From the Chair by John Wilkinson, Chairman
It is now four months since I took over the reins as Chairman and, in that short time, I have been involved in a huge number of disparate items, ranging from the sublime to the – well, not quite so sublime. I am greatly indebted to Elizabeth Foster and all the headquarters staff for their time and dedication over a difficult few months. Our Health Strategy was launched in October 2012 with considerable television coverage and parliamentary support (see ‘News from Coates Crescent’, Issue 15). Every branch and affiliated group received a Health Strategy pack, containing all the tools needed to run a campaign based around the Strategy, and since then many more packs have been requested. It is
somewhat disappointing therefore that in the five months since launch, in spite of monitoring and evaluation instructions being included in the pack, we have had very little feedback. I would urge members to talk to their branches and affiliated groups and encourage them to take part – the health agenda is potentially a great ‘hook’ to get many more people to take up SCD. Our Jigs & Reels publication was launched last year and continues to attract much interest from schools and other organisations. Related initiatives are also being well received, and a working group representing all three management committees has been established to take them forward. We had hoped to bring you details of a special Anniversary event which was being investigated in collaboration with the Army Benevolent Fund. Unfortunately it has proved to be impossible to organise in the time available, due to changes of staff at ABF. With the initiative of David Cunningham, however, we have launched
Membership Services Committee by Philip Whitley, Convenor Barely four months have passed since my election, and it already feels as if I have been in post a full year, such is the workload. Given that just two members of the committee remain from the previous year, it is a credit to my team that we have hit the ground running, and I wish to thank them for all their work to date. I also wish to show my appreciation to all HQ staff who have bent over backwards to help, with a special mention to Moira Thomson who has worked over and above the call of duty in providing support.
Book 47 is well under way; 12 dances have been chosen and the book and CD will be ready for Summer School. Thank you to all branches who have contributed to the evaluation and production of the book (well over 1,000 members from 83 branches have participated). Branches volunteering for the evaluation of Book 48 dances have now
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received batches. We have listened to feedback and have made a number of improvements to the process, such as refining the scoring system and reducing the number of dances sent out for evaluation. You will no doubt be aware that branches have received an invitation to submit dances for consideration for Book 49; this time, we are asking that each branch submit just one dance. Good luck to all of those taking part. One exciting development that I would like to draw to your attention is the Index of Dances, which is in the process of being updated and converted to an online tool. It should shortly be available free of charge to members – watch the website! We are also working on making Society publications available as e-books when the new website is in place later this year. We appreciate that the cost of posting books, especially overseas, can be prohibitive.
an exciting music competition (see page 8), which will culminate in judging and performance at the AGM in Perth in November. There will also be some 90th Anniversary items available in our shop in time for Summer School. We continue down the path of becoming a Company Limited by Guarantee, as discussed at the AGM in Aberdeen in 2012. This requires considerable research and involvement from the legal profession, and we will keep you posted on progress. Perhaps our most exciting potential project concerns RSCDS engagement with the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. A grant application has been submitted and we await the outcome – so watch this space! In my capacity as Chairman, I have been invited to a considerable number of branch and RSCDS anniversary events both in the UK and overseas. Unfortunately I cannot be in more than one place at a time and have had to disappoint on some occasions. It is wonderful to receive these invitations and to be part of this truly international RSCDS family, and I look forward to meeting many of you during the next two years.
E-books should go some way to alleviating this, as the current proposal is to offer them at a reduced price, and p&p will not apply. I would also like to highlight the AGM & Annual Conference Weekend. Research has been undertaken and has informed our marketing strategy – see the articles and flyers elsewhere in this magazine. I would urge anyone who has never attended the weekend to consider doing so. With just as much emphasis on the social side as on the ‘business’, it is tremendous fun, and not solely the domain of branch office-bearers, as many survey respondents assumed. People of all abilities attend, and you don’t even have to be a member of the Society. With around 600 people on the dance floor, dancing to wonderful music from a five-piece band, the dancing is truly special, and spectacular! We appreciate that distances involved in travelling to the Conference Weekend, especially from overseas, can make attendance difficult. The 2,000 or so dancers who live within easy travelling distance, however, can be sure of a warm welcome at a very special event at the 90th Anniversary celebrations. See you in Perth?
