M1: 8 July 2017 - Flyde Coast

The millions of tourists who flock every year to the Fylde coast to enjoy its glorious sunshine were joined on Saturday, 8 July, 2017 by Graham Nabb and Paul Lewis from the Association of Ringing Teachers (ART), to deliver Module 1 of the 'ART Training Scheme’ to the Fylde branch of the Lancashire Association of Change Ringers.

We were pleased to be joined by Andy Cope and Laura Thompson from Bolton’s nascent ringing centre. We have to thank Graham for his persuasive, succinct, sensible, entertaining and professional delivery of a convincing plan of instruction with excellent supporting materials.

This will help us to develop in our locality a cadre of effective ringing instructors, receptive to external ideas and perfectly equipped to command the confidence of trainees and ringing colleagues.

The training we have received today will help us to accelerate the acquisition by our trainees of the basic but essential ringing skills, necessary for their swift, efficient and satisfying progress through the early stages of change ringing and their full integration within our local ringing community. As a result, we can hope to enhance the motivation and retention of our trainees and to build an expanding nucleus of adventurous, competent change ringers, many of whom will become excellent trainers. The ringing experience of our trainees will be enhanced : they will quickly assimilate the basics of change ringing and all of us will be able to participate in an expanded repertoire.

The one day course consisted of practical sessions in the belfry, interspersed with presentations on theoretical and practical aspects of teaching complex physical skills. In the belfry, we learned and practised carefully-designed drills and exercises which merged fluidly into a safe, efficient, coherent and effective transfer of skills from trainer to trainee.

This brings us on to next steps. We now need to embed today’s learning in our minds and immediately incorporate today’s learning into the practices, organisation and activities of our branch. We will report on today’s course to other branch members at our next branch meeting, plan our participation in a course at the next level and begin promptly to plan regular training sessions where learners have plenty of concentrated, quality rope-time and need not sit on the sidelines whilst the ‘experts’ ring their complicated methods.

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