Charlotte E, Y8 writes about a bell-ringing win at the Rochester District of the Kent County Association (KCACR) annual striking competition:
On 11 April, the Rochester District of the Kent County Association (KCACR) held its annual striking competition. It was a beautiful afternoon at St Margaret’s Church in High Halstow; the birds sang in the churchyard and inside there was a gentle hum of conversation, highlighting that ringing competitions are lovely social occasions where everyone is friendly and supportive.
Five teams assembled for the call change competition, where each team is anonymously judged on their bell striking—essentially, how well the ringers ‘ring’ their bell during the piece. Our team was made up of Charlotte (Year 8) as Conductor, Lily (Lower Sixth), Luke (Remove), George, Ellen and Matthew. As Conductor, I was responsible for changing the order of the bells every six rows, ensuring that at least two bells led and that the composition piece was 120 rows long.
All team names were drawn from a hat to determine the order of play. To ensure anonymity, the judges moved outside so they were unaware of which team was ringing. We were pleased to be drawn first as it meant that, once our part was done, we could relax and enjoy the other ringing.
Each team was given seven minutes to practise and get familiar with the bells. During this time, we adjusted the lengths of the bell ropes and got a feel for how the bells would strike. After every team had competed, we enjoyed delicious cakes and refreshments kindly provided by the parishioners while the judges deliberated.
We were thrilled when the results were announced and we learned we had won with a score of 92%, narrowly beating Tunstall who scored 90%. It was a particularly special moment as, for some members of the team, this was their first time winning a bell competition.
Congratulations to everyone who took part and I wish you all the best of luck in future competitions.
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