As promised during my ‘election campaign ;-) ‘ please find a post of the Agenda for February’s meeting.  The idea is that if you have any comments or suggestions and can’t attend the meeting, then you can post a comment to this post and we will incorporate your comments into the meeting discussions.  It’s an attempt to allow more distant members to feel more included in the club decisions.

Happy Diving, Hugs ‘n’ Bubbles

GLUG Monthly Meeting Agenda

February 5, 2012

http://www.phoenixartistclub.com

Present:

Apologies: Val Cohn

Minutes from last meeting approved by:

Chair’s Report:

Ideas for Social Events please.  There are still places on the Africa Trip if anyone wants to book, the trip is going ahead regardless of numbers and is a one in a lifetime trip!  Please feel free to write a trip report for the trips you’ve been on too!

Vice Chair’s Report:

Membership Secretary’s Report:

Webmaster’s Report:

Treasurer’s Report:

Publicity Officer’s Report:

UK  Co-ordinator’s Report:

Equipment Officer’s Report:

Training Officer’s Report:

Two divers had a Try Dive run through Dive Wimbledon, both have booked on the Open Water Course (Check the website for other training events)

Dry Dive Report.

First Aid Courses (EFR & O2)

There are still spaces on the Introduction to UK diving trips.

Splash & Dash

AOB:

Member’s Feedback:

 

I’ve arranged several indoor training events to keep your muscles flexed whilst we’re out of season.  There’s a First Aid course, an O2 administration course and a Nitrox course, to name but a few.  I’m also running the first part of the Open Water course on 18th & 19th Feb, so if you have any friends who want to learn to dive, get them to book on or email me.  Please note, you don’t HAVE to do a Try Dive to go on the Open Water course as some people seem to think.

We also have plenty of spaces on the Introduction to UK diving trips for those who are new to UK diving, and there’s a Dry Suit course too. If you can’t do the dates, or there are other courses you want covered, please let me know.  I will also be running a foreign training trip shortly for those who want to qualify in warmer waters (do your theory and pool sessions here, and open water dives in the sea) and we also have a couple of Egypt trips waiting to be confirmed.

Please note, it’s not too late to book on the Dry Dive on Thurs of this week and the Splash and Dash pool session at the weekend for those who just want to jump in and have a play around.  This is not a training event, just an excuse to get wet!

Best wishes and happy diving.

I’m off to clean a shark tank now.

Martin

When on holiday last year, Ken and I came across a very well organised and very gay friendly dive school. I thought that we would share this little gem of a school, with rest of the Club. The school, Dive Academy, are GLUG’s friends on the facebook.

Mark has put a link to the dive school on the links section of the GLUG site, but for ease here it is: www.diveacademy-grancanaria.com

We spent 3 days diving with Dive Academy, they collected us from the bungalow complex each morning; took us out on a mix of shore and RIB dives; showed us various reefs and wrecks – I saw my first shark and even waved at the passengers in the Yellow Submarine; and they returned us back to the complex in time for tea.

So if you’re looking to dive in crystal clear waters, with a school which offers a first class service, Dive Academy comes highly recommended.

Needless to say that we’re Gran Canaria and Dive Academy bound next week.

Jeff

In response to requests for some pool sessions, I’ve booked the pool in Crown Lane, Streatham for 2 hours on 4th Feb.  This is not a training event per se, but a chance for you to test out new kit, try out your skills, brush off some of that rust that builds up out of season or figure out what that pesky button does on your new dive computer santa shoved down your flue. If you want to play around with your camera, or try putting up a DSMB without hanging yourself in the surf, this is the perfect opportunity.  Book in now and wash away those winter blues. ;-)

The Minutes from the last meeting are now available.  There seems to be an issue with the link on the front page at the moment, but Mark assures me you can also reach them here http://www.glug.co.uk/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/minutes/17-01-12.pdf

It seems some of you weren’t aware of the dry dive trip so I’m sending out a little nudge.

Check out the event linked to this post and book on it. We need 6 to make it work, so I need to know numbers fairly soon.  A number of you suggested you’d like to go, so please sign up ASAP and I can confirm the booking with the centre.

Dry dives are great fun, they give you the chance to experience how you respond to narcosis in a safe environment.  Experience how Narcosis affects your response times, how it changes your voice, try playing a game of snap at 50m!   The chamber is used to genuine re-compression treatments, so you can see how things are done.  It’s comforting to know how it all works if you ever need treating for the bends!  And what’s even more fun, you get to log it as a dive!  Bring your computers and dive log with you!  Then of course, there’s the obligatory pint afterwards.
Many thanks.
Martin

P.S. We still have spaces on the Africa Trip too.  It’s going ahead, regardless of numbers so we’ll have a great time!

Christmas is approaching and the colder weather is here.  Time to start thinking about migrating to warmer climes for a week or two….  We still have spaces on the South Africa trip.  Bearing in mind, this price is all inclusive, bar a  couple of meals and your drinks, AND that we fly with Emirates with a 40KG luggage allowance thrown in,  it’s a pretty awesome package.  Check out the itinerary and download the .pdf and see just where we’re going.  Staying in either top class hotels OR camping in luxury safari camps, this is one of those once in a lifetime trips you’ll remember for the rest of your life.  The diversity of the wildlife in South Africa is immense and as we’re on the move, you get to dive many different locations and see many different terrain along the way. I spent 6 months in Cape Town in 2000 and believe me this trip will be AWESOME! We have also secured a ‘non-diving’ price for partners who don’t dive, so you don’t need to leave your Significant Other behind ;-)

Have a very Merry Christmas Folks, a Happy New Year and I hope to see as many of you as possible at the next meeting on Tues 17th Jan at 7pm in The Phoenix.

Best wishes

Martin

Firstly, a nod to one of, no, the most relaxed and fun GLUG AGMs I’ve attended… and the biggest letting down of hair thereafter! There were people with cameras, they know who there were, I know who they were and with the exception of any embarrassing snaps of moi, I expect to see those images uploaded to the GLUG gallery please… stick them on other sites as you see fit by all means but we, GLUG, had one heck of a party on Saturday night and our site needs a record of the fun we had.

Secondly, I hope that you’ll join us for the journey of 2012 and make this coming year even better than those past.

As Martin said in his post, the membership fee increase was voted upon at the AGM with the result that our membership fee is now set at £25 for 2012.

This increase in the membership fee necessitates prompt action to avoid Standing Orders being processed for the wrong amount and the hassle that will cause all of us. I’m therefore getting things moving giving you time to act. PLEASE don’t wait for more reminders, I don’t do nagging, THIS is your renewal reminder, the renewals desk is open, let’s get it over and done with!

Membership payments are due in January, and, as in previous years, I’m planning to deal with renewals in an efficient manner. To meet the deadline of 31st January, electronic payment must be initiated on or before 26th January.

The ideal date for Standing Orders to process is 17th January.

Most members will be able to adjust their existing standing order, or , if this is the 1st year on SO, set one up with their bank, via online banking. This is usually a very straightforward procedure taking no more than a couple of minutes.

For anyone who needs (or wants?) to queue up in a local branch and do things a little more traditionally, here’s the current standing order form. Please note: You need to take the completed form to your bank, please don’t send them to me.

Alternatives, of course!

• A one off bank transfer to:

account:      xxxxxxxx
sort code:   xx-xx-xx

Please use your name in the reference field – thank you.

• Paypal (fees apply so total will be £26.09) via the membership page.
• Cheque – Payable to ‘G.L.U.G’ please, at January’s meeting or posted to:

GLUG
144 Don Phelan Close
Camberwell
London
SE5 7DB

• Cash – While I’m not going to refuse this option at January’s meeting, I would prefer to not have to carry significant sums of cash if possible, so last resort only please.

Thank you and I hope to see you all next year for lots more fun and plenty of getting wet!

Mark

As the new Chair of GLUG I would like to start my term in office by thanking Doug for all his hard work over the last three years on committee.  Under his guidance, the profile and membership of GLUG has increased significantly and we have much to thank him for.  I’m sure you will  join me in wishing him all the best in the future and we hope he will stay actively involved in the club.

I would also like to thank Dave and Ian for their time on the committee and tremendous contribution to GLUG.  Dave has been with the club since it’s infancy and we value his input and experience.  Ian has started many of you off on your diving careers and passed on the bug of technical diving to many of us too.  I send a heartfelt ‘Thank you” from us all.  I will be sending out minutes in due course, but I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome Debbie back to the committee as Treasurer.  No nominations were contested and so the rest of the Committee stand as before, though I will be taking on the joint role of Training Officer and Chair.

We have a very exciting year ahead of us with some tremendous opportunities for the club.  The Olympics are heading our way and London Pride becomes World Pride this year.  Val has some excellent ideas for increasing our profile at Pride and we are planning some exciting fund-raisers to help cover our costs for both Pride and Try Dive events.  With Debbie counting our coffers, we aim to provide a monthly financial report, which will tie in with our budget (to be agreed at the January meeting) so you can see how the club is doing financially and get a clearer picture of how the GLUG funds are being spent.  Mark has some great ideas for the website and Corinne has some fantastic UK dives lined up already.  Steph has kindly agreed to continue to store and nurse some of the tanks and other kit in her garage and I will be tripping over the rest in my ‘dive shed’.  We have Brian at the helm as our Vice Chair; promoting GLUG at every opportunity and encouraging the cross-pollination of GLUG with other gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clubs.  For my part as Training Officer, I will be running a set of training courses, not just for new members, but for those wishing to expand their skills, offering Speciality Courses and a Rescue Course this year as well.

As the new Chair, I hope to bring a tremendous amount of fun and activity to the club.  I dive with many other dive clubs and I firmly believe GLUG has something very special to offer.  We are unique, we are fun and we look after each other.  Those who know me, know I spend most of my time in the water these days and I hope my passion for diving rubs off on those who need a little encouragement.  If you suddenly feel the urge to get wet on a Thursday afternoon but have no-one to go with, put a little post out on the forum.  The chances are there will be someone else twitching their fins.  If I’m headed out to the coast, or indeed inland, I’m always happy for the extra company.  Don’t sit there and wait for someone else to organise it; bite the bullet and let’s keep this club alive, dynamic and positive.  GLUG has an excellent reputation, both in the UK and abroad.  Let’s keep it that way!

The vote for next years membership fee was taken at the AGM.  Mark was on hand to make sure no one cheated and taking into account those voting on line and those voting in person at the AGM, there was a majority vote to increase the fee to £25 per year.  53 members voted in total.  4 voted for £10, 11 people voted for  £15 and 38 people voted for £25.  This does mean that those of you paying by Standing Order will need to change your details and Mark will send out more information regarding this in due course.

GLUG is changing.  It must change in order to survive.  There will be a few bumps and scrapes along the way, but I ask you all, sincerely, for the good of the club, to work with us.  We are, at the end of the day, a social club, a group of people coming together with one great passion; diving!  We are also a committee of volunteers, we all have jobs and lives outside of GLUG.  We will do our best to answer your queries as quickly as possible, but please bear in mind that we cannot always come to a decision in 24 hours.  The forum is an excellent way for members to communicate with each other, share ideas and information and discuss club issues.  I would like to see the forum used more, as a positive tool within the club.  Personal issues, concerns or grievances are far better dealt with via email, to the committee as a whole or to individual members of the committee, as appropriate.

In an attempt to include members who are further afield, I intend to start posting the agendas for the monthly meetings to all members (roughly) a week before the meeting.  Members will then be able to comment on that post and your comments will be taken into consideration at the meeting.  The minutes will then be posted to the site as soon as possible after the meeting.

I would like to encourage members to organise their own trips or social events.  Corinne and I organise a number of trips within our specified roles, but they are not exclusive.  Let us know if you have destinations you want to go to, or favourite wrecks you want to dive.  If you’re ready to post your own trip or social event, but are unsure how to post it, or would like some help to organise it, feel free to ask.  The committee members give a lot of personal time to the club behind the scenes and we would love to have your input too.  There are certain guidelines within the GLUG constitution for organising trips.  If you are uncertain about anything, please feel free to ask for advice.

I will post the minutes as soon as possible.  Please read them for more details of the AGM meeting, but the GLUG monthly meetings will now start at 7pm.  The committee will convene from 7pm and will finish no later than 8pm (by JOVE, there is drinking to be done!).  Members are welcome to sit in on the committee meeting or socialise at the bar, but a feedback session will be held at the end of the committee meeting.  Traditionally, the first meeting of the New Year is held on the second Tuesday of the month.  However, this now clashes with another group using the venue so the next GLUG meeting will take place on Tues Jan 17^th.  This gives plenty of time to get over Christmas and leaves three weeks between the Jan and Feb meetings.  From then on we shall revert to the first Tuesday of every month.

May I take this opportunity to thank you all for your support this year.  As a club we have had some excellent trips, some fun socials and we certainly made in impact at Pride.  It is you, the members, who make the club what it is.  I look forward to a fun filled, very wet and very busy 2012.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.

Best wishes

Martin

Welcome to the GLUG training bulletin for December 2011

This will be my last update as Training Coordinator…

Due to other commitments I cannot give as much time to the committee as I would have liked and that the club deserves. I will be joining a regular member and still about for training and trips to Malta.

I hope you all continue to give your support to the club which works very hard on your behalf. Thanks for your support over the last 3 years, it’s been a pleasure. A few of you have training interests that I will chase up in the new year…

Check out the training page training page for the dates of current courses….

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If you or anyone you know is interested in any training from absolute beginner to instructor, or interested in technical diving including rebreathers, we can get you trained and diving!!!

All courses can be arranged, if you are unable to make a date, or I haven’t mentioned a course, then please get in touch and we can arrange one. Training can be arranged in the UK or abroad.

http://www.glug.co.uk/training/padi

Don’t forget club night, 1st Tuesday of every month at the Phoenix Club on Charing Cross Road.

I would also like to reiterate that, if we are running a training trip and you want to come along and get in the water to brush off the cobwebs, too get some tips/advice, try out kit, or even just dive with friends, you are all very welcome! GLUG is a club first and foremost.

Please contact me on:

Thanks very much,

Ian

GLUG Training Coordinator