Roadmap out of Lockdown :
Wow! A whole year since the first lockdown was imposed in March 2020 and what a year it’s been, let’s hope we never experience anything like this again. Hopefully, all members have got through the year and avoided the worst effects of this dreadful virus. We’ve all missed the chance to get out to do some walking and enjoy one another’s company and will be looking forward to the walks restarting.
Now that spring is officially here, there are other reasons for optimism – the government’s “roadmap” to the easing of lockdown seems to be on course; infection rates are on the way down and the vaccination programme is progressing well, this means that, subject to any news to the contrary, we will be restarting our walks on Sunday 18 April.
Good News :
The first walk will be at Haigh Hall, Wigan led by Brian, full details will be on the website by next weekend. We are still subject to social distancing and other Covid-19 rules so there will be a risk assessment for each walk and a booking system to comply with the NHS Test & Trace system. The provisional 2021 walks programme is now live on the website – as you will see it’s rather sketchy at the moment and we need volunteers to lead walks in the coming months. If anyone is able to offer a walk (or walks!) please get in touch now by emailing general@outonsunday.co.uk also, if you haven’t led a walk before and are not sure how to go about it there are plenty of experienced walk leaders who will be very happy to help you – it’s not as daunting as you might think!
In other news :
Weekend away – the dates for this year’s weekend away have been confimed as 17 – 19 September and it will take place at Hexham in beautiful Northumberland. It’s likely that demand for UK accommodation will be higher than usual due to the pandemic and the possible reluctance of some to travel abroad (if it’s even permitted!) so, as Sir Fred would say : “Book early”……..
The format of the weekend will follow the normal pattern – arrive Friday afternoon / evening; main walk and evening meal on Saturday with a shorter walk on Sunday, some people choose to arrive earlier or extend their stay, more details will follow in due course.
And there’s more :
The upheaval of the last year has led to some changes to the way Out on Sunday is organised. Members were consulted and asked for comments and suggestions about the main changes, which are:
- introducing a membership fee to fund our regular running expenses (mainly website and insurance costs). We now have 60 fully paid members whose subscriptions and several very generous donations from them, will meet our expenses and provide a reserve of about £800. Our finacial state is greatly assisted because, although we meet third party costs such as domain name and hosting fees, Rachel continues to manage the website on a pro bono basis, so Thank you Rachel
- adopting a formal constitution which defines responsibilities and scope of decision making. It is increasingly a requirement of insurers and grant awarding bodies. The document has been aproved by the Steering Group and a copy, together with minutes of formal meetings will will be posted on the website shortly
- providing liability insurance cover which together with risk assessment will give some security particularly for walk leaders. Having our own insurance will also reduce the cost of attending Pride or similar events. We have quotations from several insurers at around £200 a year. The Steering Group will select a company and arrange cover in the next couple of weeks
- affiliating to other groups and organisations to share resources and improve our influence on decision-makers. We have affiliated with Ramblers’, whilst keeping our independence we are associated with the largest group in the UK representing the walking and rambling community
And finally :
Booking for the first walk (Sunday 18th) is now open so dust off your boots and head over to here to book your place.
Happy Easter everyone!
from Geraint, Phil, Patrick & Dave