Cathedral. As ever, the Canterbury District put on a delicious selection of cakes and savouries prior to the service, which was attended by about 40 members.
Next year, the event moves to the other side of the Association as St Alfege, Greenwich have offered to host the Evensong in November 2026.
One of the matters discussed at the General Committee meeting was the fact that both myself and Peter Joyce, our Treasurer, had both announced at the Association AGM last year that we will be standing down at the AGM on 6th April 2026. Unfortunately, Joanne Pohl has also found it necessary to stand down as the General Secretary at the same time. This could potentially leave our Association in a parlous state. The holders of these three positions are also the trustees of the Bell Restoration Fund and, should there be no trustees, this fund will not be able to function as a source of grants for restoration or repair projects.
Peter has kindly indicated that he would be prepared to stay in post for one further year in order to enable a smoother transition for the management of the Association and the BRF but we will still need to fill the positions of General Secretary and Chairman. The committee have put together some role description documents which will shortly be published on the KCACR website and give an indication of what is required in each role.
The role of the General Secretary is to provide secretarial and administrative support for the Chairman and General Committee, particularly with regards to quarterly General Committee meetings and the AGM. They also send and receive communications to and from other bodies and organisations on behalf of the KCACR.
The role of the Chairman is to promote the interests of the Association, control all ringing activities at General Meetings or gatherings of the Association (other than District meetings or functions), chair General Committee Meetings and deal with such other matters as may be provided for in the rules or as may be directed by the General Committee or the other Trustees. The Chairman may decide that there are specific areas which they wish to focus on during their tenure in order to benefit the Association. Whilst there is no official time limit to the period of office for the Chairman, it is customarily 3 years. The Chairman is one of the three Trustees of the BRF, the other two being the Treasurer and General Secretary.
Please do not hesitate to contact myself or Joanne should you want to find out more about either of these roles.
We also agreed the date of the Association 8-Bell competition for next year at this committee meeting. It will take place on Saturday 27th June at a tower in the Maidstone District and the test piece will be Middlesex Bob Triples.
Elsewhere in the Association, the Rochester District are planning a series of sessions aimed at those who are beginning to move on to ringing surprise major. The expectation is that those attending are able to ring at least a touch of Plain Bob Minor and ideally a touch of Plain Bob Major. This gives ringers an opportunity to develop treble bob hunting skills as well as chances to ring specific surprise major methods. The sessions will take place on Tuesday evenings on the 6th January, 3rd February and 3rd March from 7.30 pm using the simulator at Rochester Cathedral. Please do contact either myself or Rona Joiner ()
should you wish to take part.
Rona has also said that the first meeting of the ladies’ conducting group on the 1st November was very successful with about 12 attendees although few others were unable to attend due to other commitments on that day. The attendees identified and agreed some next steps for another meeting, including learning some shot compositions to try calling, and they will be getting back together early in the new year to take this forward. Further details ae available from Rona Joiner.
On Saturday, 7th February, we are arranging another ART M1 training course at SS Peter and Paul, Ash by Wrotham in the Lewisham District. This course is aimed at those who are either involved in teaching bell handling or who would like to learn how to teach bell handling and aged 14 or older. You should also have sufficiently good bell control to be able to inspire confidence in others and an ability to comfortably raise and lower a bell. The course itself will offer a mix of practical activities and discussions.
Although the course does provide the input, it is hoped that the attendees will then take this forward and, through their own teaching at either their own tower or another tower, successfully complete the M1 training programme. In order to complete the programme, it is necessary to make a log of at least 4 teaching sessions and reflect and record in the log what you did as the teacher and how you plan to build on this in a next session. You will also be allocated a mentor, who is an experienced teacher who has either recently attended an ART M1 course or who is a member of ART.
If you are interested in signing up for this course, please visit https://events.bellringing.org/en/events/courses/eaching-course-module-1-ash-by-wrotham-kent Until the 12th December, members of the KCACR have an opportunity for early booking. You will need to use the PIN 1727 to access the booking form. The course costs £30 to attend although the KCACR will refund this. Details of how to do this will be given at the course, Additionally, attendees will need to bring their own lunch. There will be a £5.00 tower donation and donations would also be welcome for light refreshments.
Finally, I received a link to a short film that was made by a German TV company about ringing in England. I think that it has covered the subject quite successfully. I hope that you enjoy it! England’s Art of Bellringing
Neil Jones
KCACR Chairman