Chairman's Chatter - May 2016

Chairman’s Chatter is published in the quarterly ART WORKS magazine for ART Members and those on the ART Training Scheme.

Reflections on the ART Conference

Well if you were at the 201 6 ART Conference you would have experienced a really great day. The venue was not a typical one for a conference but despite its idiosyncrasies it provided a great backdrop to the sessions and the extra excitement of seeing 52 cwt. of metal cast into two new bells. Thank you John Taylor & Co. for your hospitality and generous sponsorship of the day.

The 201 7 Conference will be at Old Basing on Saturday 11th March by invitation of the Winchester & Portsmouth Guild. On the Sunday a hand bell teaching session and mentor workshop are planned.

Supporting ART

April has been a manic month for Tutors with the most courses in a month ever and Rose has had a challenge to keep up with all the new people to register on SmART Ringer. The number of teachers registered and members' certificates issued on LtR continues to increase putting admin under pressure. Do be patient, it may take a little longer than usual to get things sorted.

Our activities generally are increasing and we continue to seek help from people who are able to develop workshop or recruitment materials and have basic IT skills. Support is needed with other admin tasks, developing social media communications, managing and developing the supporters’ scheme and checking documents for accuracy. Skills are required in most areas, so if you have some time available do get in touch and we will see if we can use your talents!

There was good debate at the AGM about the level of subscriptions. Many were keen to support ART and pay a higher level. Others were cautious as continued use of LtR – which we are keen to develop nationally – is dependent on being a member so putting up entrance barriers would work against that aim. There is a solution – go onto the web site and become an ART Supporter this way you can assist and not raise barriers for others.

Awards Ceremony

The ART Awards ceremony was a new venture organised and delivered by Stephanie Warboys with Stephanie Pattenden as Chief Judge. Thank you both for your hard work. Most of the awards were open to all comers not just ART members and it was pleasing to see a good number of entries with the main prize-winners getting £400 to be spent on appropriate initiatives. The ‘Two Stephs’ double act delivered an excellent ceremony. The start of something big I hope.

In the meantime, let’s focus on our teaching ...