The DLS Award 2009 - 2014
The Dorothy L. Sayers Young Lady Ringer of the Year Award for the years 2009 - 2014
Details of awards from 2015 - present, and how to apply, are here
2014 - Kait Jarvis, Western District
Kait Jarvis from Lympsham in Somerset was presented with The Young Ringer of The Year Award by Seona Ford of The Dorothy L Sayers Society on Saturday 30th August 2014 at Holy Trinity, Burrington in Somerset.
Kait rang in a Quarter Peal before the presentation to celebrate her award. She received a cheque which she intends to spend on a Ringing Course, probably Hereford.
Kait loves ringing and has made tremendous progress in a very short time. She rang in The Ringing World National Youth Competition and takes every chance she can to visit new towers.
2013 - Emily Davies, The Marches District
At the meeting of The Marches District held on Saturday, 31st August, Emily Davies of Berriew, a junior member of the District, was presented with The Dorothy L. Sayers Society, Young Lady Ringer Award by Seona Ford, Chairman of the Society. Emily was given a handsome cheque to spend on continuing her ringing progress, a book about Dorothy L Sayers & the Society, with a certificate from the Ladies Guild to mark the occasion.
Emily thanked the President and all who had helped her with her ringing especially Ann & Neil Bennett of Welshpool. Thanks are also due to Rachel Hamer for introducing Emily and her older sister Laura to the Ladies Guild.
During the afternoon, local ringers supplied tea and cake, which together with the glorious weather helped to make a perfect day. The meeting was held on a beautiful day in the Corvedale Valley between Ludlow & Bridgnorth in Shropshire. Members were joined by Elizabeth Davey, National President of the Ladies Guild plus members of the DLS Society together with Andrew, Emily's Dad, and Ann and Neil. Ringing took place at Tugford & Chetton. After lunch at The Down Inn, near Bridgnorth we moved to Morville for the meeting, the presentation and then for ringing.
2012 - Catherine Richardson, Eastern District
The 2012 award went back to Eastern District. Their newsletter announced: "Fantastic news: We have another Dorothy L. Sayers Young Ringer of the Year winner!! Catherine Richardson from Linton, Cambridgeshire, has had notification that she has won the DLS award and she is delighted. She has chosen to attend the Bradfield Ringing Course in Berkshire in August. Our warmest congratulations to her!"
The award was presented to Catherine by the vice chairman of the Dorothy L. Sayers Society at the Ladies Guild centenary service held at Christ Church, Isle of Dogs at the end of the London Ringing day on 28th April. Catherine attended the course in August and, as several other Ladies Guild members were there as helpers, they achieved a quarter peal of Grandsire Doubles with Catherine on the 4th.
The 2012 award attracted so many good entries that our president Jan Wyatt decided to award two runners up as well as the winner. These awards went to Chloe Jones, of Lancaster, and Alice Moden, of Chatteris, Cambridgeshire who also rings in Canterbury.
2011 - Leah Gill, Western District
The award was continued in 2011 and this time went to the Western District. The presentation was made at SS Quericus & Julietta, Tickenham, Somerset to Leah Gill aged 11 years of Portishead. Members of the Dorothy L. Sayers Society and The Ladies' Guild plus members of Leah’s family gathered to see Christopher Dean, Chairman of the DLS Society present ringing books and poetry books to Leah along with a cheque to allow her to attend a ringing course later in the year.A proposal was made at the Ladies' Guild 2011 AGM by Janet Wyatt that, if the DLS Society should in the future not continue with the award, it should be continued and be funded by the Guild as a way of encouraging younger members. This led to discussion about how to advertise it on the website with an application form and rules. This was agreed unanimously, and the award would be advertised in this way for 2012 when the DLS Society were again funding the award. It was also considered whether the Guild should be prepared to fund the expenses of a parent or guardian travelling with the chosen young ringer if she is 18 or under.
2010 - Fliss Lister, Northants (now South Midlands) District
In 2010 there was another award from the Dorothy L. Sayers Society and members were encouraged to attend the presentation by Dame Norma Major at Bluntisham in Cambridgeshire on 26th June. The winner this year was Fliss Lister, a student from Northants District. Due to her exams she was unable to attend the Hereford Course but went in July to the Keele Course in the Stedman Group, with her husband Dan who was also learning to ring.
2009 - the first award to Chloe Guthrie, Eastern District
This award came about as the result of an invitation from the Dorothy L Sayers Society to the Ladies' Guild to attend a service at St Margaret’s, Westminster to mark the 50th anniversary of the author’s death. 50 years earlier there had been a Memorial Service for her at St Margaret’s though her actual grave is under the tower of St Anne’s, Soho.
The Ladies' Guild were invited because Dorothy L Sayers had spent some time learning to ring and visiting towers to get background for her book, The Nine Tailors. The Ladies' Guild played a significant part in her learning and at their Jubilee Dinner in 1937 she was guest of honour and was elected an honorary member of the Guild.
The invitation was circulated to all districts and January 15th 2008 saw members from Cumbria, Jersey, Kent, East Midlands, East, South and West all converging on the capital. Theo Crowder from Eastern District described the event as ‘A Very Special Day’. Such a splendid turnout by the Ladies’ Guild so impressed the Society that they decided to make an award the following year to enable a young female ringer to attend a training course.
An Eastern District member, Chloe Guthrie aged 11, was selected after writing an excellent application and was able to attend the Hereford Ringing Course. Her grandmother, Betty Taylor, another district member, was able to accompany her. The presentation was made at Bluntisham, Cambridgeshire, which was the parish where Dorothy L Sayers lived for 20 years while her father was rector. It became the inspiration for her novel, The Nine Tailors. The presentation was by Dame Norma Major an ex ringer and supporter of the Guild. Betty Baines wrote in the Eastern District annual report "The ceremony was reported in newspapers, blogs and internet news sites and was fantastic publicity for ringing and the Ladies Guild."
