ART Conference 2020 – join us in Derbyshire!

The ART Annual Conference is an inspiring and enjoyable weekend, with leading speakers sharing best practice from their ringing as well as ideas from other activities and professions. Continuing our successful partnership with the CCCBR the second day of the conference is organised by the Volunteer and Leadership Workgroup and focuses on recruitment and retention.

The conference is open to all ringers. Please join us in Hilton, Derbyshire on 14/15 March 2020 – together we can make a difference.

» Book your conference place

If you are an ART member, patron, sponsor or friend, we will have sent you an email with a personal voucher code giving you a discount on your conference booking. You must enter this voucher code on the registration page to obtain your discount.


ART Conference – Saturday 14 March

ART’s Conference agenda this year includes a great line up of speakers. In a break from tradition the key-note speaker is not a ringer. Bonita Norris is the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. Her talk – Mountains of the mind – speaks about the lessons she learned on this extraordinary journey as a very ordinary person - the marginal gains, the leaps of faith, the not giving up when failure seemed inevitable. All lessons in leadership that we recognise in our own ringing world. Bonita is joined by our other key-note speakers:

  • Richard Grimmett on Taking striking seriously
  • Alison Hodge and Tony Crabtree on What would TripAdvisor say about your tower?
  • Mark Plater (Senior Lecturer at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln) on the Science and practice of motivation

A range of seminars will showcase innovative ideas and good practice from amongst the bell ringing community. Thanks to your feedback from the 2019 conference these include:

  • Teaching with simulators - Steve Farmer & Chris de Cordova
  • Striking it right - Colin Newman
  • Starting a band from scratch - Ginette Pardoe
  • Learning the Ropes Festival of Ringing - Nikki Thomas & Ruth Suggett
  • The Social Media Toolkit - Alison Everett, Deb Baker & Emily Ashton

We have also introduced a lunchtime Teaching Forum hosted by Pip Penney which will give you the chance to talk through any teaching issues you may have.

CCCBR Recruitment & Retention – Sunday 15 March

Continuing last year's successful partnership with the CCCBR, the second day of the conference is organised by the Volunteer and Leadership Workgroup. With a focus on recruitment and retention, they will look at how to look after your new ringers so that they blossom and enjoy their new hobby. Hearing from recent recruits, sharing ideas, initiatives and experience through grouped activities will provide you with ideas to take your recruitment and retention plans forward.

ART Awards

And don't forget the ART Awards Ceremony in the early evening. Help us celebrate and reward the great things that ringing teachers and leaders are doing to secure the future of ringing.

» Find out more about the speakers