This year has been one of the quietest for the Centre, but not for me, as yet again we found ourselves in an interregnum and so my time became precious. As a result we did not have as many ad hoc events as we have had in previous years. As I write this we have just been joined by a new Rector and so my availability should improve. Having said all of that, we hosted well over 40 training events of one form or another during the year and have remained the principal training venue of the Whiting Society.

In January we started the first of our new format Plain Method sessions and I'm pleased to report that, apart from December, we had sufficient people committing to the events to run these sessions. And very productive they have been, with those who did join getting good practice and instruction in areas they were not always able to with their own bands. At these sessions we get a fair mix of ringers from both Derbyshire and Yorkshire, with occasionally others from farther afield. During the year we have attempted a number of “first” quarters and I'm pleased to report 3 ringers scored firsts! Keep your eye on the email groups for news of these events as they are announced.

The Centre relies on the hospitality of Eckington church but is financially self supporting. Much of the income comes from donations from individuals and more formal charges for organised events. Some of the original equipment installed is now dated and in need of replacement. Because we have been careful with our finances, we are in a position to modernise some of our equipment. It is hoped that during 2015 we will update our simulator equipment to allow us to operate using individual laptops on up to 4 bells concurrently, with teachers and pupils using headphones so as not to disturb other pairs. To facilitate this we shall be looking to obtain a number of laptops. These do not need to be sophisticated, indeed the simpler the better. They need to have a Windows OS of XP or later with a reasonable sound card. We will purchase these as necessary but should any member have access to a cost effective source of refurbished, second-hand laptops, I should be grateful to hear from you.

This is your Ringing Centre and I would love to have suggestions for how we can improve our offering. If you would like to know more, would like to run your own event, would like to become involved in the running of the Centre, or just have some ideas, then please get in touch. Brilliant as the facility is, it will only remain useful if people get involved.

I look forward to another eventful year with a good number of bookings already in the diary for 2015.

Website: www.gordonhallscentre.org.uk