Members
Individual ringers in the towers in the area represented by the branches of this Association may become members by paying a small annual subscription. This gives them access to events and training offered by the Association. The W&DCRA itself is affiliated to the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers ( C.C.C.B.R ) a Worldwide organisation representing the interests change ringers. It produces a weekly magazine ‘The Ringing World’ carrying articles about ringing.
Branches
The Association is divided into three branches, Northern, Western and Southern. Each branch holds two quarterly meetings and a branch Annual General Meeting, where a small committee is elected to conduct the business of the branch. The Association Master and Association General Secretary are also members of the Branch Managment Committee. The fourth quarterly meeting is the AGM of the Association.
Quarterly meeting give paid up members the opportunity to have their say in the proceedings of the Association. The standard format for Quarterly meetings is a period of ringing where attendees have the opportunity to take a rope, followed a short service with hymns. This is followed by a refreshments commonly known as a ‘Ringers Tea’. The quarterly business meeting follows the tea. Afterwards the bells are made available for more practice.
Managment Committee
The Association Managment Committee consists of the Association’s principal officers plus up to Three other members all of whom are elected at the Association AGM plus Nine members from the branches. Each branch is represented by the Branch Secretary and Branch Master plus one other delegate from who has been elected at the branch AGM.
The officers of the Managment Committee are Trustee’s of the Belfry Repairs Fund ( B.R.F. ) They appoint a “Clerk to the Trustees” who acts as secretary for the BRF.
As a registered charity the BRF Trustee’s have to administer the fund to meet the strict guidelines laid down by the Charities Commission.
The Managment Committee appoint members of the Belfry Advisory Panel ( B.A.P. ) A small group of experienced ringers who advise towers on matters relating to the bells. The work of the BAP is administered by the “Convenor”.
The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
The W&DCRA’s representation on the Central Council of Church Bell Ringers ( C.C.C.B.R. ) comprises of four delegates. The number of delegates is proportional to the numbers of members in the affiliated Guild or Association. In the WDCRA each branch elects one delegate and the fourth person is elected by the Managment Committee.
Finance
The diagram below shows the major cash flow paths into and between the two funds within the Association. Please consult the paper version of the Annual Report which contains all the financial details of the two funds. Rule 17, details the expenses officers are entitled to claim. Inspection of the accounts reveals this rarely happens and the individual officers work on your behalf without remuneration.
General Fund
Members subscriptions are paid in to the General fund. This is used to finance the day to day running of the organisation. A major outlay is the printing of the Annual Report. Money is transferred through the fund for such things as the Annual Dinner. These item are not shown on the diagram as they are generally self financing or small in nature. The Managment Committee decide when and how much of any surplus to transfer to the B.R.F. This is a one way process, as money in the B.R.F cannot be used to meet any shortfall in the general fund. Detailed accounts appear in the printed annual report.
Belfry Repairs Fund
The Belfry Repairs Fund (B.R.F.) is a charity and is subject to the strict rules of the Charities Commission. Members of the Managment Committee form the trustees of the B.R.F. The fund receives income from the surplus made by the operation of the 300 Club and directly from the Parochial Church Council (P.C.C.) of affiliated towers. Individuals and towers often make significant donations to the fund. Another source of income can be from the Estates of deceased members.
Towers can apply for assistance from the fund to help with repair, augmentation, sound control and improvement projects. The fund does not provide money towards the replacement of bellropes.
The full scope of the fund is detailed in the Association rules which are printed every two years in the Annual Report and a copy is available in the online report on this web site.