Ringer of the Year

Veronica Newman

St James, Trowbridge
Devizes Branch

Veronica started ringing when she took a break from nursing to start a family in the late 1970s. Since then she has fulfilled many roles for both the Devizes branch and St James Trowbridge including Tower Captain, Vice Captain, Correspondent and, more latterly, one of the chief drivers of our branch presence on Facebook.

Introducing new people to the time-honoured art of church bell ringing, and ensuring its future survival, has never been more important, yet the ability to communicate amid the noise of modern life has never been more challenging.

Amongst the many, many ways she contributes to the health and happiness of the Trowbridge band, Veronica has been quietly going about the business of raising awareness of bell ringing and encouraging new recruits to St James for many years, using whatever items of interest are at her disposal to spread the word and, through social media, she has been a voice for ringing and ringers everywhere.

During 2024 she has contributed countless posts about ringing at St James to a variety of Facebook groups concerned with local news and history, created a ‘Friends of the Bells’ group, and even commented on a planning application in advocacy of the history of the St James bells and their importance to the town.

One of these posts across local social media in December 2024 resulted in the St James bells ringing out the old year and ringing in the new for the first time in many years, adding a touch of history and encouraging anyone interested in learning or returning to ringing to join a practice night. The post proved immensely popular and generated a great deal of interest in and support for the bells from the local community, and was picked up by the Wiltshire Times who published an article.

As a direct result, Veronica fielded enquiries from many interested new recruits, three of whom are already learning and progressing well. The newspaper article was followed up by BBC Radio Wiltshire who visited the tower in January and interviewed learners and members of the band for broadcast later that week.

As Admin and one of the chief drivers of our branch presence on Facebook, SDGR Devizes Branch Ringers is a private group for members and friends of the Devizes Branch created in December 2013 and has 107 members. Veronica has been an admin since September 2016 and is the most active contributor with1,273 interactions and contributions.

All towers members ebb and flow, which is why consistent advocacy of the craft is so important, and Veronica’s work in this area goes to show what can be achieved. However Veronica would be the first to acknowledge that it takes a whole team to truly capitalise on what she can achieve and build a pipeline for the future of the band.

From the devotion of those who teach our new learners to the endless patience of the band helping our novices progress, all in a warm atmosphere where everyone counts – it all adds up to a healthier, happier future for our bells!