Over… then under… make a hole… thread it through… pull tight. Now take the next strand. Wait – which bit is supposed to go under where?!
These are the thoughts running through my head as I attempt to join two pieces of bell rope together. I’m sat with ringers from around the country on a rope splicing workshop at a weekend-long conference in Loughborough, organised by the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART). I am feeling relieved that my spliced rope will never be put to the test with the weight of a real bell.
Rope splicing is just one of the practical workshops at this year’s conference. With a whole day hosted at Taylor’s Bell Foundry, we were treated to tower maintenance tips from an expert, as well as a tour of the foundry.
I was pleased to meet Philip Pratt of Avon Ropes, who did some amazingly efficient rope repairs for us last year. He ran a workshop on how to care for ropes, dispelling some myths in the process. (Apparently, figure-of-eight knots in a rope that is too long are much better than adding more tucks, as knots keep the structure of the rope intact. Floor coverings do nothing to protect the ropes from wear, but you should avoid having a tuck where the rope touches the floor at all costs.)
A chance to ring on the 12 foundry bells was a highlight. I had only rung on 12 once before – York Minster at last year’s conference. This 6–2–13 cwt ring was rather different! Ringing with people you don’t know can be quite intimidating, but everyone was friendly and excited to have a go. I was thrilled with the beautifully struck call changes that we rang on these sweet-sounding bells.
There were plenty of talks and breakout sessions too, covering a wide range of ringing-related topics. We had an update on the Central Council’s Ringing 2030 project from President Tina Stoecklin, outlining both the achievements and challenges. The Mobile Belfries Trust has successfully reached thousands of young people, but creating enough trained teachers remains a big problem. Andrew Slade touched on this when he spoke about how we can support the many hard-working teachers we do have and prevent burnout.
Julia Cater spoke about gender balance within ringing, noting that women’s participation reduces the more advanced and high-profile the ringing gets, dubbing this phenomenon “bell ringing’s leaky pipeline”. To be able to truly offer equal opportunities within ringing, we need to understand that people are not equal to start with. She spoke about differences between men and women, focusing particularly on confidence and physiology. It’s a big topic, and one that I rarely hear discussed.
Simon Linford gave a talk on “red zone ringing” – this is advanced method ringing which starts around Cambridge Minor. He stated that within 5 years there will be so few experienced people that ringing at this level will not be viable in large parts of the country. I would very much like to become a red zone ringer one day, so this felt particularly significant to me. It is possible to save it, but not if we carry on as we are…
There were plenty of other topics covered, such as practical suggestions for building a healthy band where responsibilities are shared, and proven strategies for successful recruitment. Innovation in teaching continues and we heard from people who run ringing teaching centres and residential courses on how they operate.
The content was great, but one thing I will always remember is sharing a table for dinner at the pub with a Canadian who wrote what is probably the best Ringing World article I have ever read, on the subject of “flow state” in quarter peals. I won’t attempt to summarise it here. It was published in the 18th October 2024 issue, if you want to look it up. Suffice it to say that our conversation reminded me that ringing has a power to connect people from all over the world in a shared appreciation for precision, teamwork and sound.
Just like last year, I left the conference feeling slightly in awe of the will and enthusiasm to see ringing thrive, and the number of people who give so generously of their time and expertise in pursuit of this goal.
I’ll be back in March 2027 for more ideas and the chance to reflect on how we approach teaching, learning and serving at Heathfield. I’d love to see you there. Everyone is welcome and you don’t need to be an ART member. Lucky for me, it’s going to be somewhere in the south…
You can see all the latest information on the ART Conference at https://bellringing.org/conference/
Between the Bells 
Leave a comment