Newsletter


Urgent Information for Members


This area at the top of the Newsletter page is reserved for urgent information and warnings for our Members.


****


For our "scam of the month" page, click this link


Click here for scam of the month



We try to keep up with the more frequent scams going round,  and definitely it could be said

that these come in and out of favour as time goes by.






******************************************************************************************************




We are happy to include an edited version of our latest Newsletter here.


It is sometimes necessary to remove names,  contact details, costs

and other details but if you are an existing member of the LEPC you

will already be aware of where you can obtain this missing information.

If you are not a member and think you might be eligible please go to the contacts

page and complete the contact form there.


Also, in the Printed and Email versions of the Newsletter all detail of forthcoming

events and welfare matters is included.  Since there are pages allocated on this website

for both,  there seems to be no need to duplicate this information here as each has its own allocated space.


Our newsletter is sent to all registered members. However, sending it by post is a labour-intensive process.

so we are making an effort to persuade members to take it by way of an attachment to an email instead.

We have managed to increase the number of those who receive their copy this way, but it is still likely

to be fewer than the total number of members who have email accounts.  If you can receive your copy

this way please get in touch via our contact page.  Also, if you are thinking of changing your email address

or have done so recently, do please advise us of this change.


**********************************



Newsletter Spring 2024


Opening from the Chair


As a Committee we have been having great discussions on how the Club should go forward.

We saw Eddie Cole leave us at the AGM but luckily Kevin Mason has taken over part of the role with the assistance of Lynn Smith and Gloria and Peter Goodfellow who have offered to do the raffles

By taking into account how small the committee now is, and how the last Theatre trip was so badly supported, we will be reducing our trips in case of any future losses. Therefore we will not have trips in November or August this year. At the time of writing this, all tickets had been pre bought and we were looking at a loss of £637.50 to the Club! However, feelers were put out and thankfully all are now sold.


In November we saw the show Crazy for You which was a great success, followed closely by the Dixieland Jazz, which was another great trip to the Marie Thereza Barge. Our Christmas lunch was very well attended, and our apologies go to all those who’s Sprouts were a bit hard. I will have a word with Chef!

I sincerely hope you enjoy the new programme that I am busily arranging for this year. If you attend a trip elsewhere and you enjoyed it please share the information.

We hope to see you in 2024 as ‘backsides on seats’ mean I can apply for a bigger Grant from Barclays for 2025


AGM Chairman’s Speech for 2023


Good morning everyone thank you for being on time today.

First I must address something from Matters Arising from last year- “Can we increase subs from £1 to, say, £5.” As much as we would like to see the membership fees increase, the logistics of getting all 425 to do this it is a big ask for our volunteer Committee plus the cost of postage, so we suggested that members can make their own amendments. I was interested to hear from Lynn if anyone in fact did increase their subs- apart from me that is! There were 10 of us. A few less than the membership!  It does make me think - does anyone read the Newsletter?

Last year was an interesting year; it quite threw me when I had to cancel a trip because the boat had a hole in the hull, never had that before. But we managed to get another booking later in the year. Well done to Carol, as there was a lot going on already at that time of year and then I added another trip which was a lot more paperwork.

 

Our trips have become more expensive over time and I know some of you may find the cost too much, indeed, Mrs Doubtfire was poorly received for this March causing great concern to 

me as tickets at those prices are pre bought to keep the price low. It was a mad scramble to reach out to other organisations to sell them to recoup the money Barclays donates for your welfare. So they could not be sold off on the cheap as some members had suggested ! I am pleased to say all tickets (24) are now sold

As you know our membership continues to fall, albeit naturally, But last year we lost some very special members who were always very helpful and most supportive of your Committee. They are missed here today. Our condolences go to their loved ones.

As some of you are still able to holiday or go with other Clubs on trips, please do mention us to those other Clubs. You never know, you could be instrumental in gaining a new member as I did when in Turkey last September.

We have had new members join, but as they are still of working age many have now taken up part time work, which is why possibly we are not seeing them as much.

In saying that, you the members have been most generous last year, in the support of the Charities chosen at the AGM - Air Ambulance and Saint Francis Hospice. We have never collected so much for charities before, well done all. I will let Eddie advise us on how much was raised and we should remember the Matched Funding provided by Barclays.

I am pleased to announce this year we had 2 people write to us about the Charities we may like to choose to support as a Club, and being only 2, obviously they were both successful, but I will leave Eddie to talk about those.

Today is a sad day for us on the Committee as we have a young man who is standing down - where are you Eddie? On behalf of the Club please accept this diploma for your outstanding hard work. It was not easy taking over from Alan who had had a massive stroke and who had a mistrust of computers. Our thanks go to his wife Claire, who always made us welcome in her home and was of great support to Eddie when doing the raffle prize draws-

Now welcome with the help of Lynn Smith, Kevin Mason as our designated Welfare Manager please stand Kevin, Also thanks must go to Gloria and Peter Goodfellow who will be arranging the raffles for us going forward, please stand . Now I couldn’t do what needs to be done without the full support of all the Committee so please Committee all stand, and members please show your appreciation. Thank you all.

In closing I now hand you over to the Treasurer Lynn Smith


At the AGM  the now very high cost of postage was mentioned, and we really do need to reduce the number of  Newsletters being sent out quarterly. (the cost for 2023 was £1400 and rising)

 

Are you still receiving your Newsletter by post but have email?  If so, please consider : -

 

 If you don’t have your own printer do you have access to one?

 

Money spent on printing and postage detracts from our available funds, which could be put to better use in discounting our trips/events.

Please contact Carol if you can help us help you here.

*****

 

As your Newsletter Ed I have the luxury of laying out the content. On this one occasion I’m using that to include something raised at the AGM. The minutes of the AGM will, of course, be in the Winter edition of the Newsletter but as I feel it’s important I didn’t want to wait that long.


"Peter G spoke in support of Maureen’s request for fresh help for the Committee.: -

From humble beginnings of one event and an AGM at its inception, the LEPC currently runs near monthly events and raises a considerable amount for charity.

He stated his belief that unless members step up to carry the Club forward it is unlikely to survive in its present form.

Numbers on the Committee have fallen from at least twelve in 2010 to five, with duties of the vacant positions being shouldered be the remaining Committee members.

Five is realistically the absolute minimum needed to continue, and with age and health being uncertain factors we are already on thin ice.

In the last four years, and because Peter and Kevin were personally approached, both have become Committee  members.  He feels that this is the way forward, so be ready to tap any prospective candidate on the shoulder and just ask."

 

And finally

The simple act of opening a bottle of wine has brought more happiness to the human race than all the collective governments in the history of the Earth.

Jim Harrison


Peter Gerrard

Editor



 


For Forthcoming events please go to the Events page


For Welfare please go to the Welfare Matters page









Finally, we are all being bombarded with correspondence and email regarding GDPR

regulations, but have to bring this to your attention!


Privacy and Security Statement

On 25 May 2018 the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) came into force. These regulations enhance the existing Data Protection Act (1998) and place a few more requirements on those who collect and process personal data and give more rights to those whose data is being processed.


Personal Data

For Barclays London Eastern Pensioners Club, we only collect and store personal data that is necessary for us to function as a community group, such as name, date of birth, postal address, telephone number and e-mail address.  In addition, we also keep a record of membership subscription payments.


Data Use

The data we collect and process is used solely for the purposes of Barclays London Eastern Pensioners' Club.  We do not share information with any other third party without the consent of the individual concerned.


Storage

All records are kept securely and electronic information on password protected PCs.


Your Rights

If you have any queries or wish to see the information we hold on you, please contact our membership secretary, Carol Preston