Calling Bob Doubles - 30 Mar 2019

On a lovely early spring morning a slightly nervous group of us ‘ringers’ met at Welford to take part in the ART workshop on Calling Bob Doubles.

Our Tutor and mentor, Nick Brett, with daughter Natalie, put us at our ease and with a quick ‘stock- take’ of our ringing experiences, took us through the basic terminology and reasoning for conducting Bob Doubles. Even the seasoned ringers amongst us felt this was very rewarding as we remembered almost long-forgotten bits of theory stored somewhere in our little grey cells.

A coffee break came with the added bonus of Hob-Nob biscuits and coffee and walnut cake to keep our energy levels up. Then we started the practicalities of calling, in turn, an unaffected touch.

Nearly all of us had rung numerous touches and quarters of Bob Doubles, but suddenly when you are behind a bell-rope and the calling is up to you, inner panic sets in and everything you thought you knew flies out of the window; but, never fear, Nick and Natalie were behind us, just gently nudging when needed and we all felt a sense of achievement as we completed our tasks.

A further session on calling affected touches and some very worthwhile technical advice from Nick and Natalie brought a very successful morning to a close. We all gained in confidence and understanding.

Watching us throughout the morning was Basil, a beautiful, although slightly nervous black and white collie. Basil was a rescue dog but he watched and listened intently to all our efforts. His ears pricked up on the ‘Bobs’ and his soft brown eyes followed the ropes around the circle. He was certainly a calming and reassuring presence, so thank you to Nick, Natalie and Basil for helping us through the morning.

Alison Brynes

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Course Tutor: Nick Brett

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