September 2010

I was going to start with “September, what a busy month!” however looking back I find I often start this way. It seems that our bellringers are always busy so I shan’t comment along those lines again unless it’s to tell you we’ve had a quiet month (I wish!). As well as our regular service ringing September saw us ringing for five weddings, welcoming two visiting bands and the start of our 2010 Autumn bellringing course. We also held our Summer BBQ.

It is now six months since I took over as Tower Captain. How am I getting on? If I am totally honest I can’t say that I have enjoyed it. I hadn’t really appreciated what an extremely busy Tower Swanage is or the amount of admin associated with running it. It’s akin to being a full time PA to an inanimate object; it doesn’t answer back but you find yourself hitting your head against a brick wall! I also feel that my own ringing has not progressed as much as it should have done since becoming tower captain, Oh well, we carry on………

This seems an appropriate juncture to tell you about the bellringing officers and their roles and to tell you who holds each post at Swanage.

First there is the Tower Captain (Sally Jenkins): The tower boss he - or she - normally runs the ringing and runs the ringers too. Decisions on, and the organisation of, service ringing, practice nights, weddings, quarter peals and learners etc are entirely his/hers.

Ringing Master (Matthew Pike): The person who runs the ringing on practice nights. Many towers don’t have a ringing master because the tower captain usually performs this duty. However, here at Swanage we have just re-introduced this role to enable me to concentrate more on my own ringing (thanks Matt!)

Steeple Keeper (Martin Wickham): This person looks after the bells, frames, stays, ropes etc. This is an important job which involves a lot of time but is often a thankless task.

Secretary/Tower Correspondent (Julian Newman): The person who receives and answers letters about the tower, the bells, requests from visiting bands etc.

Treasurer (Rachael Rutter): The person who looks after the wedding money and donations from visitors. Payments might also be among the responsibilities.

This is though, just a list of “officers”. Bellringing is a team activity and every ringer has an important part to play as without each other we can’t ring! At Swanage we are extremely lucky to have many talented ringers who each bring their own unique and valuable contribution to the band. So now you know who we are and who does what!