Who can resist a mud kitchen?
I have always argued that the fact that learning to ring in most towers is free, rather than discouraging participation, encourages the "right sort of" participation. I believe that when one enjoys a freebie, one is more inclined to feel gratitude for what is offered rather than entitlement – "I have bought this lesson and it will jolly well be value for money". Also, the recipient of the freebie is more likely to grasp the fundamental contract that sustains a volunteer activity such as bell ringing – "what I take out I put back, with interest if I can manage it". My husband takes the opposite view using, as evidence, the way that people abandon free newspapers on the London tube rather than take them home for someone else to read. I am beginning to come round to his way of thinking.
Our Ring for the King recruits pay for their group lessons - not a lot, but enough to make it a commitment. Obviously, once they can handle independently and attend regular practices in their own towers, then local customs pertain – possibly a pound in the tin each week towards new ropes/ replacement stays or whatever. My band also put an additional pound in a week towards church funds because the congregation is tiny and the heating/light bill large. That was our democratic decision and one that we are happy with. However, when I learned to ring, not so very long ago, there was no payment for group lessons. Does it make a difference in attitude?
These thoughts came to the forefront last week in a different context. I run a forest school toddler group at a local RSPB reserve. We have been offering a fortnightly session between March and October for the past 6 or 7 years and it is usually well attended. However, this year the numbers have fallen away. We wondered if the current economic climate is to blame. At £6 per child (adult carer and baby siblings free) it is not a huge ask, but add to that the petrol to get to a site with no public transport and you are looking at £10 minimum for a morning's entertainment/education. In contrast, one could walk round to the local library and enjoy a free session of music and rhymes and not even have to get very wet in the process. We wondered if the pricing point was too high and, if parents were having to cut back to meet increased essential bills, perhaps Nature Tots was an easy £10 to save. To test the theory we offered a free session. Would the demand be there if the session was free?
12 families, the maximum number allowed, quickly snapped up the free places for their children and others were turned away. Clearly, the demand is there if the good is free. We felt quite pleased with ourselves only to have this satisfaction ripped away when, on the day, a day of clear blue skies and pleasant temperature, only 6 families turned up, and only one of them arrived on time - the rest dribbling in over the course of the first 45 minutes. It seems that if it is free, people do not attempt to "get their money's worth" but treat the session much more casually than usual. It was disappointing because the people who did turn up had a good time and a few mums mentioned that friends had wanted to come but had not been quick enough to grab a place.
What should be our next move? £6 is too expensive, but £0 ( free chocolate milk included) invites selfish people to reserve a place then not use it, thus depriving someone else of the opportunity.
What is the magic price that encourages attendance and does not exclude those on tight budgets? We shall have to trial some alternatives.
As for those bell ringing lessons – does coughing up money make a difference? Are we creating a cohort of ringers who are buying their enjoyment rather than taking it on credit, a credit that they will willingly repay over the next few years?
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