I spoke too soon by saying last year we were back on our feet again after having an increase of 156 over the previous year. The National trend for 2009 is down by 3.75%. However, the Guild is down by 9%. There seems to be no reason for this, both nationally or for the Guild. More towers have been rung than previously and represents three quarters of our total.
The number of towers differs greatly from one District to another so totals have no real significance for comparison purposes. It is the number rung, distributed equally among the total number of towers within each District that comparisons can be made. The number of towers actually rung is shown as a percentage. One may not realise it, but if you do not have the ringers one can not ring the bells. Membership for each District ranges from 6.61 persons per tower to 10.09. With more members, the more ringing we can do.
| District | +/- on 2008 | Total | Towers rung | No. per Tower | % Towers rung | Leading tower | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alton & Petersfield | -7 | 43 | 18 | 2.0 | 81.8 | Froxfield | 7 |
| Andover | 39 | 100 | 20 | 4.3 | 87.0 | Highclere | 15 |
| Basingstoke | 11 | 57 | 16 | 2.5 | 69.9 | Basingstoke, All Saints | 15 |
| Channel Islands | 4 | 70 | 6 | 10 | 85.7 | Guernsey, Vale | 34 |
| Christchurch & Southampton | -55 | 49 | 15 | 2.3 | 71.4 | Southampton, St Michael | 10 |
| Isle of Wight | 20 | 42 | 13 | 3.0 | 92.9 | Arreton and Carisbrooke | =8 |
| Portsmouth | -21 | 53 | 15 | 4.1 | 75.0 | Catherington | 9 |
| Winchester | -22 | 128 | 17 | 3.4 | 54.8 | Bishopstoke | 32 |
| Totals | -53 | 542 | 120 | ||||
Alan A J Buswell