New members are always welcome to join the Guild. To become a Ringing Member, you need to be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up resident members (don’t worry, we can help arrange this for you). Each new member will be ratified at a Guild meeting – this is often at your monthly local district meeting. Ringing members, at the time of joining the Guild, must be able to ring either a tower bell or a pair of handbells in rounds unaided.
Since 2018, Membership categories and subscriptions for the Guild are:
· Honorary Members– someone who doesn’t live in the Diocese, but who has been nominated and seconded to join the Guild by existing members.
· Junior Members – those below the statutory school leaving age who pay a reduced subscription of £3 per annum.
· Adult Members – those between the statutory school leaving age and the statutory pensionable age, who pay a standard subscription of £7 per annum
· Retired Members – those above the statutory pensionable age who pay a reduced subscription of £3 per annum
· BB1948 Members – are existing members who reached 65 on or before 31 December 2012 who are not required to pay a subscription.
· Life Members – those who wish to pay a one-off payment equal to 21 times the annual adult subscription.
· Associate Members – those who are non-ringing and non-voting members, but who wish to support the Guild, may do so for a one-off payment equal to one annual adult subscription of £7
· Non-Resident Life Members – are qualified ringers not resident in the area of the Guild who may become Non-Resident Life Members on payment of a sum to be determined by the Annual General Meeting. Their names are registered on the books of the Guild without payment of any fees during the time they continue to live out of the Diocese. If they move to live in the Diocese then they will become paying members.
The full amount of the Guild subs is payable whenever you join during the year …..This makes it sensible to sign up as early as possible in the year, or be nominated at a meeting early in the year.
Your subs can be paid via your District Secretary, or to the Guild direct by transferring them to the Guild bank account, and the Guild Treasurer really loves members who set up standing orders to pay their subs every year without reminders
Nat West Bank
Sort Code : 60-14-10
Account Number 89898184
Account Name Leicester Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers 1050533
Sadly, the Guild Treasurer is not psychic, and likes it if subs payments to the Guild are coded so that they can be assigned correctly. Therefore, please reference your subs payments with a shortened District name, followed by your own
E.g. HI Nbody
HI – Hinckley
LE – Leicester
MH – Market Harborough
LO – Loughborough
MM – Melton Mowbray
SY – Syston
Benefits of joining the Guild include cover by the Guild Personal Accident Insurance and Public Liability insurances, and a personalised Guild Membership certificate