Tonbridge Newsletter Autumn 2022

Dear Member(s), This has been another challenging year for everyone, culminating in the death last week of our much loved and admired Queen Elizabeth II. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s therefore appropriate that we begin our next meeting on Thursday, September 22nd, with a minute’s silence to reflect on her long and historic reign and I do hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us. I had planned to be able to send out our AGM papers before then but since the accounts are still with the auditors that probably won’t be possible. I will thus pre-empt my accompanying committee report with this, my last newsletter. As many of you know, my unplanned 4 year tenure of the chairmanship will come to an end this month and Tony and I will be moving to the Bristol area to be close to our family. It’s certainly been an eventful 4 years but it’s also been a privilege to serve as chairman of the Arts Society Tonbridge and to celebrate its 40th anniversary. I couldn’t, however, have done it without the unstinting encouragement and support of the committee and you, our members. Thank you! Sadly, none of the present committee members are able to take on the chairmanship for 2022/23 but we have an excellent lecture programme in place up to November 2023 and all essential functions are covered until then. However, if our society is to continue beyond that we will need a chairman after next spring, when it’s time to consider a future programme. No matter how many members we have, if no one is prepared to volunteer we have no long-term future. Please therefore consider this carefully and take the opportunity to nominate and second someone for that role on the AGM ballot paper. Finances are in place but we do need a full committee and volunteers. That is the key issue here. Bearing this in mind, at present I have no volunteers for the raffle table or the serving of tea next Thursday. The last time I sent out a plea I received a record 10 offers so, as a final farewell, let’s see if you can beat that! It would leave me free to say goodbye to as many of you as possible. Thursday, September 22nd, 2.30pm at The Angel Centre ‘Grinling Gibbons: Carver to The Crown’ With Caroline Knight I shall miss you all, Gillian Theaker,  EX Chairman