1996

1996

1996 started well with a cheque from Whitbread for £2,066 for reaching the barrelage target for 1995. The Club started to collect waste paper again and Indoor Bowls was making a mark. In March Terry Wellard was appointed the Club's promoter to accommodate the Club's registration under the “Lotteries & Amusements Act 1976” and Colin Gunn and Peter Scales were appointed to clarify returns. We also applied to the National Lottery Sports Fund for a grant aid but the application was incorrect, so applied again in May for a grant of £115,000.

In the first months of the year the Club had visits from Swale Sports Council and the Kent Playing Fields Association, and we decided to install bollards on the lower field to stop parking. A lock was installed between the hall and the lounge which could be opened with the Member's door key and last years Knock Out Competition was finally resolved with Paul Rider the winner.

At the Annual General Meeting the committee remained the same with the exception of Colin Gunn becoming Membership Secretary and two new General Committee Members Geoff Marriott and Barry Clark , there would be no Assistant Secretary Bar. Membership fees also remained the same.

Reports from the Sections to the Annual General Meeting showed Cricket had an average season, but on the opening game Shaun Burgin scored 106 out of the sides total of 120. Judy Page Gardening Secretary was joined by Chris Taylor as the new Treasurer, and Archie Huntley remained as Chairman. The Gardeners visited organic gardens at Yalding and Faversham's Brogdale Farm apart from enjoying their monthly meetings. Table Tennis entered 7 teams in the league and they all did well.

The Football Section had amalgamated with the Youth Section and there was only one senior side. Eddie Pilgrim Secretary reported youngsters made up U.11, U.12, U.16 and U.18 teams all doing quite well but the U.12 team reached the final of the Consolation Cup and were runners up in their league. Indoor Games donated £200 to Cricket and Football in November and at that meeting Trevor Shepherd, Football Chairman, who had been co-opted onto the Main Club Committee, said their £200 would be used to pay for a crossbar; like Cricket they expressed thanks to Indoor Games.

The Groundsmen continued to do a grand job at Murston Park and Brian Bartlett purchased a tractor, gang mower, a spreader and shrubs to landscape around the new storage container. In July Brian reported that the “weed man” had been all over the park, and in September there was trouble with a wasps' nest.

Meanwhile in the Bar Colin Gunn had the cooler system repaired and was looking for a new ice machine. It was agreed that Trish Shepherd and Lynn Rose would share the Assistant Bar Manager's job and an offer from Courages was turned down in view of the losses we would incur from Whitbread.

The Club's Presentation Dinner Cabaret in May with Maggie Langdon was most successful and the Club's Awards were presented to: Member of the Year Mally White, Lady of the Year Jackie White – a family occasion, Murston Park Shield Richard Beard and the Chairman's Award went to Peter Scales.

The Social Committee under the Chairmanship of Paul Ryder was unchanged from 1995 so Paul led a strong team. They organised a Burns Night ( haggus , neeps and clouty pudding), 8 music nights in the bar and regular bingo nights, a Valentines Weekend, Karaoke. On May Bank Holiday they organised Bat & Trap, a Barbeque and disco, then there was another Karaoke Night, a Quiz Night, a Hen Night, Summer Day trip to Drusilla's Park following the previous year's success, a Horse Racing Night, Mackays Fashion Show, a Barn Dance, and a Booze Cruise to France. On August Bank Holiday there was more Karaoke music and barbeque, and the Halloween Night Disco was followed a few days later by the well organised Firework Display which was followed a week later with a Barn Dance!

Great credit to the Social Committee who in December also organised the Childrens ' Christmas Party, discos for Members on Christmas Eve and Boxing Day lunchtime and Santa visits on Christmas morning thanks to Ray Oddy , Mark Hope and John Revell . The New Year celebrations were limited to Members only.

In the last quarter of the year we heard from the Lottery who wanted some clarifications on certain points. The windows in the south wall of the Games Room were finally blocked up and a canopy fitted to the door at a cost of £2,413.

It was a blow when we learned that David Thomas had resigned from the Council, what a great help he had been to the Club over the years. Another resignation due to work commitments came from Editor Neil Matthews.

The year ended with us still waiting to hear if THE grant would be forthcoming but what a very sociable year it had been.