GROUP NEWS 2008

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

On April 12, Brentwood Ramblers celebrated its 40 th Anniversary in grand style at Blackmore Village Hall. Over 110 members, young & old, attended the reunion.

The day started with a choice of 2 walks. Then at lunchtime, we enjoyed a hog roast and there was the chance to chat to old friends, before we had short presentations from past & present chairmen taking us through 40 years of Brentwood Ramblers history. We were delighted that two of our longest serving members were on hand to cut the celebratory cake.

JURASSIC COAST-SIDMOUTH, DEVON – APRIL

The Devon countryside is fantastic in April - even in the rain - but it was better still when the sun shone, which it did most of the time. Sidmouth is a delightful, unspoilt sea-side town and the Kingswood Hotel was excellent with delicious food and very friendly staff, which was just what we needed after a days walking in the hills and along the Jurassic coast. As usual, the walks were interesting, varied and quite challenging at times! During the course of the week we organised 2 walks of differing lengths each day with starts from Sidmouth, Budleigh Salterton, Lyme Regis and Beer.

April is a perfect month for walking as the countryside is fresh and green and full f amazing wild flowers, but it is the good company of the 33 in the party that made it such a memorable time.

 

JERSEY WEEK—JUNE

For the first time Brentwood Group went by air, for a week of walking on the coast and inland on the beautiful Channel Islands. Jersey, where we stayed, is ideal for walkers - not too much traffic and an excellent bus service to get us to and from the walks. The weather was very kind, the Ambassadeur Hotel was very comfortable, and we had Isaac to look after us at meal-times - the quickest waiter on two legs!

The walks took in shady lanes and the undulating and ever changing coastal path, with spectacular views to the coasts of the other islands and to France. The party were also able to discover some of the hardships that were suffered by the islanders during the Second World War. It was a great holiday!

 

 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – 29 NOVEMBER 2008

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT  

Welcome to Pilgrims Hatch Village Hall for Brentwood Ramblers 2008 Annual General Meeting. This has been an historic year for the Group, as we celebrated our 40 th Birthday last April. I will say more about that when I look back on the last 12 months shortly.

For me, today is a special occasion as my 3 year term as Group Chairman ends here this afternoon. I must say, with the odd exception, I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as Chairman of this excellent walking Group. Indeed, the years seem to have flown by. I have endeavoured to attend as many walks as I can, primarily concentrating on Weekend Walking, as well as our well supported Summer Wednesday Evening walks. Due to the pleasures of a full-time career in London, I have only occasionally managed to put in an appearance for mid-week walks by taking annual leave. I have got to know many of you on the Group’s varied programmes of coach rambles, weekends away & our April Weeks that have been organised with much enthusiasm by the committee for your enjoyment. On browsing through some old newsletters recently, I was quite surprised to see that I have now clocked up 13 years service on this committee since 1990. It is very fulfilling serving on committees in order that you can have some input towards the running of an organisation. It is something I have always enjoyed and I recommend some of you who have to date not served on this committee, consider putting your names forward for election at future Annual General Meetings. It can be very rewarding, especially when things go well.

With the members’ approval, I hope to continue to serve on this committee as Membership Secretary for the next 12 months.

Just a few words about Membership – Across the country, membership numbers are decreasing. Over the last 12 months as at the end of September our membership had fallen from 632 to 592 a 6.33% decrease. I have certainly noticed the lowest number of new people joining for some years. That said, the numbers attending our regular hiking programme seems as strong as ever. Possibly, the people not renewing are those who no longer participate in our activities. I know the Ramblers Association, just like many other organisations are keen to have members paying subscriptions by direct debit, as members paying by this method generally tend to belong to an organisation for longer. If you haven’t already done so, please consider switching your payment method to direct debit and also select the gift aid option. This enhances the value of your membership to the Ramblers Association from a tax perspective.

The Ramblers Association’s Head Office Membership team has struggled this year. They introduced a new membership system early in 2008, but for a number of months after the launch, monthly data provided to Areas & Groups didn’t provide the same reliability of information as we were used to previously. There have also been instances of memberships being incorrectly lapsed or cancelled and very slow processing for new members. All in all a far from ideal situation. The R.A. have recently acknowledged that they should have had a better development & training programme for their staff before the launch. As they say, it is easy to be wise after the event.

Throughout 2008, your committee have organised an extensive programme of walks for people of hopefully all abilities. The Saturday morning half-day walks programme arranged by Brian Scroggs continues to thrive. Often for walks in the Brentwood locality, numbers average 40+. Many members round off the morning enjoying a spot of lunch in the local pub with their fellow members. There is growing support for the Thursday morning programme of half-day walks organised by Chris Lomas. We have seen changes at organisational level with both the Sunday & Tuesday programme. In March, Les Cox stepped down from the committee as Sunday, Bank Holiday & Wednesday Evening Rambles Secretary for personal reasons. Now a few months later, we are delighted that Les is as active in the Group as ever. For those of you who do not know Les well, he is like a walking encloypedia of footpaths, bridleways & National Parks for many parts of the UK. He can remember types of paths, the views etc that can be seen from areas he may not have visited for many years. I really value our membership having people with such qualities as this has enabled us to put together some excellent trips over many years. Dianne Ingram has now completed her 2 nd programme as Sunday Rambles Secretary. She brings with her a huge wealth of walking knowledge.

Val Hoffman who has organised the all-day Tuesday walks has decided to step down from the committee. We thank Val for taking on this role 2 years ago and endeavouring to introduce new ideas etc within the Tuesday programme. The current Tuesday walking programme was put together by Mick Dodge and indeed at the time the newsletter was produced, it was the intention for Mick to become Tuesday Rambles Secretary, after standing down as Secretary at today’s AGM. However, due to Mick’s recent work commitments, those plans have been revised.

At last Monday’s committee meeting, the following was agreed :-

Mick will continue as Group Secretary & also be responsible for organising the Tuesday Post-Christmas Lunch. In addition, he had identified that historically the Sunday Rambles Secretary was also responsible for organising Bank Holiday Walks, Wednesday Evening Rambles, Bank Holiday Monday Hikes and the Festival of Winter Walks. So going forward, Mick will be responsible for this collection of walking that doesn’t fall on a Sunday. I think Dianne was somewhat surprised & pleased to learn that her Sunday role would not take on such a large portfolio of walks to organise.

These arrangements led to a gap as Tuesday Rambles Secretary. So who should stride to the rescue. I am delighted to say that Les Cox has been co-opted to the committee to perform this role.

I would like to thank the Rambles Secretaries for persuading many of you to lead walks throughout the year and of course to all the walkers who took part in some of our walking activities.

You will probably have read a note in the current newsletter about walking etiquette. It would be very much appreciated if walkers do not get in front of the leader, unless given specific instructions to do so by the leader. It can be quite disconcerting for leaders old & new alike when there are walkers nearby attempting to stretch the pace. Leaders endeavour to lead at a pace and style to suit most of the people taking part in the walk. Sometimes, a leader will require thinking time to check a map, compass or GPS or look behind to liaise with a back marker or manage a situation where first aid is required.

After a number of years of themed coach rambles, the last one being the Greensand Way in 2006 & 2007, it was felt a change was warranted as support was declining. So in 2008 we organised Sunday coach rambles to Canterbury, Marlow, the Shotley Peninsula, St Albans & The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway. The support was excellent. In one instance, we also took a minibus driven by one of our members, Brian Killen. These excursions enabled us to offer something for those members who didn’t want to take part in an all-day walk i.e. a half-day option or some sightseeing. We are planning to organise similar trips in 2009.

In April 2008 I took a party of 32 to Sidmouth in East Devon. We had an excellent seafront hotel. After wet conditions on the first couple of days, we experienced the delights of parts of the South West Coast Path, including Budleigh Salterton, Lyme Regis, Branscombe & Beer. Thanks also to Colin for leading the shorter walks. Plans are already well advanced for the 2009 trip to Church Stretton in Shropshire.

In June 2008 we embarked on a new adventure. The first group trip by air. Colin took a party of 17 for a week’s walking on Jersey. We were based about 20 minutes walk from St Helier, again with a seafront location. We travelled around the island by bus and took part in a selection of inland & coastal walks. On our day off, a few of us took to the high seas and visited Guernsey or Sark. The sea conditions on that day were not for the faint hearted.

In October 2008, Mick Dodge & Les Cox organised a superb weekend to Mundesley in Norfolk. The weather was exceptional for mid October – more like the summer we didn’t have. Some time was spent on parts of the Norfolk Coast Path, where we saw at first hand the effects of coastal erosion. The hotel was used by a young lad named Horatio Nelson many years ago. His old room became quite a tourist attraction for some of our members, with even the plaque on the bedroom door being polished before the cameras started flashing!! Mick & Les are already working on plans for next October’s trip to the Peak District.

The committee have tentatively discussed ideas for June 2009 and the first idea explored was that of the Isle of Man. However, we have not been successful in identifying a suitably priced package. So it is back to the drawing board. We have approached one or two hotels who at this time cannot make any commitments about offering us accommodation. A month or so ago, we were approached about another trip to Reims, France, and following the October committee meeting we didn’t feel it appropriate for a trip to the same location for the 3 rd time in 4 years. A note to this effect was included in the current newsletter. Following last Monday’s committee meeting and taking into account the absence of a definite venue for June 2009, we would like to state that “In relation to any trip abroad, if any members wish to bring before the committee a fully costed business plan, including definite pledges of support from participants, the committee would be prepared to consider the proposals”.

In late January, members of the Tuesday Group organised the annual post-Christmas lunch in Pleshey. It was well supported with over 50 members present. Please contact Mick Dodge if you want to attend the 2009 lunch on Tuesday, 3 rd February.

Our most successful social event in the history of Brentwood Ramblers took place on Saturday, 12 th April in Blackmore Village Hall when about 110 members attended our 40 th birthday party. There was food, including a hog roast, a birthday cake of course, cut by two of our older members, Elsie Ingram & George Farmer, champagne and speeches highlighting some of our achievements since 1968. The day started with two short walks from the village hall & many of you made front page news. The photograph taken when we returned from the walk appeared on page 1 of the Brentwood Gazette. Can I thank all those members, particularly from the committee who put in much hard work to make this event such a success. Roll on 2018 for the Golden celebration!!

During the year we sadly said our goodbyes to a number of our members : David Bourne, Gordon Chapman, Tommy Lang, Maureen Parkes & Pat Roskow. No doubt some of you knew of others who died during 2008. Please can we just take a moment or two to remember our walking friends who are no longer with us.

Now back to happier matters - Can I now take this opportunity to thank other members of the committee who have served you well throughout the year. Mick Dodge who has been Group Secretary for the past 3 years. Amongst other things, Mick produces our Annual Report for submission to the Area AGM, books meeting rooms for committee meetings and the AGM hall, issues agendas & minutes for meetings and maintains the Group accident book. Somehow, Mick also found time to train & successfully complete the LDWA’s 100 mile challenge walk in 36 hours or so.

Standing down from the committee is Matthew Jasper who has been on the committee for 9 years mostly as Publicity Offer. Matthew has ensured that a selection of the walks programme is advertised in libraries, on community noticeboards etc. This role will probably be phased out as nowadays more people are finding the walks on the internet.

Can I also thank Margaret Norman who throughout her many years in the role, continues to be an excellent Booking Secretary. Margaret is responsible for banking all the monies in relation to social events, holidays & coach rambles, compiling accurate lists of attendees, organising hotel rooming lists & managing cancellations etc. Recently, Margaret has been proudly telling the committee that she is now able to send & receive e-mails.

Talking of the electronic age, Paul Gardiner is responsible for maintaining our website. Apologies that we sometimes overlook keeping the news items up to date. Some of you say the photos are a bit old. Well if you send some digital photos of Group members to Paul, he will put them on the website. It is your website – so let us have your contributions. I update the walking information once every 4 months. If there is an important update regarding a walk starting point etc after the newsletter is published, I can easily update that on the website. I know many of you use the website to find some of our walk start points. The site includes my mobile phone number if further information is required. It does specifically state the hours when I can be contacted. I would very much appreciate it if people could only phone during the stated times. It can be rather annoying to my employer if I have to guide someone to a layby at High Ongar or wherever at 10am on a Tuesday or Thursday morning. I would encourage all of you who walk regularly to purchase the Ordnance Survey Explorer maps covering the areas of the county where we often walk. Maps are fun & you will find they enhance your enjoyment of time spent in the countryside.

Colin Jacob was one of the lucky ones & actually managed to move house in 2008. Fortunately he hasn’t gone very far – just into the village of Blackmore. He continues to work tirelessly as he has done for many years for the Ramblers Association in a voluntary capacity. He serves on the Essex Area committee and is now the Area Membership Secretary. He attends the R.A.’s National Conference. At Group level, Colin leads many walks & trips and he produces on his computer the newsletter and arranges for it to be printed. Often, once he has finished working on the newsletter, 650 copies are on my doorstep for distribution within 24 hours. Pat & I then try & get the newsletter into the post the same evening.

I would like to thank our Treasurer, Pat Woods who has done a great job for once again keeping the books in good shape, completing Area & Head Office forms & for taking the minutes at committee meetings.

Judy Stephenson joined the committee a year ago and recently Judy has got involved in taking the minutes to ease Pat’s workload.

During the year and with succession planning in mind, we were delighted to welcome former Chairman, Graham Christie back to the committee. Some of you will recall that Graham was Chairman in the mid 1990s and was instrumental in the Theme Walks getting off the ground. I don’t think we have ever hit the high notes achieved when we were taking 100+ people on every stage of the Thames Walk, culminating with the fanfare normally associated with The Oscars at a hotel in Gloucestershire. It is great to have you back on board Graham.

Under the constitution, Group Footpath Secretaries are not appointed at Group AGMs. They are appointed at Area AGMs. We are delighted that Gordon Fairgrieve continues to do an excellent job as Group Footpath Secretary. He also includes the coordination of Parish Adopters within this role. I am sure he will go into greater details as part of his own report shortly. Certainly we are very lucky within Brentwood area that the paths etc are in such good shape. This is thanks to Gordon & his regular band of helpers who undertake various works on rights of ways under the guidance of Brentwood Council.

Please remember to attend the Essex Area AGM at Stock on Saturday, 7 th February 2009 at 10am. It gives you as an R.A. member the chance to understand some of the wider issues concerning rights of way within the county.

During my time as Chairman, I have spoken to many of you, given my best advice, hopefully made some friends and given my support wherever I can. If in your eyes, I could have done better, I apologise, but as far as I am concerned I have always endeavoured to give this job my best shot. Some of you may have noticed that I haven’t been walking with the Group so much in the last few months as my personal circumstances have changed. Having a girlfriend has resulted in me having different priorities sometimes at weekends.

Thank you once again for attending this afternoon’s meeting when a Christmas shopping trip to Lakeside or Bluewater may have been more tempting.

Happy Christmas on behalf of Brentwood Ramblers to you and all your families.

Please remember to support the Ramblers Association’s Festival of Winter Walks. We have a daily programme of walks from 25 th December to 2 nd January – so there are many opportunities for you to walk off any Christmas excesses. This is a big recruitment time of the year for the RA – so please also encourage or bring along friends, neighbours and family members.

Happy Rambling in 2009 .

 

Roy Carpenter

Chairman

29 November 2008

 

 

 

 

 

FUTURE EVENTS

FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS TO COME

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Booking and Cancellations Conditions for Trips

• Coach Rambles
  • Payment is non-refundable.
• Weeks and weekends away
  • Deposit is non-refundable.
  • Final Balance must be paid 6 weeks before event.
  • No refund will be given once final balance had been paid, unless we are able to re-sell the place or obtain a partial or full refund for accomodation..
  • Any waiving of these rules can only be considered in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the committee..
• Final price of events may be subject to minor changes to reflect any unanticipated costs or currency fluctuations.
• Also please note that graturities are included in the bookings fee for coaches on all trips. Graturities are not included in the booking fee for hotel accomodation.
• If you have to drop out from any booked trip at the last moment, please let the organiser know.