Peterborough Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers

Rutland Branch

                                                          February 2010

 

 

ANNUAL DINNER

 

The date for this has been arranged for Saturday 20 March 2010 at 7.30pm, and we shall be holding it at The Sun Inn at Cottesmore.  We hope this will make it easy for members in the northern part of the county, as we met in the southern part last year.  For menu choices see the newsletter or contact Monica Spence  (phone 01572 820199 or email monica.spence@virgin.net).

Please let Monica know if you are going and your menu choices as soon as possible.

 

 

Sponsored Cycle Ride and Ramble

After all the snow and cold it will be great to get out for a breathe of fresh air over the Easter        weekend.  Don't miss the sponsored cycle ride or ramble which again will be based on Rutland Water with a stop at the Horse and Jockey.  As it will be on our patch, it would be nice to have a good contingent from the Rutland Branch.  Please try to come, and if you can't, then sponsor someone.  This is to raise money for the Bell fund, from which we all benefit.  The details are on the poster attached to the newsletter.  Monica Spence has sponsor forms (phone 01572 820199 or email monica.spence@virgin.net)

See you there.

Monica 

 

          Branch Program

All members will soon be getting their membership cards for 2010-2011 with our programme of Branch and Guild events printed inside, but meanwhile here it is so that you can pencil the dates in your diaries before they get crowded with all sorts of other activities.  There are two special days when we hope there will be a particularly good turn-out.

On Sunday 13 June our branch will be augmenting the Cathedral team ringing for evensong.  That particular evensong will be attended by the new Mayor of Peterborough for his installation, so it will be a privilege to ring for that service, and we hope to be able to arrange a tour of the Cathedral galleries, roof and tower before the ringing.  After ringing, we can attend evensong, or go on to Castor, where there will be a village festival (and a chance of tea), and we shall ring for their evensong from 5.00-5,55pm.

Then, on Saturday, 11 September, Alan Wordie is arranging an outing, ringing at about 5 towers, including Geddington, Stanion and Deene, with a picnic or BBQ thrown in.  There are some lovely bells to ring, and the area is packed with interesting places, so it will be an action-packed day.

Christopher will be explaining in the newsletters the emphasis of each practice as they occur, and he's always open to requests.

Needless to say, we hope there will be a good turn-out to all these events.

Happy ringing

 

 

PROGRAMME 2010-2011

 

Sat	03.Apr.10	am	Guild sponsored Cycle/Ramble
Sat	10.Apr.10	3-6.00ish	Branch Striking Comp. At Barrowden (6)
Sat	24.Apr.10	pm	Guild Spring Festival at Culworth 6-Bell Striking Comp.
Sat	01.May 10	8am-12noon	Uppingham Market Stall
Sat	22. May.10	4-6.00pm	Exton (6) and Cottesmore (6) practice
Sat	12.Jun.10	3-9.00pm	Guild AGM at Towcester
Sun	13 June 10	1.30-6.00pm	Peterborough Cathedral tour(1.30) and ringing  for evensong (2.30-3.30) , then tea at Castor Festival and ringing for evensong (5.00-5.55) (12 bells and 8 bells). Advance booking with branch secretary essential.
Sat	03 Jul. 10	4-6.00pm	Practice at Brooke(6) and Braunston(6)
	28-30 Jul. 10		Wing ringing holiday
	August		QP month
Sat	11. Sep. 10	2-5.00pm	Practice at Geddington(6), Stanion(6) and Deene(6) +a picnic/walk  perhaps in Fermyn Woods Country park
Sat	18.Sep. 10	pm	Guild Summer Festival at Guilsboro’ 8-Bell Striking Comp.
Sat	09. Oct. 10	4-6.00pm	Practice at Caldecott(6) and Lyddington(6)
Sat	13. Nov. 10	6-9.00pm	Practice at Hambleton (5)(first hour) and Oakham(8)
	December		Ringing for Christmas
Sat	01.Jan. 2011	All day	Quarter Peal Day
Sat	15. Jan. 2011	3-9.00ish	Branch AGM at Whissendine(6) and Mkt. Overton(5)
Sat	26. Feb. 2011	7-9.00pm	Practice at Gt. Casterton(6) and Ryhall(6)
Sat	19.Mar. 2011		Branch dinner to be arranged

 

 

DISCUSSION POINT – we need members’ views

Over the past 2 years the issue of the Guild subscription has been raised at Branch and Guild meetings, and opinions in favour of change seem to be more strongly held in the Rutland Branch than in the rest of the Guild.  If change is to be effected, the action has to start either with the (Guild) General Management Committee or with at least 20 voting members requesting it in writing to the Guild Secretary.  Notice of the meeting (which could be the Guild AGM or a special meeting) would have to be published in the Ringing World, and a two thirds majority would be needed for any proposal to change the rules to be passed.

The committee decided that it would be helpful to outline the ideas that have been raised so far for all branch members to read, in case the issue is raised at the Branch AGM, so I will do my best to set them out here.

At present, the subscription rate is £5 for members and associates, but it is waived for those over the national retirement age and full time students pay half the full subscription.  In fact, many of the members who are of retirement age do pay the subscription voluntarily.  Of the total collected, the Branch retains one quarter and the Guild receives the rest.  It is used for administration, although at the branch level, occasional grants for bell maintenance are made from branch funds.

The Guild Bell Fund is separate and money is raised by fund-raising events, such as the sponsored cycle/ramble at Easter and the prize draw.

The points raised in discussion have been:

1.     the reluctance of most members to take part in fund-raising events (despite the sponsored cycle/ramble being located at Rutland Water, our branch has never been represented by more than 5 people);

2.     the small amount of the subscription, which amounts to less than 50p per month;

3.     The waiving of the subscription for people of retirement age is questionable, since it is small and an increasing proportion of the membership is of retirement age;

4.     The suggestion that the bell fund could be funded by an increase in the subscription (voluntary or mandatory), thus relieving organisers of the need to run events.                                                                                            

The Branch committee sent the following proposals to the Guild Secretary:

                                   

1. The Rutland Committee is conscious that the regular fund-raising strategies for the Bell Fund are poorly supported by members and raise less and less money;
2. They also note that the subscription rate has remained constant for years, and is paid by a decreasing proportion of the membership, because pensioners are exempt;
3. They suggest the rules should be changed so that a proportion of future subscriptions should go to the Bell Fund, thus obviating the need for fund-raising events;
4. To facilitate this, they suggest a change in the rules so that pensioners pay two thirds the standard rate and (in view of 5 below) students pay one third;
5. They suggest a standard subscription rate of £7.50 per annum, £5 for pensioners and £2.50 for students.

 

The Guild Secretary pointed out that both funds are at present healthy, and when a proposal to alter the rules regarding subscriptions was raised in a recent AGM, there was little support, and there was a considerable cost in providing the correct notice.  Our Branch Representative on the General Management Committee, Paul Philips, having sounded out opinion at that level, advised that opinion within the Guild is changing with regard to the level of the subscription, and a proposal to make changes is more likely to be successful in a couple of years.

I hope this covers the ground adequately.  Whenever the subject is raised, it provokes a lot of strong feeling, and, in the present economic climate, opposition may be even stronger.  You can read the constitution and rules of the Guild in the Annual Report, a copy of which is held by all the tower captains.  Its well worth looking at a copy if you haven’t done so before.

Monica Spence

 

 

A REMINDER FROM THE TREASURER/MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY-

The current rates are £5 per year for Full Members and £2.50 per year for Junior/Student Members.

Could any Tower Captains, with potential New Members, who are thinking about proposing them at the meeting, let me know so that I can prepare some New Members Packs for them?

I am trying to bring my membership details up to date and would appreciate it if any member who didn't fill one out last year would fill out the form which is attached to this newsletter and hand it in with their subscription to me at the AGM.

Thank you very much, in anticipation,

Janice Atkinson

Treasurer/Membership Secretary