We all met at Copt Oak memorial Hall on the Friday evening for a greet and introduction. We, the students, varied in age from about 12 to 70! and were split up into 5 groups of 4 with each group allocated 3 churches, each with 6 bells. It must have been a logistical challenge. For me, all the towers seemed to have slightly lighter bells, making it easier to correct mistakes.

We, Group C, went off to our first session at Swithland Church with our tutor, Mark where we had a chat about our experience and abilities. The other three in my group were clearly more advanced than me but we all probably felt a bit nervous.

Of course, you cannot ring in these circumstances without lots of experienced helpers as you can only have one beginner at a time ringing. Our helpers were all experienced, very friendly and so helpful. Above all, they were so patient, especially continually ringing Bob Doubles for me as I regularly slipped up, made mistakes and forgot where I was. Mark, our tutor, had a special technique called “Bales” and when he called this, everyone had to repeat the last sequence (10 blows) again so giving me the opportunity of getting that 3-4 bob right. We did a lot of Bales!

After a good pub lunch (no alcohol for the students of course), we went to the next tower. The selection of churches for 5 separate groups must have been an organizational nightmare but what a good idea to have a “spare church” in case any group had a problem. So off we went to the “spare church”, Copt Oak, for our afternoon session. Yet again, our tutor and helpers were so patient and ever helpful.

Our tutor, Mark, was always very encouraging and stood by the student’s shoulder prompting, correcting and praising where appropriate. He was always humorous and encouraging.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it to the Saturday evening social. After lunch on the Sunday there was a full group session at Birstall Church with 8 bells. These are rung from the ground floor so perfect where you have quite a few ringers milling around waiting their turn. Not all the students could turn up for this session which was better for the ones which did because we got a chance for more practice.

I couldn’t speak any higher about the friendliness, helpfulness and patience of our tutor, all the helpers and the other organizers. A very enjoyable and excellent way for students to progress in the world of ringing. It certainly worked for me.

Paul Girdham
Long Clawson

What a great weekend! Only nine months into bellringing and done my first course. Turned up Friday night not knowing what to expect and meeting many people for the first time. A check in with my tutor and meeting everyone in my group. At the first tower, we started to see what we could do and what our goals for the weekend were. I went knowing plain hunt on a few bells and on Saturday morning I was starting to do a plain course of plain bob doubles on the second. By the end of the session I could see it. At the second tower I had already made some improvement. I really enjoyed the social and quiz at Copt Oak on Saturday night. Thanks to everybody who was involved especially my chauffeur. 

Aoife Harrison – Kirby Muxloe

On Friday 15th September I embarked on the Guild Ringing Course weekend, my lack of confidence making me a little apprehensive. Meeting my tutor and fellow students we set out for the first tower a ground floor ring. Some easy going bells, not going first and the apprehension is waning. The evening flies by and with a mixture of the number of the bells to ring over in the back of my mind, counting places, and the guidance of my tutor, my confidence is creeping upwards. 

Saturday morning brings another new tower. The guidance and knowledge from the helpers on the course is so welcoming and encouraging and I’m now heading towards ringing plain hunt on every bell.  There’s a balcony here and even my fear of heights is taking a back seat.  Lunch at a local hotel brings the opportunity to chat about the course and catch up with friends.  

On to the final tower of the day and the longer draught of the bells is a little scary.  But what the course has given me is confidence as well as moving my skills forward. I’m very much now counting places far more than I’m remembering which bells to ring over, and with this new found confidence and despite the length of the draught, I ring on the treble and then the second for plain courses of Grandsire.

Oh and location is everything but the course was rounded off very nicely with a 99 ice cream at Bradgate Park.

Simon Harrison – Kirby Muxloe

The trouble with learning to ring when you are the wrong side of sixty is that everything takes so long to learn; whilst the kids whizz by, ringing on any number of bells with increasingly pointy and tortuous blue lines. When you start something unfamiliar at ringing practice, you note almost concealed winces by the tower stalwarts as you crash around. The following week you come back again, and more or less repeat the whole thing because last weeks activities have erased from your brain. There has got to be a better way!

Scouring the Internet for the solution, Leicester Guild had a training weekend scheduled for September, and even better…had on site camping, at their base, Copt Oak Memorial Hall! Feeling very cheeky, as a Bedfordshire ringer, I asked for a place on the course to learn Surprise Minor, and it must have been undersubscribed because I got one!

When I applied I had no experience of ringing Cambridge Surprise Minor, but by the time the course started, I had had some excellent theoretical and practical training in the method by Julia Cater and her helpers on the North West Ringing Course. This was followed up by my regular ringing tutors led by Linda Garton at Bedfordshire Summer School Training Day, who put me forward to try a Quarter Peal in Cambridge Minor. My Leicester Course then fell, perfectly timed, to hone and polish my Cambridge Minor for the anticipated Quarter Peal under the guidance of their super tutor, Mike Angrave, and supported by his secure band.

Mike’s student group was four. Steve and Julie were also ringing Cambridge, Steve reconnecting with a method he was ringing in the past. Lianne was ringing Stedman. This arrangement helped to keep the helpers fresh with a mix of methods, and the number of helpers gave them the opportunity to sit out and relax for the occasional touch.

On the lovely bells at Whitwick, Belton and Shepshed, I was able to get experience on practice touches, make mistakes, and learn enough to try not to make them again and get past all kinds of teething troubles with the method. The others also made excellent progress over the weekend which we were able to demonstrate at a ‘Progressing Ringers’ event, open to everyone, at Birstall on Sunday afternoon at the end of the course.

We were treated to a social evening on Saturday night with a tasty buffet, and fabulously sharp fruit crumble with ice cream, the feast must have taken the whole week to prepare. The entertainment was a quiz where I joined in with some Plain Hunt and Plain Bob students and heard what a good time they had had on their course too.

Sunday morning was free and I went with Mike to All Saints Church, Loughborough where I accepted an invitation to ring a plain course of Cambridge Surprise Minor for service. There was also time on the course for beer and pub lunches.

I have asked to return next year as a helper. This is partly to help repay the tuition I have received and to reconnect with the lovely new friends that I have made, but also because I won’t truly have the method until I have developed the resilience to stay right when other learners are going wrong. I want to be like one of those excellent steady course helpers when ringing Cambridge Minor.

Thanks very much to Tutor – Mike Angrave and his Cambridge / Stedman helpers; and the organisers Peter Brown and Carol Franklin, with Lynette Angrave and their team for a super weekend.

My quarter peal was changed to a focussed practice in Cambridge minor due to organisational issues, but my tutors in Bedfordshire were again impressed with the progress I had made in Leicester. My quarter peal is rescheduled for 18th October at Potton in Bedfordshire. Will I get it? We will have to look on Bellboard.

I am lucky enough to have excellent tutors and ringing bands here in Bedfordshire with all the necessary expertise to teach me method ringing. However with the traditional couple of goes a couple of times a week, or even every night, it would have taken me a very long time, if ever, to get the ‘step up’ in my ringing which I believe the course has given me.

With gratitude,
Penelope Bellis,
Clifton Tower, Bedfordshire.