NATIONAL CALL CHANGE COMPETITON

Date: Saturday 1st June 2024
Place: Lord Mayor’s Chapel, Bristol

The purpose of this national open call change competition is to widen the appreciation of and participation in competition call change ringing in the style practised in Devon and the south west of England.

The competition aims to mix bands from Devon and the South West who regularly compete in such competitions with traditional method ringing bands from further afield interested in practising this particular style.

Entries

We have received entries from:

  • South Brent
  • Bath and Wells
  • Broadhempston
  • St Mark's, Cheltenham
  • Kingsteignton
  • Kernow Callies
  • Tiverton
  • Alton
  • St Paul's Birmingham
  • Stroud Valleys
  • Bristol Cathedral
  • Bow
  • Moseley
  • Exeter St David's

The Day and Programme

As some bands are travelling from far afield, the organisers will make sure there other ringing in Bristol available during the day.

The final programme will depend on how many teams are confirmed but the general principle will be:

  • Assemble at the Costa next to the Lord Mayor’s Chapel from 11:30
  • 12 noon draw
  • Competition ringing in the afternoon
  • Ringing at other Bristol towers in parallel
  • Late afternoon results (conclude by 6pm)
  • Open ringing to be confirmed

I am pleased that the National Call Change Competition is coming back for a second year, building on the success of the Moseley event. The Council represents exponents of all styles of change ringing and the emphasis on striking achieved in Devon Call Change competitions is something all bands could aspire to.

Tina Stoecklin, President CCCBR

Test Piece and Judging

Central to the test piece will be the call change sequence that is used in Devon Association competitions called “60 on 3rds”. This is a sequence of 60 changes that is fully explained in the eBook on call change ringing callchanges.cccbr.org.uk. The sequence is printed in the Ringing World diary and easily found with a Google search such as this on the Devon Association website.

As in Devon Association competitions, the test piece will include the raise and lower, with all of the ringing judged. This is the format of Devon Association competitions.

The Judges are hoping to hear closed handstroke leads, which is the style practiced in Devon, but open handstroke leads will not be penalised provided they are consistent.

In order to enable as many bands to compete as possible in the time available there will be no practising on the bells, which is how Devon Association competitions are run, but there will be opportunities to practice in the morning at other towers.

Judging

Our judges are Owen Borlaise and Chris Kippin. Owen is a well known judge of Devon Association competitions. Chris is best known for judging competitions outside Devon but did sit and judge alongside the judges at the Major Final a few years ago. Apparently he judged more harshly than the local judges! There may be a third judge to be confirmed.

Best Ringing

Another feature of Devon Association competitions that will be replicated is the awarding of a trophy for “Best Ringing” which is the test piece which, in the opinion of the judges, had the best ringing in it for a sustained period of time. This will not necessarily be the team that has the top score but is a more subjective award maybe for the band whose ringing has the most panache.

Learning about call change ringing

The Central Council has published an eBook called ‘Devon Call Changes’, written by Simon Linford with help from representatives of the Devon Association. It uses linked YouTube videos to explain the principles and details of the Devon call change ringing style, including a step by step video guide to ringing 60 on 3rds, based on an excellent performance by the Shaugh Prior band. It can be found here callchanges.cccbr.org.uk

The Association of Ringing Teachers has recently launched its ‘Advanced Call Change Ringing’ scheme, which introduces Devon call change ringing and includes tools and resources for aspiring call change bands. A toolkit can be found here ringingteachers.org/advanced-call-change-toolbox

What next?

We are now closed for entries and are continuing to plan the day. A further update will be sent around the end of April and then a draw to put the teams in three time blocks (allowing them to plan the day) will be done two weeks ahead of the competition.

Travel and Parking

Travelling by train is recommended for those just wanting to ring in Bristol rather than stop off on the way for any practice ringing. Parking in the centre of Bristol is expensive, with the cheapest option being Trenchard. You may find that using an app such as JustPark will find you a space in an office car park or residential street at lower price.