Training Funds Give New Tower Firm Foundation

It was early afternoon Jan. 21 in Atlanta when my cell phone rang, the screen indicating “Louisiana.” The most effervescent voice I had (not) heard in a long time came across the miles.

“I just had to call and thank you,” said Candace Higginbotham of Shreveport, La.

“We just put our tutor Andrew Nelson back on the plane home to England, and I had to thank you all for making it possible for us to have him come and help us.”

“He was so wonderful – we thought he would be able to help a few of us along, but he was teaching all day, from 9 am to 7 p.m. and later. He worked with 14 to 16 of us every day, for a total of over 36 ringers —including two 10-year-olds! And last night he had seven of us ringing rounds and called changes!”

Rosemary Cole of the Shreveport band said, “By helping us to bring Andrew Nelson here for a prolonged training period, the NAGCR made it possible for him to ‘jump start’ over 12 new ringers and bring the rest of us to a level we had not believed we could reach in such a short time.”

“This was wonderful!,” said Lynn Yancey, also of Shreveport, “I never expected to progress this fast.”

Edwin Higginbotham of the band commented, “Several of us had been given a great foundation from our friends in the towers in Little Rock, Texarkana, Dallas and Houston. This allowed us to build rapidly on their teachings in an intensive effort and bring in new ringers as well.”

Shreveport, our newest North American tower, is the only band ever to request the NAGCR tutorial funds we have budgeted every year since the beginning of 2008.

We officers have announced and encouraged and talked up the Funds at ringing events, but only Shreveport has ever taken the plunge and written the magic e-mail to make something magic happen for themselves.

Training funds give new tower a firm foundation

This glowing success story is shared with Shreveport’s permission to remind all of possibilities for your towers, and to encourage more of our new and rebuilding NAGCR-affiliated bands to make a plan and apply for the funds.

Would you like to import a tutor for your band? Many British ringers love coming over to us when their winter weather isn’t the best.

Have you been wishing for a simulator for your tower? They’re much easier to install than you might think, actually, and such a help when you need a steady band to help learn a method.

Whatever your dream for your band, your North American Guild wants to help you achieve it.

So, please dream, and write to us – soon!

For more information about training funds for North American towers, contact Lyn Barnett at president@nagcr.org.