The Essex Association of Change Ringers   President: The Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Chelmsford

1. Magna Carta 800

I attach for your information our Magna Carta Press Release sent out today to various national media. Quite honestly, although it would be good to get some national coverage, local media is more likely to be interested in what is going on locally so please do issue your own press release to engage your local media and tell then what is happening in your area.

2. FirstPeal2015

We have created a new website to promote the FirstPeal2015 initiative. It contains information for the following:

• The public in explaining what a peal is and the history surrounding it.
• Ringers who are considering ringing their first peals by including encouraging "first peal stories".
• The wider ringing community in how they can publicise and encourage people to take part in this initiative in their local areas.

If your members have any first peal stories they'd like to share to encourage others then please send them to us by using the form on the website (click the loud speaker)! It doesn't need to have happened this year and it doesn't need to be particularly long. A short paragraph will do, although more would be great. Photos are also welcome but please send them to with a note to say which story they refer to. We can't guarantee all stories will be uploaded but we'll try our best!

For inspiration to get you started see the stories already uploaded: http://www.firstpeal2015.org/category/first-peal-stories

3. Heritage Open Days

We are keen to link Heritage Open Days with ringing awareness days in 2016. To do this we need your help with two things please:

(a) Have any of your members run successful ringing awareness or recruitment days linked to Heritage Open Days in the past? If so we'd like to hear from them please so we can put together something for the Ringing World to learn lessons and to encourage others to do the same or similar - please ask your members to contact me direct with any information.

(b) We would like to run a couple of pilots in September this year ahead of rolling out something much bigger next year. We are looking for a rural tower and an urban tower that would like to work with us in September this year to see how it might work. If any of your towers would be interested in working with us this year, please ask them to contact me directly, and as soon as possible.

Please do let me know if there is anything the Council's Public Relations Committee can help you with.

With warmest best wishes,
Kate
Public Relations Officer
Central Council of Church Bell Ringers