Help the Chief Guide – Go to the pub
(Something tells me our president was expecting this sub-title in my very first newsletter article!)
The club is hosting a new members night on the 9th October. It is important that we make new members welcome every night. This is not limited to the first time they turn up to the club. It is very encouraging to see that club members are taking the time to explain to new people how the sign up sheets work and how the trip grading system works. Please continue the good work, if you see someone who looks new at the sign-up boards, help them out.
Welcoming new members does not just involve their first visit. I am sure you all remember your first few visits to Wednesday nights when there seemed to be this bunch of people who all know each other talking earnestly about tramping (well mostly tramping). The club may no longer seem like that but it hasn’t changed, you are just one of the people who knows lots of people. Most people really start to enjoy the club when they get to know people here.
So to make people feel welcome please carry out some of the suggestions below. Somebody would have done this for you, so it is time to pay it back!
1) If you see someone new from your last trip, go up and chat to them or even better introduce them to the people you are talking to. Find out how they went. Suggest trips to them as a follow up to the one they have been on.
2) (This one is going to be a bit hard!) If you see people on their own, go up and talk to them. You can guess if they are new as they are usually holding the schedule and looking a bit lost (this is actually the reason for pink schedules to make it easier to spot new people).
3) If you’re going to the pub after club, invite them along.
On this note we often but not always go to the Hop Garden after club meetings. Please do not wait until the chief guide / Spencer tell you they are going, feel free to go anyway. Also if one of us mention we are going, please feel free to tell other people as we feel too much like alcoholics canvassing the room every week. Oh and they do serve nice beer there too!
Trip Planning – Road ends
In November we kick off the next round of trip scheduling with our trip planning night on the 6th November. I will send out an email to trip leaders but if you wish to suggest any road ends, trips or just areas of the country you would like to go to please email the chief guide on . In the same vein of thought, if you would like to become a trip leader please get in contact.