The Essex Ringing Course

The Essex Association of Change Ringers

Registered Charity Number 292250

Presents

The Eighteenth

The Course will be held at:

Honywood School, Honeywood Avenue, Coggeshall, Essex CO6 1PZ

from

Thursday 10th^. April to Saturday 12th^.April, 2008

Course Founder:- Adrian Semken

 Course Organiser:- Brian Meads (01376 562892)

Helpers Administrator:- Yvonne Towler (01621 817212)

Towers Administrator:- Fred Bone (01279 726159)

Contact Address: 130 Tilkey Road, Coggeshall, Colchester,
Essex, CO6 1QN

 All Successful and Unsuccessful applicants have now been notified. 

There were 100 applications for 72 places.

The host Association is The Essex Association of Change Ringers

Association Master:- Stephen J. Nash

Association Honorary Secretary:- Mary Bone

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Applications to join the Course must be made on the application form only to Brian Meads before the closing date of 14^th February 2008. Each application must be accompanied by the deposit or full fee and a self addressed, stamped envelope for your reply. The balance of any outstanding fees is to be paid at Reception on the first day of the Course.

Applicants who will be under the age of 18 at the date of the Course must have their application form signed by their parent or guardian. Please ensure that you have read the Course’s Child Protection Policy enclosed.

If you are suffering from any medical condition which may affect you during the Course you must advise your Group Tutor at the start of the Course. In particular you should bear in mind that the majority of practical ringing will be upstairs.

COURSE FEES

The fees for Basic Tuition are £40.00. This includes all lectures, demonstrations, practical session tuition and tower donations. For paid up Junior Members of the Essex Association the Basic Tuition fee is £30.00.  The minimum deposit is £20.00. 

SOCIAL

Also included is entry to the Friday evening social. Those wishing to attend the social who have not been a student, helper or participated in the course in any way are welcome to join the social for a nominal fee of £5.00 paid to the Course Organiser prior to the social.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE

If you withdraw from the course after the application closing date and your place cannot be filled by an unsuccessful applicant it will not be possible to refund your payment.

Cheques must be made payable to “The Essex Association of Change Ringers”.

Applications and all moneys received will be acknowledged after the application closing date and applicants must provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope (C5 size - 229 x 162mm) for this. Please do not contact the Organiser before the closing date for information on the progress of your application. Decisions cannot be taken until that time.

Applications are grouped according to first preference where possible.  If groups cannot be filled, or are oversubscribed, the second choice group will then be used to attempt to allocate a space. However a group which is under subscribed may have to be cancelled if the resources can be more efficiently used for another group.

In view of other ringing courses that take place at this time please do not apply for more than one course.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Honeywood School is located within the Honeywood Estate on the northern side of Coggeshall, to the west of the Earls Colne Road (B1024) and south of Coggeshall bypass (A120). National Grid Reference TL853233, O.S. Landranger sheet number 168. On arrival students should report to the Reception Point which will be clearly signed. There is a large car park at the School with access from Honeywood Avenue.

Whilst the Course is essentially non-residential it may be possible to arrange for some "B&B" accommodation in the area. Any applicants who require accommodation should make their own arrangements with their hosts as soon as they have been advised they have been successful in gaining a place on the Course.

Students should bring a supply of lined or squared paper, any book containing the method(s) to be studied, and a piece of rope if splicing instruction is required. Sets of handbells may be useful although some sets will be available.

The Association Bookstall will be open periodically during the course; Central Council and some other publications will be available. Tutors will be only too pleased to give advice about books.

Tea and coffee, etc. will be available at the school at set times in the morning and afternoon each day.  In addition a light tea is provided on the Thursday evening and a meal at the Course Social is provided on the Friday evening. All refreshments are included in the Fee.

Lunch will either be "Pub-Grub" or you can make your own arrangements for sandwiches or whatever.  Groups usually take lunch at a local pub close to either the morning or afternoon tower as this allows discussion to continue; if you intend to make your own arrangements you should let your group tutor know when you arrive at the school.

HELPERS

Reasonably experienced ringers are required as "helpers" at the practical sessions. No course fees are charged for helpers and they are entitled to attend any of the lectures and other Course functions when they are not required elsewhere.  Helpers should be able to ring touches inside reliably to the method groups to which they are assigned (groups E and above) or ring reliably in at least the next higher group for groups A, B, C and D.

TUITION AVAILABLE ON THE COURSE

It is essential that you read the details of the various practical Groups available as detailed overleaf before you complete the Course Application Form.

It is equally essential that you do not over-estimate your ability. Please note that the first practical session is intended partly to ensure that ringers are in a suitable Group - a Group in which they can obtain maximum benefit from the Course without attempting too big a jump in their progress.

The emphasis on competence in the notes on the course is quite deliberate. If you are in a group for which you are not yet ready you will, as a consequence, not make the progress intended and progress of others in that Group will be hindered. The Course Management reserve the right to ask you to change groups if it is felt appropriate. The aim is for all students to make significant progress and to enjoy their practical sessions

The Course will be divided into Groups for practical sessions as below, one of which must be chosen on the Application Form. Please indicate a second choice in the space provided, unless no other Group is at all suitable. Successful applicants will be placed in their first choice Group if at all possible, but some flexibility in placement will allow the maximum number of students to benefit from the Course.

GROUP A - A Group for those who can ring Rounds competently and who are ready to take their first steps in call changes and then, possibly, in change ringing on 3 or 4 bells. If you are in any way doubtful about joining Group B, then join Group A; you will still find something to learn and will have the opportunity to fill in steps in your ringing education you may have missed and not appreciated.

GROUP B - A Group for those wishing to plain hunt on 5 and to progress to ringing the treble to Bob Doubles. The opportunity to practice on different rings of bells and in different orders both on the treble and "inside" will be provided. This Group will be learning ropesight and considering striking as an essential preliminary to ringing the treble to Plain Bob. Practice may be given at ringing the treble to Bastow, Minimus and Doubles, to "Stedman Quick Sixes" and to Plain Bob Minimus as appropriate.

GROUP C - A Group for those who really have ropesight and bell control and are ready to ring the treble to Grandsire Doubles and Plain Bob Minor. It is intended to progress to ringing the treble to touches in both these methods.

GROUP D - A Group for those who are competent in ringing skills as outlined in the above groups and wishing to learn Plain Bob Doubles on an "inside" bell.

GROUP E - A Group for those who are competent in ringing skills as outlined in the above groups and wishing to learn Plain Bob Minor "inside".

GROUP F - Grandsire: Starting with Doubles and progressing to Triples with calls.  Applicants must be proficient in ringing the treble to Grandsire and be able to ring Bob Doubles “inside” to get the full benefit from this option.

GROUP G - Plain Minor:  Plain Minor methods introduce much of the work and many of the concepts that ringers need before progressing to Surprise. St Clements, the Court and Oxford group and Little methods will be studied.  Applicants must be able to ring touches of Plain Bob Minor on an inside bell competently.

GROUP H – Stedman:  Starting with Doubles, progressing to Triples with calls and theory on extension to Caters and Cinques.  You should be proficient in ringing up to Group F to get full benefit from this option.

GROUP I – Surprise Minor Beyond Cambridge: This Group builds on the basics of Cambridge to progress to the other methods of the Cambridge Group (Primrose, Ipswich etc), Norwich and possibly London. You must be competent at ringing touches of Cambridge Minor to join this Group.

GROUP J - Calling & Conducting: This Group will start with calling Plain Bob and Grandsire Doubles, and progress to Plain Bob and possibly other Minor methods. Students will be actively involved in calling a variety of touches, and will be expected to ring whilst others of the Group are calling. No previous experience of calling is required, but you must be able to ring touches of Grandsire Doubles and Plain Bob Minor inside competently.

GROUP K - Ringing on Higher Numbers: This group will introduce those who are reasonably competent ringers on six and eight bells to ten and possible twelve bell ringing.  At the same time some ringing on rings considerably heavier than normal will be introduced. Whilst the starting point will be rounds and call changes so as to establish good rhythm and to work on listening skills it would be hoped to advance to at least plain courses of Grandsire Caters and Plain Bob Royal.

Apart from the main Group lectures there will be other lectures on a variety of subjects which may include some of the following:

Change ringing on handbells

Rope splicing - The short splice

Rope splicing - The long splice.

Insight to place notation.

Raising and lowering in peal

Calling call changes.

Calling simple touches.

Achieving good striking (A progressive series of talks)

Conducting and Coursing Orders

Understanding basics such as the "blue line"

Method extension – how to turn minor into maximus

Young Persons Seminar

etc. etc.

Attendance at these is a matter of personal choice.  Some sessions may require a limited number of attendees and lists will be placed on the notice boards to sign up. If you are interested in these groups, please sign up early.

A "Bell Handling Clinic" will be held on Thursday afternoon and those identified by their Tutors as potentially benefiting from this should attend the session.

A detailed programme will be forwarded to all successful applicants.

 Click Here For An Application Form

 Return to the EACR Homepage         Back to the Education & Training page