This was the first ART course that I had attended.
One thing that worried me a bit was the 9.30am start (meaning we had to leave home at 8am) and the 5pm finish. It sounded like a very long day.
David Sparling, our Tutor, said in the welcome email that we had “a very full day!” What if I dozed off in the afternoon? I needn’t have worried because David is an excellent tutor!
The theory sessions were professionally presented by Clare who was very knowledgeable and passionate about teaching bellringing. No question was treated as trivial and there was always an answer.
This training day was held on 28th September at Chagford. The format of the day was a meet up, coffee & chat & then up
It was a very worthwhile day – both as a learner and a “learner-leader”. I am looking forward to sharing the practical and theoretical exercises with my home tower and I will be looking for a local ART mentor to support me in our Tower’s next steps.
I expected to get quite a lot out of this course, but I have to say that the day surpassed my expectations, and I am very much looking forward to making the most of my learning and doing my bit to encourage more people to ring, and teach them to do so!
Whilst the course is aimed to bring on somebody in their early stages of change ringing, it does provide an element of challenge to those who are more experienced, it can be difficult to count 5 pulls until the bells stand or ringing a bell to call-changes whilst everyone else is ringing at the other stroke. However, the aim of the M2F course is to provide new ringers with an opportunity to develop the foundation skills to move on to method ringing and I feel that this structured programme really does provide that.
The M2F course provided a great structured programme that can allow ringers to build on foundational skills which reap benefits in the future learning of methods.
Nine of us from four different towers, St, Audeon’s and St. Patrick’s in Dublin, Drogheda, and St. Mary’s in Blessington, participated in the module excellently facilitated by the illustrious David Sparling, who had travelled from Great Britain to be with us.
What a brilliant day I have just had on the M1 bell handling course under David’s excellent tuition. I am ashamed to say that attending an ART course had been on my ‘to do’ list for a rather long time. I am so glad that I finally took the plunge as it was a really thought provoking and helpful course!
As a rather aged lady, I was rather apprehensive that I was going out of my comfort zone, going on this course. I need not have worried – Clare made us feel very welcome, what ever level we were at.
