2024 was another busy year for the Guild! In March, Portsmouth Cathedral did an impressive job of hosting a very well organised and much appreciated National 12-Bell Striking Contest Eliminator. Not only that, but the icing on the cake came when the Portsmouth Team qualified for the competition Finals! On behalf of the W&P Guild I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in this success, and, having demonstrated that Portsmouth Cathedral can provide this national competition with an excellent venue, we hope the reward of being selected to host the Finals will be coming their way in the near future.
The W&P Youths also maintained success in the Regional and National Youth striking competitions. In April, they won the South-East England striking contest (SEECON) held at Bushey in Hertfordshire. The Ringing World National Youth Contest (RWNYC) was held in London in July, and the W&P Youths took two teams along to enjoy this brilliant day out ringing in towers across the City of London. Heading into the competition as 2023 Winners, the W&P Method team were pipped into 2nd place by an outstanding piece of ringing by the Yorkshire Tykes, with the W&P Call Change team being placed an excellent joint 9th. Once again, I would like to thank all the Leaders, parents and supporters involved for all they do throughout the year to maintain and encourage such a strong Youth Ringing presence in our Guild.
The Isle of Wight District held another very successful Tower Open Day in the Guild in April, welcoming ringers from across the UK. They raised over £3,000 to support the restoration of Brading bells, and once again demonstrated that the W&P Guild really knows how to run an event! There is a considerable amount of work that goes on behind the scenes, so congratulations and thanks to everyone who helped make this possible.
Another example of the brilliant work being carried out in our Guild saw BBC South Today featuring the students of Brighstone Primary School on the Isle of Wight, who are learning to ring at an After-School Club run by Beccy and Steve Noyes. Teaching and encouraging young ringers has to be one of our most important goals as ringers, and Brighstone have really shown us what can be achieved.
Sadly in 2024 we lost a number of Guild members, but I would like to acknowledge the significant contributions to ringing and our Guild of two members in particular. Andrew Johnson from Twyford and New Alresford, who passed away in February, was nationally recognised as one of the groundbreaking composers of the first bobs-only Peal of Stedman Triples, a conundrum which had remained unsolved for nearly 300 years. In October, we lost Derek Jackson of Eling. Derek was the founder of the Southampton University Guild of Change Ringers, W&P Guild General Secretary from 1971-1974 and again from 1980-1992, and Central Council Representative from 1980-1999. He was involved in setting up our Guild’s Bell Restoration Fund which over the years has provided thousands of pounds of financial support for restoration of bells in our towers and continues to do so. Derek was a Life Member, a great contributor to ringing within the Guild and especially encouraging of young ringers and struggling bands.
A change to the Guild Rules came into effect in 2024, which allows Districts to retain the portion of subscriptions set aside for recruitment, training and development, and to decide for themselves what they would like to fund to specifically benefit their members. Across the Guild we’ve already seen Districts making good use of this funding, by installing ringing simulators to increase capacity at “teaching towers”, financially supporting young ringers to attend the Bradfield Ringing Course, and by providing teaching materials and training courses to District members free of charge. There are many challenges when it comes to recruitment and training, but removing financial barriers to new people taking up ringing is one way that we can ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to experience ringing and develop their skills. Investing in these people now will bring rewards in the future, increasing numbers of ringers with improved skills for struggling or silent towers, and by fostering a generous attitude and positivity towards sharing and passing on expertise in ringing to the benefit of all. These people will “give back” in more than just monetary terms.
I would once again like to thank all those that hold office within the Guild or the Districts - these amazing individuals give their energy and enthusiasm to make ringing in our Guild successful. The Guild is here to support ringing in your Tower, so I encourage everyone to get involved in whatever way they can.
Rachael Barber