Chairman’s Report – Adrian Foss
I am at the end of the first year of my second stint as HRGBSW Chair: last time round was 20 years ago and also featured an Anniversary, our Pearl one. This is getting to be a habit!
Since our last AGM, we had our Christmas Festival up in Cirencester with both the Sou’westers and Bell Tide performing, but unfortunately lost our planned Christmas Prelude in Woolavington to the pernicious elements. We made the decision to book the same venue for this year, so fingers crossed.
We had four Ringing Round the Region events between the AGM and Christmas, at Colyford, Woodbury, Iron Acton and Ladock. I managed to attend Woodbury and Ladock and greatly enjoyed them (and they fed us royally as well).
We have had two further RRR events since Christmas, at Trull and Lamerton, and it was my great privilege to go to both and to finally meet and ring with Geoff Hill and his team.
All of these events take planning and effort and I would like to sincerely thank all involved for their endeavours.
A very big thank you as well to the Committee: running the region is a team effort and they have served you/us very well indeed. I would like to especially thank Paul Scoble for setting me such a good example.
Secretary’s Report – Ann Tyack
We welcome all members who have travelled here today to our AGM and Birthday Celebration, and we especially welcome any new members present for the first time today.
As of yesterday, we have 383 adult members including 16 Honoured Life Members & Founder members, 6 Junior/Student members and 77 teams. This is roughly the same as last year. As we celebrate 50 years since the region was formed one notable loss in 2024 was of Terry Jefferies who was one of the founder members of HRGB and Chair of SW region back in 1978.
The committee had 5 meetings in 2024, and we have had 2 meetings so far in 2025.
In 2024 we organised lots of events: 4 RRR – 2 in Devon, 1 north of Bristol & 1 in Cornwall. 2 x 4 in hand workshops led by Jason Walker in Bristol & Exeter. Unfortunately the Christmas Prelude had to be cancelled due to Storm Bert but we did manage to finish the year in style with our fabulous Christmas Festival in Cirencester. We have also held 2 x RRR so far this year.
The SW was well represented at the 2024 National Weekend Rally in Derbyshire, at UK Bronze in October and also this April at the 2025 National Weekend Rally at Milton Keynes. And we hope the 2026 National Rally will be even better supported by SW members as we are hosting it.
The SW owns several sets of handbells that have been donated to the region, and I’m pleased to say that 3 full sets are here today and being rung by members who have not come with full teams. There is also one set that is out on loan to a team, and we were pleased to see and hear these recently at RRR Trull.
The three regional bell sets that are here today are also used every month by the Sou’westers, our regional ensemble. We practice every month in Taunton and last year performed at the Christmas Festival in Cirencester. We thank our current Conductors: Diane, Fiona, Heather & Roy for their hard work, 3 of whom are here today. We are now practicing for our 2025 concerts: Taunton in September and Honiton in October which we hope to see many of you attend. Tickets will be available soon from the venue box offices.
Last year I reported that we had 300 followers on our SW Facebook page – this has now risen to 580! Please continue to let me know what you have going on so that we can advertise it for you and also send me details and photos after an event so we can post these too.
When I started as Secretary 2 years ago, I said I hoped to get around the region to other events. In 2024 I managed to go to Swindon in June to see a Bell-Tide Concert and also to Hereford to the Burghill Rally in November – I’m still thanking Diane, Beverley & Roy for coming with me and agreeing to ring a carol with no rehearsal. It was fun, which to me is what ringing is all about.
I’m sure many of you will remember that I had a complaint last year – far too many photos of me in the SW Newsletters! I’m really pleased to say that John heeded my request to pick on someone else as there were hardly any of me in the last few issues, and long may that continue. So this year, no complaints, just thanks to all the committee, for all that each and every one has done and continues to do for each and every one of us members. We are however pleased that John (& Jane) have managed to relinquish some of their National Duties this year; namely Editor (& proof-reader) of Reverberations and also National Sales Manager, we are glad that they are not ready to hang up their SW boots & trailer yet and are continuing on our committee. So much of what goes on behind the scenes for every event is done by them and they both deserve a special thank you from us all.
As you will all know Jane is hanging up her calculator after starting as Treasurer back in early 2007, no volunteer came forward to take over from her, so I agreed to step sideways to the Treasurer role as long as someone took over from me as Secretary. Trish Carne, a past Chair has agreed to be Secretary. I would like to thank Jane for her work as Treasurer for all these years and for agreeing to assist me in getting to grips with the goings on and sorry you might have to wait till 2026 to get an accounts free Christmas & New Year.
Oh, and just one more thing, and I also want to make it clear to everyone that I have no intension of being in the Treasurer role anywhere near 19 years!
Treasurer’s Report – Jane Willis
The finances of the Region continue to be healthy despite some exceptional expenditure on the region’s bells and the purchase of some additional, top note chimes. We showed a £209.38 loss for the year and this was mainly due to repair work on two sets of bells. The handles of the Bampton Whitechapel set needed stiffening and the Maizel Malmark bells required new handles having been badly affected by humidity after being stored in damp conditions whilst out on loan. Despite this, however, the overall assets of the Region increased by just over £1,014.
Our Rallies and Events this year produced a useful surplus of over £1,342 and through the very successful Christmas Festival at Cirencester we were able to make a donation to the Gloucestershire Young Carers organisation of £583.
The Sou’westers ensemble covered their costs during the year and in 2025 we are investing in two concerts, one in Taunton and one in Honiton; the costs for hiring the venues and purchase of music are significant and I hope that the sale of tickets will cover them!
Committee expenses were again controlled by the use of Zoom during the winter months although there have been some travel costs incurred in visiting event and potential event sites.
I need to briefly explain the situation regarding Sales; up until now John, as the National Sales Manager, has been taking the national sales stock to our events and for this, we received a commission on any sales made. As you may know, the National Sales role has recently been transferred to Kris Perruzza and so we will now operate as most regions do, appointing a Regional Sales Manager who will purchase a small stock of items and attend as many of our events as possible. Linda Bones has volunteered to take on this role and we wish her well.
The regional rebate traditionally covers the cost of producing and distributing the Newsletter but this has not been achieved for the past few years as postage and paper costs have increased. Partially with this in mind, the Region proposed an increase to the regional rebate at the 2024 National AGM; this was passed and the rebate was increased from 25% to 50% in 2025.
This will be my last report as I’m now standing down after 19 years as your Treasurer and passing the role to Ann Tyack. I am very grateful to Phil Jolly, our examiner of accounts for his support and he indicated that he is willing to examine the 2025 accounts, so completing 10 years of doing this for us; thank you Phil.
Report of the Regional Representatives to the NEC – John Willis
The NEC held all their meetings during 2024 via Zoom under the chairmanship of Keith Rowland. I hope Keith will not be offended if I say that the meetings are somewhat less analytical of our actions and processes than previously and discussions that previously took many hours are now completed in half a day. They start with a region-by-region review of activities; these are intended to allow NEC reps raise any problems or issues of significance in their region – but tend to be limited to a catalogue of events held and planned.
This is followed by a review of progress on planning National events; of particular significance to us will be the National event in SW Region in 2026. Originally billed as a National Skills Day (so as to reduce the financial burden for those members also wanting to attend the Symposium in Aberdeen), it became clear at the Milton Keynes National Rally that there was as appetite for a weekend event so we now plan to add optional Friday night and Sunday activities. We hope that many SW ringers will join us at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire next April. Bookings will open in October – and we would love to hear from anyone willing to help, to lend equipment, be a steward etc..
The planning of the International Symposium in Aberdeen is in full swing under the Project Manager Martin Winter. The prices have been announced and are on the national website; registrations will open in August under the control of our own Diane Holt and there is a reduced price for ‘early bird’ bookings made up until mid-January.
In the following year, 2027, the HRGB Diamond Jubilee celebration will be hosted by the Northern Bell Orchestra; full details of where and when are awaited.
Financial matters are brought to the NEC by Anthony Hayes, our very able Treasurer. These have included changes to the regional rebate explained by Jane, the creation of a new Fund to assist ringers with special needs to attend events (this was formed from the Nick Ottmann bequest) and changes in banking arrangements.
Regular events such as Ringing Week, UK Bronze, Directors Seminars, Webinars etc are reviewed and authorised and there are reports from the Membership Secretary, Archivist, National Sales Manager, Reverberations Editor etc.
Being an NEC Rep is not particularly onerous – there are only four meetings a year, all on Zoom and it is an opportunity to hear how other Regions do things.
It is an opportunity to influence decisions on how HRGB is run and which matters are given priority. If anyone is interested in attending as an observer, all the meetings are open to members and, who knows you could become the next SW NEC Rep.
