In the three years that she has been ringing at South Walsham, Fleggborough, Catfield and Lowestoft Judy has achieved her Learning the Ropes Level 5, and rung in 34 quarter peals. Judy has attended the ART Module 1 course, is actively teaching and is ready for assessment in the new year. She became Branch Secretary after six months of ringing and still fulfils that role. Judy has the ability to ring surprise minor methods and arranges many of her own quarter peals and looks to arrange them for others too. She has supported the Ringing Remembers Campaign in helping to teach two new bands of ringers at Reedham and Hickling, as well as helping at Mancroft Ringing Discovery Centre during the Monday morning bell handling sessions.
Judy is just so energised and can motivate others well to support ringing.
In September 2015 Judy took up ringing at a three-bell tower in Fleggborough and quickly realised there was more to learn, so joined the South Walsham band. She regularly attends practice and rings on Sundays. If there is no ringing she finds another tower that needs extra ringers.
Judy achieved Level 5 LtR in 2018. Her striking is excellent and when practicing on the simulator she will not accept anything less than perfection. ART and Learning the ropes featured in Judy’s ringing from October 2017. At this point Judy had rung quarter peals of Plain Bob and Grandsire. After Nikki Thomas attended the ART Module 1 course at Norwich in October 2017, a few changes to Judy’s ringing style facilitated advances in her ringing. She was eager to improve and quickly achieved Learning the Ropes Levels 1, 2 & 3. Levels 4 & 5 came and went when she started ringing Treble Bob and Surprise methods. Judy is always prepared for what she’d like to ring next and I know she will have done the necessary research at home prior to practice for a quarter peal.
After ringing for six months Judy became the Norwich Diocesan Association of Ringers (NDA) Eastern Branch Secretary. She is efficient and the branch is well run and well supported. In June 2018 Judy attended an ART Module 1 course and has been helping to teach with other teachers at Broadland Bellringing Centre. She supports the Reedham and Hickling Bands with their weekly practices, when they ring for specific occasions, Ringing Remembers, Christmas, Special Services.
At Association level, she arranges the meetings, takes minutes, organises the Branch dinner and fund raising events. She is on the Standing Committee and the Management Committee of the NDA - contributing during meetings and playing an active part.
Judy has submitted items for publication to the NDA newsletters and the ART newsletters. One of her articles was published in the July 2018 Tower Talk.
Judy, together with her husband Martin, work as a team. Martin also supports the work of the NDA as webmaster and Judy in her work as Eastern Branch Secretary. They have both rung an equal number of quarter peals - 34 in total. Judy has rung 26 this year in 7 different methods.
Judy is booked to do the ART Module 2 course in March 2019 and is eager to ring a peal asap. To improve her eight-bell ringing, she is attending practice on a Monday night at Lowestoft. She is already in the process of arranging eight-bell quarters of Grandsire and I have no doubt that there will be plenty more to come.
I can see Judy running Association Branch practices in the future. She is already helping to develop the new bands at Reedham and Hickling with another taster session for new ringers planned early in the New Year. As the learners progress Judy is arranging quarter peals to help them develop.
Judy & Martin are a terrific team in helping to teach new ringers, inspiring and breathing new life and enthusiasm into bell ringing in our area. Whenever on holiday they seek out ringing - from Yorkshire to Australia.