Life Members: Revd Dr J C Baldwin, Miss D E Colgate, H W Egglestone, C K Lewis, H W Rogers, Preb J G M Scott, D G Thorne.
Honorary Members: R I Allton, A E M Bagworth, Mrs S Bianco, M J Church, R J Cooles, Dr J C Eisel, Mrs K Flavell, E G H Godfrey, R R Horton, D J Kelly, R A Lewis, Mrs H L E Peachey, Miss J Roberts, Mrs P M Wilkinson.
Ancient Society of College Youths: A J Frost, P A B Saddleton*, A N Stubbs, A W R Wilby.
Australian & New Zealand Assn: D Knewstub*, I McCulloch*, L R Reynolds, J A Smith.
Bath & Wells Dio. Assn: D J Buckley, Mrs C A Hardwick, M R T Higby, G W Massey, J R Taylor.
Bedfordshire Assn: P J S Albon, K Lewin, Mrs W Piercy.
Beverley & District Society: P S Andrews, M J de C Henshaw.
Cambridge Univ. Guild: S C Walters.
Carlisle Dio. Guild: J J Proudfoot, Mrs M Snape*.
Chester Dio. Guild: P Dyson, C M Orme*, P Wilkinson.
Coventry Dio. Guild: M Chester, M J Dew, H M Windsor, Mrs B A Winter.
Derby Dio. Assn: J A Cater, Mrs G Hughes*.
Devon Assn: P J Pascoe.
Devonshire Guild: L E Boyce, J M Clarke#, M G Mansley, D J Roberts.
Dorset County Assn: D R Bugler, A Keen*, C White*.
Durham & Newcastle Dio. Assn: J N Parkin, R R Warford, Mrs B M Wheeler.
Durham Univ. Society: Revd P Newing.
East Derby & West Notts Assn: A Dempster.
East Grinstead & District Guild: R A Grant.
Ely Dio. Assn: G E Bonham, M B Davies, Miss J Sanderson, P J Waterfield.
Essex Assn: J Armstrong, F J P Bone, Mrs J A Edwards, A G Semken, D L Sparling.
Gloucester & Bristol Dio. Assn: S J Coleman, D Harbottle*, I P Hill, Prof A Newing, B D Threlfall.
Guildford Dio. Guild: W J Couperthwaite, Mrs B R Norris*, C H Rogers, M J Turner*.
Hereford Dio. Guild: A G Foster, D Fox*, Mrs J Mason*.
Hertford County Assn: A F Alldrick, G A Duke*, G T Horritt*, B C Watson.
Irish Assn: Mrs J Lysaght*.
Kent County Assn: P R J Barnes, Mrs B Davies*, Mrs C M Lewis, F W Lewis, D C Manger.
Ladies Guild: Mrs B Baines*, Miss F Cannon, Mrs A R Caton.
Lancashire Assn: J Kershaw, S S Meyer, Mrs A E Pettifor, E Runciman*, S D Woof.
Leeds Univ. Society: N J Green*.
Leicester Dio. Guild: Mrs C N J Franklin, J R Thompson, B G Warwick, Mrs W M Warwick.
Lichfield & Walsall Archd. Society: D B Clive, S Hutchieson#, J F Mulvey#.
Lincoln Dio. Guild: A R Heppenstall, Mrs J M Rogers, Miss S Thorp*, L G Townsend.
Liverpool Univ. Society: S J Flockton.
Llandaff & Monmouth Dio. Assn: P S Bennett, J C Parker.
London County Assn: G S Barr, R G Booth, E G Mould.
Middlesex County Assn. & London Dio. Guild: R Bailey, F T Blagrove, G E J A Doughty, A R Udal.
National Police Guild: Revd B F Peachey.
North American Guild: A F Ellis, D F Morrison.
North Staffordshire Assn: F Beech*, Mrs J Beech*, P W Gay.
North Wales Assn: D R Marshall, D Stanworth.
Norwich Dio. Assn: G R Drew, Mrs G M Hodgkinson, D R McLean#, D F Riley.
Oxford Dio. Guild: W Butler, K R Davenport, J A Harrison, Mrs P M Newton, T G Pett, M K Till.
Oxford Society: B J Stone.
Oxford Univ. Society: P D Niblett.
Peterborough Dio. Guild: A Chantler, A J T Evans, D J Jones, D Kingman*, Mrs E J Sibson.
St David’s Dio. Guild: J H Prytherch#.
St Martin’s Guild: J A Anderson, Mrs S J Warboys.
Salisbury Dio. Guild: A J Howes, A C D Lovell-Wood, A P Nicholson, R J Purnell*, Miss S E Smith.
Scottish Assn: P J Shipton, Ms T Stoecklin#.
Shropshire Assn: A W Gordon, F M Mitchell.
Society of Royal Cumberland Youths: J S Barnes, I H Oram, Miss S J Pattenden, D E Sibson.
Society of Sherwood Youths: P Hawcock*.
South African Guild: Mrs J M Webster.
Southwell Dio. Guild: G A Dawson, A B Mills, Ms M J Stephens, R E H Woolley#.
Suffolk Guild: S D Pettman, Canon L R Pizzey, D G Salter, A R Smith.
Surrey Assn: J D Cheesman, J Hughes#, R J Wallis.
Sussex County Assn: A R Baldock, Mrs M E Oram*, H F Pettifer, I V J Smith.
Swansea & Brecon Dio. Guild: P C Johnson, Mrs H J Rose.
Transvaal Society: J Hill.
Truro Dio. Guild: Miss D J Couch, N R Mattingley, Mrs H L Perry, R J Perry, D R Pope.
Univ. Bristol Society: Mrs C Rodliffe, R M Wood.
Univ. London Society: M C Bennett.
Veronese Assn: P Avesani, A Hodge*, R G T Morris, Mrs A Thomson.
Winchester & Portsmouth Dio. Guild: Mrs G Cater, A G Craddock, A P Smith, P A G Watts, M J Winterbourne.
Worcestershire & Districts Assn: S Holbeche, C M Povey, A Roberts.
Yorkshire Assn: A Aspland*, N Donovan, C B Dove, Mrs D M Rhymer, A J Smith*.
Zimbabwe Guild: Mrs V Grossmith (alt. member).
The Chair was taken by the President, John Anderson.
The Revd Lawrence Pizzey led the Council in prayer.
The President announced that he had written to Her Majesty The Queen to congratulate her on her Golden Jubilee; he had received the following reply:
“The Queen was pleased to receive your kind message of loyal greetings and congratulations for her Golden Jubilee sent on behalf of the Members of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers on the occasion of their Annual Meeting which is being held today in Norwich. Her Majesty sends her best wishes to all those present for an enjoyable and successful gathering.”
The Hon Secretary, Ian Oram, reported that 66 societies were affiliated to the Council with 205 representatives. There were ten Life Members and 17 Honorary Members. All subscriptions had been paid.
The President gave a warm welcome to new and returning members (indicated by * and # respectively in the list of those present).
The Hon Secretary reported that four members were attending in different capacities: Steve Coleman was representing the Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association, having previously been an Honorary Member; Mary Stephens was representing the Southwell Guild instead of the Society of Sherwood Youths; Brian Threlfall was representing the Gloucester & Bristol Diocesan Association instead of the Hereford Diocesan Guild; and Simon Woof was representing the Lancashire Association instead of the Manchester University Guild.
Apologies had been received from Teddy Barnett, Wilf Moreton and Cyril Wratten (Life Members), David Beard and Lin Forbes (Honorary Members), Simon Farrar (Cambridge Univ. Guild), Colin Mitchell (Chester DG), Pat Halls (Derby DA), Chris Richardson (Durham & Newcastle DA), John Turney (Hereford DG), Alistair Jameson and Jean Thompson (Irish Assn), Revd John Hughes (Llandaff & Monmouth DA), Peter Trotman (North American Guild), Cheryl Gosling (Surrey Assn), Roy Cox (Sussex CA), Dick Speed (Worcestershire and Districts Assn), and Anne Phillips (Zimbabwe Guild).
Members stood in silence as the Hon Secretary read the names of members and former members of the Council who had died since the last meeting: Roger Morris (Shropshire Assn 1963-65); Geoff Parker (Lincoln DG 1993-2001); Kate Branson (Scottish Assn 1972-74); Marie Cross (Universities Assn 1945-68); Revd Roger St J Smith (Lancashire Assn 1954-62 and Derby DA 1969-74); Rodney Meadows (Oxford Univ. Society 1951-59 and the Ancient Society of College Youths 1969-74); Gordon Halls (Derby DA 1960 until his death); Cyril Crossthwaite (Lancashire Assn 1963-86); and Stan Ryles (North Staffordshire Assn 1966-71). The Revd John Scott led members in prayer.
The Minutes of the meeting held on 28th May 2001 had been published in The Ringing World of 29th June 2001. The Hon Secretary had been notified of three corrections: (i) on page 662 under Motion 11 (A) in the left-hand column, in the last line of the penultimate paragraph, insert after “have”: “achievement-based objectives, not” (ii) on page 663 in the report of the Administrative Committee in the middle column, in the fourth paragraph from the bottom, in the last line it should be the Administrative Committee and (iii) at the top of the right-hand column in the third line it should be the Committee for Redundant Bells. After these corrections were made the Minutes were approved and signed by the President.
The Hon Treasurer, Eric Godfrey, read the following statement:
“At last year’s Council meeting, I reported that a letter had been received from the Independent Examiners.
The letter drew attention to what they considered to be failures in financial control in relation to the transfer of the copyright of Dove’s Guide to the Council and in the production of the new edition. It also raised some broader issues relating to the financial control maintained by the Trustees over committees, and in particular the Publications Committee.
I assured members that the letter related to procedures and that there was no question of fraud, misappropriation of funds or inaccurate accounting of funds. This was also made clear verbally by the Independent Examiners themselves.
The Trustees have investigated the matters raised.
The broader issues of financial control
Each September Committee Chairmen are asked to estimate their General Fund expenditure requirements for the forthcoming year, and a forecast of income and expenditure for the forthcoming year is presented to the October meeting of the Administrative Committee. The Publications Committee have not taken part in this exercise because their income and expenditure is recorded separately in the accounts of the Publications Fund. Two other committees, though partly dependent on the General Fund for their expenditure, also have separate accounts: the Library Committee, with the Friends of the Library account, and the Education Committee, which operates its own bank account for courses.
In 1999 Financial Regulations were drawn up and issued to committees. Generally, these reflected the practice current at that time and the three committees mentioned previously continued to operate their own bank accounts and present annual accounts.
The Regulations also required committees to obtain three written quotations before committing any order for goods or services in excess of £1,000.
In the light of the Independent Examiners’ remarks, the Financial Regulations have been amended in two respects:
(1) To require Committees to present all proposed commitments of expenditure or income over £1,000 to the Trustees for comment and approval, together with at least two quotations for the work, and
(2) To require the Education, Library and Publications Committees to prepare estimates of their annual expenditure in advance of the year, for approval of the Trustees.
The Trustees have also asked all committees to send copies of their minutes to the Council Secretary.
Financial control in the production of Dove 9th Edition
The compiler, in the name of the Council, and in consultation with members of the Publications Committee, placed the order for printing, set the selling price and advertised for sales asking for cheques to be made payable to himself. He also dealt with storage and dispatch. He thus undertook a great deal of additional work on behalf of the Council.
We have examined his working papers and we are satisfied, as were the Independent Examiners, that all financial transactions have been properly accounted for.
In summary and using round figures, 5,000 copies were purchased at a cost of £14,000. Preparation costs were £1,000. Up to December 2001 2,000 copies had been sold realising £24,000. The costs of administration, postage and packing were £5,000. A stock of 3,000 copies was held at December 2001. These have been written off and included in the accounts at nil value.
For the future we would expect that all publications produced in the name of the Council should be the responsibility of the Publications Committee. This Committee’s terms of reference are accordingly being revised and broadened, as shown in the Motion on the Council agenda.
Transfer of the copyright of Dove’s Guide to the Council
The transfer of the copyright of Dove’s Guide from Ron Dove to the Council was arranged by Revd John Baldwin and Ron Johnston in 1994. All the paperwork concerning the transfer is held by the Hon Secretary. The copyright is a valuable intangible asset of the Council. It does not, however, appear in the Balance Sheet as it was acquired at no cost to the Council, but a note in this year’s Accounts refers to it.”
One of the Independent Examiners, Steve Coleman, confirmed that they were given an opportunity to see the draft statement and had nothing further to add.
8. Annual Report of the Council
(RW 10th May 2002, p.455)
In presenting the report the Hon Secretary drew attention to the additional items 9 to 13 as requested by the Charity Commission’s Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP 2000) and thanked the Hon Treasurer for his input to these items. Under item 4 it was noted that the Manchester University Guild was no longer affiliated, having less than 50 members. After making some minor amendments to the Appendix relating to Membership of the Council, the adoption of the report was proposed by the Hon Secretary, seconded by Angela Newing and agreed.
9. Accounts for 2001
(RW 10th May 2002, p.475)
In presenting the Accounts, the Hon Treasurer gave detailed explanations of the Statement of Financial Activities and the Balance Sheet; in particular he referred to income to the Bell Restoration Fund, comprising an anonymous legacy of £10,000 and a donation of £5,000 from Dorking, being a refund of their Millennium grant; transfers between funds also benefited the Bell Restoration Fund, with £10,000 from the Publications Fund and £5,109 surplus on the General Fund. The Notes to the Accounts provided more detail.
The Hon Treasurer thanked the Independent Examiners for their work on the Accounts and then proposed the adoption of the Accounts. Harold Rogers seconded and adoption was agreed.
10. Central Council Rescue Fund for Redundant Bells (Registered Charity no. 278816)
(RW 3rd May 2002, p.445)
Adoption of the report and accounts was proposed by Bob Cooles, who explained that the payment from Escrick was in respect of storage and insurance costs. The Revd John Baldwin seconded and adoption was agreed.
Seven Honorary Members would complete their three-year term at the end of the meeting, of whom four, David Beard, Lin Forbes, David Kelly and John Martin did not seek re-election. The other three and five others were elected as follows: Michael Church, Financial Director of The Ringing World Ltd and a member of the Administrative Committee; John Eisel, the Library Steward; Eric Godfrey, the Council’s Honorary Treasurer; Andrew Higson, for expertise in bellfounding matters; Julian Morgan, a past member of the Methods and Peal Compositions Committees; Chris Ridley, a past member of the Library Committee; Robin Walker, who provides considerable administrative assistance to the Hon Secretary; and Jeremy Warren, experienced in the printing industry. Six vacancies remained unfilled.
President - Michael Henshaw, who had been proposed by Phil Gay and seconded by Ron Warford, was the only nominee. The President declared him elected.
In welcoming Michael the President thanked him for his support as Vice-President, his work for The Ringing World as a Director, his managerial and major problem-solving skills; the election was greeted with warm applause.
In accordance with the change of rule agreed at the Lincoln meeting, the retiring Officers continued in office until the business of the meeting was concluded.
Vice-President - Derek Sibson, who had been proposed by Jane Wilkinson and seconded by Stephanie Pattenden, was the only nominee. The President declared him elected. Derek thanked members for their support.
Hon Secretary - Ian Oram, who had been proposed by Chris Rogers and seconded by Kate Flavell, was the only nominee. The President declared him elected.
Hon Treasurer - Eric Godfrey, who had been proposed by Jeremy Cheesman and seconded by Bob Cooles, was the only nominee. The President declared him elected.
Hon Assistant Secretary - there were no nominations.
Steve Coleman was proposed by Stella Bianco and seconded by Edward Mould. Richard Wallis was proposed by Robin Grant and seconded by Jeremy Cheesman. There being no other nominations, the President declared them elected.
The Vice-President, Michael Henshaw, proposed and George Doughty seconded on behalf of the Administrative Committee:
“That Rule 11 (i) second sentence be amended to read:
‘In the event of the President, Vice-President, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Assistant Secretary or Honorary Treasurer vacating office before the expiration of the three years, the remaining officers shall have the power to make a temporary appointment to fill the vacancy until the ensuing meeting, which meeting shall elect a member to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the period.’”
After the meeting had agreed to a suggestion from Roger Bailey that “expiry” be substituted for “expiration”, the motion was put to the vote and carried by the necessary two-thirds majority.
Kate Flavell proposed and Jackie Roberts seconded on behalf of the Bell Restoration Funds Committee:
“That Rule 14 (ii)(m) be amended to read ‘Bell Restoration’ and
That Rule 15 (xiv) be amended to read
‘The Bell Restoration Committee
To promote the restoration and provision of rings of bells, by investigating and disseminating information on sources of funds and other resources, fund management and charitable status; to administer such funds as are from time to time available for distribution by the Council for bell restoration; to raise funds on behalf of the Council for the purpose of bell restoration.’”
In proposing the motion, Kate explained that the Committee is already administering two Funds; parishes want advice on all possible ways of saving money, such as using volunteer labour, finding second-hand bells with the help of the Keltek Trust; and there was a need for the Committee to develop its fund-raising abilities - this last aspect would be discussed later with the Committee’s report.
Frank Blagrove asked whether “rings of bells” meant any number of bells, to which Kate confirmed there was no restriction to four or more. The motion was then put to the vote and carried by the necessary two-thirds majority.
John Couperthwaite proposed on behalf of the Publications Committee:
“That Rule 15 (ix) be amended to read
‘The Publications Committee
To ensure that information is available in the form of publications to further the object of the Council, and to exert overall responsibility for the form, content and layout of publications; and for marketing, sales and distribution.’”
John explained that the Motion was being proposed at the request of the Trustees, with whom the wording had been discussed and agreed. He then read the following statement:
“Under item 7 of today’s agenda the Hon Treasurer gave a brief report about some of the issues raised in a letter from the Independent Examiners to the Trustees. As he correctly intimated, in the particular circumstances attaching to the ‘Dove 9’ project the Publications Committee, although consulted, was not in a position to control some important business aspects of the production of ‘Dove 9’ or, as a consequence, to take its normal business approach.
In particular, based on its experience and knowledge of the market, the Committee estimated early sales to be around 2,000 copies, and therefore wished to produce an initial print run of 2,000 copies, with smaller follow-on runs as necessary. This is on written record, and you will see from the published sales figures that the Committee’s estimate was entirely accurate. However, factors which were considered important by others led to the production of 5,000 copies and there were then considerable difficulties in the matters of pricing and storage. Since the work had been done in the name of the Council the Trustees quite properly decided that the Council must pay for all 5,000 copies, and, in fact, directed that the Publications Fund should pay. However, as you know, 3,000 copies have now been written off. Now we do not in any sense wish to imply criticism of those directly involved who were not members of the Committee. They worked tremendously hard to prepare ‘Dove 9’; there was no extant guidance to prevent the business actions taken, and they, like ourselves, acted entirely in good faith throughout. However, split responsibilities clearly led to problems, when we come to the more mundane, but very important, business aspects of the project.
The Trustees have carried out a very thorough and impartial investigation of all the matters raised by the Independent Examiners in their letter, and the Committee is very grateful to them for doing so. The Trustees have sent a comprehensive response to the Independent Examiners. This response strongly rejects a number of inaccurate criticisms contained in the Independent Examiner’s letter, but it also accepts some useful recommendations made by the Independent Examiners. In particular the Trustees accepted a recommendation that the Committee’s Terms of Reference should be reviewed and revised.
As the Hon Treasurer has reported, the Trustees expect, and wish to ensure, that in future all publications produced in the name of the Council should be the responsibility of the Publications Committee. Hence they have asked us to propose the motion before you.
We should emphasise that if Council accepts this motion there will be little or no change to our established relationships with other Committees. They already leave business aspects to us and although the Trustees wish us to take overall responsibility for form, content and layout, except in extremis, we would not presume, or seek, to exercise any control over the content of the vast majority of projects passed to us by other Committees. These projects are almost all specialist in nature and it is far beyond the competence of the Publications Committee to seek to influence their content. Strengthened Terms of Reference should be regarded mainly as a backstop to help prevent re-occurrence of the unfortunate aspects of the ‘Dove 9’ project.” Derek Jones seconded.
Jackie Roberts proposed an amendment to delete the word “content”; this was seconded by Alan Frost. After Roger Bailey had pointed out, that by leaving the word in, the Committee had complete control, the amendment was put to the vote and lost.
Laith Reynolds asked whether the motion referred only to hard copy print - did it include website material and CDs? He moved an amendment to add after ‘publications’ in the first line, ‘of printed material’. This was seconded by John Eisel.
Several speakers were concerned at possible duplication of printed material and CDs, especially as setting-up costs for CDs are considerable. John Armstrong asked if, having introduced this motion as a result of the Independent Examiners’ comments, we now alter the wording, will it affect their view. Steve Coleman responded that their concern only is that there is proper responsibility. The President added that the Trustees also seek proper controls; much time had been spent discussing the wording and they did not favour altering the motion. David Salter asked, if the amendment is passed, who would be responsible for publications on the website?
On being put to the vote, this amendment was lost. The original motion was then put to the meeting and carried by the necessary two-thirds majority.
Bill Butler proposed and John Eisel seconded on behalf of the Library Committee:
“That Rule 15 (xiii) be amended to read:
‘The Library Committee
To develop the Council’s Library and raise the profile of its work on bells and ringing by ensuring that it acts as an up-to-date information source; the archive of material is maintained in good condition for consultation; and relevant research is encouraged and made available.’”
In proposing the motion Bill commented that it was proposed to widen the Terms to reflect the work the Committee was now doing. The Revd. John Scott noted that the two phrases after the semi-colons were statements of fact rather than intention: he moved an amendment that the word “that” be inserted after the first semi-colon and after the word “and” following the second semi-colon; this was seconded by John Thompson and agreed. The substantive motion was then put to the vote and carried by the necessary two-thirds majority.
Tony Smith proposed on behalf of the Methods Committee:
“That the Decisions be amended to recognise methods with hunt bells in which none of the working bells does all the work of the method; specifically that the following sentence be added at the end of the third paragraph of Decision (E) A.1, that (a) to (c) be amended and that a new sub-clause (d) be added:-
‘There are four types of method:
(a) Methods with hunt bells are known as hunters if all the working bells do the same work in the plain course and the number of leads is the same as the number of working bells.
(b) Methods with no hunt bells are known as principles if all the working bells do the same work in the plain course and the number of leads is the same as the number of bells.
(c) Methods with no hunt bells are known as differentials if all the working bells do not do the same work in the plain course or the number of leads is not the same as the number of bells.
(d) Methods with hunt bells are known as differential hunters if all the working bells do not do the same work in the plain course or the number of leads is not the same as the number of working bells.’
That the words ‘There are five types of single hunt method …’ be amended to ‘There are five classes of single hunt method …’ in Decision (E) B.1.
That the words ‘The title of a method with hunt bells …’ be amended to ‘The title of a hunter …’ in Decision (E) D.2 (a).
That a new Decision (E) D.2 (d) be added:-
‘The title of a differential hunter shall consist of Name, ”Differential“, Class(es) and Stage’ and that the existing Decision (E) D.2 (d) be renumbered (e).
That the words ‘Methods at different stages in the same class …’ be amended to ‘Methods at different stages in the same type and class …’ in Decisions (E) D.3 (a) and (b).”
Tony said:
At last year’s Council meeting we debated a motion to amend the Decisions to recognize methods in which none of the working bells does all the work of the method. During the debate I explained that the Methods Committee’s view was that these methods do not fit into the existing types. I suggested that if Council agreed that these methods should be codified, then we should be asked to define a new type of method with its own distinctive naming scheme. In the light of this debate the motion was referred to us.
We reported on our work during the year, to the Administrative Committee, on our website and in an article in The Ringing World. We received many constructive comments which contributed significantly to the final motion - indeed the naming scheme in the motion was suggested by one of the contributors. In all, our work has probably had greater exposure than that by any Council Committee before.
We have prepared a leaflet entitled “A Plain Man’s Guide to the Methods Committee’s Proposals” which explains how the motion amends the Decisions to cover differential methods with hunt bells, which bear the same relationship to traditional methods with hunt bells, as the differentials we recognised some years ago bear to principles.
It also explains how the naming scheme allows these differential hunters to have names reflecting their affinities with existing methods. Passing this motion would recognise all the methods rung in 16-bell peals at Birmingham.
During the year there has also been discussion of methods of which only bob leads have been used in peals. Passing this motion would provide considerably more opportunity for these to be described as plain leads.
We expect you will be told by others in this debate about the “Norwich Axioms” (which originally appeared in The Ringing World as the “Toyota Axioms”) and how our motion should be referred back and the Methods Committee instructed to produce new Decisions based on these Axioms. The first strand of the Axioms reflects the premises that it is unimportant that the working bells do all the work of the method or that the plain course be true. Our belief that it is important whether the working bells do all the work underlies this motion. Recognising false methods would be far reaching and would deserve a separate debate by Council; it does not form part of the debate on the motion.
The second strand of the Axioms seeks to remove ambiguities of classification. We accept that this could have advantages. However the ambiguities are obscure and have not caused significant problems in practice. The disadvantages are that the Decisions would be slightly more prescriptive. We would be happy to take this work if Council wished however, once again, that is not the subject of this debate.
This motion considerably increases the scope for describing methods in a coherent and consistent way. Frank Blagrove seconded.
Stef Warboys said she would not be proposing a referral back. At the 2000 meeting the Methods Committee had been asked to amend the Decisions to enable short-course methods to be recognised; the Committee’s response was to produce alternative proposals at the Liverpool meeting. Motion F meets her request, as it would make the methods acceptable; however Motion E is not so reasonable: the Committee had interpreted their brief in a very narrow manner, not addressing all the concerns. Stef acknowledged that to carry out the task properly would involve much time; although it may be of minority interest, it was a fundamental issue, which should be addressed. The open letter in the current issue of The Ringing World supports the need for wider consultation: the status quo is not the way, nor is adding things to existing Decisions; a “root-and-branch” review of the Decisions is needed.
Tony replied that it is not the case that the Methods Committee did not consider all aspects; it was not true that they were willing unwilling to examine the Toyota Axioms; they do not intend to look at false methods without a clear direction from Council; they would look at any ambiguities in the Decisions.
The motion was then put to the vote and carried.
Tony Smith proposed on behalf of the Methods Committee:
“That the title of Decision (D) E. be amended from ‘Recognition’ to ‘Analysis’ and that the Decision be amended to read:-
‘the Analysis shall include all peals published in The Ringing World and shall identify peals not complying with parts A to D above’.
That the first two paragraphs of Decision (D) D. be amended to read:-
‘The Record Length Peal in a method or group of methods on a given number of bells shall be the longest length complying with parts A to D. Tower-bell and handbell records shall be kept separately. Variable cover records shall be kept separately. Record Length Peals of 10,000 or more changes must comply with the additional conditions below. Any such performance not rung in full compliance with these conditions shall not be published in The Ringing World.’
That the words ‘complying with Parts A to D of the Decision on Peal Ringing’ be added after both occurrences of ‘peal’ in Decision (E) D.4.”
Tony said this motion addresses Decision (D) E which covers recognition of peals. More specifically what happens when peals do not conform to the Decisions. The perception is that Council decides whether or not to recognise non-conforming peals. In fact if you read the Decision carefully it says that peals that conform are recognised and included in the Analysis, Council only decides whether or not to include non-compliant peals in the Analysis, not whether or not to recognise them. In practical terms the discussion of non-compliant peals is often heated and some people invariably go away unhappy.
Moreover the affiliated societies concerned, who abide by the Decisions of Council, take differing views over whether they can include non-compliant peals in their own records.
This motion seeks to remove this source of dispute by amending this Decision.
It is perfectly reasonable that Council should have Decisions covering what is accepted as a method or peal and also reasonable that these change over time. It is to be expected that some bands may wish to ring methods or peals not covered by the Decisions and they should feel free to do so. Whether a particular peal conforms or not is a matter of historical record and it is reasonable that the Peals Analysis should note this. If a particular sort of non-compliant peal or method becomes popular then it makes sense to change the Decisions to codify the development.
There are consequential changes to the Decision on Record Length Peals and the Decision on naming so that they no longer explicitly or implicitly cross-reference (D) E. on Recognition. Derek Sibson seconded on behalf of the Records Committee.
Several speakers thought that too much was being expected of the Editor of The Ringing World as to what was published as a peal; the Council should not direct him. After Tony had pointed out that the main change was to Decision (D) E, with other consequential changes, the motion was put to the vote and carried.
Tony Smith proposed on behalf of the Methods Committee and Derek Sibson seconded on behalf of the Records Committee:
“That the direction of the Council which appears in The Ringing World Diary as a Note to the Central Council Requirements for Record Peals be rescinded and the substance incorporated in the Decisions.
That the following sentence be added at the end of the second paragraph of Decision (D) D.:-
‘The Editor of The Ringing World shall refer all peals of 10,000 or more changes to the Records Committee before publication.’
That the following sentence be added at the end of Decision (D) D. (a):-
‘A copy of the notice should be sent to the Records Committee.’”
Referring to the last sentence Fred Bone thought that “should” be changed to “shall”; this was accepted, the motion was put to the meeting and was agreed.
15. (a) Report of the Stewards of the Carter Ringing Machine
(RW 5th April 2002, p337)
Adoption of the report was proposed by Alan Bagworth, seconded by the President and agreed.
(b) Appointment of Stewards for 2002-2005
Alan Bagworth was proposed by George Morris and seconded by Andrew Stubbs. John Anderson was proposed by George Morris and seconded by Andrew Stubbs. There being no other nominations, the President declared them both elected.
16. (a) Report of the Steward of the Rolls of Honour
(RW 19th April 2002, p397)
In proposing adoption of the report, Andrew Stubbs confirmed that he had checked the lists provided by the Kent County Association and the Winchester & Portsmouth Diocesan Guild and found that 21 names are not included in the First World War Roll. No other Societies had provided information. Chris Rogers seconded.
Several speakers spoke in favour of keeping the records open; Frank Blagrove referred to 4 names found at Staines, who had not been members of the Middlesex Association; this prompted Robin Grant to ask if any ringer could be included, whether or not they had been a member of an affiliated society.
Responding, Andrew said there were two books, one each for the World Wars; if the fallen of other Wars were to be included, another book would be necessary. The books currently hold information on members of affiliated societies. No details are on the website, but the details could be placed there without difficulty.
After the meeting had agreed that the records should be kept open, the adoption of the report was agreed.
(b) Appointment of Steward for 2002-2005
Andrew Stubbs was proposed by Chris Rogers and seconded by Michael Church. As there was no other nomination, the President declared Andrew elected.
17. Report of the Administrative Committee
(RW 19th April 2002, pp396-7)
In proposing the adoption of the report, the Hon Secretary updated members on several points. Referring to the Listed Places of Worship Grants Scheme, he had obtained written confirmation that work to bellframes was considered to be eligible; the relief was available for works carried out since April 2001. Concerning Aerials he thanked Jim Taylor for the guidance notes on The Ringing World page 67; negotiations on a national agreement were almost complete and a formal announcement would be made in week commencing 24th June. Details of the meeting with the Heritage Lottery Fund were in The Ringing World issue of 24th May; further information on the Grants Scheme would be made available later this year. Derek Sibson seconded the report’s adoption.
The Vice-President introduced a set of recommendations, arising from the work of the Trends Working Group: he thanked the Group members for their work. The Group was set up following the 2000 Council meeting, to ascertain the current state of ringing and the developing trends, and to give its views on likely future developments and how the Council and affiliated societies might deal with these developments.
As there had been insufficient time to present the full report to the meeting, a summary was circulated to members; the full report will be available on the website or a hard copy could be obtained from the Hon Secretary.
The Group had looked at a wide range of aspects to arrive at their recommendations: the state of ringing, ringing training, young people, clergy and church relations, installations, image of ringing. Of particular concern is the decline in the number of young people entering ringing and the long-term effect this will have on ringing; the Children’s Act seemed to have had a negative impact on the training of young people; several areas for action here had been identified.
The Vice-President proposed that the appropriate Committees be requested to consider the recommendations and report back to Council in 2003. This was seconded by Kate Flavell.
Prior to the meeting adjourning for lunch, at the President’s invitation David Stanworth welcomed the Council to North Wales for next year’s meeting, when the Association would be celebrating its centenary; he invited members to complete a questionnaire to assist the planning.
Following the annual meeting of The Ringing World Limited the meeting resumed at 4.22 p.m. with further comments on the Trends report: Kate Flavell was very impressed with the report’s content, which in several ways was working along similar lines to the fund-raising plans of the Bell Restoration Committee; Robin Grant suggested that future reports on this work be included within the Administrative Committee report, rather than the reports of individual Committees. The proposal to consider the recommendations was put to the vote and carried.
Adoption of the report was then agreed.
18. Committee reports and appointments
(The reports were published in The Ringing World issues of 5th, 12th, 19th and 26th April 2002. The relevant page numbers are shown against each report).
In proposing adoption of the report, Derek Sibson made one correction: to add in section C, November 24th 10000 Nideggen S Royal by the Society of Royal Cumberland Youths. Frank Blagrove seconded and adoption of the report was agreed. The following four members were proposed, seconded and elected to serve on the Committee: Richard Allton, Frank Blagrove, Ben Duke and Derek Sibson. One vacancy was unfilled.
In proposing adoption of the report, George Massey added his thanks to David Kelly, who was not standing for re-election to the Council, for his considerable contribution to the work of the Committee. Phil Watts seconded. In response to a question from Stella Bianco concerning the National Bell Register, it was reported that the Revd John Baldwin was working on a pilot scheme in Hampshire, based on “Dove”; a satisfactory structure was needed on which data can be built. Adoption of the report was then agreed.
The following nine members were proposed, seconded and elected to serve on the Committee: Andrew Aspland, the Revd John Baldwin, Bob Cooles, Alan Frost, Jeffrey Kershaw, George Massey, the Revd John Scott, Phil Watts and Jane Wilkinson. One vacancy was unfilled.
In proposing the adoption of the report, Gail Cater noted that the first phase of the committee’s work was nearing completion, with a network of centres set up and running; the Trends report on the value of ringing centres in training was to be commended. Stephanie Pattenden seconded and the adoption of the report was agreed.
The following six members were proposed, seconded and elected to serve on the Committee: Roger Booth, Gail Cater, Alan Frost, Phil Gay, David Pope and Ernie Runciman. Three vacancies were unfilled.
(d) Towers and Belfries (p372)
Adoption of the report was proposed by Chris Povey and seconded by Adrian Dempster.
Stewart Holbeche read the following statement:
“The Council will be aware from the report of the Towers & Belfries Committee that members of this Committee have been involved with a tower in the West Midlands where the PCC has been advised by a professional structural engineer to fit extra bracing to the modern Taylor metal bellframe, due to the inadequacies of building-in the ends of the steel grillage. These inadequacies are based on the engineer’s own theory of differential expansion, which the Towers & Belfries Committee have proved to its satisfaction to be incorrect. A faculty has now been granted for the bracing work, even though the Chancellor recorded in his summing-up that the evidence of the structural engineer was weak.
The Ringing Master at this church, which cannot be named as the case is sub-judice, has decided to appeal the judgement to the Court of Arches, as he feels the evidence was insufficient to grant this faculty, particularly as the work advised overturns the modern principles of bellframe design and installation that have existed now for 100 years and which have proved themselves in practice. Although he is appealing the judgement alone, the Ringing Master feels there should be wider support from the exercise at large, as such bracing work could become commonplace if the theory of this engineer (who has recently died) became accepted in other quarters.
The Ringing Master of this tower, who has the support of his Ringing Association, asks that the Council view such a development as one of considerable concern and importance not only to the exercise in general, but also to the bellhanging trade and Parochial Church Councils; and also asks that the issues should be investigated by the Administrative Committee and reported back in order that a full exposure of the facts be made for the benefit of all ringers.
Secondly, although the Towers & Belfries Committee have concluded its involvement in the case by disproving the theory upon which the bracing work is based, the Ringing Master asks that this Committee be requested to continue its involvement by giving support to him in his attempt to overturn the faculty.”
In response to a question from Chris Rogers querying why the Administrative Committee should be involved, Stewart replied because of the implications for ringing generally. The President pointed out that the advice of the Towers & Belfries Committee would have to be sought; Chris suggested that the Administrative Committee could investigate the circumstances. The meeting agreed to refer the matter to the Administrative Committee.
Adoption of the report was then agreed.
Sixteen candidates were proposed and seconded to fill the 14 places on the Committee. After a ballot the following were declared elected: Peter Bennett, James Clarke, George Dawson, Adrian Dempster, Alan Frost, Hugh Pettifer, Chris Povey, the Revd John Scott, Adrian Semken, Arnold Smith, Bernard Stone, Jim Taylor, Phil Watts and Harry Windsor. The unsuccessful candidates were Tony Evans and Andrew Wilby.
(e) Bell Restoration (pp395-6)
In presenting the report for adoption, Kate Flavell said that much of what she had to say concerned the future of fund-raising. However, dealing with other matters first, the Committee had met earlier this year to consider awards from the Fred Dukes Fund: these have been approved by the Fund Trustees and are Lismore, Australia £2,160; Manuka, Australia £850; and Hillandale, South Africa £1,000. To date 30 applications had been received for grants from the Council’s Bell Restoration Fund, involving work to the value of nearly £900,000; the Committee would be meeting in July to consider these in detail. There was no doubt that there was considerable restoration work going on at the moment and money was needed.
The results of the Triennial Survey of Bell Restoration Funds would be sent to participating affiliated societies and we are planning two articles for The Ringing World - one on how societies have or have not taken advantage of their registration of their whole society as a charity, and the other on the significance of interest rates on Bell Restoration Funds’ income.
The updated booklet “Organising a Bell Restoration Project” is now on sale.
A lot of our work this year has been concentrated on how we should be working in the future; at the meeting in Liverpool last year members seemed keen that we should explore new sources of funds. The results of our survey of affiliated societies also demonstrated an enthusiasm for identification of new sources of funds. You will see from our paper “The Future of Fund Raising” some ideas we have come up with. We would like to develop these in the future into specific recommendations, but this will involve considerable effort and we would like to know that there is at least a groundswell of support for some of the ideas before proceeding further.
Kate then drew members’ attention to the main ideas contained in the paper, under the heading of “Options”:
(i) The Council to put more serious effort into fund raising: this would not necessarily mean raising funds purely for bell restoration, but for training ringers and helping to motivate more young learners to come forward. It could involve using professional fundraisers, as many other charities do. It would give us the clout to approach serious donors of charitable grants for assistance and could involve, for instance, looking for a commercial sponsor for the Council. People have often made the connection between ringing and Bells whisky, but recently it has been suggested that a telecommunications company might be a good sponsor, with the connection to ringing.
(ii) The Council to have a patron: a patron can be of great assistance to a charity and the more high profile is the patron, the more financial assistance they tend to be. The patron is at a minimum sympathetic to the charity’s cause and at best would be active in helping with fund-raising events and would introduce friends and contacts who would be able to open doors to both financial and practical help that might otherwise be closed or hard to open.
Some people have said that it would be inevitable that any patron of the Council would have to be the Archbishop of Canterbury. That is one possibility, if the Archbishop would agree. He is probably patron of a large number of Anglican-based charities and the amount of time and effort he might be able to give any one of them would perhaps be small. But how much higher in the Church could you go for a patron? Jo Brand has also been suggested and some think would be an excellent choice. She is reported as having spoken very sensibly on television when discussing bellringing and she dismissed ideas of ringers going up with the rope as cartoon nonsense. The trouble with someone of her calibre could be the question of shelf life. Would we just appoint a popular person now as our patron for a fixed term - say five years?
Or we could look for a business person with good contacts and sympathy for ringing - perhaps even a ringer. While not so high profile, such people can have access to a wide variety of contacts that would be useful to the Council. We would like to endeavour to identify a suitable patron to help with fund raising and would like a steer from Council members as to the type of person they might favour.
(iii) We need to collect better data than we currently have about how much money is needed in the UK for bell restoration and for training and retaining new ringers. Since publishing some of these ideas in The Ringing World some offers of help in this area have been made, but it is quite likely that we will need to spend some money to put together some sensible basic information about the state of bells and ringing in the UK at the moment.
We want to hear your views about the way forward. We are not ready to make decisions today but we would like to look at these issues in more detail and bring forward proposals as appropriate for the Council to be more proactive in fund raising nationally and for the Council to have a patron; we want to go ahead and develop a good data set so we can articulate to those who we might ask to help us the amount of money we need and what it is needed for. In doing this work we will bear in mind the likely needs of non-UK societies affiliated to the Council.
Jane Webster read a statement on behalf of the South African Guild:
“The South African Guild is most grateful for the support given to the Hillandale project. The project could not have proceeded without the support of the Committee, the Fred Dukes Fund, Eayre and Smith Ltd and the wonderful generosity of John Taylor Bellfounders Ltd.
In mid-April this year there were over 20 students, mostly from Rhodes University, learning to ring in Grahamstown, and Hillandale is a tremendous boon to them.
Hillandale is also an example, seen by many clergy and laity when they attend courses at the monastery, of the sort of tower and bells that can reasonably be installed in this part of the world.
In some parts of the world it is important that clergy and influential laity are offered guidance, especially as a new generation of clergy, perhaps raised in a different tradition to their predecessors, take control of church affairs. Consequently the Committee might beneficially liaise with overseas Societies.
In the case of the South African Guild it may well be that a joint approach between the Guild and the Central Council Bell Restoration Committee to the Archbishop of Capetown, as Primate of the Province of Southern Africa, would be beneficial. The approach might include sending him some literature on ringing and possibly a video and a CD of ringing. The desirability of installing bells both in suitable existing towers and at new churches, so that the voice of the Church may be loudly proclaimed to the populace, could be emphasised. At present it is particularly important for the development of ringing in South Africa that the leading clergy are made aware of the role of ringing bells in the life of the church. Awareness is as important as fund raising.
Thanks again to the Committee and the Council for supporting the Hillandale project.”
No other comments were made and Kate concluded this implied generally favourable support. Accordingly the adoption of the report was proposed, seconded by Jackie Roberts and agreed.
The following ten members were proposed, seconded and elected to fill the ten places on the Committee: John Barnes, Peter Bennett, Ken Davenport, Kate Flavell, Carol Hardwick, Roddy Horton, David Kingman, Ian Oram, Laith Reynolds and Jackie Roberts.
(f) Biographies (pp397 and 407)
In proposing the adoption of the report, Brian Threlfall referred to the omission of Jim Raithby, who represented the Southwell Diocesan Guild from 1951-56; he died on 12th March 2001 and had attended two meetings. Janet Edwards did not wish to stand for re-election and was thanked for her work. Angela Newing seconded and adoption of the report was agreed. The following five members were proposed, seconded and elected to fill the five places on the Committee: Pat Halls, Jane Mason, Angela Newing and Brian Threlfall and Martin Turner.
In proposing the adoption of the report, John Harrison noted that the book of Learning Curve articles was now on sale; applications were coming in for the NRT conference; consideration was to be given to taking up the possibility of finance for training. Catherine Lewis seconded and adoption of the report was agreed. The following six members were proposed, seconded and elected to serve on the Committee: John Harrison, Catherine Lewis, Frank Lewis, Heather Peachey, Ernie Runciman and Mike Winterbourne. Six vacancies were left unfilled.
(h) Information and Communications Technology Committee (p394)
In proposing the adoption of the report, Andrew Craddock said that copies of the Felstead Project would be advertised for sale, while free copies were being sent to those who had helped. Mike Chester seconded and adoption of the report was agreed.
The following three members were proposed, seconded and elected to serve on the Committee: Mike Chester, Andrew Craddock and Peter Trotman. Three vacancies were left unfilled.
In proposing adoption of the report, Bill Butler confirmed that the hard copy of all the printed material in the Library was now available. John Eisel seconded and adoption of the report was agreed.
Appointment of the Steward of the Library 2002-2005: John Eisel had been proposed by Bill and seconded by Jean Sanderson. As there was no other nomination, the President declared John elected.
In addition to the Steward who is an ex officio member of the Committee, the following were proposed, seconded and elected: Garry Barr, Bill Butler, Paul Johnson, Chris Ridley and Jane Jean Sanderson.
In proposing the adoption of the report, Tony Smith confirmed that the new edition of “Rung Surprise, Delight, Treble Bob and Alliance methods” containing methods rung to the end of 2001 was now on sale. Roger Bailey seconded.
Stef Warboys proposed that the new Methods Committee be asked:
(i) to undertake, or establish a working party to undertake, a complete and fundamental review of all the issues expressed in connection with “the methods debate” and in relation to the current Rules and Decisions relating to methods with particular reference to achieving simplification, comprehensibility, sustainability and congruence with current thinking on developments in change-ringing;
(ii) to consider fully and evaluate in detail all alternative approaches currently formulated, including but not exclusively the Norwich Axioms, and any other approaches and issues that come to light during the course of this work;
(iii) to consult widely amongst interested parties and to adopt an open and collaborative approach during the course of this review, co-opting necessary expertise;
(iv) to produce a detailed paper outlining all the options, approaches, considerations, arguments, advantages and disadvantages for comment and further consideration by interested parties;
(v) to report back at regular intervals and to try to achieve consensus through collaboration. If consensus is achieved, to prepare in due course proposals for the Council to consider. If there is no consensus, to prepare a report and detailed explanation for Council so that Council has adequate briefing to determine the way forward. The motion was seconded by Philip Saddleton.
David Sparling asked whether the Committee had advance warning of the proposal; John Thompson was concerned that the debate might be wrongly reported elsewhere; Jason Hughes (referring to a letter in the current issue of The Ringing World) thought we should accept the suggestion of 27 leading ringers to continue the consultation process.
Responding, Tony said the Committee would be willing to take on specific requests but not wholesale revision; as outlined earlier in the debate on Method Definitions, revision of the Decisions along the lines of the Norwich Axioms would be more restrictive. Roger Bailey supported these comments: the motion was very detailed but its outcome was uncertain.
The motion was put to the vote and lost.
Adoption of the report was then agreed.
The following members were proposed, seconded and elected to fill the seven places on the Committee: Andrew Alldrick, Roger Bailey, Ken Lewis, Peter Niblett, Philip Saddleton, Tony Smith and Stef Warboys.
Adoption of the report was proposed by Don Morrison, seconded by Roddy Horton and agreed. Nine candidates were proposed and seconded to fill the 8 places on the Committee. After a ballot the following were declared elected: Richard Allton, Roger Bailey, Roddy Horton, Stuart Hutchieson, Julian Morgan, Don Morrison, Stephen Pettman and Philip Saddleton. The unsuccessful candidate was Ian McCulloch.
In proposing adoption of the report, Jeremy Cheesman confirmed that the 3 Birmingham peals are included in the analysis; and thanked John Martin, who was not standing for re-election to the Council, for all his work on the Committee, especially on the Felstead Project. Robert Perry seconded.
Stef Warboys asked, if Slinkier was false in the plain course, why were peals including it in the Analysis? Tony Smith said that Slinkier Treble Place Maximus comprised a block of changes which did not obviously constitute a method, but could be a bob-lead of another method with a 14 lead-end and 1T bob; the treble’s path was susceptible to internal falseness but a 12 lead-end renders it true. It can now be considered as a plain lead of a differential hunter.
The Revd Barry Peachey proposed that the peals on ceramic bells be not accepted; the proposal did not find a seconder.
Adoption of the report was then agreed.
Eight candidates were proposed and seconded to fill the 7 places on the Committee. After a ballot the following were declared elected: Phil Barnes, Jeremy Cheesman, Mike Orme, Robert Perry, Tim Pett, David Salter and Martin Turner. The unsuccessful candidate was Mike Till.
In proposing adoption of the report, Jane Wilkinson thanked George Morris and Harold Rogers (who would still help with exhibition material) who did not wish to stand for re-election; Wendy Daw, who was Committee Secretary for many years, and Nick Davies, both of whom were no longer members of Council. Janet Edwards seconded and adoption of the report was agreed.
Twelve candidates were proposed and seconded to fill the 10 places on the Committee. After a ballot the following were declared elected: Alan Chantler, Janet Edwards, Frank Lewis, Judith Rogers, Susan Smith, Sarah Thorp, Adrian Udal, Stef Warboys, Jane Wilkinson and Richard Robert Wood. The unsuccessful candidates were David Knewstub and Ernie Runciman.
In proposing adoption of the report, John Couperthwaite asked for the addition to the sales figures of 735 copies of Ringing Circles. Derek Jones seconded.
Peter Dyson queried whether the £10,000 transferred could not have been used to offset the cost of the Beginners’ Handbook. John responded by pointing out that the cheaper publications are cheap enough already. There is no longer the need to hold high levels of stock as before; and recent large projects have been very successful. Adoption of the report was then agreed.
The following six members were proposed, seconded and elected to fill the 6 places on the Committee: John Couperthwaite, Derek Harbottle, Derek Jones, Jean Sanderson, Jeremy Warren and Barbara Wheeler.
Following an adjournment to allow the newly appointed Committees to elect their Chairmen, those so elected were announced:
The President stated that under Rule 14 (iii) the Committee comprised the Officers of the Council, the Chairman of the other Committees, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Ringing World Limited (George Doughty) and 12 elected members. The following twelve members were proposed, seconded and elected: John Armstrong, Michael Church, Bob Cooles, Alan Frost, Derek Jones, Anthony Lovell-Wood, Simon Meyer, Angela Newing, Beryl Norris, the Revd Barry Peachey, Chris Rogers and Andrew Wilby.
The President reminded members that invitations had been accepted for future years as follows:
An invitation had been received from the Gloucester and Bristol Diocesan Association for 2007; the meeting agreed that this should be accepted.
The President noted that no new invitations had been received.
The Hon Secretary reported on attendance at the meeting as set out in the table below.
The President sought agreement for the ballot papers to be destroyed and this was given.
The President moved a comprehensive vote of thanks to all those involved in the Council’s visit to Norwich: to the officers and members of the Norwich Diocesan Association, particularly their President, David Heighton; their General Secretary, David McLean; Jeremy Warren for the production of the brochure, assisted by Paul Cattermole and Ruth Ogden; Mike Hodgkinson, the Chief Teller and those who had acted as stewards and tellers at the meeting; to the Vicar of St Peter Mancroft (the Reverend Peter Nokes) for making members welcome at the Service of Worship on the Sunday afternoon and for taking the Service of Holy Communion that morning; to the Bishop of Norwich (the Right Reverend Graham James) for preaching at the Service of Worship; to all those involved in the organisation of the Sunday evening Reception Dinner, and particularly to Dr Heighton, to the Bishop of Norwich and to the Lord Mayor of Norwich (Councillor Derek Wood) for their welcome; and to the incumbents and ringers of the churches who had made their bells available to Council members and the Branch Ringing Masters who had assisted with the arrangements. The motion was accepted with applause.
The Vice-President paid tribute to the President, who had tackled the task with much energy and good sense and addressed all challenges with a sound approach; he thanked him warmly for all his work during his presidency.
Harold Rogers added his thanks to the President, complimenting him on the public image he had portrayed of the Council. He commented on the increasing workload for all the Officers and thanked the other Officers for their work.
Having thanked both the previous speakers, the President declared the meeting closed at 7.05 p.m.
| Members | |||
| Societies | Present | Absent | |
| Fully represented | 53 | 163 | - |
| Partly represented | 13 | 29 | 13 |
| 66 | 192 | 13 | |
| Life Members | 7 | 3 | |
| Honorary Members | 14 | 3 | |
| 213 | 19 | ||
The Ringing World, September 6, 2002, pages 924 to 930, corrections August 29, 2003, page 825