ART continues to go from strength to strength, whether measured by the number of participants on the ART Teaching and Learning the Ropes Schemes, attending ART Workshops or accrediting to become ART Members. These increased numbers do however produce their own problems. The SmART Ringer website is running slow and sometimes falls over – it just wasn’t designed for this number of users. Our volunteers are having to work harder to handle the extra workload, compounded by the drive to be better at all we do. And we shouldn’t forget that quality (or standards) is just as important as numbers ... [contd]

» Read Chairman's Chatter

The ART Conference went to Worcester

I've sat in a lot of rooms and halls, full of ringers, filled with ringers' teas. And, although we have some good meetings, there's always the grumbles "The Branch Ringing Master should do this, the Secretary should do that". We've all been there.

The ART Conference was a breath of fresh air. Still a room full of ringers, but enthusiastic ringers, motivated ringers, ringers who want to make ringing better. People who believe it's not just about bell ringing, it's actually about bell ringers. Can't wait for next year! Colin Ward

» More quotes and impressions from Worcester

Learning the Ropes Plus

The LtR Plus scheme has been revamped and is now open to all ringers. Includes the Pickled Egg methods.

» Learning the Ropes Plus

ART Award Winners

The 2019 ART Awards were presented to an inspiring group of teachers and ringers.

» Read their stories

50:50 Club Administrator

If you are interested in helping ART by becoming the Club Administrator than please contact Gill Hughes

» Find out more

Out and About

Rebecca's first peal

Rebecca, who has been totally blind from birth, recently achieved the milestone of ringing her first peal on handbells.

» Hear more from Rebecca

A bell ringing experience

“Hello, I was wondering if you could arrange a bell ringing experience for me and my friends!”

» Hear more from Philip

ART News

Developing Dorset

Last year 23 new ART Members joined from Dorset and this article endeavours to identify the road to our success and explain how ringers in Dorset are looking to a bright and positive future.

Technology at Weston Hills RC

Geoff Horritt, a ringer for over 50 years, received two ART Awards in February, including Excellence in Technology in Teaching. We asked him to tell us about the exciting projects taking place at the state-of-the-art centre for bell ringing novices at Weston Hills in Hertfordshire.

Insurance and bell ringing

How often do you walk into a tower and see a notice or be told that “Our insurance doesn’t allow/cover …”? At the 2019 ART Conference in Worcester, Marcus Booth, Church Underwriting Manager at Ecclesiastical Insurance and also Tower Captain at Almondsbury, near Bristol, tried to demystify some of these perceptions by outlining how Ecclesiastical approaches ringing as a whole.

Bell ringing podcasts

Have you been listening to our fantastic bell ringing podcasts? If not, why not! You may wonder if you have time to sit and listen to a 30-minute interview, but the fantastic thing about podcasts is that they are so portable and so versatile. I listen to all sorts of podcasts, at random times, but commonly I am in the car, walking the dog, doing the ironing or sometimes just awake at night and the pods are like my friend, keeping me company while my husband soundly sleeps beside me! I get really excited when I know my favourite pods are due to be released.

» Fun with bells

Education & Technology

Teaching Tips

Which hand is doing most of the work? Many learners don’t achieve a hand-stroke pull where the work is equally shared between the hands. Heather takes a s look at the origin of the problem and some ways to resolve it.

Supporting Simulator users

Ringing is not something naturally associated with new technology, but if you can get out of the straight-jacket of always doing things the way they have always been done in the past, then all sorts of exciting possibilities open up.

Professor Belfry

Steve Farmer, of Simbell fame, has developed a YouTube resource to help new ringers count their place. It's short and edgy. If you have any ideas of other videos that Prof Belfry can introduce please contact Lesley Belcher.