The death of Lynn Rodwell was a sad day for the club as she was part of the driving force behind getting juniors onto the bank. Her funeral was yesterday (10th) and the society sent some flowers and her funeral was attended by the chairman Peter Pollard and Vice President Ken Elmy. Once again our thoughts go out to George and the rest of the family.

Membership. This is going quite well with continuous phone calls, messages etc from members and prospective members alike. I would ask that anybody having a problem reads the notes on how to rejoin first before contacting me.

A few of the problems appear to be down to us not having either the correct email address or an email at all. This is how you log into the system to pay.

The collection date of the 26th May from Birds has also been well subscribed, but again if you want to collect in person on this date PLEASE let me know in advance so I can get the paperwork ready. Note we will be ther between 4 and 7pm only.

There are also a few members waiting to hear whether their request to upgrade their existing memberships will be approved. I will get in touch individually with them once the deadline for renewals is passed on the 21st.

With that date in mind a reminder:

YOU HAVE 10 DAYS TO RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP OR POSSIBLY LOSE IT.

as previously stated we have had lots of interest from new members wanting to join.

Repair works. As most of you will be aware one of the major projects we want to achieve this year is the replacement of swims at Causeway. We had hoped the contractor would be there around this time but due to workload he has been delayed by a couple of weeks. This means we should be starting around the last few days of the month and probably working on the first two weeks of June. Disruption will be tried to kept to a minimum but pegs will be closed as and when required to effect these repairs.

We also want to replace all the pegs on the perch pit and again this will cause disruption as and when this can be achieved.

The other major piece of repairs we would like to try and get done at the earliest opportunity is the repairs to the steps on the high bank swims at Alderson. (Pegs 1 to 10)

If anybody could recommend a ground works team who are available and would be willing to give us a quote for this work then please ask them to get in touch.

With the pandemic restrictions being slowly released we may even have the chance to organise a couple of work parties as well. As and when we feel we can organise these I will advertise. These will probably be on the rivers where access is limited for machinery and manpower is needed. Even if you don’t fish the rivers by helping on these it means we can divert more funds to getting contractors to do the work on the lakes.

Electrical work at Alderson is Just about complete. Likewise all the aerators have been serviced put back in position and are ready to be turned on when the need arises. The only thing to go in are the fountains on the canal lake over the next few days. We also have an extra paddle aerator as back up if any fail, or if oxygen levels start to fall in either of the lakes. Nick Clarke will be taking oxygen levels on all the lakes to ensure we keep on top of this and react if and when required.

In the world we live in we now have to plan , cost and review any work carried out before we even do anything. For those of you working on sites etc you will know this as RISK ASSESSMENT. In order to get our house in order and ensure we comply with legislation, Wayne Scase will look into this with the help of Matt Everett.

Normal maintenance work continues around most venues with grass cutting, tree maintence etc a continuous job.

One thing where help would be appreciated soon is to clear the workshop and surrounding area behind the workshop. Due to years of collective hoarding we are now in a position where we need to get rid of mounds of unwanted metalwork and machinery. In the near future I intend to get a skip to site which we will fill with scrap. At this stage a couple of strong willing volunteers would be appreciated.

Now my normal piece of advice or request, as I may not get into writing before new or upgraded members appear on the lakes. Please help any new person and think you were in that position once before. If they are doing something wrong tell them, but don’t go charging in being confrontational.

With that in mind I had to get one of the bailiffs down to Alderson on the weekend due to a couple of members casting irresponsibly and when confronted by another member became aggressive. This is not on and will not be tolerated.

Like it or not, we are not a carp syndicate, not everybody is of the same ability and all we ask for, is you act reasonably towards one another. We do not want to get heavy handed with members. Remember all the officials and bailiffs give up their time for free. We do not need anybody giving them hassle for them asking you to comply with the rules.

Fishing is what we do because we like doing it. It is our way of enjoying free time we have. Remember, everybody else here on our lakes or rivers is there for the same reason as you.

Thanks

Les