M1: 30 Mar 2019 - Sprotbrough

In the days leading up to the course I really didn’t have any expectations of what it would entail, however a few butterflies lurked in my stomach as it meant that I would become an ‘official tutor’ and couldn’t shirk the responsibility anymore!

Upon arrival at the centre in Sprotborough we were ushered into a meeting room like lost sheep fuelled by coffee and biscuits by Graham Nabb. The room was very well laid out with modern technology, a projector and a laptop poised and ready for use. Upon the start of the course one thing was immediately evident, Graham's passion for ringing overwhelmed every word he said, he had a certain charisma, a charm that made you hang on his every word.

The course started with the theory using a powerpoint slideshow which was effective, in the sense that it illustrated what Graham was saying. Now for us at Sprotborough, the day was never destined to be perfect as we had to chop up the course due to a wedding in the middle of the day. This meant we were in and out of the tower a few times during the day in order to get the right mix of theory and practical and again it’s a testament to Graham for being able to roll with the punches and adapt on the day.

The practical aspect of the day was by far the most fun, Graham was super confident and showed us hints and tips on how to just ring normally as experienced ringers. He helped us all correct the little faults we had and was very confident in showing us what to do when it all goes wrong. It was very helpful to see this and really put us all at ease.

Ross Havenhand

Teaching Bell Handling

Practical advice for teachers, right from the first lesson.