Entry in the Derby Diocesan 2008 Annual Report
During 2008 there were 48 training events held at the Centre. Two were DDA training days but they were mostly events organised by the Centre to meet the needs of either beginners, those looking to move on from rounds or others looking to master new methods, mainly the Oxford Group this year. We have also again hosted all the Whiting Society training events and they have booked the facility again for their events in 2009. So I am pleased again to be able to report that your Ringing Training Centre is in continuous use and hopefully, making a valuable contribution to ringing in the DDA.
The tower has purchased a complete set of ropes that by the time of writing this report have been installed during early January 2009. Whilst the local ringers have paid for these initially, the Centre committee will agree a contribution towards this cost, although the funds currently held by the Centre would cover less than half of this amount.
During the year other than the two DDA training days and events held by other societies all the training has only been possible because of the commitment of Eckington members and I once again appeal to the membership for volunteers to give some time to the Centre to provide a team of people to act as tutors. Other than time this need not be onerous as the majority of training offered is at a very basic level. I would love to be able to offer regular training events in the form of a syllabus for new ringers but it seems that this may remain a dream. However if you feel that you could become involved in some way I would be very pleased to hear from you.
I reported last year that we were hoping to take part in a DVD film and indeed a lot of footage has been recorded but because of a family tragedy amongst the filmmakers this has been put on hold. I am hoping that during 2009 we shall be resurrecting the project but probably not in its original concept.
Towards the end of the year I have been in discussions with the Head Teacher of the local Church School and have made tentative plans to start an after school club for pupils of the school to take up ringing. I have started with one family of 4 children on an informal basis during the last few weeks of the year.
I look forward to another eventful year in 2009.
Don Jones
Entry in the Derby Diocesan 2007 Annual Report
I am pleased to report that this year (2007) your Ringing Centre has been the busiest yet. There were 38 events of a training nature held at Eckington during the year. These included two ringers coming for an evening of remedial bell handling, 4 Sunday afternoon conducting courses, 9 evening or Sunday afternoon Oxford Group sessions, 2 DDA training days held on Saturdays, 1 young Chesterfield ringers’ fun Sunday afternoon, using most of our facilities, 6 tied handling practices, 1 Friday evening and Saturday morning for the Whirlow weekend, 10 Saturday morning plain methods sessions, 3 Whiting Society training days and 1 Central Council run Train the Trainer course. This is a very mixed range of events ranging from the very basic through to some fairly advanced activities. When I look back at the aims of the Centre I am pleased with what we have achieved in a relatively short space of time from a standing start.
I am glad to report that the equipment used at the centre is mainly in good order and this year we have added a half share (with the church) in a digital projector to use in training sessions. We have to thank the ringers at Eckington for providing a loan for this projector, as there were insufficient funds in the Centre’s accounts. This was first put to use on the DDA training day. We have of course also this year had the benefit of using our dumb bells both to provide a lighter 8 and to negate the need to “tie” a bell for some of the handling sessions. The equipment, which needs some attention, are the ropes, these are now in need of replacement and a full set has been placed on order. I think we need to consider building a fund for maintenance of the bells to assist the local tower with maintenance costs in the future as the use of the bells has at least doubled over the past few years as a consequence of becoming a Ringing Centre.
Whilst the Centre is now fairly busy I feel that we should be providing a more structured offering of courses. I therefore appeal to the membership for volunteers to give some time to the Centre to provide a team of people capable of offering regular training events in the form of a syllabus so that new ringers in particular can see where they can obtain training to a recognised level. If you feel that you could become involved in such a project I would be very pleased to hear from you.
One further benefit of having developed the Centre is that because of the capability of ringing the bells silently to the neighbours we have been able to offer the use of the bells to Beighton ringers whose own bells are unable to be rung due to re-ordering of their building. Over the last couple of months of the year and continuing into 2008 they have been able to maintain practices by using our “tied” bells.
Finally, during the year a group of local amateur filmmakers put together a DVD on life in and around Eckington. About one third of this hour long documentary was devoted to Ss Peter & Paul’s Church of which a major part was devoted to the bells and their ringing. This featured some very good shots of the bells being rung, taken both in the belfry and also the ringing chamber. The sound of the bells ringing was recorded on one of our training events. If anyone is interested in obtaining a copy I would be glad to arrange this.
I look forward to another eventful year in 2008 with a number of bookings already secured.
Don Jones
Entry in the Derby Diocesan 2006 Annual Report
This year (2006) has seen the now normal activities at the centre during most months. These have included training days by the Derby and Yorkshire associations and also the Whiting Society, monthly plain method mornings and Stedman evenings. The Whiting Society were so impressed with the facility that three further dates have been booked for 2007. Over the year there has been a series of conducting courses held on Sunday afternoons, these sessions are lead by John Heaton and have included some solely practice sessions with some additional ones held at the Cathedral. The website has been visited over the year by an ever increasing number of visitors and again we have as a result held special sessions for beginners from further a field. Keep your eye on the site for news of future events and other developments at the centre.
As well as the now normal activities 2006 saw two significant but very different initiatives commence. The first of these was the installation of two dumb bells. During the early part of the year Mike Banks had received a delivery of materials to his home shipped from Peter Browne Structures. These materials together with an assortment of other components gathered from the bell hangers formed the dumb bells and their wheels, frame and fittings. During those early months Mike, often assisted by Robin Lyon spent many hours assembling and disassembling until he was happy with the results. In mid March Mike invited me to visit his garage to see the results of his efforts before arranging for shipment to Eckington. I was quite surprised that Jill was actually speaking to me, as she had become a dumb bell widow for much of the spring. April 7th saw the arrival of a truck bearing all the components at Eckington. A team ably lead by Peter Browne and including Ian Hardwick, who sadly died two months later, very quickly and efficiently carried the heavy components up the 59 steps to the belfry. Over the next month and a half Mike and Robyn often assisted by others spent many hours assembling the bells in the belfry and arranging pulleys and chutes etc. to ensure the ropes dropped into the appropriate positions within the ringing circle. During early July John Thorpe and I fitted the sensors and set up the Abel options files to give the best possible set up for using these bells. So we now have, using the simulator, options to ring any number of bells up to ten and have two choices of bells for six and eight on numbers up to eight. This has already proved very useful when running training events allowing extra bells to be included for handling training without having to climb to the belfry to tie the clappers and also on at least one occasion substituting a dumb bell for an actual bell during the temporary failure of a sensor or clapper tie. The bells have been rung as a ten on a number of occasions the most significant of which was a nicely struck Quarter of Grandsire Caters on 24th November which I am pleased to report included Mike Banks ringing one of his dumb bells.
The second initiative referred to above is the initial stages of the development of a band of ringers for Hartington, which hopefully during 2007 will change from an unringable three to an eight hung for full circle ringing. During February I received, as chairman of the Education Committee, an email from Chris Dullage of Hartington requesting help in forming a band of ringers, saying he had 14 people interested in learning. The Education Committee felt the best course of action was to invite the prospective band to initial training at the Centre. On the 14th May and 4th June seventeen Hartington prospects were given an introduction to ringing including a taste of bell handling. Because of my family commitments actual training did not commence until September, but I’m pleased to say that all seventeen have been taught to handle a bell and most are now regularly attending various practices in the Peak District with occasional visits back to Eckington by some. This has been a very successful initiative and hopefully will form the template for any future whole band training requirements.
The Centre is now very active but we always welcome requests for help from individuals or for use of the facilities by whole bands or other groups. We would also welcome anyone who would be interested in assisting with training, as we often have to delay events through unavailability of the principal tutors. For information on any activity at the Centre either visit the website or otherwise contact myself.
Don Jones
Entry in the Derby Diocesan 2005 Annual Report
The Centre has again been busy running its now regular events of plain method and Stedman sessions once per month. These have proved popular in providing opportunities for ringers to concentrate on one method with a strong band around them. Elsewhere in this booklet you will see reports of the DDA’s courses held at the Centre, but as well as these we continue to be the venue for Yorkshire Association training days. We have also run other ad hoc events that have included individuals and groups visiting the Centre to use its facilities. All ringers are welcome and only need to make contact with me to arrange a visit.
I would like to encourage everyone to make use of the simulator. As our experience has grown we have extended the uses this equipment can be put to. One particularly valuable activity is to let the simulator monitor your striking and allow analysis after a piece of ringing to definitively show where problems occur, if they have, or how even a pleasant sounding piece of ringing does in fact have ups and downs. Another valuable use of the simulator is for individuals to attempt a piece of ringing using the simulator to ring the other bells. This attunes your listening skills and emphasises the need to ring by rhythm to maintain your place. The piece rung may not be complex, indeed a great deal of benefit can be derived from say just covering to a doubles or triples method. But of course if you really want to you can ring Bristol Maximus, Bristol Surprise Sixteen or if you’re feeling particularly ambitious Little Bob Twenty-two!
The Centre of course also encourages absolute beginners and this year a number of novices have used the Centre’s facilities to help begin their ringing careers. These included a middle-aged couple from the Chester area that spent a Sunday afternoon being put through their paces and left at the end of the afternoon both being able to handle a bell on their own. I have kept in touch with this couple and they continue their progress with enthusiasm in their own locality.
Put the words “ringing centre” into Google and near the top of the resultant list of websites you will find a link to our website. Since the site was launched during April 2005 there have been over 800 visits to it. Was one of them you? Keep in touch with what is going on at the Centre by making it a “favourite” in your web browser. The Chester couple of course did just that. There are lists of activities, feed back from students, useful training notes and other items of interest posted on the site that is kept well up to date.
Whilst the website has been a significant development this year, those of you who have visited the “News” page on the site will be aware of another in that we are well on our way to providing the two dumb bells for the Centre. I am grateful to our Bell Consultant; Mike Banks who designed these and is well on with their manufacture. I would like also to take this opportunity to thank Eayre & Smith for provision of much of the material at very advantageous prices and also Peter Browne for providing most of the steel for the frame at no cost to the Centre.
The Centre is supported by numerous people in different ways and is your facility to use. Make 2006 the year you took advantage of an asset the DDA has that many other Associations do not. I look forward to welcoming many more of you this year at The Gordon Halls Ringing Centre
Don Jones
The Centre has been granted a faculty to install 2 Dumb Bells! (November 11th 2005)
Soon after the Centre was formed it was decided that it would be an advantage to have a dumb bell to assist with teaching handling. The DDA Bell Consultants were consulted and their advice sought. This lead to discussions about installing 2 dumb bells so that the Centre could be used for practising 10 bell methods. For this to work well the dumb bells would need to be included in the "circle" and feel similar to the existing bells. After careful measuring and consideration of the ancient beams etc in the clock chamber it was decided that a design may be possible that met all the requirements. Mike Banks was therefore asked to go ahead with some design proposals. Earlier this year Mike's plans and reports on the feasibility were submitted along with petitions etc. to the Derby Diocese in application of a faculty to proceed. Having received the faculty we are one step nearer to implementing this scheme. It is now hoped that the work will commence shortly.
These are copies of just 2 of the many drawings Mike prepared in support of the application. Once the installation is complete it is hoped to place further information and pictures of the installation on this site.
This article appeared in the Sheffield Star on Thursday 30th June 2005.
