On Saturday 23rd May we held an ART Module 2F Day Course at St John the Baptist, Pewsey.
Pewsey is situated at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey, about six miles south of Marlborough. The Kennet and Avon Canal runs through the village and there is a main line railway station with regular services to London and the West Country. The tower houses an easy-going ring of six bells, (tenor 12-0-27), from various founders, the oldest dated 1620 cast by Richard Purdue. The local band is part of the group which supports ringing across the Pewsey Vale, ringing for Sunday services, important national events and hold regular weekly practices.
The ART M2F Day Course is aimed at helping teachers support their students to consolidate and develop the foundation skills learnt on the Module 1 Day Course for good ringing and then to move forward to ringing changes. Through a mixture of practical and theory sessions delegates learnt about:
Developing foundation skills – fine bell control, listening, rhythm and ropesight
- Using fun exercises to develop these skills
- Coaching skills and how to build a successful band
- Introducing students to Plain Hunt and covering
 
Ten delegates from the Devizes, Marlborough, and Mere Branches attended the course which was led by Paul Lewis from Shropshire. Paul is a very experienced tutor who benefits from his work in higher education, this enables him to deliver PowerPoint and practical sessions in a way, keeping the delegates attention and encourages and achieves group participation.
The day consisted of several practical sessions in the tower on tied bells with some delegates playing the role of teacher whilst others acted as learners and then changing roles to gain experience as a teacher, all of this was interspersed with theory sessions and discussions. In addition, each delegate received a course pack of books and resources related to the course together with a personal login to the ART on-line resources to assist them with this next step in their teaching.
Throughout the day we were supplied with refreshments including a hot lunch and afternoon tea kindly prepared by Len Roberts and Judith Williamson from the Mere Branch, which kept everyone alert. Again, Len provided the food and drink at no set charge, although delegates were invited to make a voluntary donation towards the costs if they so wished. We hope we have provided the delegates with the inspiration and resources to feel confident in taking their students forward to develop their ringing to the early stages of change ringing.
We are very grateful to everyone involved in making this course so successful; the Guild for making a donation to cover the cost of using the facilities at Pewsey and for subsidising the delegate course fees, Len, and Judith, Paul for travelling from Shropshire and delivering the course and the Church Authorities at Pewsey for allowing us to use the building for the day and making us feel so welcome.
David Hacker,
Course Organiser.
Thoughts from a delegate
On a bright and very warm Spring Saturday morning, I met up in Pewsey with 9 other members of the Salisbury Diocesan Guild of Ringers to attend the ART M2F Foundation Course, designed to prepare us for teaching groups to move from Rounds to Plain Hunt. We were delighted to find that our tutor was Paul Lewis, who had so ably taught us previously, supported by David Hacker, Judith Williamson and Len Roberts. The team in St John the Baptist Pewsey made us very welcome, and their tower simulator, using tied bells linked with accurately pitched and timed artificial sounds, provides a brilliant means of training without upsetting the neighbours.
Paul has an infectious enthusiasm for his subject and filled the classroom and tower elements of the course with interesting, varied, and entertaining material. Putting theory into practice in the tower is the ideal recipe for learning, and the opportunity to move from ‘Switch-a-roo’ to Kaleidoscope Ringing, with Mexican Waves in the mix, provided an invaluable learning opportunity. The day passed in a blur of new experiences, entertaining ringing, and the opportunity to lead novel teaching methods.
Paul has a rare ability to cover a great deal of ground in a colourful and instructive manner, and the end of the day came round all too soon. I recommend this course highly to anyone looking to improve their own teaching skills and help their bands develop the handling skills necessary to make the move to change ringing and doubles methods.
Jeremy Stanford
All Saints, Kington Magna.
[All photos: Paul Lewis]
