Looking forward to the Autumn
Gavin Crocker- Chair of Trustees
Our dazzling (!) summer seems to have finally dripped away and the dark nights are upon us. Thankfully no more shivering and forced smiles at damp barbeques as we say how lucky we have been that the rain has held off for all of ten minutes! I like autumn and the change of seasons. There is a crispness in the air or a proper howling gale telling you it is OK to dig out your favourite jumper, finally turn on the heating and enjoy an open fire. You can also look forward to a warm welcome at the Samson Centre with our low energy lighting and solar panels making this a greener and lower cost winter.
We have had a summer of changing faces with Jackie leaving and Debbie joining. Robin Kendall, who was chair of the trustees until last December, is now stepping down as a trustee but we are being joined by Tim Lodge and Duncan Howe as new trustees. Tim has been a member of the Wey Kayak Club for a number of years, a paralympic kayaker and most recently was awarded a silver medal at the World Championships in Denmark. Duncan has been a member of the Guildford Sub Aqua Club for an equally long time. He has been helping us as a volunteer lead operator on the oxygen side and with the maintenance and upkeep of the chambers. He brings a huge amount of practical knowledge of our oxygen set up and is actively involved in the provision of the new chamber. Both Tim and Duncan have known the centre for a number of years and it has been a pleasure to have them on board as trustees.
It feels like we are going back to school for the start of a new year which holds lots of promise and excitement for the future. Behind the scenes we are fundraising for another oxygen chamber as I mentioned earlier. This will be accessible for our most disabled members. We are also still working with the Kayak Club on how we can get our members on the water. We have now been given monies from Sport England for more stable kayaks and are investigating equipment for launching these safely. We have a series of fun, mini events taking place almost every week which Debbie will be announcing. These will no doubt ramp up as Christmas approaches so please come along and join us.