Committee Update

Hi All

Just wanted to update you with what’s going on behind the scenes in BRR. The committee are continuing to meet on Zoom and everyone is working hard to ensure we are all ready to go when we are allowed.

 

Obviously the AGM was postponed as we went into lockdown . We are hoping that we can combine the planned EGM that we have every year to elect club captains with the AGM. The date in the diary is Thursday 10 September so fingers crossed that we can all meet then.

 

At the AGM we usually say goodbye to some committee members and elect and welcome new members. As we have not been able to do that we are still working with the ‘old’ committee with a few exceptions. Hugh Burchard has decided to step down  and we would like to extend our thanks to him for his considerable hard work over the last year. In addition Mark Kingdon has left the committee although he is still continuing with his roles as membership secretary, kit rep, and quartermaster - keeping a keen eye on all your resources and keeping the container in an orderly state. We are very grateful and thank him for his hard work too.

 

Helen Clark and Lola Whiting were both nominated for the committee but as we couldn’t formally ‘elect’ them on the night of the AGM we have invited them to attend meetings as co-optees, until they are formally elected at the AGM. We are already grateful for their involvement. Helen is  working alongside Jan Isaac helping with some of the secretarial duties and Lola is happy to support Tina Dury with the social side of the club.

 

James Wade continues as Chairperson, Chris Brown - Vice Chair, Tony Tovey -Finance Officer, Steve Herring - Race Leader ( overseeing all races we organise) , Katy Shoemith - Hanham Horror Race Director, Tina Dury - 5k Race Director/ Social Sec and Jan as Secretary. Ira Rainey, although not a committee member, heads up the Sodbury Slog team

 

Sadly Rich Kershaw has resigned as Men’s Captain but Pete Clark as Vice Captain is happy to hold the fort until we have the elections, due in September. Our thanks to Rich who has done a sterling job as captain, we are very grateful to him.   Lynette Porter and Kaisha Thatcher continue as Ladies Captain and Vice Captain.  Thanks to them.

 

Over the last year the committee have been looking at the constitution in detail. We are aware that we have proposed some changes over the last few years and decided it was about time it needed a thorough update . The changes will be proposed  at the AGM when we are able to meet.

 

Race update.

As we haven’t been able to do the 5k series as usual, Tina has been organising a virtual 5k. We are awaiting government announcements  before we decide how the July race will be organised. If you didn’t get involved last month have a go this month.

 

Hanham Horror has been postponed and we are making a final decision about the Slog at the end of the month. The decision whether London Marathon is going ahead will possibly be a good guide for us.

 

Thank you all so much if you have renewed your membership  - this is enormously helpful to us. Over 200 of you ,so far, have decided to take advantage of the reduced price and we encourage anyone who hasn’t done it to renew as soon as possible. If there is a problem with this please contact Mark Kingdon who can help you. We have no other income at the moment but we still have outgoings so our reserves are being used to support the club in this difficult time. It has always been prudent to have some contingency funds and we are grateful that we have kept some back in the past for a rainy day - this is our rainy day. Some of you have  been in touch to say you are happy to pay the full cost - thank you so much. However it is not possible to set this up on our on-line membership portal so we will have a tin for donations when we return for those of you who feel you would like to pay more but there is no pressure on anyone to do this - we know it is a difficult times for many people.

 

Well done to all of you who received a virtual award this year. Big shout out for Rich Kershaw who put together the video and thanks to those of you who contributed. Darren Scammel must get a special mention for the entertainment value  and a big BRR congratulations to Ash and Charlotte Tuck on their news of a BRR junior on the way and to Will Ganley  and Tabi Collins on their engagement.  We are aware that the awards haven’t actually been given out yet and we are busy trying to sort this. The manufacturers are now back at work so the order has gone in and when they are delivered James will organise the engraving. We will then get the awards to you. Thank you for your patience.

 

Thanks to Chris Brown, Kaisha Thatcher and Tina Dury who have challenged us to get the shoes on and get out running. Pete, Lynette and Kaisha are now working on some runs that we can all participate in (currently in groups of 6 or less) of different distances. We will let you know as soon as the details are sorted.

 

Thanks also to Tez Kirby and the coaches who have supported individual runners. If you have lost your running mojo and want some advice don’t hesitate to contact Tez who can either help you with a bespoke programme or buddy you up with another of the coaches who may be able to help.

 

Finally we are working on contingency plans for our return. Jan Isaac, Steve Herring and Helen Clark have formed a  sub-committee looking at risk assessments to make sure when we return we do so safely. This may be different to our ‘old normal’ but hopefully we can all get back to running together soon. If you have any experience or interest in this area we would love to hear from you. You can email jan.isaac57@gmail.com

 

Finally the club is 35 years old next year so we should have plenty to celebrate when we do get back. Please stay safe  and keep running. If you need any help or support at any time there are lots of BRR buddies around so please get in touch if you need to .

Posted: 16 June 2020
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