I’m pleased to say that 2023 was a special year for the Winchester & Portsmouth Guild. It’s the year that we saw our young ringers bring home the Ringing World National Youth Contest (RWNYC) method ringing Trophy! Overall, fourteen young ringers from across our Guild took part in this annual striking competition, held in York on 8th July. We are fortunate to have a thriving group of young ringers, so it was great to be able to enter two Teams, one in each of the separate method ringing and call changes sections. Many congratulations to Erin Halder, Lauren Kidd, Oliver Maddams (C), Evan Pearce, Charlotte Mossop, Emily Burslem, Katherine Wilkins and Sam Marriott who formed the W&P Call Change band to come 12th= out of 18 teams, and to Ellen Barber, Erin Ingram, Stephen Wise, Isla Ingram, Peter Maddams (C) and Mitchell Reeves who formed the W&P Method Band to take the Whitechapel Trophy. Both teams rang brilliantly for their age and experience, and it’s clear that we have some very talented and dedicated young ringers in our Guild. Watching the whole group develop as ringers month by month under the guidance of W&P Youth Team Leader Andy Ingram has been inspiring, and I want to thank everyone that is involved in supporting our young ringers at Tower, District and Guild level.
Talking of Striking Competitions, congratulations to Basingstoke All Saints who led the way in 2023 by winning both the Guild Inter-Tower 6 and 8 bell competitions. Encouragingly, every District was able to enter a band in the Guild’s Inter-District Striking Competition held on the morning of the AGM. In March, Hursley hosted one of the National 12-Bell Striking Competition Eliminators, whilst in September, David Mattingley took a W&P team to Walthamstow to enter the Essex Trophy 10-bell Striking Competition, producing some really excellent striking that narrowly missed out on being the winning performance. I’m aware of quite how much work goes on in the background to make these successful, so on behalf of the Guild, many thanks to everyone involved in organising, hosting or ringing in these events.
2023 also saw the completion of a number of major restoration projects in Guild Towers, with more projects initiated or planned for the future. Any restoration project is a huge undertaking for those involved, and once again I am in awe of the dedication and commitment shown by those who drive these to completion. Fundraising can become relentless, but can also positively bring together the sometimes separate village, church and bellringing communities as they work towards the restoration of their bells. Ropley is a fine example of this, with fundraising events taking place at many different levels. Their successful bid for a grant of £62,287 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to rehang the bells and engage new audiences with the heritage of bell ringing has triggered the final stages of the plans that will see the ring of six bells back in the tower during 2024, ten years after the devastating fire that destroyed the church. Ropley’s funds were also bolstered by a very well supported “Tower Grab” Open Day in the neighbouring Alton & Petersfield District, which raised £3,625 and welcomed ringers from all across the UK to ring at each of the District’s 24 towers including recently restored Hawkley, Newton Valence and East Tisted. As I write, we look forward to the forthcoming Tower Open Day in the Isle of Wight District, and hope that similar sums can be raised to support the restoration of Brading.
The Coronation of H.M. King Charles III took place in May, with much preparation in advance to ensure as many Guild Towers as possible were able to ring out in celebration. Whilst reading through the District Secretary/Ringing Masters’ reports, it’s apparent that the increase in Guild membership prompted by the “Ring for the King” campaign has been both a blessing and a challenge. Districts have risen to meet this with energy and enthusiasm, and with an unprecedented level of collaboration between towers to teach new ringers. The way that District Towers work together is naturally evolving in a very positive way, with teaching and development of recruits more frequently taking place at multiple venues and by groups of teachers. This breeds a rich ground of training experiences, where the sharing of knowledge and ideas benefits both those teaching as well as those learning. To further support Districts to train and develop their members, the Principal Officers introduced a Guild Rule change at the AGM to allow Districts to decide for themselves how best to spend funds earmarked for recruitment, training and development. A number of Districts have already started planning how best to use these funds with equipment like Simulators and Dumbbells purchased and attendance on ringing courses supported.
I would like to thank all those that hold office within the Guild or the Districts. Without these people, who work incredibly hard juggling their personal lives with ringing commitments, the Guild would be a much less successful place. It is a constant source of amazement to witness the enthusiasm, kindness, time and expertise generously shared by those that take on Guild and District roles. I would encourage you all to take a moment to personally thank these people, and give them your full support during the year … and, if you feel able to, consider taking on one of these roles yourselves. And finally, from all the Guild and District Officers, I wish you an enjoyable year’s ringing!
Rachael Barber