THE GUARDIAN & MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS EX-COMPOSING AND ATD&H CHAPEL
Chapel Clerk’s Report of Meeting held JANUARY 8th, 2022
Gentlemen
Thanks to the 19 Members who stuck two fingers up to the epidemic and the weather and turned up for last Saturday’s Meeting – one Member making the hazardous journey all the way from the Lake District. This Member must remain anonymous unless he cares to share his experience of just how hazardous the journey was, culminating as it did with him breaking his hand when alighting from the train on the homeward journey!
Although the Meeting was an enjoyable occasion, it was somewhat subdued due to the poor turnout which, unfortunately, was a record all-time low. (The record all-time high stands at 64.) The poor turnout was due mainly to several Members having to isolate for various reasons and several other Members being poorly, although, as far as I’m aware, nothing too serious.
Because of the low turn-out your glorious FoC and my very good self felt that it wouldn’t be appropriate to carry out the usual Chapel business, as that would have included the eulogy and silence for John Hope, and we felt that John, being a founder Member and regular attender, deserved a better hearing. This will be attended to at the next Meeting when it is hoped for a much-improved attendance.
To those who went home bitterly disappointed at being deprived of the FoC’s monologue, I can assure you that he will be making up for it at the next Meeting with one at least twice as long – and wouldn’t be surprised if he’s already started work on it.
Quite a few Members who can’t make the Meetings have asked me to convey their regards and best wishes to the Chapel on many occasions, and this is something which I have neglected to do in the past. But for Saturday’s Meeting I had made a note of them and intended to read them out prior to the aforesaid monologue, but of course that didn’t happen. So the Members listed below are those who sent their good wishes this time (apologies if I’ve omitted anyone):
Alan Wilkinson
Chris Winstanley
Jim Berry
John Heaney
Malcolm Machin
Mel Humphreys
Peter Bradley
Peter Daysh
Peter Laundon
Steve McHugh
Stuart Kidd
Tony Wareham
Stan Roe
Mike (and Gilly) Clempner
Gill has informed me that in the next few weeks she and Mike are moving back from Derbyshire to live in an apartment in Castlefield. Gill has got a job with Holt’s brewery but she hasn’t elaborated on what the job is. I did ask her if there would be any free samples for me – but so far she’s not responded to that!
In the absence of Official Chapel Photographer Peter Bradley, Paul Bayley gamely stepped in, and his efforts are already posted on the website. I noticed that it looks like heads and faces are missing in some of the pics and, looking through the pics from previous Meetings, find the same thing happening. For anybody who has not yet realised, if you click on the pics you will be able to view them in all their full horrific technicolour detail.
Maybe Chapel Webmeister Mark-of-the-Broken-Hand (oops!) Laverty can explain the reason why the full image cannot be shown without clicking on it. Or maybe he can rectify it – if the broken hand isn’t his mouse hand of course!
The two remaining Meetings for 2022 are now confirmed as May 14 and September 10. Please do not at this stage intimate intention of attendance or non-attendance on these dates. They will, of course, be circulated nearer the time.
SB, Chapel Clerk (unremunerated)
