Hi Charlie,
Indeed the written word does not covey nuance unless time is taken to compile the text. The forum is not the primary reason I have decided to not renew my membership.
The committee rejected all suggestions of how to cut club costs and voted for the status quo with an across the board rise in membership fees of 50%. They did this in full knowledge that the only rational result would be decreases to both renewals and new members joining. The only question is by how many. It must be presumed the committee thought this would only be a handful and the increase in the membership fee was calculated to offset this. This irritated me, I want the club to expand it’s membership, to help and encourage others in keeping vintage horticultural machines and mowers going. Yet the committee voted for a known method of reducing the membership numbers. From the figures shown in The Cultivator, there was clearly a huge scope to reduce costs. The financial support offered to showmen and to a lesser extent ploughmen, along with the insistence of an expensive printed magazine posted to every member has a vastly disproportionate affect on outgoings. If the membership falls by more than the committee anticipated, the club will enter a doom loop scenario and at some point will have to address expenditure with more rigour. I felt I could not continue to support a club with such an approach from it’s most senior division.
The club could compete with the likes of Facebook, it offers so much more. But it needs to keep up with the rapidly changing times. It requires in my view a complete revision of strategy. I am not sure if the committee, or those who have a large influence upon it, would be prepared for the radical necessary changes required.
Best wishes,
Grahame
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