The Newsletter No. 49 ARM Special 2007

If you don't read anything else in this Newsletter, you must read the note from the Squire, it will remain apposite for a long time!

Welcome to Longslade Community College, Birstall for the Morris Ring ARM 2007. This Newsletter contains:
Timetable for the Weekend
Agenda for ARM
and attached as Appendices are:
Minutes for the Morris Ring ARM 2006
Morris Ring Accounts for 2006 Not available via the Web
Along with this Newsletter you will receive a (paper) copy of the Morris Ring Handbook 2007. The handbook is not produced in Web form, it includes the Constitution of the Morris Ring, lists of Member and Associate Clubs, past Officers, etc. and some other information that might be helpful to the Bagman of your side. Information that was either obsolete or more usefully available from this Web site has been omitted.

As an appendix of the Morris Ring handbook 2007 is a paper copy of the contact details of Officers (past and present) and Member and Associate Sides of the Morris Ring. This has ONLY been produced for those attending the ARM to illustrate the problems of producing a hard copy of something that is so incredibly fluid. (Between preparing the Draft copy and printing this copy some 48 hours four up-dates had to be made.)

Housekeeping for the ARM Weekend

Reception / Information

All visitors are required to sign in at the Reception table in the main entrance area. You will have be given this information along with the ordered Meal Tickets. If you have any problems concerning accommodation, housekeeping or the local area throughout the weekend this is your first point of reference or simply ask one of the Leicester Men.

Parking

Cars etc must only be parked in designated areas they must not be left on the roundabout, internal access roads (Fire Regulations.) or round the back of the main building (reserved for catering and other staff).

Fire Alarm

You will recognize it if there is a Fire Alarm it is a deafening howling siren. If this goes off we must evacuate the building and congregate on the car park near the roundabout (top of the main drive). Please do not attempt to re-enter the building until you are told that it is safe so to do by the Fire Service.

Security

We are taking this extremely seriously. Even though it is a semi-rural site we employing a security guard for the majority of the weekend. He will monitor the cars and generally keep an eye on what is a large site. You still have to take sensible responsibility for your personal possessions and report anything or anybody suspicious to the Reception Desk.

BAR

Should you require to purchase beer the bar is just on your right as you go into the Main Hall. It will be open at appropriate times.

Meals

All meals will be taken in the Main Hall at or between the times on the timetable. (Meal Tickets will be required)

Accommodation

This is in classrooms on the two floors up the stairs from the main entrance. We can only use those classrooms that are labelled please do not attempt to enter any other rooms these may be alarmed.

Toilets

There are toilets off the main entrance area and on the first floor. Use both Gents and Ladies. Please report any problems with these facilities to any Leicester man so that we can get them sorted a.s.a.p.

Showers

There are showers available for our use. These are along the corridor that runs through the Main Hall, turn LEFT at the end of the corridor and the showers are on your right. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TURN RIGHT AT THIS POINT AS THE AREA WILL BE ALARMED.

Morris Shop

This will be situated in the Main Hall to your left as you go in. As with the Bar it will open at appropriate times.

Meeting Venues

Public Relations Presentation by Stephen Rowley: Main Hall.
The Area Meetings will be:
Conference Room: East; North and South-East
Main Hall: North West; South West & Wales; West Midlands; North East & South Midlands
Foyer: North Midlands
ARM will be in the Main Hall.

Please respect the fact that this is a non-smoking building

Message from the Squire

A warm welcome to representatives of sides from around the country and of course your area reps who no doubt have, like the Ring Officers, been busy throughout the year working on your behalf.

The work that we do is to support you in what you wish to do and to strengthen the tradition and practice of the Morris in all its guises and manifestations. This includes its imageand promotion, the conditions for it to thrive for future generations and for it once again to be a true expression of the people and communities.

As one of the few long standing cultural traditions of this country with all of its regional variety and richness it is essential that it should be encouraged, protected and above all practiced, especially in a climate of increasing international culture, balance, tolerance, political correctness, change and exposure to the new and imported cultures.

Nowhere is this more important than in schools and amongst the young where exposure to our English culture is paramount, particularly from around the age of seven where the seeds need to be sewn.

The real challenge however is amongst the 11-18 age range where there is a need to grow youth sides that can engage with there own age group in a given area and hopefully inspire those moving to colleges and universities to form groups or engage with local sides.

Our future and the future of the Morris as a vital dance form is dependant on us taking on the challenge, nobody is going to do it for us and doing nothing is not an answer, especially considering the high average age of many Ring sides and the image that that often generates amongst the young. It is a dance or die situation.

The PR workshop followed by the Area Reps Meetings during the morning will give you an opportunity to put together ideas and strategies to take this process forward to your own sides and local sides within your region, where cluster groups can be formed to develop youth training and recruitment sides to demonstrate in schools.

A Youth Forum is being planned to facilitate the growth and involvement of Youth Morris.

The Joint Morris Organisations Biannual Showcase Event Birmingham, 'Birmingham's Big Morris Caper' 14th April, which we are organising, is our first showcase event where we are specificallyfocussing onYouth and the Future of the Morris.

Youth and school sides will be taking part and displays and costume making will be taking place in the 'Centre for the Child' in the Birmingham Central Library and displays and taster sessions with exposure to folk culture, seasonal festivals and folk arts objects within the galleries of the Birmingham Museum and ArtGallery.

Emphasis is also being made on training young sides to perform in the 2012 Olympic year. At Birmingham, the young Chipping Campden side will be taking part, who in 2012 will be celebrating the 400th Anniversary of the first ever English Olympic Games, The Cotswold Olimpicks or Dover Games. Border sides it is hoped will dance 'Much Wenlock', to commemorate the Wenlock Olympic Association founded in 1850 on which the modern French revival Games are based.

So far we have almost reached are target of 50 sides for Birmingham, so if you are still sitting on the fence now is your time to jump.

Associate Membership The Officers of the Morris Ring in consultation with others have considered the issue and this is the interpretation we propose:
Associate Membership:
Associate membership, subject to the scrutiny of the Morris Ring elected officers, is open to male performing Morris (incl. sword, rapper, molly, mumming etc) sides,who we wish to encourage to attend Morris Ring events and eventually aspire to full membership.

Their attendance at A.R.Ms is also to be encouraged. However, it remains that voting on Morris Ring matters is for Morris Ring members only.

Associates attendance at Morris Ring functions is conditional on the fact that, as a male organisation, we can only accept male attendees. The only exceptions are some musicians workshops and instructionals where we are encouraginga wider attendance. The parameters and flexibility remain at the discretion of the host organising body and the Morris Ring elected officers and conditions may apply due to the rules of hiring particular venues. Associate Members receive our publications, currently the Morris Newsletter and the Morris Circular and UK members our Joint Morris Organisation public liability Insurance.

Folk Plays Archive Report To The Morris Ring Arm 2007.

Another year of steady growth and improvement boring. Acknowledgements first. Continued copious help from Chris Little of the Traditional Drama Research Group. Rod Hobs of Shakespeare Morris has once again donated his skills as a bookbinder and Geoffrey Mendham has given us copy of Percy Maylams rare book The Hooden Horse: An East Kent Christmas Custom.

For me, the exiting event was my purchase on E-Bay of the front cover of the Illustrated News of the World for the 7 of January 1860 with an apparently unknown engraving titled 'The Mummers: New Years Day in the North of England'. It turned out to depict ten sword-dancers apparently using real swords. This is now the subject of speculation, and Ivor Allsop has the ball at the moment. He says that the hats look very like those worn by the Bellerby team.

It was unexpected, but bundled with this came two large sheets of photographs, one from The Sphere of August 2 1913 with six photos of Morris, and one from The Graphic for February 5, 1910, which may be of interest to someone researching the Esperance movement. This includes a photo, apparently of Abingdon who are dancing Bean Setting.

My grateful thanks to everyone who has helped me please keep it up.

Morris 18-30

Now celebrating their 5^th year Morris 18-30 recently enjoyed a successful weekend hosted by the Men of Wight. Over the weekend they discussed the future of the group and recognised the need to communicate the aims of the group to the rest of the Morris Ring. Ben Robinson (of Packington Morris Men) was appointed spokesman and his first task was to gather a group of interested individuals from within the core Morris 18-30 as a steering group to clarify what Morris 18-30 is all about. They came up with this mission statement:

Morris 18-30 provides a network for young Morris Men. Its primary activity is to organise an annual weekend, hosted by a Morris Ring side, to which all young Morris Men are invited. Morris 18-30 also seeks to represent the views of all young Morris Men.

The aim is to encourage a group of energetic young men who whilst representing their own local teams, can dance together to push the Morris Ring into the future.

The date for the Morris 18-30 Weekend 2007 has now been set - 12^th-14^th October, hosted by Ebor Morris, based in York. More info on www.morris1830.org, or contact this years Squire,

Conclusion

Future Ring Meetings

We are always looking for sides to host ARMs and organise future Ring Meetings, provisionally booked sides and dates are listed below. If your side might be interested in hosting a Ring Meeting to mark an anniversary or simply for the hell of it I can let you have a set of guidelines so that you have some idea of what you are letting yourself in for!

Instructionals

Why don't you organise this or that instructional? If your side is interested in organizing an Instructional the Officers of the Morris Ring will do everything in our power to help and encourage you. I can provide notes of guidance and there are lots of very experienced dancers / teachers in the various Ring sides who would be more than willing to come along to your side or group of sides to teach their take on any tradition. Instructionals are about sowing the seeds, laying the foundations upon which your own club can build. They are not about one way being right or better than another.

Thanks

On behalf of the Officers of the Morris Ring I would like to record my thanks to the people who have helped to make this weekend possible:
The Principal and staff of Longslade Community College for allowing us to use the place especially Lyndsay, Nigel and his catering team, Brian the Site Manager
Paul and Dax of Out of the Vaults one of the best real pubs in Leicester for supplying the beer.
Ian Hubbard and the rest of Leicester Morrismen for agreeing to act as Hosts

Timetable for ARM Weekend

Friday

17-00 School Reception opens.
The evening is set aside for the usual mixture of informal conversation, interspersed with dancing, singing and drinking as the mood takes you. 18.30 22.00 Food available

Saturday

07-30 to 09-00 Breakfast.
9.00 - 10.30 Public Relations Presentation by Stephen Rowley
10.30 - 11.00 Morning Tea/Coffee.
11.30 - 12noon Area Reps Meeting
12.15 - 13.00 Annual Reps. Meeting Part 1.
13.00 - 14.15 LUNCH
14.15 - 16.00 Annual Reps. Meeting Part 2
16.00 - 16.30 Afternoon Tea/ Coffee/Cake
16.30 - 17.30 Advisory Council Meeting.
19.00 - FEAST (followed by informal dancing/singing)

Sunday

08.00 onwards Breakfast.

The Morris Ring Annual Representatives Meeting 2007

Saturday 3^rd March 2007 at 12.00 noon [Preceded by Area Meetings at 11.00am] Hosted by Leicester Morrismen at the Longslade Community College, Birstall.

AGENDA

1. Apologies for Absence.
2. Minutes of the last Meeting - held on 4^th March 2006 at Wyvern Community School
3. Matters arising from the Minutes.
   • Morris Ring Handbook & Contact list Status of Associate Membership
   • Prop Ron Shuttleworth (Coventry Mummers) Sec. Barry Care (Past Squire) That the meeting accept the summary of membership benefits as an interim measure and discuss / ratify at next ARM.
   • National Memorial Arboretum
4. Squire's Report.
5. Bagman's Report.
6. Treasurers Report and proposed subscriptions for next year
7. Archival Reports.
   1. Chair of Archive Committee John Frearson
   2. b. Paper. Chris Metherell
   3. c. Photographic Duncan Broomhead .
   4. d. Mumming. Ron Shuttleworth
   5. e. Sword Ivor Allsop
   6. f. New Dance Collator Vacant
   7. g. Keeper of the Ring Scrapbook Keith Francis
8. Publication Officers Report.
   • Publications Editor Morris Circular Harry Stevenson
   • Publications Editor Morris Dancer Vacant
9. Overseas Bagman's / Webmaster's Reports.
10. Election / Ratification of Area Representatives.
    • Those due for three yearly re-election [next election / re-election due in 2010];
    • Area Rep.: East (2007) Graham Cox
    • Area Rep.: North East (2007) Brian Pollard
    • Area Rep.: South East (2007) Fred Hands
11. Area Representatives Reports.
    1. North West
    2. Northern.
    3. North East.
    4. West Midlands.
    5. North Midlands.
    6. Eastern.
    7. South West and Wales.
    8. South Midlands.
    9. South East.
12. Election of Bagman.
    No nominations received by appropriate date.
13. Future Programme.
    1. Ring Meetings 2007 and beyond.
    2. b. Instructionals.
14. Date and Venue of Next Meeting.
15. A.O.B.

The Meeting of the Morris Ring Advisory Council will follow the ARM.

2007

2^nd - 4^th March ARM Hosted By Leicester Morrismen

14^th April 3 orgs. event. Birmingham
1^st - 3^rd June 309 Thaxted John Bull Morris Ring Meeting
29^th June - 1^st July 310 Ripley 25^th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting
20^th - 22^nd July 311 Stafford 50^th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting
31^st Aug - 2^nd Sept. 312 Tunbridge Geoff Metcalf Morris Ring Meeting

2008

7^th - 9^th March (?) ARM - Hosted By
30^th May - 1^st June 313 Thaxted Morris Ring Meeting
4^th - 6^th July 314 Whitchurch MM 60^th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting
11^th - 13^th July 315 Mersey MM 80^th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting
25th - 27th July 316 Long Man MM
5^th - 7^th Sept. 317 Dartington MM 40^th Anniversary Morris Ring Meeting

2009

THE MORRIS RINGS 75^th ANNIVERSARY
6^th - 8^th March (?) ARM Hosted By TBA
? April 3 orgs. event
29^th May - 31^st May 318 Thaxted Morris Ring Meeting
TBA 319 Harthill Morris Ring Meeting
24^th - 26^th July 320 Exeter Morris Ring Meeting
TBA September 321 Bathampton MM 75^th Anniv. Morris Ring Meeting

2010

5^th - 7^th March (?) ARM Hosted by TBA
4^th June - 6^th June Thaxted Morris Ring Meeting

2011

4^th - 6^th March (?) ARM Hosted By TBA
3^rd June - 5^th June Thaxted Centenary Morris Ring Meeting
TBA Bristol 60^th Anniv. Morris Ring Meeting

2012

3^rd - 5^th March (?) ARM Hosted by TBA
25^th - 27^th May Chipping Campden Cotswold Olympic Morris Ring Meeting
1^st June - 3^rd June Thaxted Morris Ring Meeting
27^th - 29^th July Hartley 60^thAnniv. Morris Ring Meeting