Providing more ‘rope time’ to our new ringers

We have a steady stream of people coming to the Bermondsey practices who want to learn to handle a bell, or who can already handle a bell and are learning to ring rounds. The problem is that that the practices are already well attended, and it can be difficult to give everyone, especially new ringers, sufficient ‘rope time’ for them to make reasonably fast progress.

For the last two Saturday mornings we have held an extra practice from 10.00am to 12.00 Noon, one at Bermondsey and one at the Isle of Dogs, specifically targeted at helping those ringers at the rounds stage. We have invited ringers from our neighbouring towers in the Docklands area to both learn and help.

We have followed the ‘Learning the Ropes’ Level 2 curriculum and have introduced them to a graded programme of exercises designed to gradually improve their bell handling and listening skills. This has included ringing not only call changes where bells go quicker or slower one handstroke at a time, but we have also practiced changing places at backstroke, as well as ‘Kaleidoscope’ place making where bells move every handstroke and dodging which involves changing place every handstroke and backstroke.

We have also tried firing the bells and videoing our beginners so that we could discuss how they could improve their handling (however, we seemed to have a problem with the record function on the camera, so this did not work this time).

Another exercise was to ring a tune (Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) on the bells, which meant each ringer setting their bell at handstroke and backstroke. This really demands good bell control and after a few goes everyone seemed to get the idea.

We plan to hold another session next Saturday at Bermondsey, after which we will talk to our beginners and see whether they felt the practices worthwhile, and whether to hold more practices in the new year.

Ultimately it would be good if we could offer each beginner a course or term of targeted sessions, so that each of them can reach the Level 2 objective of becoming a competent rounds and call change ringer. They will then be able to join in on Sundays, and also be well prepared the next stage of learning to plain hunt.

Roger

 

 

The Curse of the Carpets – continued

If you’ve read the Rotherhithe saga, you will know that the acquisition of some free carpets has been causing a little bit of housework up various belfries.

Andrew Clark, not exhausted by his efforts at Rotherhithe, immediately offered his services (on a weekday!) at St John’s Waterloo Road, to prepare the tower for the installation of the unsolicited floor coverings. So Trisha took a day off work, and the two of them spent hours scraping, wire brushing and ultimately sealing the peeling paint off the walls in that ringing chamber.

Andrew Clark modelling the latest hoover

It was time for an excursion to the church cellars, where there was a choice of leftover paint. Magnolia, or Ivory? Trisha opted for Ivory.

Sunday came, and being Remembrance Sunday there was no ringing practice, so the call went out for someone to help paint. Joe Tilley was the valiant volunteer.

“You do know how to do this, don’t you?” said Trisha.

“Never done it in my life,” confessed Joe.

But true to form he was an instant expert, and took to rolling paint as easily as he took to Grandsire Doubles. Bless him.

Another picture of Jo

At the end the day the tower was transformed. The bad news is, it should have been Magnolia, so the second coat will be with the right paint!

Joe using the wrong paint

Joe using the wrong paint

Rotherhithe clean up

Trisha started it all by delivering the latest surplus clerical carpets from Lambeth Palace to Rotherhithe. If she knew the trouble this would cause, she may have used freecycle instead. If we laid it, this would then be the only clean part of the bell ringing chamber so something had to be done. In a moment of foolishness, aided by a pint of porter at the Angel, Andrew L suggested to Andrew C that the chamber should really be cleaned and painted before a carpet went down because it couldn’t be done afterwards. As we both had a few days leave coming up we agreed to do this over two days and roped in Simon as he has lots of fancy tools and offered an industrial vacuum to play with.

Multitasking Simon painting while balancing on a dodgy stepladder

So the team assembled on a sunny Monday morning and set to.  Andrew L vacuumed the staircase, Andrew C cleared out the cupboard, and Simon researched the ethnicities of the various young ladies serving coffee at the Watch House.  We all then vacuumed and washed the walls, cupboards, panelling etc of the ringing chamber.  Morag turned up to measure for new cushions in the wall seats (technical term needed here please).

Testing out LInda’s failed cake between painting tasks

Tuesday was painting day but not before Simon’s fine effort at changing the light bulbs in the chandelier. This was not possible due to the height of the thing but we had great fun trying to get a long enough ladder up the winding staircase. Eventually the walls were painted, the wood varnished, the cake eaten and everything cleared away.

The decorators between finishing work and heading off for a pint

So, it all looks better to us, but then we would say that wouldn’t we ?  As with all decorating, it is good in theory, but in practice just makes the undecorated parts look even worse.  So, we just need to get the bell and clock chamber cleaned, the stairs painted, cushions replaced, and carpet laid and we’re done. Any organisers and volunteers will be welcome…..

Thanks to Andrew C and Simon for their efforts, amusing company, and photos.

 

Kevin’s Halloween party trick

After Stepney practice, the band relaxes with an old party favourite in the pub.

Kevin generates a beam of light out of his head to the amazement of Jo and Eva

Thanks to Jonathan for bravely capturing the moment.

DRC Outing to Bristol

When David Giles left London for the bright lights of Bristol about a year ago, we reckoned that we would at least get a pretty decent away trip to make up for the loss of an enthusiastic, skilled ringer and enthusiastic but hopeless drinker. It took him a while to get organised as he seemed to prefer organising trips to nearby Lundy instead, but eventually he sent out a date and itinerary to us all.

As a native Bristolian who couldn’t wait to leave in 1973 and have rarely been back since, I was slightly curious to see how the city had changed – it could only get better after all.  The towers that David selected were all in the small section of central Bristol that both the Luftwaffe and the town planners had missed. My memories of the area were clouded by huge quantities of keg beer and scuffles with invading Welshies, so I was interested to see a more refined aspect of the town. David certainly came up with a good selection including

10 – 10.45 Pip ‘n’ Jay (8)
11- 11:30 St John on the Wall (6)
11:45 -12:30 Lord Mayor’s Chapel (6, tbc)
LUNCH (Green House pub opposite the cathedral)
2:30 – 3:30 Cathedral (8)
4:00 – 4:45 All Saints (8)
5:00 – 5.45 St James (10)

Most of the attenders piled onto the 08:00 from Paddington while a couple of cars also made the trip. Pip ‘n’ Jay was close enough to Temple Meads station to be but a short walk.  After eventually finding someone to let us in, we enjoyed a few tunes on the ring of eight.

Interesting old peal board at Pip n’ Jay

A pleasant stroll across one of the many waterways and into the mediaeval part led to St Johns on the Wall which, eponymously, is inside one of the few remaining section of the old wall. This is a very attractive church with lots of old galleries, organs and stuff for the non-ringers to play with.

David at St John on the Wall

Strolling up the hill opposite the cathedral took us to our designated lunch spot at the Green House.  The beer was very good, but obviously I’ve forgotten what it was. Food was fine too. Good choice David, and I’m sure he enjoyed the research.

DRC sleeper at Bristol Cathedral – not a ringer of course

So, on to the cathedral which is always a bit daunting for the less experienced ringers.  It was all very non-threatening though with an easy ascent, large clean ringing chamber and easy bells. At least three of the group found the atmosphere slightly too relaxing and partook of a very nice after-lunch nap while their colleagues played them a soothing tune or two.

DRC at Bristol Cathedral – the wakers

Back through the Old Town with Andrew L boring everyone with unlikely tales of the origin of the phrase ‘cash on the nail’ – sounds a bit too like a game show to be convincing. Final tower was All Saints which is not used for public worship but is still in use as a place of learning.  It is allegedly the nearest tower to another tower just the other side of the alley, but I forget its name. The bells here were pretty tricky and definitely best left to the experts.

That was it.  The train party headed off to Temple Meads and London. A big thank you to David for arranging a splendid day out, and thanks also to those who took on the ringing organisation at the various towers. Thanks to Jonathan for a few pics – please send me any interesting ones and I’ll add them  as mine were rubbish as usual.