The Young Ringer of the Year Award for 2025 went to Joss Knight of Swanage in the East Dorset Branch.
His nomination was proposed by Swanage Tower Captain, Aidan Wright and is detailed below.
Joss, as vice tower captain has successfully run many successful practices and Sunday morning ringing in my absence at Swanage. He has also regularly run practices at Kingston on Friday evenings and some Sunday Morning ringing. At Worth and Lytchett Matravers, he has inspired many new ringers and has helped in progressing them from rounds and called changes, into plain hunt and now plain bob doubles and other more advanced methods.
Joss has enabled us to ring increasingly different methods, by learning how to conduct and put right several members of the band when attempting new things. He rang and conducted his first peal at Worth Matravers in June 2025. Throughout 2025, Joss has conducted 21 Quarter peals to enable many firsts, including, but not limited to first as cover on 8, first on 8, first inside to triples, first on triples, First blows in Cliffords Pleasure, Southrepps and Kennington and much more.
Joss has also organised numerous tower outings for Swanage and Kingston ringers, booking towers, ensuring donations are left at towers and ensuring the pub is booked for lunch!
Joss has also stepped up to run branch practices and done so at short notice. He has now been elected as the Branch Ringing Master, so will be running these regularly on the second Saturday of each month!
As tower correspondent at Swanage, he has further demonstrated his excellent organisational skills and he has liaised with our rector Ian and many visitors to our practices and visiting bands to the tower.
To summarise, Joss has shown a maturity beyond his years and has become a much valued asset to the Swanage, Worth and Kingston bands, as well as the wider East Dorset branch. You wouldn’t think that he only started ringing church bells 3 and a half years ago!
Aidan Wright
Tower Captain, Swanage
