Its the end of another year.........

As we are just a few hours away from the start of a brand new year, it seems appropriate to take a brief look back over 2015 and look forward to what 2016 has to offer us all.
I've enjoyed a good year of flying and have made some fabulous new friends during the first year as Chairman of our new club - Slope Soaring Sussex.
Through the sterling efforts of our very own Rob Stanley (Hon Treasurer & Secretary) and the enthusiasm and support of our growing membership we have built up a club that is definitely going places.
Exactly where we are going is still to be decided by you - the club members.
Rob and I have got the club up and running and now its time to share the control and direction of the club with our membership. Here is where you can help shape the future of our club and help take some of the strain of Rob's shoulders by joining the committee and help us build a club for the future.

For the next year we need a Treasurer to look after the day to day running of the club's expenses. We also need Facilities Officer who will be responsible for the day to day looking after of our club field. This role doesn't require a huge amount of time dedicated to sitting on a tractor mowing but you would co-ordinate the maintenance of the field getting the membership involved (many hands and all that).
Rob and I are club Instructors but I personally feel there are better qualified and hugely talented members in our club who could do this job far better than us, so we will be looking for a new club flying Instructor.

There are opportunities for many new positions to be created on the committee but we need ideas. If you feel you have a particular skill or talent that you could share with us for the good of the club then please let us know. We have an opportunity to build a club that is run for the members but that needs the input of the membership!
Feel free to contact either Rob or myself to chat through the available committee posts or suggest some new positions - paul.hampshire@shelf-space.co.uk (07834 859018)

Both Rob and I are of the agreement that committee members should serve no longer than two years at any one time, in order to keep the committee fresh and bring new blood in with new ideas. So the door is open to everyone - young, old, experienced and the not so experienced. Come and make it a club that you want!

We have finished our first year and Rob has done a fantastic job what with keeping up with it all and I hope you have all now received your membership cards and you all have your 2016 BMFA Insurance? The idea is to extend the membership you have already paid for up to the end of March 2016 (this being the date that we have to pay the rent on our flying field for the next full year).
Between now and the 1st April we will be negotiating the rent with the field's owner and we can then decide on next years subs that will be due on or before the 1st April 2016 (on receipt of your subs you will be issued with a new membership card).

AGM - As you would expect from an organised and well run club, we will be having an AGM to discuss any matters that need discussing and vote in new committee members etc...... we will also be presenting the club's finances to members , these will have been checked by a competent independent accountant before the meeting.
We have fifteen members and if all of you turn up for the AGM (which I hope many of you will) then we need a suitable venue to hold our meeting. Can anyone suggest a venue that can take between 10 - 15 members that is central to us (Haywards Heath is smack in the middle when Rob plotted all of our locations on a map). A small hall, a Pub's meeting room but not a pub bar as per another club's AGM's we used to belong to or maybe one of you have a large house but I'm open to suggestions. Please let me know ASAP.

Well that's the end of my long post and it just leaves me to thank you all for your enthusiasm and help during 2015 and I wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2016.

Paul Hampshire

Chairman
Slope Soaring Sussex