My name is Molly. I’m 18 years old and I was part of the only team that represented Scotland in the National Youth Striking Competition in London in 2016. Training and practising as part of the youth band is never easy as we live in different locations all over the country, and
some of us are not close to any of the few towers Scotland has. (I’m from Aberdeen and I am studying at university in Orkney!) This means that every practice counts, as meet-ups aren’t frequent, are usually at SACR events, and depend on how many of us can make it.

During the build up to the competition we worked on ringing consistently as a team, re-arranging and shuffling who took which bell to find the best combination. We needed to make it work as there were no spare ringers to step in. One of our early practices focused on pulling off correctly and listening to the bells so we could perfect our timing. We rang a quarter peal (my first one) which helped us focus for a long period and get used to ringing with each other. We then took part in the SACR Striking Competition (2016), winning the trophy for best
inexperienced band and third overall.

Tartan Spartans on the London Eye

The trip to London was a great experience in itself as the Tartan Spartans (as we call ourselves) got to hang out and spend some time together, which doesn’t happen often. I am excited for the next meet-up so we can keep improving as a band and have some more fun doing it.

This article first appeared in the April edition of Tower Talk. To download the whole edition, or subscribe to future free copies (sent by email quarterly), please click here!