 |
The Sobell Bridge Club |  |
|
The Sobell Bridge Club | |
[ Home | Results | Calendar | Weekends | About Bridge | Noticeboard | Links | Contacts | Map]
Sobell Bridge Club
Newsletter
Issue
No.5 - September 2003
Message from the Secretary
As most of you will be aware, since Stan’s sad death, we have been operating without a Chairman. We have been lucky in that the constitution, however wrong, seems to allow us to run without a Chairman up to the next AGM, and also that Stan was so good at delegating, and getting people to volunteer, that the club operates smoothly day-to-day without a Chairman.
However, this is no use for the future of the club. We need a person at the helm to direct, with the committee, the wellbeing of the club. We have asked for nominations. So far we have received two, both saying ‘only if no-one else is available’.
As an ordinary member, not as secretary, I would like to nominate our Treasurer, Ken Short, as the next Chairman. Ken is one of the founder members of the club, in there at the beginning with Stan and Charles Buszard, and has been Treasurer from the start. Having seen him in action I know he can run a meeting, and it is obvious to all that he has the interests of the club at heart.
11 years is a long time to perform the duties of Treasurer, surely the most difficult job in the club. It is time for Ken to retire, and for someone else to take on the burden. However, I know Ken would not accept an idle retirement, and the job of Chairman should continue to keep him busy.
I realise there is one difficulty in all this, and that is why I am writing this. Is there anyone out there who is willing to become Treasurer? Please contact any of the committee if you are.
The
Club’s History
Amongst Stan’s effects we found a document he had written at the time of the club’s tenth anniversary, relating to the history of the club up to that point. For some reason, he had not shown it to any of us. This is a shame as I, for one, found it fascinating to read how the club started and developed in the early days.
I have added a few paragraphs to bring the history up to
date, and it is now published on our web site www.sobell-bridge-club.fsnet.co.uk.
It is also on the notice board in the Olwen Bettesworth Hall, and
I’ll put a copy in the Annexe when we are back in there. If
anyone wants a copy, just contact me and I’ll print one off.
The Annexe
It looks like we will be able to return to the Annexe on September 23rd.
As a result of the changes, space is more restricted than before. We won’t know just how many tables we can take until we move back, but I estimate that we should cope with the normal Friday numbers of up to 11 tables, but anything beyond that may be too ‘cosy’.
When we move in, you will notice quite a difference in the place. One of the purposes of the refurbishment is to make the main room more suitable for seminars and actual training, and the room will be rented to outside parties for this purpose. In this way the room will become another source of income for the Friends.
Secondly, the office is a little more organised as a
working environment. This is an initiative by the new Chairman of
the Friends, Joe Sandercock. He feels the Friends’ workers
should have a better environment to work in, so they now have
better desks and computers, and the water cooler.
For us, this means we have a responsibility to keep the place
decent. You will notice there are new chairs with armrests that
have little folding sidetables attached. I strongly recommend you
do not use these tables. Firstly, they seem a little fragile, and
secondly it is pound to a penny that if you rest your coffee on
the sidetable, someone will knock it off as they move from one
table to the next. The new carpet is sort of coffee-coloured, but
I still think it will show up any stains we may make.
Just remember, we use the Annexe at the invitation of the Friends. If we make the place grubby, the Friends would be justified in throwing us out because we are jeopardising their income.
Finally, thanks to all, especially Liz Crook, for making
the best of our time in the Day Centre, and particular thanks
should go to the Sobell nurses for putting up with us.
Bridge Weekend
A Bridge Weekend has been arranged for 14th-17th
November at the Marriott Hotel in Peterborough. For further
details please contact Joan Prior on 01923 822939.
Bridge Supper
The next Bridge Supper will be on Saturday, 6th December which, being near to Christmas, we hope to make a festive occasion.
[ Home | Results | Calendar | Weekends | About Bridge | Noticeboard | Links | Contacts | Map]