Exeter Rambling Club

The Club
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News Letter
July 2007
Membership

Last update
26 July 2007

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Exeter Rambling
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News Letter - July 2007

Hello Everyone. Well, in our last newsletter I mentioned the autumn and winter rain. Unfortunately summer seems to be passing us by with more rain. Yours truly has just returned from a week's walking in, yes, you guessed it, Yorkshire. Only a retired weather forecaster could choose that week to drag me off up north!! But at least we here in Exeter are not having to endure the floods, the aftermath of which we saw in Pickering, where the receding water line was not just inches but approx 3.5 feet up the walls of buildings.
Let us hope that by the time you read this we are experiencing a proper summer, if there is one these days.

On a better note, we now have 80 paid up members including our two life members. So our efforts to attract more members are paying off. Welcome to Christine Colburn, Pauline Edwards, Malcolm Kendrick and Gill Wills, Colin Ross, Patricia Robson, Ken England, Jane Harris and Ruth Seagar. We hope you enjoy many walks with us. Apologies to those I forgot to mention in the last newsletter.

News from the Committee

Web Site

Along with a working party consisting of Graham, John M and Al, Kathy's husband Nigel has been working hard on the development of our website. This is now live.
We are endebted to the hard work of the above people, especially Nigel who will be updating the site each quarter, with the new programme and newsletter. It is a great achievement for our Club and now brings us into the 21st Century! Further developments may be possible in the future but for the time being please take a look. The Committee are sure you will be impressed, especially with the photographs!

Short Walks

For some time now there has been concern regarding short walk availability on a Sunday. As you know they are proving very popular during the week but on a Sunday some dedicated leaders are tending to put on walks of -7+ miles, at which turnout has been very low. These walks are really medium length, perhaps too long for some people and neither are there enough leaders. So after careful thought the Committee have decided that short walks should be approximately 5 miles. Those above this distance will be classed as either medium or long. Short walks will now only take a morning, leaving participants free to do their own thing for the rest of the day, which is another reason we felt people might have been put off. Plus they should be more local as it is not worth driving a lengthy distance to walk only a few miles. As an experiment and for this programme only, two long walk leaders have given up their own walk in order to put on short walks, to see what response we get. We are keen that people willing to lead short walks in the next programme come forward. Please get in touch with Al before the end of September as he has to plan the programme. It is not difficult and it can be done, say together, by a couple of friends. In addition, with all this effort being put in to improving the Club for everyone, we need the support of people to walk and sufficient car drivers (many of the car drivers are those who do long walks). We are aware some people do drive but prefer not to bring their car - not the Club spirit! In other words we need leaders to lead 'em, walkers to walk 'em and drivers to drive 'em!! If there is little or no response then we risk the programme eventually being long walks only, not something any of us want.

Holidays

A group of the long walkers enjoyed a weekend in St. Ives during May and a similar group are off to Greece in September.

For Sale

Rosemary Buchan has a Berghaus rucksack for sale; Day pack size, bottle green in good condition. (Tel: 255508) £10
Also we still have the red North Face rucksack for sale; Day pack size, padded shoulder straps, chest and waist fasteners, good condition. (Tel: 860490) £10
All proceeds to Club funds.

Social Events

Thirty nine of us, including four visitors, thoroughly enjoyed our day trip to The Eden Project. The weather was kind to us, the coach company efficient, helpful and slightly cheaper than our original quote. The Project itself was sufficiently busy but not absolutely bustling, so we could get a good look at everything without jostling for a place. Thanks to Ken's legacy for this treat (it was used to pay for the coach) - more news of the remainder at next year's AGM. As the visitors paid towards their transport and the organizer was admitted free (ploughed back into Club funds) we also made £48 'profit' for Club funds.

We shall be holding our usual November skittles evening at the Lamb Inn, Silverton on Wednesday 14th November. This will be accompanied by a fish and chip supper and the inclusive cost will be £5.50 providing we get 20 people (we have to cover the cost of hiring the skittle alley). Park in the village car park and walk through the path by the surgery into Fore Street. Turn right and The Lamb is on the left up a little way up the street. Please phone me on 860490 to book your place, by Monday 12th November. Thank you.

Best Wishes

Arlette Coppin and Dorita Henriques decided to play 'tumble tots' on a recent walk. Dorita badly bruised her arm and Arlette suffered a broken arm. Pam Belcher is to undergo a shoulder replacement later in the month and Rob Dightam is to have a hip replacement in August. We wish them all a speedy recovery.