Wessex AGM

VTTA Wessex Group

Membership Secretary’s Report 2024

As this will be my last report, I thought that I would commence with a brief review of the past ten years.

For many years Ken Blowe did all the admin for the Group and Peter Warhurst was the recorder.

Unfortunately, in the autumn of 2014 Ken had an accident followed by ill health so was unable to continue in post. Initially the future of the Group looked dubious until a small number of members volunteered to divide up the admin work. As Ken had not computerised the records the new incumbents were able to start afresh.

Four years later we were fortunate to be invited to take part in a “trial run” of the New Online Membership System (NOMS) which Jon Fairclough had been developing, so we had the advantage of “growing” with the system whilst we helped to find a few “bugs”.  NOMS went “live” in March 2018. Since its inception NOMS has been improved and expanded and is an excellent tool which has simplified much of the tedium of the admin. Also members can now access their results and claim Standards etc..

Now for 2024

Our membership has remained fairly static over the past few years.

Active 144 this year, 147 in 2023, 148 in 2022 and 146 in 2021.

Of the 144 there were 17 HLM, 1LM and 1 DLM thus leaving 125 “paying members”

Amongst these were 21 females and 3 pairs of Joint members.

The “Oldies” (over 80) David England, Bryan (Sid) Hygate and Norman Harvey competed during 2024 and all achieved age records.

Norman Harvey

November 2024