1999 was a very busy year for the Guild, culminating in the national “Ring in 2000” at noon on New Year’s Day.
To enable all bells in the country to sound at the same time, as the first part of a short Millennium Service, there has been the recruitment and training of ringers across the country during the previous two years. The Guild has played its part and since October 1997, as evidenced in the “Ring in 2000” Group’s report following, some 640 new ringers have been trained in our area. This number is in addition to the many who have returned to ringing, sometimes after a long break. Indeed, at my own tower, we welcomed back Jack A C King, a previous Guild Secretary, after a lapse of forty years.
On Millennium Day itself all “ringable” churches in the Guild with four bells or more rang out at midday, with, I think, only one exception. In addition, numerous other churches with lesser number of ringable bells and those with chimes also sounded. There could have been few people in the Guild’s area out of earshot of a ringing bell. All towers and ringers have now received a commemorative Certificate. It’s been a tremendous achievement - and a catalyst for the promotion of ringing in the new Century.
Celebratory ringing for the Millennium is continuing throughout 2000, with, hopefully, a peal in every tower, a quarter peal rung by every ringer capable of doing so, a gathering of Life and senior Members in the Autumn and the start of monthly, mid-week, mid-day meetings for the increasing number of ringers who have the time available to attend. Hopefully also, special gatherings will be held in the Districts for all new Millennium recruits and across the Guild as a whole, for younger ringers.
At the end of the 20th Century and 120 years after the Guild was founded, I think it can be fairly said that the Guild is achieving the implementation of its Aims, in creating “unity amongst ringers” and “encouraging ringing for Divine Services, cultivation of change ringing and the preservation of church bells in an efficient condition”. The following reports of the activities of the Districts and the various Committees bear just witness to this.
Our decentralised Guild, with Districts which are significantly autonomous, enables local initiatives to be implemented with the minimum of bureaucracy and central control. In this, I think, we may be unique amongst the fifty or so territorial Guilds/Associations in the country.
The Guild provides a whole series of services for its Members, at both District and central levels. During the past year, booklets for newly elected Members have been introduced, which set these out. Further, complete beginners are now welcomed into the Guild, following the introduction of Probationary Membership. All augurs well for the future.
The Guild’s thanks are due to our Portsmouth District colleagues for their enthusiastic efforts in arranging the Guild AGM at Soberton in July. A splendid day’s worth of ringing was provided, a ploughman’s lunch and tea after the meeting itself. Thank you very much.
Before finishing, I would like to record the Guild’s thanks to other Members who don’t present an annual report and that is the group of up to ten ringers, currently led by Carrie Eisenhauer, who, three times a year, provide voluntary labour at the Winchester Cathedral Refectory, serving food and clearing tables.
Robert Cater