salisbury diocesan guild of ringers · 2021. 3. 15. · saturday, 13 march 2021 salisbury diocesan...

SALISBURY DIOCESAN GUILD

OF RINGERS

„Our Pandemic‟:

What We Have Done

What We Are Doing

What We Are Planning To Do

Robert Wellen (Guild Master)

Saturday, 13 March 2021 Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers – Our Pandemic 2

Our GuildWe were in a good position

before the Pandemic:

All our Branches are Active and „Functioning‟

Good „Team‟ of Guild and Branch

Officers

Attractive Website and Guild

Newsletter

Some Outstanding Tower Captains


Guild Bulletins

On Home Page of the

Guild Website and via e-mail

circulation


Our Guild

Websitehttp://sdgr.org.uk

Attractive Up to Date Informative Entertaining


Our Newsletter: Face to Face

Perhaps not the best title in a Pandemic!!

• Guild Newsletter on line

• Pivoted to New Content

• For All our ringers; Allabilities


Our Youngsters ...With really dedicated human helpers

Bellistic Bertie has kept in touch with our Young Ringers every Friday

for Ringing Room, fun and banter!


Learning in Lockdown Guild organised three Seminars to

introduce „Ding‟ (developed in Trowbridge by David Norman and Giles

Wood (pictured below)).

Follow up-Mentors and „Help Desk‟.

Many Towers and Branches established Virtual Practices.

Guild members attended Gloucester & Bristol winter school and we have offered

to tutors for the summer.

Guild Training and Learning Morning (with Dorset County Association) moved

on-line.

Guild run on-line training and Branch on-line training shared across Guild.


The Guild has facilitated and encouraged the widespread use of Zoom. Used by Guild, LEBRF, Branches for committees and virtual ringing. Five of our eight Branches have held „well attended‟ and

successful Zoom AGMs.

ZOOM!!


Tower „Good Practice‟ 1

Seend Survival and Recovery Plan

Ground Floor Ring of Six – 14cwtBand of 9 people (2019 Report)

Rural Village Band

All our tower members are staying. All joined in with our weekly Zoom meetings.

Maintained the bells ready for use. Extra practices will prepare us for reopening.

Virtual Ding lessons twice a week.

“We are all now ready for the return to bell ringing”


Tower „Good Practice‟ 2

Wimborne Minster Survival and Recovery Plan

Upstairs Ring of Twelve – 29cwtBand of 24 people (2019 Report)

Market Town

Rang on Sunday mornings and evenings during the summer.

Whats App group and e-mail. Rang handbells.

Ringing Room practices. Tower AGM via Zoom including Churchwardens and

the Rector. Open Days and taster sessions in summer 2021.

“We'll be looking to generate plenty of publicity locally as the town will notice and welcome the sound of the bells ringing once again”.


Branch „Good Practice‟

Calne Branch (Small Branch – 11 Towers)

o Stayed in toucho Ringing when permitted

o Phone calls to those without internet

o Ringing Room practiceo Zoom AGM and committee

meetingso Monthly Branch chats

o Contact with all active towerso Social event in July

“Towers are resilient because

our ringers are part

of their local community.”

East Dorset Branch (Large Branch – 42 Towers)

Ringing Room Branch Practices will continue until ringing returns

Survey of Ringing Activities in the Branch - October 2020

Training Working Group: Tap into local talent and spread the

workload

Communication: Find out what is actually needed

Concentrate on: The basics

Do things differently: Use Zoom

for theory lessons


„Thinking Outside The Box‟ ...

Handbells outside the church before services

Meet for a „Zoombar‟ session each week

Burton Bradstock

Weekly e-mail taking one idea from Ringing Toolkit

Virtual Ringing for a Virtual Service

Virtual Ringing Outing including Ringers‟ Tea!

Lytchett Matravers


Other Things ......

Handbook and Report on-line only 2020 (printed in 2021).

Guild Heath and Safety Officer available for advice/support.

Diocesan Communications kept updated and informed.

A series of on-line Talks for Winter and Spring 2021.

Guild Ringer of Year Awards for 2020 to recognize effort during the Pandemic.

Provisional arrangements for young ringing events as soon as possible in 2021.

Guild Festival and AGM in May 2021 on Zoom to include a Guild service led by the Bishop of Ramsbury.

LEBRF Grant Making and Fundraising continues.

Guild Subscriptions have not been waived or reduced.


What We Are Doing Now... Publicising the Recovery and

Survival Toolkit.

Preparing to issue a Guild-wide survey using the Survey Tool.

Holding two WORKSHOPS on

“How Ringing in the Salisbury Guild will Recover from Covid”

Planning Guild events for later in 2021 – outdoor, not from our usual

„playbook‟.

Created a Recovery Resources page - https://sdgr.org.uk/ringing-

recovery-resources/


Our Workshops

Our Members Sharing IDEAS

DISCUSSION POINTS:

• From amongst your band of March 2020, how many will

return, how many not?

• For those willing to return, under what circumstances would they be willing to do so-Confidence

levels?

• For those saying they will not come back, why?

• Recruitment or retention – which comes first?

• What will be the impact on the Church of England be for ringing?

• Do we have teachers in the right place?

• Future of, and impact of, „virtual ringing‟?

The Guild Acting as FACILITATOR

Giving the Members

OWNERSHIP of Conclusions


First Workshop: 27 February

o 50 attended and lasted 90 minutes

o Opened up for

discussion

o View from each Branch

o Carry on thinking, discuss with others and come back in a

fortnight!!


Summary of First

Workshop(Anecdotal)

„Most will come back‟.

Loss rate, at worst, 10-15% mainly from new recruits and older.

Some would only come back when Sunday ringing was restored to „normal‟.

Widespread concern at impact on the Church of England.

Retention the immediate priority.

Recruitment - favoured a „national‟ high profile campaign.

Return to ringing in familiar surroundings – home tower and familiar

bell.

Outdoor „social events‟ to get people feeling confident and secure again.

Some expression of „what‟s the fuss all about‟!


Second Workshop: This Morning!Another Good turnout – 45 people/ two

hours.

Four „Breakout Rooms‟ - 30 minutes.

Facilitators to keep discussion flowing and note ideas.

Each group took one main point from a fortnight ago:

RETENTIONRECRUITMENTTHE CHURCHCONFIDENCE

Q: What are the issues we face in each area?

Q: What ideas do we have to address the issues?

Q: What actions/next steps do we think are needed to move forward?


Second Workshop: Breakout Rooms

Retention• „Lack of confidence‟ across age range.

• „Nurture and encourage‟–a „gentle return‟–no pressure.

• Non-ringing social get togethers.• Fear/embarrassment from

„experienced‟–forgotten the line!• Continue with technology as we

return.• Kind to each other.

• Collaboration.

Recruitment• Target all age groups.

• National campaign and local one –some towers cannot wait.

• Right balance of attention to all.• How many teachers are available–are they in the right place-when available.

• Breakdown barrier between ART trained and not.

• Avoid teacher „burnout‟.

Church• Fewer services to ring for.

• Service times to maximise ringing opportunities.

• Sunday ringing a priority.• Possible complaints (or welcome).• Future patterns of worship-ringing

for a virtual service?• Work with Bishop on promoting

return to Sunday ringing/communication with Diocese.

Confidence• Bell maintenance and safe ringing

environment.• Not vaccinated/refuse/unable to

wear masks–impact on rest.• Use of Ground Floor towers with

good ventilation for training.• Physical preparation for return.

• 1:1 support.• Return „taken slowly‟/individually

focused.• Transfer-virtual into tower ringing.


Guild Initial „Recovery Plan‟ Each Branch to nominate its own Recovery Champion or Champions. Local advocates for

the S+R Toolkit.

Guild Recovery Group: Branch RCs to meet fortnightly with Guild RCs.

Future Guild wide Workshops at strategic points – for instance after the Survey Tool

results are in.

Retention before Recruitment in initial stages.

Guild to continue to guide members through roadmap and what can be done and when.

Priority to Social events in the summer to „get us back together‟.


So in Summary: We have done our best.

We have stayed positive and optimistic.

We have tried to be kind to ourselves–we can only do so much–we cannot fix everything.

We have worked as a team across Guild/Branch/Tower.

We have encouraged local initiative and shared good practice.

We are planning for the future.

We have seen the importance of good leadership at all levels.

We have found new ways of workingthat we shall keep.

Shown that an old territorial Guild like ours, if it is flexible and adapts, can

remain relevant!! We hope!

We have kept up the profile of the Guild.

We are open to new ideas.

salisbury diocesan guild of ringers · 2021. 3. 15. · saturday, 13 march 2021 salisbury diocesan...

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