Pip started ringing at the age of 47 as part of the Ring in the Millennium project and was not impressed with her early learning experiences! Her profession was physiotherapist, working in rehabilitation. She decided to bring her knowledge of teaching physical skills from the world of patient treatment to the teaching of bell handling.
In 2002 she became a member of the Central Council Education Committee and began developing the Ringing Practice Toolkit on- line teaching resource. She also started teaching young ringers putting her ideas into practise. Pip then started a group with other young ringers – January 2004 saw the inaugural meeting of Kids.Ring.Out.[KRO] This group communicated by e-mail, a newish idea within ringing at the time! KRO organised tours, outings and courses. The young ringers progressed well and in 2006 K.R.O. won the Founders Prize for the Encouragement of Young Ringers.
As the young ringers from KRO matured some of them approached Pip, asking her to teach them to teach bell handling. It was this experience which made her realise that new teachers would need mentoring until such time that they became competent and confident. This idea was later incorporated into the Integrated Teacher Training Scheme [ITTS] that Pip then developed: the first pilot course held October 2009.
Over the next few years the new teaching scheme grew The Association of Ringing Teachers [ART] as a professional body for those ringing teachers who were ITTS trained and accredited was established. Pip became the first Chairman of ART in 2012.
Since stepping down as Chairman of ART in 2016 Pip has published two books A Ringers’ Guide to Learning the Ropes and A Teachers’ Guide to Learning the Ropes. She has also worked with others on the development of a series of workshops, which can be presented nationwide by ART workshop leaders.
This entry was written in March 2022.
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