teaching bell handling

Derby DiocesanAssociation of Church

Bellringers

Teaching Bell HandlingMichael Foulds

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Derby DiocesanAssociation of Church

Bellringers

Teaching Bell Handling

Saturday, 18th May 2002, at Duffield Parish Church

1000-1010 Introductions & Course Objectives

Discussion

1010-1030 1. Philosophy Discussion

1030-1145 2. Regaining Control of a Loose Bell

Teaching and Practical

1145-1215 3. Wider Issues Discussion

1215-1345 Lunch The Bridge Inn

1345-1500 4. Doing it My Way Teaching and Practical

1500-1530 5. Doing it Another Way

Teaching and practical

1530-1545 Break

1545-1600 6. Listening Discussion

1600-1615 7. Managing People Discussion

1615-1700 8. Preventing Bad Habits

Discussion and Practical

1. PhilosophyIn this section we look at why we do it (teach bell handling, that is!). Why bother? No, it’s not obvious. Before embarking on any enterprise, it is useful, if not essential, to define the objectives. I don't want to turn you all off with managementcoursespeak, but this bit is important. If you set off on a journey without having decided on your destination, how can you decide which way to turn at a junction? How do you know whether any step is a step in the right direction, or the wrong direction, if you haven’t a clue where you’re going?

This bit is the foundation on which the rest of the course sits. It’s all right playing about with bell ropes, but if we don’t know why we’re doing it and what we’re trying to achieve, how can we know if we’re doing it right, if we should be doing it at all, or if - in the particular circumstances in our tower - it’s actually the most productive way to be spending our time at present?

In the discussion sessions, it’s not my function to teach you the answers. I only know the questions. In any case, as you’ll see, the right answer in one church will not be the right answer in another. You have to work out your own answers, by discussing the various issues with your ringers, your incumbent, church wardens and P.C.C. as appropriate. I hope the discussion will bring out these points, and perhaps more.

1.a. Why do you want to teach bell handling? Is it to maintain a Sunday Service band, or just to further the art, by making ringing tuition available to anyone who wants to learn?

1.b. Will there be any screening of recruits, or will anyone be accepted? Will there be an upper or lower age limit? Will you teach potential ringers who are not members of the congregation, and, if so, how does the incumbent feel about that? Does he insist on ringers attending the services? What about people with disabilities - blind, for example, or confined to a wheelchair? Will you interview potential recruits to ensure they are available at Sunday ringing times and on practice nights, or will you teach them to handle and ring rounds, and then discover that they go away each weekend, and never had any intention of ringing for you on Sundays?

1.c. How many people have been taught to handle a bell in your tower in the last five years? How many are still ringing? Does the real problem lie in teaching handling, or what happens afterwards? Is the solution to teach more people to handle? See section 7.

1.d. How high is the profile of the ringers in your community? Would anyone interested in ringing know who to ask about it? Do you need to raise awareness by, say, giving talks to relevant groups? Do you present ringing positively to the outside world, or do you have an advert in the parish magazine saying “Our band of bellringers is struggling, and unless we can soon recruit and train some volunteers, this centuries old tradition will die out”? If you saw an advert in situations vacant saying “Our company is struggling, and unless we can soon attract some able staff, this long established business will go into receivership”, would that encourage you to apply for a job?

An honest and open discussion between the relevant parties on these issues will help you focus on a sensible way forward. There will be as many right answers as there are towers. If your vicar insists that the ringers attend service, I would suggest that point needs to be made to every potential recruit to the tower, and if it is not likely to be acceptable, I don’t see the point wasting time teaching bell handling. Another tower, another vicar, and the answer might be different. Send them down the road and let someone else teach them, where local conditions will suit them better.

Similarly with the issues of disability and age, a ringing chamber on the ground floor might need a very different policy from one approached by a 30 ft. vertical iron ladder. If your tower has taught 35 people to handle a bell in the past three years, and all have given up, would it not be a good idea to consider and address some other issues before expending time and effort teaching more?

Try to have a tower policy on all these matters, which all concerned can and will support.

2. Regaining Control of a Loose BellThis is a teaching and practical session which is intended to give the course member justified (not misplaced!) confidence that he/she can take control of a loose, out of control bell which has been abandoned by the learner, prevent damage or injury, and set the bell as quickly as possible. This is an essential skill. A learner can lose control of the bell at any time, or you might have issued an instruction to “let go!” The rope is now flailing around the room out of control, and you have to be able to retrieve the situation quickly, safely and calmly.

This situation is likely to be a major source of anxiety to the budding instructor. Once you can regain control, and you know you can regain control, that anxiety is removed and you will be a more confident, more relaxed and better teacher.

The session is essentially a practical session, but the following points in print may be helpful.

2.a. If the stay has broken, and the bell has “gone over”, the rope will usually be mostly or entirely drawn through the ceiling boss, because the complete revolution of the bell will have shortened the rope available by the circumference of the wheel. This situation is actually quite rare, and, if the pupil is not already hurt, usually quite safe, because you haven’t got yards of rope flailing about the ringing chamber like a demented snake ready to lasso any projecting item of anatomy or architecture - it’s all upstairs. There isn’t much you can do apart from wait for the bell to come down. The pupil may have rope burns, if the rope has been snatched from his/her hands, or may have been lifted from the floor and then fallen from some height.

2.b. If the stay has not been broken (happily the more common situation), the bell will be below balance by now, and the danger is that the rope, the full length of which is available in the ringing chamber in this scenario, will snag on, and become entwined upon, the elbow/neck/nose/foot of you/your pupil/anyone else in the room, or upon some fixture or furnishing like the corner of a table, a wall clock, or whatever. You need to catch it, and quickly, to regain control of the bell.

2.c. Take any opportunity that arises, but it will generally be easier to catch at the point where the bell is near the top of its swing, because it is moving more slowly at that point.

2.d. The best place to catch it is the top of its swing, and it is generally easier to catch the sally, or the rope near the sally, when the bell is at the top of the handstroke swing .

2.e. When you catch the sally or rope, don’t grip it firmly, otherwise it will snatch, probably out of your grip, as the bell swings. Catch it so your fingers close round the rope like a vine eye, then the rope can slip through your hand as the bell swings, but cannot escape. Use your thumb and first finger. Make a closed “eye” by closing the tip of your thumb against the tip of your index finger. Slide it up and down the rope to check the rope will slide through the eye easily. Grip your finger and thumb tips tightly together so the rope cannot escape by breaking your “eye”. When the bell reaches the top of the next swing, you can grip the rope tightly.

2.f. Finally, pull the bell back up to balance and set it

2.g. Try to remain, and to appear, calm. If you panic, how do you think the pupil is going to feel? Imagine yourself having a driving lesson, losing control of the car down a hill, and turning around to see the instructor in a state of helpless panic. Try to regain control in as nonchalant a manner as possible, reassuring the pupil that it’s all routine, nothing to worry about, just step back while I catch the rope and set the bell again.

3. Wider IssuesThis is a discussion session, following on from “Philosophy”. You’ve sorted out whom you are and are not going to teach, and why. Before you actually start the first handling lesson, here are some other issues which you need to consider, and upon which the ringers, together, where appropriate, with the incumbent, the church wardens and the P.C.C., need to agree upon a policy.

3.a. Insurance: What is your church’s insurance position regarding ringers - are there age limits? (see 1b). Do you have public liability insurance cover? I’m not saying get hung up on this. Ringing, and teaching ringing, is really very safe and serious accidents are rare. Sometimes people who paint their upstairs window frames from a ladder, go to work on a motor bike and go rock climbing on Saturdays, without thinking about insurance, then get all hung up about whether they’re insured whilst ringing. However, it’s just possible that someone injured whilst learning to ring at your hands might be tempted by the advertising of the Accident Helpline, so think about it.

3.b. Health and Safety: I have reproduced the Central Council’s Guide to Good Practice on Health and Safety in Bell Towers (appendix 1). You really must have a firm policy on this, and it needs to be tailored to your particular tower because of differences in access and layout. Do you show recruits the bells? Is it safe to show them a bell being rung? If you’re working on the bells (tying a clapper, say) are you always accompanied? Do you have a first aid box in the tower?

3.c. Child Protection: I have reproduced the Central Council’s notes on Child Protection (appendix 2). You must have a policy on this. I was very fortunate to be made aware of this issue before there was widespread public awareness of it, when I took over as tower captain at Bredbury (Cheshire) in 1968. The vicar was most insistent that there would never be one-to-one teaching sessions with children and there must always be two adults present. Then I found out why. His predecessor as vicar was serving a prison sentence for indecent assault on Sunday School pupils. Don’t think it doesn’t happen, or that no one you know could possibly be involved. Get real. You must have a proper policy and stick to it. If you really can’t motivate yourself to be interested in a policy to protect children from abuse, just consider how you might defend yourself against any accusations of improper behaviour made against you, if there were no other witnesses present.

3.d. Your Protection: Just how safe are you with a total stranger, out of sight, up the tower? Be aware of the risks to the instructor. Teaching bell handling involves a lot of proximity and inevitably some contact. How well do you know this new recruit? Do you feel comfortable about a one-to-one session?

3.e. Intensity of Training: How are you going to arrange the handling sessions? Are you going to arrange an intense course of handling tuition, say three one hour sessions in a week, so the learner can join in ringing rounds as soon as possible? Or are you going to give the recruits ten minutes each practice night, to test their perseverance and determination over the 18 months or so it will take to learn to handle a bell like this?

3.f. Silenced or Open Bell: Are you going to teach handling on an open bell, to increase public awareness of ringing by subjecting the local population to an hour or more of “clang, clang”, or are you going to do it with silenced clappers? There is another side to this coin - see 6a. Learning to handle on a silenced bell gives the pupil no concept of when the clapper strikes, and may retard progress later when the pupil needs to hear the bell. There are local issues. Is there a local population, or is your church in the middle of a field? How easy or safe is it to access the bells and silence a clapper? Do you have a bolt-on silencer for the bell you use for teaching? If not, why not?

3.g. People Present: Do you teach handling in special, designated sessions with perhaps 2 tutors and 2 pupils present, or do you do it with the ringing chamber full of people watching? If you were having your first driving lesson, would you like it to be in a minibus with 12 people watching you and talking amongst themselves, in the back? But, on the other hand, isn’t part of the fun of ringing the social contact with all the ringers?

On balance, subject to local conditions, my view is that handling tuition should be done initially in intense sessions with silenced bells, with only the pupil(s) - nice if there’s more than one - and at least two tutors present. About 40 minutes per session is probably right for a single pupil, an hour or more if there are two pupils alternating, so they do, say 10 minutes, and then rest 10 minutes. Longer sessions will be counterproductive, because the pupil will get blisters and aching arms and hands. Three such sessions would normally be sufficient to have the pupil handling safely alone, and if that can be done in a week, whilst the initial enthusiasm is fresh, the “worst” bit is out of the way before they lose interest.

Perhaps a couple of early starts to the normal practice, with open bells, to provide the opportunity for trying out some rounds can then precede complete integration with the social life of the band.

4 Doing it my WayThis is how I would set about teaching an ordinary, able bodied pupil if I had to do it today. It isn’t the only way to do it, which is why we have the next session, nor indeed is it the only way I’ve ever done it. You have to find the way that works best for you, but this way does work, and I put it before you as a suggestion for starters.

4.a. The pupil needs to understand the mechanics of the bell. Show the pupil the bells if it’s safe to do that. Let the pupil see a bell being rung, if it’s safe (often not) See 3a, 3b. A working, preferably 3 dimensional, model bell in the ringing chamber is a great help. Explain how the bell works, and what the fittings are for. Explain the objectives - the pupil needs to know what he/she is trying to achieve. I make frequent reference to the model during the teaching, to explain what has happened, for example if the pupil bumps the stay hard and bounces the bell off.

4.b. Explain the risks. The bell is big and heavy and the pupil is unlikely to win an argument with it. However, the only connection between the bell and the pupil is the rope, and the key to safety is handling the rope correctly. The bell can do harm only via the rope, so if the rope is kept under control, that cannot happen. The rope needs to be kept straight, as if it were a stiff rod, and this is done by keeping the hands moving up and down in a straight line. Moving the hands up or down in a curved or wiggly path will set up a wave motion in the rope, making it hard to control, and hard to catch the sally. Explain that if things get out of control, you will say, “Let go!”, and the pupil is to let go of the rope completely, and take a step back, out of the way, immediately. If this happens, you will be in the situation in 2a to 2g!

4.c. Choose a suitable bell. Don’t teach handling on a heavy bell, whatever that might mean in your tower. 4cwt or 5cwt is a good weight to learn on - if your lightest is heavier than that, use the lightest you can, if your tenor is 4cwt, use a lighter one. The transition to ringing a heavier bell than you learned on is much easier than the transition to ringing a lighter bell. The faster speed at which a lighter bell turns will cause all sorts of problems for someone who’s used to a heavier bell. Don’t choose one where access for silencing the clapper is difficult or dangerous. Beginners always want to stand too far back, and during the handling lesson will unconsciously shuffle backwards, so a rope which comes down a foot or so in front of the wall has some advantages!

4.d. At all times appear calm and relaxed. The pupil cannot learn if tense and nervous. If you are tense and nervous, that will be obvious to the pupil, and will be transmitted. Have a policy of intervening no more than necessary - your pupil will not learn to handle whilst your hands are all over the rope, any more than a pupil could learn to ride a bike with a tutor who refused to let go of the handlebars and seat! That does not mean be careless and laisser faire. You are responsible for the pupil’s safety, and you need to be confident and competent, never complacent. You need to be calm, but alert, intervening quickly and effectively when necessary, but otherwise not getting in the way. Think of a cat. He appears to be dozing on the hearth rug. No finer example of

relaxation can be imagined. A mouse appears at the other side of the room, and before you can blink the cat has pounced and caught the mouse. He appeared completely relaxed, but when necessary, he intervened quickly and effectively.

4.e. Adjust the length of the tail end, or use boxes, so that the pupil can just reach it with the bell set at backstroke. The bell will be on the stay as you do this, and you don’t want the pupil to reach the stay, so I mean just reach it. Don’t ever use knots to shorten the rope - they can be a positive hazard if the rope gets out of control. Establish the correct standing position for the pupil under the rope hole, with the rope falling about 3 or 4 inches in front of the pupil’s nose. At all stages of the process, see that the learner does not habitually shuffle too far back.

4.f. With the bell set at handstroke, invite the pupil to hold the tail end, hands pointing downwards, as if it were a golf club or cricket bat, putting the hands whichever way around is most comfortable. Right handed people are usually more comfortable with the right hand farther from the body, and vice versa, but there are exceptions. I am normally right handed, but always batted at cricket left-handed. In fact, I don’t hold a bell rope as I would hold a cricket bat, but doing either the other way around seems most unnatural and uncomfortable. Don’t try to coerce the pupil one way or the other. Note which way they say is more comfortable, and go with it. If, after a while they aren’t sure, and think the other way round might be better, try it.

4.g. Now let the pupil ring the backstroke, assisted by you. Stress they need to grip the rope firmly with the fingers, but have relaxed arms and wrists, like a rag doll. You deal with the handstroke yourself, and assist with the backstroke. At first, keep your hand on the rope above the pupil’s. Guide the pupils hands straight down to achieve a long, straight pull and a follow through with a flick of the rope at the floor - the “hands down” position. At first, most pupils overpull. Instruct as appropriate so that the handstroke is just going over balance point. Ensure the pupil’s line of sight is horizontal - wear a hideous tie and tell them to look at it. Don’t allow looking at the ceiling or floor. You on your part pull the sally just about enough to balance the bell. Reduce your intervention with the backstroke as much and as soon as it is safe. The pupil will get a feel for the action of the bell only when you get out of the way.

4.h. Set the bell at backstroke. Let the pupil lift the bell off the stay almost to balance, and put it back again, a few times, before ringing a few backstrokes normally. Illustrate with a model bell if you can, what is happening. Using the model again, if available, illustrate what happens when the bell is pulled off at handstroke, how the rope comes down until the garter hole in the wheel reaches the pulley block on the frame, then rises as the bell swings up at backstroke winding the rope around the wheel. Moving to the real bell, explain the importance of, and timing of, letting go of the sally. Let the pupil lift the bell off the stay a little and

replace it, then let the pupil pull the bell off, let go, and leave it to you, just to get the feel of letting go.

4.i. Let the pupil practise handstrokes, catching and letting go, until he/she has a degree of control and can catch reliably, in the right place, and balance the bell at handstroke. Stress the need for a good follow through, after the sally is released, to the “hands down” position. You might use a dummy tail end. When the bell does not balance, explain why - assuming you pulled the backstroke hard enough, it will be because the pupil stopped it, by catching the sally too high, or by not allowing the arms to straighten. It the bell goes over balance, or bumps on the stay, that means the sally was caught too low. You might want to tie a ribbon to the sally at the appropriate height. Do not pull the backstroke so hard as to risk breaking the stay. Do not intervene more than necessary - the pupil must be allowed to feel the bell, in order to learn. Ensure the pupil is looking horizontal, not at the ceiling or floor. Catch the sally with one hand, below the pupil. If you catch with both hands, you will be in the way - why do you need both hands? You’re pulling the backstroke, after all! If you think the stay is going to break when the pupil misses the sally, why on earth are you pulling the backstroke so hard?If you catch above the pupil, you will inevitably deflect the sally and make it more difficult for the pupil to catch. Catch the sally after the pupil has caught it, if practicable, to make sure you don’t move it. Observe where the pupil has caught it. If it was too high, it will check the bell down, and you will need to pull it a bit. If it was too low, you will need to ensure the bell doesn’t bump excessively on the stay - if you’re that worried, why are you pulling the backstroke so hard? If it was a good catch, in the right place, the bell will balance. Leave it to the pupil. The progress of many pupils at this stage is inhibited by tutors who get in the way, standing on boxes to catch with two hands above the pupil, often deflecting the rope several inches laterally before the pupil can catch it.

4.j. Practise (if you like on a bell that is down, for safety) with the pupil, tail end in bottom (usually left) hand, releasing grip on the sally with both hands and smoothly moving the top hand on to the tail end next to the bottom hand in the “hands down” position.

4.k. Put both strokes together on the real bell. This will be quite traumatic for the pupil, because everything is now twice as fast and there is no pause whilst you do one of the strokes. You will likely need to intervene quite a lot at first to keep the pupils hands moving, and the bell up. Do it with one hand and keep out of the way when the pupil does it all right. The pupil will variously forget to follow through to the “hands down” position, causing the rope to snake; forget to let go of the sally, causing a snatch and pulling the bell well down and making it swing even faster; forget about looking at your tie, and stand gawping at the ceiling waiting for the sally to come down, and so on. However, if you laid sound foundations in 4g to 4j it will all start to come together in a few minutes.

4.l. Keep practising both strokes until the pupil has reasonable control. Intervene only when necessary. Remember the cat. Be calm, offer advice and instruction. Tell jokes, eliminate any developing bad habits. As the pupil grows in competence and confidence, get him/her to allow the bell to come down a little so it is going quite fast. Explain this is what we do to ring faster. Then get the pupil to pull the bell up again and balance the bell each stroke for a while. Explain this is how we ring slowly.

4.m. All this might take, say, 3 sessions of 45 minutes. Pupils vary, so it might take twice as long or half as long. Don’t worry. The quickest learners of bell handling don’t necessarily make the best ringers, or the most regular attenders, so make no judgments at this stage. Start each session with a recap. Try not to leave more than a couple of days between sessions, because at this stage learners can slip back a long way between sessions, and you can find yourself taking 4 steps forward, then 3 back. Conversely, don’t plug away with one pupil more than an hour at the very outside. Your arm muscles are used to ringing, you have a good style and don’t overpull, and your hands have callouses where you grip the rope. Your pupil has none of these attributes, and will be tired, aching and blistered if you go on too long.

5 Doing it Another WayMy way isn’t necessarily the best for you or your pupil. A training course should be about opening minds, not closing them to other possibilities! Here’s an alternative strategy from Mike Willis:-

"AB-INITIO" INSTRUCTION OF BELL-HANDLING - Mike Willis

The following procedure was devised when I had two learners who could not, or would not, stand up to the bellrope when being taught by the usual "back-stroke first" technique. It proved to be quite successful, in that they did learn to ring rounds and call changes in a reasonable timescale and I used the method subsequently for all my learners when I was Ringing Master at Ockbrook, All Saints.

5.a. All the normal preliminaries were observed:- description of the parts of a bell in its pit, some definitions of esoteric words, safety in the belfry, etc.

5.b. I feel it necessary to lash the clapper before starting to instruct, and I try to establish whether they are right or left handed.( being very conscious that I am right handed, but ring left handed! i.e. with the tailend in my right hand)

5.c. I start with the bell half way up, working with the tailend only, so the sally descends without bouncing, and ask the learner just to touch (clap) the middle of the sally with the fingers of both hands as it changes direction ( from down to up ).

5.d. When they are happy with that I get them to briefly put their fingers round the sally as it is stationary, reminding them not forget to let go!

5.e. Then I gradually work the bell up, with them putting their hands on the sally for longer and longer.

5.f. When the bell is nearly up the trainee can feel the ‘pull’ of the bell and respond by pulling.

5.g. Take things very slowly making sure the trainee is happy before going any higher with the bell.

5.h. While the bell is nearly up they have begun to learn the difference between pulling the rope and checking the rope. Eventually they holding the

sally right up to the balance, and can go on to the setting and pulling off on hand-stroke. The timing gets easier for the trainee the higher the bell gets and they gain confidence quickly.

5.i. Only try the back stroke once the hand stroke is mastered.

5.j. Use a dummy tail end fairly early on in training.

5.k. One advantage of this method is that right from the start they get used to the bell being away from the balance and can usually correct quite quickly if the bell starts to drop.

Mike Willis

6 ListeningIt’s sad that we teach ringing so often as a visual art - all about watching sallies and looking at ropes, when, in fact, it’s an aural art. It’s all about making a beautiful sound with the bells with metronomic, even striking, but so often, ringers reach the stage of learning change ringing and beyond without any sense of listening to their own bell and being aware of and correcting their striking errors. I think their teachers must bear some of the blame for this.

6.a. Introduce the pupil as soon as possible to the concept of listening to the bell - consider the possible disadvantage of using a silenced bell for teaching (3f). This might be (I think it is) outweighed by the advantages in the early stages, but I have seen “rounds” taught on silenced bells by looking at the ropes - what kind of ringer is this going to produce?

6.b. Consider using a simulator, first to provide realistic bell sound in the ringing chamber when the bells are in fact silenced, enabling rounds and, later, changes, to be practised with realistic sound without public relations complications - for hours if you like, even in the middle of the night. Secondly, in enables the pupil to practise “rounds” on his/her own, with the computer generating the sounds of the other bells at perfect intervals, and the pupil placing the bell purely by ear. This is excellent practice at both listening and bell control, does not require recruiting a team of ringers to assist, and is inaudible to the neighbours. I am really at a loss to understand why simulators as teaching aids are proving so slow to catch on!

6.c. Hold some “listening” sessions, using simulated sounds, or recordings. Getting pupils to pick out errors in the striking is useful. Recordings can be made specially with deliberate errors, or simulation software can produce errors (such as no. 2 bell 30% slow at backstroke) to order.

6.d. Always stress the importance of the sound being made.

7 Managing PeopleI used to run management courses professionally, and not surprisingly have on a number of occasions been asked to run management courses for tower captains. Usually, they come expecting to be taught how to conduct Plain Bob Minor, or to splice ropes.

One of the problems in ringing, for the past 35 years plus that I’ve been involved at least, is that vast armies of people are taught to handle a bell, but then give up at an early stage. A business would call this high staff turnover, and it is terribly expensive in recruiting and training resources. See 1b, 1c, 1d. People give up for all sorts of reasons. New recruits have no real idea what ringing is about, so they can’t really be expected to know whether they’ll like it or not. Some just find they’re not interested in it - in the wrong job, so to speak. To a large extent, that perhaps can’t be helped.

None has ever been known to give up because the tower captain can’t conduct Plain Bob Minor, or can’t splice ropes. But plenty give up because they don’t feel welcome or appreciated, or they get heaps of criticism but no encouragement, or they feel the established ringers form a clique from which they are excluded, or because the tower just has no social life with which to get involved, or because they have genuine talent and quickly reach the prevailing level of the band, only to find that no one else seems interested in making any further progress. This is a very short session in a long day - not the prime subject of the course, but far too important to be left out. Think about these points.

7.a. Do you introduce new recruits to the other ringers, and do the other ringers respond by involving them in conversation. Do you remember to greet (I’m sorry if this sounds very basic, but I’ve frequently seen it omitted!) people as they arrive at ringing by saying “Hello!” and asking how they are.

7.b. As you teach handling, you will need to prevent bad habits developing, “Don’t look at the ceiling”, “Follow through, hands right down!”, and if you aren’t careful it can become a nit-picking session. It’s just as important to reinforce the things the pupil does right. “Well done, that’s just right!”. You must be honest, but you must encourage. You want the pupil to come back for lesson 2, don’t you? Think about your tower. Is there often criticism - “You’re late”, “Listen to your bell”, “Lead now!”, “You’re too close!”? Is there also praise - “That’s better, good!”, “Well done”, “Got it right that time, keep it up!”, “Thanks for coming”?

7.c. Try to stay calm. When you’re teaching handling, the pupil will be stressed. It’s new, and the first time the rope gets out of control the blood pressure will rise. Your calm reassurance is vital. You’ve been there before, seen it, done it. See 4d, 4l. Any tension or panic on your part will be quickly transmitted to the pupil.

7.d. And stay calm after the handling tuition too. There is no evidence to suggest that people learn to ring rounds, or changes, any better for being bawled at. By all means make constructive criticism, balanced by encouragement - I’m not saying tolerate low standards. In fact, bands which tolerate low standards and don’t seem to care about making progress are usually pretty poor at keeping recruits - who wants to play for a struggling team?

I’ve heard Arsene Wenger demands fairly high standards, but I don’t think there’s too much of a problem attracting footballers to play for Arsenal. So aim high, but make sure what you say is aimed at improving the ringing, not relieving your frustration.

7.e. After the practice, do you have a pleasant evening in the pub (this may not be appropriate if you have lots of younger ringers - see 3c), or someone’s house - a social highlight of the week - or do you just say goodnight and go home. Is the practice night, as a total evening out, attractive enough to entice people out on a wet and windy night?

7.f. Do the ringers have an occasional dinner? Do they have an outing? Do they take part in association events? Do they mix with other ringers from neighbouring towers? Do they have a place in the life of the community and the Church - a float in the local carnival? Is being a ringer being a part of some interesting, vibrant, active group; or is it a matter of getting up early on Sunday to ring for half an hour, going to practice on Wednesday and being bawled at, then saying good night at 9 o’clock and going home? When you take on a new recruit, what are you actually offering? Is it an attractive, lively, social package, able to stand its corner against other available leisure activities?

8 Bad HabitsThroughout the stages of teaching handling, and in the early stages of ringing afterwards, all sorts of bad habits can develop. The pupil will usually be able to get away with unorthodoxies of style whilst ringing rounds and call changes, but once change ringing is attempted, particularly dodging, these quirks of style will translate into poor bell control and consequent inability to place the bell accurately in changes. Here are some common problems, but this isn’t meant to be an exclusive list, and each individual pupil will be capable of coming up with something new.

8.a. Stance Beginners tend to move back, perhaps to avoid contact with the nasty rope. A sensible position is to stand such that the rope falling vertically is 4 inches in front of the nose. Ease the pupil forward when necessary. See that both heels remain on the ground. If the pupil is stretching up on tiptoe, either the tail end is not gripped in the right place, or is too short (backstroke), or the sally is being caught too high (handstroke).

8.b. Wrong Rope Length Beginners have difficulty maintaining their grip on the tail end in the same place - they either slide down towards the end and ring with bent arms at the top of the stroke, or they climb up the rope so they can’t reach, and end up on tiptoe with the bell not able to swing to balance. The first of these situations can be avoided by ensuring the rope is no longer than necessary in the first place - see 4e.

8.c. Bent Arms at Top of Stroke At the top of each stroke, the arms should be straight. If they are bent, control of the bell is likely to be poor, with stay-bumping in evidence. If the arms are bent at the top of the backstroke, the rope is too long - see 4e. If the arms are bent at the top of the handstroke, the sally is being caught too low. See 4i.

8.d. No / Inadequate Follow Through At the end of each stroke, the arms should be pointing straight at the floor (Hands Down position). A flick of the

wrists, projecting the rope at the floor, helps control the rope. It is common for beginners to stop the downward movement of the hands at chest or stomach level. This causes the rope to go slack, could cause an accident, or could make the sally difficult to catch. On a heavy bell, it could result in poor control, as there will be inadequate length of pull to impart the necessary energy to the bell. Check this regularly in the early stages.

8.e. Not Releasing Sally Cleanly Often, quirks develop at the point where the sally is released. The hands should be moving down in a smooth movement from top stretch to Hands Down position, with the release of grip on the sally at the appropriate time being just that - an almost imperceptible release of grip. There should be no interruption of the downward movement of the hands as the sally is released. The hands should not splay outwards. They should remain together, with the top (usually right) hand being placed on the tail end next to the bottom (usually left) hand immediately. I used to tie pupils wrists together loosely with a cord - I’m not so sure that was a good idea, now, but the principle is valuable. If the pupil is doing something which he/she couldn’t do with wrists tied together, then there is a style problem.

8.f. Hands Apart on Sally/ Tail End On both strokes, the hands should be together, with no rope (or sally) visible between them. If the hands are significantly apart, only the top hand will be doing any work. It will get tired, and bell control will be poor. Sometimes people develop this fault on one stroke only.

8.g. Not All Fingers of Bottom Hand Around Sally Beginners can never quite believe that the tail end, held by the thumb of the bottom hand, will not fall out of their grip as they catch the sally. So they detail a couple of fingers to hold on to it, and close only two, or perhaps even one, around the sally. This leaves an inadequate grip on the handstroke, and will lead to poor bell control. Ensure that the sally is being caught by all the fingers of the bottom hand. Use of a dummy tail end at the “handstrokes assisted” stage may help increase confidence.

8.h. Throwing the Hands Out The hands should move in a vertical straight line for both handstroke and backstroke. That keeps the rope moving in a vertical straight line, taut, and minimises the space occupied by the ringer and the rope - quite an issue in a small ringing chamber where ropes fall close together. So the arms need to bend at the elbows, in order for the hands to move up and down in a straight line just in front of the nose. Often, beginners develop the habit of keeping the arms straight at the elbows, so the hands then move in the arc of a circle centred on the shoulders. This throws the rope out in

front of the ringer. It sets up a wave motion in the rope, causing it to snake about and making the sally difficult to catch. If ropes are close together, there is a real risk of adjacent ringers’ ropes getting tangled up. It also makes a really hard pull or a heavy or difficult bell impossible, because you can’t put your whole weight on the rope with your arms stuck out in front of you. Monitor this by standing at the side of the ringer. There is also a possibility (less common) that some quirkish lateral wiggle of the hands will develop in one or both strokes. This will also set up a wave motion in the rope, with the problems described above. Monitor this by observing from the front of the pupil.

8.i. Looking at the Floor or Ceiling Insist that the pupil maintains a horizontal sight line. It is not necessary to look at the ceiling and anticipate the sally coming down, and you might well get an eyeful of muck. When the pupil starts to ring rounds and changes, being able to see all the other ropes will be of great assistance, and there will be no inspiration to be found on the floor, neither on the ceiling.

This document is provided byThe Whiting Society of Ringers

For further information and items of possible interest, visit our Website

www.whitingsociety.org.uk

http://www.whitingsociety.org.uk/

Appendix 1The Central Council of Church Bell RingersUK Registered Charity No: 270036

Health and Safety in Bell Towers: A Guide to Good PracticeThe Central Council of Church Bell Ringers has published several pamphlets on work in bell towers. One is 'Tower Changes', being guidelines on procedures for work to bells and bell equipment, and another is Fact Sheet 5, dealing with Health and Safety matters during such work.

The guidelines presented here deal with day to day good practice in health and safety in bell towers, but do not cover precautions necessary during repairs and alterations. They are not a Code of Practice that could be applied to all towers, but they highlight points that should be taken into account when formulating that part of a church's Health and Safety Policy which applies to bell towers.

[Note that a completely separate guideline has been issued dealing with insurance and safety matters]

Procedures will necessarily be thorough in large churches and cathedrals, but the basic elements of safe working practices should apply even in small country church towers.

1. The incumbent, churchwardens, and PCC should receive advice from the church architect on the safety of the fabric of the tower, normally contained in the Quinquennial Report, and should be responsible for maintaining the fabric in a safe condition.

1. The incumbent, churchwardens, and PCC should be responsible for maintaining the bells and their installation in the tower in a safe condition, and should seek advice from appropriate competent persons as noted below to ensure that the installation remains safe. The installation should be inspected by a bellhanger at intervals not exceeding 10 years and the bell consultant or adviser to the DAC should be consulted by the PCC if any work is contemplated. Advice may also be sought from Ringing Guild or Association bells advisers. Work should not be carried out until a Faculty has been obtained, unless it is clearly within the de minimis rules of the diocese.

1. The incumbent, churchwardens, and PCC should be satisfied that the bellringer appointed to be in charge of activities related to bellringing in the tower is competent to carry out the duties listed under sections A to D below.

1. It should be noted that the general provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974, apply to voluntary workers as well as paid church employees. These require all reasonable precautions to be taken to ensure the safety of those carrying out activities and of the general public in the vicinity. For major repairs or alterations the more onerous Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations of the Act apply.

A. Initial Procedures

A1. The bellringer appointed to be in charge of activities related to bellringing in the tower (normally the Tower Captain) should, on appointment, review each activity (eg, bell handling for learners, bellringing, use of boxes, length of bell ropes, putting on muffles, bell maintenance) from a Health and Safety point of view (ie, make Risk Assessments), or should review risk assessments already in place.

A2. Any new activity should be similarly assessed.

A3. A written record should be made of precautions (including any training) to be taken to minimise risks associated with bellringing activities and the bellringer-in-charge, on appointment, should confirm that these precautions will be followed.

B. General Precautions

B1. There should always be an indication at ground level (eg, at the entrance to the tower stairs) and in the ringing room to show when any persons are in the tower at higher levels.

B2. The entrance to the ringing room, bellchamber, and any intermediate chambers should normally be kept locked against unauthorised entry.

B3. Smoking should not be permitted within the tower nor on roofs, stairs, or walkways leading to or from the tower.

B4. Adequate lighting should be available for any tasks performed in the tower, including provision for emergency lighting in the case of mains failure. Any alteration or addition to the electrical installation, with appropriate authority, should be carried out to Council for the Care of Churches standards and only by an NICEIC registered electrician.

B5. Electrical equipment should be used in the tower only if it is in good order and can be operated safely. Portable electrical equipment should be operated only through a micro circuit-breaker unit at the power point.

B6. Heating in a tower should not be by equipment using naked flames. Hot element radiant heating (eg, infra-red or quartz-ray) should be used only if the equipment is permanently fixed in agreed safe places. Portable heaters (eg, convectors) shall be used only if kept at safe distances from flammable materials and should not be left switched on when the tower is unattended.

B7. Non-ringers in a tower must always be accompanied by a competent ringer during ringing and when bells are left mouth upwards (see also C2).

B8. There should be a Fire Plan for the church, including the tower, and the person-in-charge of the ringers must ensure that all persons in the tower in connection with bellringing activities are aware of it. Fire extinguishers in the tower should be in agreed fixed locations and be checked annually.

B9. Visiting ringers: the person in charge of ringers must be satisfied that all visiting ringers are of adequate competence to be able to ring safely.

B10. Exposed ground floor rings should have a mechanism to ensure the ropes are pulled up out of normal reach even when the bells are down. The control for letting down the ropes should be locked.

C. In the Bellchamber

C1. Bells should always be kept mouth downwards when the tower is vacated unless they can be safely left inverted, or 'up'. Bells may only be safely left up if:

1. all bells and ropes are inaccessible and access to them is kept locked, keyholders being ringers or persons trained in awareness of the hazards of bellringing. This includes intermediate chambers between the ringing room and the bellchamber.

1. warning notices are displayed at each point of access to the bells and bellropes

1. the locked spaces are not 'through routes' to other parts of the church.

1. the church insurance policy permits bells to be left up.

C2. Entry to the bells and bellframe should not be permitted when the bells are ringing or are set mouth upwards unless there are safe means of locking the bells in the up position, or if it is necessary and safe to observe a bell in motion. Two people should be present in such circumstances of whom at least one should be a competent ringer. If the bell is in motion without its clapper being tied, ear defenders should be freely available and worn.

C3. Safe access should be available to every part of the bell equipment that needs to be maintained, including for the application of muffles.

C4. Whenever any maintenance or other activity has taken place in the bellchamber, or intermediate chambers, this should be recorded in a log book. Before any subsequent bellringing takes place, the bellringer-in-charge of ringers should ensure that conditions are safe for bellringing and that there are no obstructions that would endanger persons, bells, or the fabric of the tower.

A SAFETY SUMMARY

1. Keep bellropes locked away at ground floor rings of bells.

2. Keep the bellchamber door locked, especially if it is accessible without passing through the ringing chamber.

3. Display warning/danger and fire exit notices on appropriate doors.

4. Install a prominent red light to indicate if anyone is in the bellchamber.

5. Never allow anyone to work alone in the tower whether the bells are up or down.

6. Avoid working in the bellchamber when the bells are up.

7. Put muffles on clappers only when the bells are down.

8. Ensure that non-ringing visitors are always accompanied by ringers.

9. Only allow appointed experienced ringers to be responsible for teaching.

10. Only allow an inexperienced visiting ringer to ring if an experienced ringer stands close behind him or her.

THINK SAFETY

For further information contact the Chairman of the Towers and Belfries Committee of the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers:Adrian DempsterTel: 01773 811846

Appendix 2The Central Council of Church Bell RingersUK Registered Charity No: 270036

Child Protection in the context of Bellringing

These guidelines have been prepared as a working document for Tower Captains and those teaching children to ring. They are not intended to be exhaustive, and should be read in the context of the Church of England House of Bishops Policy on Child Abuse and equivalent documents from other churches, as well as the UK Government publication Safe from Harm, and the guidance issued by your diocese and parish church.

Introduction

Most dioceses have their own policy on child protection, which Tower Captains should follow. Each church should also have appointed a specific person to whom any suspected cases of child abuse must be reported immediately. The Tower Captain should find out who this person is. Some churches have a procedure for carrying out police or other checks and taking up references on any anyone likely to be responsible for looking after children in the tower.

Suggested guidelines

1. Always have two adults present when children are being taught.

2. Invite the parents of any trainee to come and watch a training session before allowing their child to start to learn. Require a parent to attend the first training session and ensure that the parent fully understands what is involved in learning to ring.

3. Make sure that a parent is responsible for delivering and collecting the child to and from the tower. 4. Ask parents to sign a form giving permission for the child to be taught to ring. 5. Keep an attendance register. 6. Be aware of the insurance position for children. 7. Never allow children up amongst the bells apart from an initial demonstration visit (if it is safe to do

so). 8. Get parents to sign a detailed permission form for tower outings. Organisers should be aware of Health

and Safety and other issues: for example, it is inadvisable to allow a child to travel alone in a vehicle with an adult.

Points to check:

1. Church insurance - does the policy have a lower age limit? In some churches this is 12 years of age.

1. Is it possible to prevent inquisitive children from wandering up amongst bells which are 'up'?

1. Is there a tower Health and Safety policy? Is it reviewed regularly? Is there a First Aid kit? Is there an accident log book?

1. Are you aware of any relevant medical conditions affecting the children being taught? For example: epilepsy or diabetes.

1. Is there an attendance register?

1. Find out the name of the person to be contacted and the procedure to be followed in the event of a child making a disclosure about possible abuse. Always follow up such allegations, avoid detailed questioning of the child, and never promise confidentiality.

For further information contact: Stephanie Pattenden Tel: (020) 7630 5496 :

teaching bell handling

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