This report and analysis is based upon quarter peals that have appeared in the Ringing World up to the end of January 2012 and those that have been reported to me directly.  It includes five that were rung at the end of 2010 but were published too late for last year’s report.  All bracketed figures are those for last year. Ringers and conductors are invited to notify me directly of quarter peals and I would appeal for prompt submission of your performances in order to ensure their inclusion.

The total number of reported quarter peals attributable to the association is 310 (299).  In each district the number rung and the number of towers in which they took place was as follows; also shown are the number of ringable towers in each district with five or more bells and the percentage of those in each district at which quarters were rung.

District	Quarters		Towers		Ringable Towers
Central	65	(42)	11	(9)	21	52%
Chesterfield	18	(27)	14	(18)	28	50%
Peak	138	(114)	34	(26)	35	94%
Southern	56	(69)	14	(19)	25	56%
Sub-total	277	(252)	73	(72)	109	66%
Others	14	(10)	8	(8)
On Handbells	19	(37)	5	(6)
Total	310	(299)	86	(86)

The graph above shows the number of quarters rung at churches in the archdeaconries of Chesterfield and Derby during the last five years.  Our Chesterfield and Peak Districts coincide with the Chesterfield Archdeaconry and our Central and Southern Districts coincide with the Derby Archdeaconry.  It will be seen that activity in the northern part of the diocese has been fairly consistent during this period but that in the southern half quarter peal ringing has declined.

Seven of the first eleven leading towers in 2011 are in the Archdeaconry of Derby.  The quarters rung in the Archdeaconry of Chesterfield were in a greater proportion of the towers, particularly in the Peak District where only two ringable towers with five or more bells did not have quarter peals rung, see the table above, whereas in the Southern District two thirds of the quarters were rung at just two towers and we might conclude from this that in the Peak District, a larger proportion of our members ring quarter peals.  There may be some truth in this, but other factors are enthusiasm and personal ambition and in particular the aim to ring quarter peals on every ringable bell in the Peak District.  This is one of Geoff Goodall’s targets, there appear to be others, but after a lengthy campaign he is beginning to close in on this one.  The leading towers where quarters were rung are shown below.