Note from the Chapel Clerk:
Gentlemen
Thanks to the few Members who bothered to attend the recent Meeting.
Although poorly attended, the Meeting was as always a great success and a very enjoyable afternoon, the highlight being our unremunerated FoC’s entertaining monologue. The serious part of this of course was the report of our two Members recently passed – Tony Dee and Brian Eckersley. The aforesaid FoC, Gerry Dodd, spoke warmly about his memories of Tony, and then John Heaney reminisced about Brian, with the emphasis on his love for running and competitiveness. As is the custom, a minute’s silence was then held as a mark of respect for our departed friends and colleagues.
I was bitterly disappointed by the huge number who stayed away and was sorely tempted to pack it in there and then. In all, 18 Members attended out of the current total of 68 on my list. I am aware that because of distance and health issues a few of these on the list cannot ever attend, but most disappointing and disheartening to me was the sheer numbers who excused attendance due to holidays. After the disappointing January Meeting I did suggest that except for the January Meeting, when nobody would be on holiday anyway, there were only another two Saturdays in the year to avoid being on holiday – second in May and second in January – and if Members weren’t prepared to keep these dates free I didn’t feel I was getting the commitment that the time and effort I put in deserve.
I still feel that way and have come to a decision regarding the future of the Meetings, which is if there is not a significant improvement for the January Meeting I am not prepared to carry on. I would of course welcome anyone who is willing to take on this thankless task but I have really had enough disappointment. Any volunteers?
It has been suggested that the steep stairs to the upper floor of the A&A deter some Members from attending, and that we should look elsewhere. I would be prepared to do this if I could be confident of reasonable attendances, but I am not prepared to approach pub managers for the free hire of a room with a bar only to find a handful of Members turning up. I would, though, be grateful if anyone who doesn’t attend due to the stairs could let me know if he would attend regularly if a ground floor venue could be found. Please let me know as soon as possible if this applies to you.
Bill
