SDGR Learning Resources
This section contains documents, links and any other useful information with reference to campanology in all it's forms.
What is a 'Ringing Centre'?
The Ringing Centres and Education Committees of the Central Council work closely together on creating new ways of training the ringers of the future. A Ringing Centre is a combination of people, tower bells, technology and other facilities designed to help people learn to ring. Centres are intended to promote high standards of teaching, and to also train teachers of ringing. They provide a useful facility, which is an enhancement of the training facilities available in their area and make a contribution to the training of ringers beyond the local band. Potential users of a recognised centre know that both the facilities and the teaching will be of high quality.
Each centre has its own management team and access to competent teachers, and the tower will usually have an active band of ringers with their own weekly practice and service ringing. The facilities will normally include a simulator, classroom space, and other teaching aids such a dumb bell, a video camera and playback equipment.
Achieving Central Council recognition is likely to benefit centres themselves in a number of ways:
- Belonging to a networked community of similar centres will enable considerable pooling of experience and ideas for new developments,
- The support of the Council is likely to give recognised centres enhanced status when applying for external funding.
- There is evidence from existing centres that retention rates for learners are likely to be higher when they are taught in a well-structured programme.
In 1999 a generous benefaction came from the Worshipful Company of Founders, one of the City Livery Companies. A total of £50,000 is being made available over a period of several years to enable grants to be made towards equipment and to fund the training of people to run the ringing centres. There is also an annual prize awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to the teaching of ringing. The grants are administered by the CC Ringing Centres Committee and are used to assist existing or new ringing centres to meet a sufficient number of the requirements to justify CC recognition.
