BEDFORDSHIRE ASSOCIATION OF CHURCH BELL RINGERS

Update

Latest news and information for all towers and ringers in Bedfordshire

December 2021
Please share this with ringers in your tower.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas!

(Santa really should encourage his elves
to come along to a BACBR training session!)

Forthcoming Training Sessions and Meetings

Second Saturday Training
 

at the R J Sharp Ringing Centre 
at St Andrews Biggleswade

Next sessions:
Saturday 11th December and Saturday 8th January, 10:00 - 12:00

Open to all Bedfordshire ringers.  The sessions are aimed at less experienced, mainly adult ringers, who can handle a bell but want to improve technique, confidence and progress; The focus is on handling, ringing up and down, moving on to call changes and plain hunting.  
For more details, please contact Philippa Whittington, pw48@btinternet.com or Sue Silver, vicepresident@bacbr.org.uk

District Meetings

Ringers of all abilities are always very welcome to attend District Meetings, which are open to anyone from any district! They are a great opportunity to make progress with your own ringing in a friendly and supportive environment and to meet ringers from other towers. If you are nervous about going along to a District Meeting for the first time, why not ask your Tower Captain to take you along, or please email backtoringing@bacbr.org.uk and we will make sure that there is a named person at the meeting to welcome and look after you!

Saturday 4th December - Bedford District
Biddenham, 11.00am - 12.00 noon

Saturday 11th December - Biggleswade District
Meppershall (6) from 3.30 to 5.30pm

Please check the calendar of District Events on the website, https://www.bacbr.org.uk/ which will be updated once details of other meetings are known.

Bedfordshire Young Ringers
Sunday 5th December at Clifton 2.00 – 4.00pm

This is open to all young ringers of all abilities  - please do encourage your young ringers to come along and have the opportunity of meeting with other ringers of their own age. 

For further details please contact Sue Silver, vicepresident@bacbr.org.uk

Dates for your diary!

Please put these dates in your diary. Further details of all of these events will be in the next update!

A reminder that ADMs will be held next month as follows:
8th January - Biggleswade District
15th January - Bedford District
22nd January - Luton District
Please consider whether you can contribute to ringing in your area by joining your District Committee! Have a chat with any of the current members of your District Committee to find out what's involved!

Saturday 29th January, 09:30 - 13:00 - Plain Bob Double Course
at the R J Sharp Ringing Centre at St Andrews Biggleswade

Ring a First in February! 
This is a new initiative which we hope will provide opportunities for ringers to build up to and achieve a first, agreed in advance with their tower captain / mentor, sometime during the month of February. This might be a first Quarter / touch of ... / calling call changes / calling a touch ... Lots more details to follow in the next update and at ADMs, but in the meantime please be thinking about a possible target which you as an individual ringer or members of your band (or those who you mentor) might work towards to achieve a First in February.
 

Other News and Events
 

Introducing our new
Association Honorary Secretary

At the Association's General Committee meeting on Sat 20th November, we were delighted to co-opt Penny Bellis as Honorary Secretary. Over the coming weeks, Penny will work closely with Terry Brown, who retired at the AGM in May. 
Penny can be contacted on: secretary@bacbr.org.uk

Penny writes:
I am very proud to join the committee of the Bedfordshire Association of Church Bell Ringers as Honorary Secretary.  I am a novice ringer, effectively having started this summer, and regularly ring for practice and services at Clifton and Campton. I am enjoying learning a new skill and am following my tutors' advice to get lots of rope time on different bells.  As a result I might see some of you in your own tower or at Association training events, meetings and practices where I can.  With the Committee I am looking forward to producing some great Association events over the coming year and am always interested to hear any ideas you all might have.

A huge thank you to Terry for her hard work as Association Secretary over many years, and for continuing to hold the fort since her retirement!

Calling all past and present
Bedfordshire Young Ringers!

The newly formed national Young Change Ringers Association is open to all ringers below the age of 30.

This is a great opportunity to make new friends, to ring with people your own age from across the country and almost certainly to have loads of fun! Details of how to join and forthcoming events (an outing in Birmingham on 15th January) can be found on https://cccbr.org.uk/2021/11/19/ycra-event/

Thank you ...

to everyone who came along (on a very cold day) as helpers or tutors on the Half Day Course: Ringing Up and Down at Haynes on Saturday 27th November. The course was fully subscribed, and very positive feedback was received from the students (Thank you!). If anyone wasn't able to book on this course, or came along but would like more practice at ringing up and down, please do come along to one of the Second Saturday Training Sessions at Biggleswade, or sign up for a One to One Session at Campton (which will resume in January).

Updates from the Central Council of Church Bellringers

Each week, Simon Linford (President of the CCCBR) publishes a blog on the CCCBR website and in the ringing World. These are  usually quite entertaining reading, and often contain useful information. His latest blog includes updates on Safeguarding requirements for ringers, Covid guidance, record peals, Young Change Ringers first event, and talks on running youth groups. 
https://cccbr.org.uk/2021/11/30/presidents-blog-48/

With regard to Safeguarding and covid guidelines, at the moment we only know what is contained here in Simon's latest blog, but should there be any further details, we will of course pass them on to you via this email update, our Facebook page and the website.

Linda Garton
President, BACBR 
backtoringing@bacbr.org.uk

www.bacbr.org.uk

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