Happy New Year to everyone and I hope you all had a brilliant Christmas
and enjoyed the festive break! There are just a few things to keep you all
updated about going into the New Year. We hope to see you all soon!
Committee Update
Recently there has been some confusion as to who the actual committee members are, the below
Simon Wallbank - Chairman
Steve Bingham - Secretary
Alice Mason - Treasurer
Ian Collins
Neil Jackson
Tom Shaw
Alex Ashton
Peter Evans
Joanne Green
I am sure you will notice form the above that I have been replaced as secretary. Unfortunately, I have had to step down as secretary due to being offered a job over in the states which means I will be unable to fulfil the role of secretary upon taking this new position. Rest assured, I will be joining again as a member and will be back for a few weeks over the summer with climbing high on the agenda, so I anticipate seeing some of you up at the hut over the summer! Steve Bingham has kindly volunteered to take over the role. I am sure many of you have previously meet Steve either at the wall, at the crag or on the hill. He is a very active member with a wealth of knowledge and a solid mountaineer. Furthermore, if you have any newsletter contributions please forward all of these to Steve.
Club hut
Our last working meet before Christmas was a success and although there are a few cosmetic jobs that still need doing at the hut. Both the annexe and the hut are now in full working order and winter proof. However, please can I stress that you read the new hut instructions carefully, these will be printed off and kept at the hut and also sent around to members electronically. If you are unsure of anything please ask. In particular, the boiler can be tricky to use if you are not practiced in its use. For such queries, we have a new hut warden, Ian Collins (email: iancollins698@gmail.com). Please contact Ian directly and ask if you have any questions regarding the use of the hut. Thanks to Neil the new website is now up and running (https://www.sthelensmountaineeringclub.com) which will also take hut bookings (e-bookings: https://www.sthelensmountaineeringclub.com/hut). I would encourage everyone who uses the hut to use this fantastic facility. However, if you do not have computer access please contact Ian Collins for all hut bookings, it is essential Ian knows who has booked and who is using the hut, this avoids the disappointment of not getting a bed and prevents double bookings, but is also essential from a financial perspective as well.
Membership renewal
A reminder to all members that it is that time of year again for membership renewal. This needs to be completed by the latest end of January. Neil again has set up a brilliant facility that allows direct online payment and makes paying your membership fees very easy indeed. Again, I would encourage you all to use this method to pay your membership fees, link:
https://www.sthelensmountaineeringclub.com/membership. However, if you do not have
computer access please send your money (£41) over to Alice Mason the Treasurer, the money can be paid via bank transfer to the club account, please reference your name if you choose this method and send an email to Alice to confirm payment. Alternatively, fees can be paid by cheque made payable to ‘St.Helens Mountaineering Club’ again please send this method of payment to Alice. Alice will be sending an email out later this week to remind everyone again and detailing the best method of payment. Again, please ensure that this is completed before the end of January to make sure you receive your BMC subscription for 2020, giving you discount in outdoor shops and your new membership card for St.Helens Mountaineering Club which will ensure you still receive discount at the Warrington Wall and get all the latest club news. If your details have changed i.e. address, email or phone number please complete a membership renewal form which can be sourced from Alice and please return to Alice. In addition, if you know of anyone else who wishes to join the club there is an application form attached that can be distributed to relevant parties, please again return to Alice Mason. (Alice email: Alice.mason@bikingbookkeeper.co.uk)
2020 meets
The official club meets list has been finalised for 2020 at the committee meeting this week. The official meets list will be available next week: on the website, on facebook and sent around to all members via email and letter. So please pay your membership fees ASAP otherwise you will not receive a meets list because you will not be registered as a member. Please note there are also mid-week climbing and walking meets that are not on the list. These will be again ran by Ken Fyles: kenfgwood@gmail.com (walking) and Tom Shaw: tomshaw12@msn.com (Climbing). If you wish to come on a meet, please contact the meet leader and let them know, this is critical for overnight meets were bed spaces are required. This also applies if you book onto a meet and then cannot come, please let the meet leader know ASAP. Please also be aware that the list will be treated as a working list and anybody in the club who wishes to run a meet can do so as long as there is not already a meet on the date they wish to run one. Please contact the meets organiser, Tom Shaw if you wish to add to the official meets list. Finally, keep a close eye on the club facebook page for Impromptu day meets that lots of members have been getting involved with towards the end of last year. We hope that there is lots of interest around the meets list this year and we see another year of active members, any feedback you have in regards to locations and/or activity please let either one of the committee members know.
Final Word
Finally from me, Thank-you all for allowing me to be your secretary. I hope that I have done you justice in my services. May I comment on how the new (and young) committee are ambitious in their plans to promote new club growth and are enthusiastic in their pursuit of encouraging all climbing and mountaineering activities, to help foster a club spirit that has a very bright future ahead. I implore you all to re-new your memberships and encourage others to join as well, whether you are an indoor climber or a seasoned mountaineer. This is our club and it has a place for you all with many benefits to offer. Least of all, it is a fantastic place for us to all come and enjoy our passions together.
Thank-you again,
Stuart Hesketh