Secretary’s report

The year started off very well with the Annual Dinner at the Royal Stuart Hotel in Derby. 92 people attended this event, Steve Coleman was the guest speaker, and it was a very enjoyable and entertaining evening.

The programme of events has been reasonably varied, but even so attendance at ringing meetings is unpredictable, sometimes it is reasonably good and at other times rather low. For instance, the Young Persons Ringing Evening, for which there had been such high hopes, was very poorly attended, while on the other hand a large number of ringers joined the Walk & Ring in the Great Longstone area, and everyone enjoyed themselves very much. There seems to be no way of predicting the attendance, but I can say that the ringers who do attend, whatever the meeting, do enjoy themselves. A few ringers from other areas often come to join us at our meetings and they are always very welcome.

District Training events have been organised this year to coincide with meetings. In each case these have been half-day courses organised to target the needs of those towers that responded to the enquiry form circulated earlier in the year. These courses included Plain Bob Doubles, Grandsire Doubles, Calling Call Changes, Raising & Lowering and Plain Bob Minor.

The Striking Contest Heats were held on the 10th March. Two towers were used, Spondon and Derby Cathedral, and this arrangement worked very well. Ruth Smith judged the Call Changes and from the six teams that entered, Overseal and Sutton Bobs went through to the final.

Bob Smith judged the Method ringing, and from the seven teams entered in this section Derby Cathedral, St.Peter's Belper and Duffield went through to the final.

6th - 14th October was Quarter Peal Week. Many members rang quarters in their own towers during this week and on Saturday October13th, 18 ringers met in the Chesterfield area to ring quarters at 7 towers, rounding off the day with a good evening meal at the Hardwick Inn. Altogether 13 quarters were successfully rung to a wide range of methods.

24th November was Peal Day - three peals were completed successfully.

Christian Peckham left in November to work in Australia, giving up the post of District Ringing Master. He had done so much good for ringing in this District, and he is much missed. He'll be pleased to know that the 6 bell practices at Brailsford have continued and that Strike Notes is now being produced on a monthly basis and in a new format by Jenny Booth.

I must thank all the tower captains and clergy who have allowed us to ring their bells during the year, and thank you to all members who support the district activities - please do continue to do so.