Chairman's Chatter - March 2022
As we move from winter into spring, ringing continues to recover and we’re working hard to train and support both new and existing teachers. We’re seeing record demand for our courses, and we are organising larger events – the conference and festivals – for later this year.
To underpin this growth in demand, we’re recruiting a part-time Office Manager. More about this later in this email. If you have a ringing friend who might be interested in this role please pass the details on – applications close at the end of March.
Dates for your diary
- 10 April – Online Teaching Forum
- 7/8 May – ART Conference in Birmingham
- 20 August – Learning the Ropes Festival in Norwich
ART Conference – 7/8 May
The conference will be held at Erdington Academy, Birmingham. The Saturday will comprise its usual wide variety of presentations and workshops, and in fact I don’t think we’ve ever had so many speakers and presentations. We even have a Devon Call Change Masterclass at Edgbaston. A treat not to be missed! The second day of the conference weekend will be hosted by the Stewardship and Management Workgroup of the CCCBR and they have organised a great selection of presentations and workshops.There’s a special pre-booking offer on ART DVDs and publications and you’ll also be able to buy two new publications at the conference: the LtR Advanced Call Change Logbook and 50 Ringing Things for Teams.
» Book your place on the ART Conference
Office Manager
We’re looking to recruit an Office Manager to ensure the smooth operation of ART through the next years. It’s a busy and varied role and would suit someone who is good at working with people and has experience of working in an office environment. They will be an integral part of ART and will play a key part in developing ART’s vision, strategy and culture.
The ideal candidate will be highly organised, able to work in a structured way and be able to tackle a myriad of different tasks and duties – often juggling several at the same time. They will be the central point of contact for everyone within ART, have an impeccable working knowledge of the charity and its aims, and will be expected to pitch in wherever necessary to ensure ART operates smoothly.
The role is part time, preferably 2-3 days a week and is home-based. Exact working hours and pattern is open for discussion; however some occasional evening and weekend work will be required. We offer a competitive salary, which will depend on experience.
If you’d like to find out more about this role, then please contact me at lesley.belcher@bellringing.org. Applications close on Thursday 31 March 2022.
Online Teaching Forum – 10 April
The ART Tutors are always looking out for trends in ringing across the country and are reporting that after such a long break from teaching some of the key messages from the Module 2F course have sometimes been forgotten. There seems to be a tendency to ‘rush’ through rounds and call changes to plain hunt, which can be at the detriment of consolidating the foundation skills of bell handling, listening and ropesight.
Our next Teaching Forum is all about this – teaching foundation skills. ART Tutor, Clare McArdle, will be talking about some of the many ways that these skills can be taught, whilst keeping the practice interesting for the whole band. The Teaching Forum will be held at 19.30 on Sunday 10 April 2022, after which you can join one of the themed breakout rooms to chat and ask questions in a safe environment.
» Reserve a place on the Teaching Forum
Hello and goodbye
The ART AGM saw a number of changes to the Management Committee and Trustees:
- Paul Flavell, Gill Hughes and Tim Hine left the ART Management Committee.
- Dee Smith and Matt Lawrence joined the AMC.
- Graham Nabb stood down as an ART Trustee and was replaced by Chris Enzor.
I’d like to say a heart-felt thank you to everyone who has left the ART leadership team. In particular to Graham and Gill, who were founder members of ART and have served in various capacities over ten years. Both will continue as ART Tutors and Gill will continue to lead the Merchandising Team. Hard acts to follow, but I know Dee, Matt and Chris have lots to offer, as ART continues to grow and evolve. Welcome!
Policy updates
Last year we reviewed our safeguarding policies and codes of practice and as a result of this we’d like to bring two changes to your attention. Thanks go to Anne White, CCCBR Safeguarding Officer, for reviewing the policies and Annie Hall for updating them. Specifically:
- The Equality Policy has been updated to include diversity.
- The Code of Practice for ART Members has been updated. This clarifies our vision, values and principles and links them with standards of professional conduct. It spells out the values and behaviours that ART wishes our teachers and members to display.
» Find out more about ART policies and codes of practice
If you have any questions or feedback about ART then I'd be delighted to hear from you. The more you talk to us the more we can improve.
Lesley Belcher - ART Chair