Committee List
A few words from the clubs committee, about their roles. If you have any Questions. Please feel free to contact usPresident: Rob Fawn
This is the second year of my glorious leadership of the ever expanding empire that is Lanchester Mountaineering. Might I remind you all that my role is more than just ceremonial, despite my very best efforts! The powers resided in the prestigious position of El Presidenti encompass a whole range of rigorous and taxing duties that include:
- Being an ambassador to promoted the development of the society and a contact point to answer any queries of club members
- The detailed coordination of the running of the Lanchester Mountaineering club
- Benevolently delegating anything that looks like resembling work to far more capable and competent exec members.
As El Presidenti, I’m sure you can’t help but think how lucky you are to have someone in charge that embodies so many of the characteristic (such as narcissism and megalomania) that epitomise awe inspiring leadership and yet managing to be so so so humble about it all!
Meets Officer: Alan Humphrey
Probably best known for cooking large roast dinners and wearing ever lasting cheap padded jackets. Alan's role, as a meets co-ordinator, involves compiling & updating a list of weekend trips, parties, social gatherings and trips further a field. Although organising meets throughout the year, he is a point of contact for anyone who would like to arrange a meet (or several!) giving advice on organising meets, who to contact, good venues, etc.
Although the club is primarily a mountaineering club, due to the diverse interests of club members, any other suggestions for meets (& venues) are very welcome - especially unusual or new ideas. The aim is to make sure that there is a wide range of meets, in a variety of locations throughout the year.
Alan also works closely with the exec. of CUMS (the university club) to help them with their 1st term meets, which are joint with our club, but more importantly to avoid any clashes of trips. In the same way we will always endeavour not to clash with other events, so if you have anything coming up (Wedding, Bar Mitzvah) that will involve a large proportion of the club, please let the Meets Officer know (in confidence if you wish) so he can organise accordingly.
Please inform the meet organiser if you intend to go on a club meet, so that they know how many people to expect. This is essential on a hut meet, where space can be limited, or if you are bringing children - whether you’re own or someone else's.
Treasurer / Membership Officer:
My second year as treasurer. The club has made a slight profit in the last year and I, personally, am no richer. So, I obviously didn't learn much from my years working in banking!
During the year I write the cheques that secure the huts and other accommodation that we stay in and generally keep an eye on the income and outgoings of the club bank account. In this role I will also observe the clubs financial position and advise on any changes to subscription fees or the costing of trips or even any surplus we might use to subsidise a club purchase or event.
As membership secretary I encourage club membership and generally 'harass' people until they join. 2009-10 saw the biggest membership the club has ever had with 61 members. I believe it is important for the Lanch to gain new and young members, as well as retaining it's existing base. I am particularly keen on encouraging Cov Uni mountaineers to join the Lanch once their courses are finished.
I collect your annual subs and update the clubs database. With the aid of that, I am able to inform the BMC of your membership status so that they can bail you out when you burn down a mountaineering hut! I also have the joyful task of copying & pasting your mugshots on to membership cards and writing most of the stuff in the membership mailing (so thanks for reading this far!).
Secretary
This is my second year in this role. As secretary I have the delightful and essential role of collating and archiving club records. Some documents such as the ‘Loudhailer’ provide a great insight into our club’s history. Thanks to previous efforts we have an extensive collection of previous issues. However we are still missing a few so any offers of back copies would be gratefully received (specifically from Autumn 1997 until 2003).
Other documents such as meets attendance lists and route plans provide a vital record of events which can be referred to if needed long after the memories have faded, so please remember to send them to me after a meet. My other main role is to organise and produce agendas for Committee meetings and AGM’s, and to compile and archive the minutes. If there are any items you would like on a meeting agenda please let me know.
Distribution Officer: Mike Lunn
Mike graduated from cov in 2002, having studied Business Information Technology (a tiny BIT). He has access to a colour printer and franking machine so he is ideally qualified for the role as distribution officer.
He started life as a social climber (drinker) and has now evolved (like bacteria) into a climber, mountaineer and triathlete although non of these to any high a level. He has in the past lured other members into the pub for a cheeky beer and has not been seen again.
Loudhailer Editor: Richard Denison
One of the original aims of the Lanch was to keep in touch with mountaineering friends, and the newsletter is a valuable way of catching up on gossip, selling old kit, hearing about the meets you couldn't go on and finding out what everyone else is up to.
The Lanchester Loudhailer will be produced four times during the year with a spring, summer, autum and winter editions. I am always on the lookout for contributions of any description. The main thing to remember is it's your newsletter, so get those creative juices flowing and direct your missives to me. The Loudhailer contains meets lists, address list updates, details of forthcoming meets/parties and other articles.
Webmaster: Dan Goldsmith
I would try to pass myself of as a caver, but my other life as a research student means I am more likely to be slaving over a hot processor rather than exploring caverns unmeasurable to man. I list one of my greatest recent mountaineering achievements as reaching the summit of one of the lowest highest points in south east asia, The mighty Bukit Timah (163.3m) in Singapore.
In the role of Webmaster, I keep the website up to date, maintaining the meets list and from time to time making sure Google knows all about us. Keeping Spam under control also features highly on the list of maintenance tasks, and keeping track of just who is replying to those Viagra adverts (Im looking at you El Presideni).
Youth Liaison Officer: Jane Ball
As Youth Liaison Officer, I am the key contact between the BMC and the club in managing Child Protection procedures. My role is to raise awareness of child protection issues within the club, to be aware of the BMC child protection policy and attend training to help me fulfill this role. As a teacher, I have experience of working with under 18’s, have awareness of child protection issues and risk assessments as I have run school trips abroad. I have been CRB checked.
I am on hand to advise the club on child protection issues, whether you are a parent, are under 18 and attending a meet or organising a meet please feel free to phone or email me with any questions regarding provision for under 18’s.
Cheese Development Officer: Dominic Matters
The Lanch was reputedly the first BMC affiliated club to have a cheese officer. In a perfect world the LMC would be super rich, all meets would be pre-booked, everyone would know what to do, websites would repair themselves and children would do what they were told. Cheese Officer would be the only position we needed! At every club gathering, those attending contribute a wedge or two of cheese, which is then consumed by everyone during the 'cheesing hour'. Dom's job is to look after Malcolm (the club cheese board) and knives, ensure local cheeses are represented at any club meet, write cheese bulletins for the Loudhailer newsletters and look after all other matters pertaining to cheese. He has loads of reference material, so if you want to know the cheese of the moment, give him a shout. Oh! And don't mention the Camembert....
C.U.M.S. Liaison Officer: Paul Callister
Membership to Lanch gives access to the Coventry University Mountaineering Society trips – the club from which the founders of the 'Lanch' originated.
The student club has between 6 and 8 weekend trips during the student year. As liaison officer my job is to keep the Lanch informed of the CUMS trips and equally, as their Lanch Liaison Officer, to keep the students informed of Lanch meets outside of term time. Being an active member of Lanch whilst still “getting down with kids” makes me well placed to perform both roles.
We have already offered our assistance to the student club in booking of trips this Autumn and by maintaining close links will hope to attract future graduates of the student society to our own club. This neatly fits in with my job as Membership Secretary.
© 2009 Lanchester Mountaineering Club
