Hello everyone
It’s been great to see such good numbers on recent rides. There is a sense of pent-up enthusiasm to get out and enjoy the area now that spring is sort of here, although we will be keeping an eye out for sleet and snow in the next week! A few things to bring to your attention:
Annual General Meeting – Wednesday 10th May 2023
We will be holding our AGM on the evening of Wednesday 10th May, at the Grove Rugby Club. We will arrange a food order with Millbrook Fish & Chips for 7pm and then business will start at 7.45. More details to follow, but this is a date for your diaries.
New Rides programme for Spring and Summer
We are putting the finishing touches to the full rides programme from April through to September. There is a Ride Leaders meeting (also at the Rugby Club) on the evening of Monday 13th March where we will get leaders assigned to as many rides as possible and we will then publish the programme.
Recent departures
I have had nice message from two members who have recently moved away (both to Wales, as it happens) and I wanted to share these with you. Firstly from Gerry Jones: “Thank you for warmly welcoming me to the club and for guiding me around the Vale these last couple of years”. And also from Joanna Houlston: “Thank you so much for welcoming me back to the club last year and I thoroughly enjoyed all the rides I did. Everyone was so nice to me and I really appreciated it. I even managed to build up some fitness by the end of the summer which was great. Please send my best wishes to all who may remember me as I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to anybody really, so especially the Tuesday 3* gang”. Although it is sad when great members move away, it is also really nice to receive such positive messages – and a tribute to the welcoming culture in the club.
In Memoriam: Marion Jones
I had a message from the family of Marion Jones that she has died recently. Marion and her husband Alan were longtime members in the early days of the club. Alan died in 2003 but Marion continued riding with us until 2009. Steve Swanton gave me these words: “Marion was an outgoing, indominatable, kind and warm-hearted lady. A lovely person to know. Both Alan and Marion will be warmly remembered”. Marion’s funeral will be at Wantage Methodist Church at 1pm on Monday 27th March, all are welcome and Steve and Lorna Swanton will be representing the club.
That’s enough for now – let’s assume that the snow forecast will soon pass and spring will return!
Best regards
John
