by Colin Parker
The fourth Ringing World National Youth Contest will take place on Saturday, 5th July 2014 at Old St Martin in the Cornmarket in the centre of Worcester, hosted by the Worcester Cathedral Guild of Bellringers. The eight bell competition is open to bands comprised of ringers aged under 19 (on 5th July) who may choose to ring Major, Triples or Call Changes. The contest continues to go from strength to strength and we look forward to welcoming previous contestants as well as seeing some new faces.
Following the end of Simon Linford’s three year stint as Chief Judge one new face we are excited to welcome is that of David Pipe who has agreed to take on that mantle. The Chief Judge will again be aided by three young judges who will be announced in due course. The bells of Old St Martin’s are a modern Taylor ring of 10 for which the back 8, with a tenor weighing in at just under 6¾ cwt, should prove ideal for the contest. The new bells, installed in 2011 after over a hundred years of silence in the tower, sit below the original peal of 6 bells which are now hung dead and used for electronic chiming.
As well as the contest there promises to be lots going on during the day. There will be ringing for the contestants at some of the other towers in and around Worcester, including the Cathedral’s Teaching Centre, together with some ringing workshops at the Cathedral and All Saints. Again there will be other activities available to add to the day, including the ever popular handbell sessions and an evening hog roast in the shadow of the Cathedral.
Following the contest there will be prizes for both the best Call Change band and Method band with the overall best performance being awarded the now famous Whitechapel Trophy.
The closing date for entries is Friday, 25th April. If you are an adult organiser or a young ringer who would like to enter the contest then please send an e-mail to rwnyc@ringingworld.co.uk for an entry form, contest rules and further information. If there are more than 16 entries at the closing date, teams will be informed as soon as possible if they have been successful in their application.
[update: entry has now closed.]
If you want to make it a weekend event there is plenty to see and do in Worcester for all the family, from touring the magnificent Cathedral and the Worcester Porcelain Museum within the city, to the Elgar Birthplace Museum and the Malvern Hills just outside it. Towers in Worcester will also welcome visitors on Sunday morning. Accommodation is available through the University in the City Campus as well as many other options within the town and nearby. If you require any further information we are happy to try and help out; please just eMail us.
This promises to be yet another fantastic occasion for young ringers and their supporters so don’t miss out!