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TELEVISION LEGEND HAILS HUSBAND AND WIFE WINNERS AND OTHER ANDERIDA TALENT
Coronation Street legend Brian Capron was full of praise for husband and wife winners Tony and Heather Flood and their fellow writers after reading out entries with actress Sue Thatcher in the Anderida Writers Annual Short Story and Poetry competition at the Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday, August 15. Brian, who played serial killer Richard Hillman in Corrie, said: "Tony and Heather and the other entrants provided a collection of very entertaining stories and poems, underlining the great writing talent that exists in Eastbourne and Sussex." Tony Flood won the Anderida Cup for the Short Story section. plus £60, with his humorous entry A Cruel Lesson, while his wife Heather won the Poetry section prize of £50 with Is Writing A Pleasure or a Pain? Brian and Susan, who both live in Sussex, with Susan appearing under the name Sue Williams in Seaford Little Theatre productions, each read out half the 20 entries. Entires were judged by those present who were eligible to vote (members and guests who had attended at least one Anderida meeting prior to the closing date). They gave each entry a mark out of ten. John Silverton, having won both sections last year, came second in the short story section wtih Dream Holiday, for which he won £10 and the book Fragrance by Josh Carter and Samuel Gearing, and joint second with his poem The First Time, for which he received murder mystery No Accident by Robert Crouch. Other winners of books or highly commended certificates were: Short Story section - 3rd Hex Austen (Unpluggers Convention), 4th Jackie Harvey (Tiger Tiger), joint 5th Richard Rewell (The Chair) and Denis Stidder (Advice of a Stranger). Poetry section – joint 2nd Deane Smith (A Change is as good as a Rest); 4th Michael Fleming (Of (Nod to Rudyard Kipling). Anderida chairman Tony Flood thanked Competition Secretary Francis Wait, together with Robert Crouch and John Silverton for assisting Francis with counting the marks at the interval. Tony said: "I got involved in organising the competition so I know how much hard work it involved for Francis." "I am also most grateful to Brian Capron and Susan Thacker for their excellent support of local writers. Their expertise as actors makes the readings come alive in what is our Oscars." "In addition, Brian has endorsed some of the books I have written, including crime thriller Triple Tease, and my celebrity book My Life With The Stars. He has also backed other Anderida Writers authors Alex Hudson and Heather Flood. He read Alex's book Secrets Will Surface on Hailsham FM radio, and said of Heather's fantasy adventure Purple Mist: 'Don't you love it when bullies get their comeuppance! That's just the start to Purple Mist, a wonderful adventure story full of thrills and spills that is literally out of this world!' Brian has not given up playing villains and will be the evil Abanazar in Aladdin at the Stockport Plaza in December. Meanwhile, he will be reading a short story on Sundays as part of Hailsham FM's competition. * The picture in which Brian is presenting the Anderida Cup to Tony Flood, also shows Susan Thacker (right) and other winners. * Writers who would like to see their work published FREE online can do so by joining The Write Site and submitting a short story, poem or extract from a book they have written.

MICHAEL FLEMING THIRD PRIZE WINNER IN TOP STOCKHOLM WRITERS COMPETITION
Anderida Writers author Michael Fleming's writing skills have been recognised in Stockholm. Michael says: "I discovered in May that I'd been longlisted and then shortlisted for the Stockholm Writers Festival First 5 Pages Prize. Since then I've received the excellent news that, in the final round of judging, I have been awarded third place for my entry, No More Bets. "Given that there were 1164 entries from around the globe (I understand the winner and runner-up hail from New Zealand and the USA, respectively) I feel honoured and, to use an English idiom, downright chuffed. I've accepted an invitation from Stockholm Writers to attend their Award ceremony in August. No More Bets is a crime thriller in progress. It follows on from Backhanders, Michael's novel that was shortlisted in December for the Marlowe and Christie International First Novel Prize. Both novels feature his anti-hero protagonist, Will Whitley. Michael explains: "I believe that any anti-hero protagonist must be constantly intriguing – even when they are hands down unlikeable. Whitley is ruthless, a physically imposing thug with a quick brain. Despite his best efforts, the occasional act of compassion leaks from his otherwise impervious badness. He certainly seems to have caught the attention of certain competition judges." Michael is the author, together with Matt Fleming, of The Fish on My Ear and Other Stories, a collection of thought-provoking short stories. The theme is death, but there is humour as well as pathos, and each story has a twist in the tale. Anderida chairman Tony Flood says: "Being awarded third place in such a prestigious competition is a fitting reward for Michael's outstanding writing skills and we can look forward to the publication of his crime thriller." PICTURES show the cover of Fish on my Ear, and Michael with Anderida chairman Tony Flood at an awards ceremony.

ANDERIDA CELEBRATE RECORD ATTENDANCE AND A HEALTHY BANK BALANCE THANKS TO NIGEL'S SPONSORSHIP
Chairman Tony Flood reflected on another year of success for Anderida Writers at the AGM on Tuesday, April 15th, 2025 in the Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, with increased activities, a record attendance and a healthy bank balance of £1043. He said that Anderida continued to offer support and advice to both those wishing to be published and those writing for fun. But Mr Flood pointed out that John Silverton, Francis Wait and himself were again taking on several roles, and he urged more members to contribute, including giving their views on the Anderida Facebook page. Inviting former Bachelors singer Dec Cluskey to give a concert in March resulted in a record attendance for any Anderida meeting, with 81 people attending. This brought a net profit of £104 as well as raising awareness of Anderida. Vice Chairman Nigel Gearing had generously sponsored a new short story and poetry competition to the tune of £225, and votes of thanks were given to Nigel and patron Tamara McKinley for judging the event. The Anderida Accolade Award was later presented jointly to Nigel and Tamara for their outstanding services to the club. It was proposed by John Silverton and seconded by Francis Wait that the judging of the new Gearing Trophy Short Story and Poetry competition be extended, with a third judge appointed. After Tamara objected, John and Francis said it was no reflection on her and Nigel, and introducing a third judge would widen the range of opinions. Tamara disagreed and after much discussion, John withdrew the proposal to ensure that Tamara would continue as a judge. A proposal by Nigel Gearing, seconded by Tamara McKinley, was passed that the closing date for entries to The Gearing Trophy competition be brought forward to the first week in October and the winners be announced at the November meeting when they would receive their prizes. It was confirmed that the usual Anderida Annual Short Story and Poetry competition, in which the winners are decided by members' votes, will continue to be held, with entries read out by actors at the July meeting. Entry fees for this are £6, with full members able to submit two entries for £9. The meeting approved both the current accounts and an amended profit and loss account for 2023-2024 showing an income of £1126 and an expenditure of £951, giving a profit for the year of £175 (not £345 as previously recorded). Tony Flood asked members to support Tamara by buying her latest book With Promises To Keep, written under the name Ellie Dean. This is the 21st book in her best-selling Cliffehaven series and the paperback is now available on Amazon for the special discounted price of £5.50, with the e-version available at £2.99. Tony also invited members to attend Songs & Secrets of Elvis, Marilyn and Kylie in which popular singing duo Stardust and himself, as an author, will be providing a mix of songs, revelations and amusing anecdotes at the Grove Theatre, underneath Eastbourne Library, on Saturday, May 10th from 2 pm. The Stardust duo of Maria and Roberto will be singing and playing songs made famous by Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and Kylie Minogue, either side of Tony giving revelations and amusing anecdotes about these legends and others featured in his book My Life With The Stars – Sizzling Secrets Spilled. Tickets cost £9.50. Those present at the AGM were offered a complimentary copy of The Boxer's Story by broadcaster and journalist Bob Harris. It is not about boxing, but an emotive story of life and death featuring a survivor of the Holocaust. PICTURE SHOWS Nigel Gearing and Tamara McKinley receiving the Anderida Accolade from chairman Tony Flood. Officers elected were: patron - Tamara McKinley; President – Tony Flood;. Vice President – Brian Capron; Chairman – Tony Flood; Vice Chairman – Nigel Gearing; Secretary – John Silverton; Assistant Secretary – Hex Austin; 'Treasurer – John Silverton; Assistant treasurer – Francis Wait; Competition secretary – Francis Wait; Assistant competition secretary – Tamara McKinley; Membership secretary – Francis Wait; Website editors – Tony Flood and Robert Crouch; Website administrator – Alistair Colley; Facebook page administrators – Tony Flood and Alistair Colley; Publicity and marketing officer – Tony Flood.

THREE EVENTS FOR ANDERIDA MEMBERS TO ENJOY
Anderida Writers has three events coming up, starting with the monthly meeting in the Garden Suite of the Hydro Hotel. Eastbourne from 7.30 pm on Tuesday, November 12th when the guest speaker will be actor Radley Mason Radley, who stars in murder mystery suppers at the Grove Theatre, Eastbourne, and is pictured in character as a detective, will give advice on how to talk about and promote your work on the basis that 'word and mouth' is the best marketing tool. Entries for the Anderida November Short Story and Poetry competition, for which £225 is being given in prize money, should be submitted to competition secretary Francis Wait at this meeting or sent to him by post to arrive by on Thursday, November 14th (further details are BELOW). Members and guests are also invited to book for the Anderida Writers Christmas lunch at the Hydro Hotel's Orangery Restaurant at a discounted price of just £22, which is £10 LESS than the price normally charged by the Hydro because both Anderida and our generous Vice Chairman Nigel Gearing are contributing £5 towards the cost of each meal. It is being held on Tuesday, December 10th from 1 pm, and the menu choices are included BELOW at the bottom of this email. (This festive lunchtime meal is being held instead of our normal evening monthly meeting in December). Those wishing to come should notify Francis Wait by email at franciswait29@gmail.com as soon as possible whether they want to book for themselves and a partner, or just themselves, and give him their choice of STARTER, MAIN COURSE AND DESSERT from the menu BELOW, with options marked A to K plus coffee. They can make a payment to Francis of £22 per person on or before November 20th. Cheques should be made payable to 'Anderida Writers'. Francis Wait's address is Flat 30 Lakeside Court, 35 Dallington Road, Hampden Park, Eastbourne, BN22 9EJ ------- New writing competition: Anderida are holding a superb new Short Story and Poetry competition, with £225 in cash prizes. thanks again to the sponsorship by Nigel Gearing. The short story section will offer a first prize of £100 and the Gearing Trophy, plus a second prize of £50 and a third prize of a book by a popular author. The poetry section offers a first prize of £75, a second prize of a bottle of champagne donated by Anderida patron Tamara McKinley, and a third prize of a popular book. Entries, on any theme, will be judged by Nigel and Tamara. Short stories can be up to 1,000 words and poems up to 40 lines. Entry requirements: The competition is open to all Anderida members or guests who have attended at least one meeting this year prior to the closing date of Thursday, November 14th, 2024. Entries must be the original work of the writer but can be published or unpublished. Short stories should be typed in 14pt font, single-line spaced, on single-sided A4 sheets (not double-sided). Poems should be typed in 14pt font, single-spaced. Three copies of each entry, and entry fees, should be sent to Competition Secretary Francis Wait at Flat 30 Lakeside Court, 35 Dallington Road, Hampden Park, Eastbourne, BN22 9EJ in an envelope, within which an additional sealed envelope must be enclosed, containing the writer's name, address, phone number and an original title of the entry, followed by a number of the entrant's choosing. The author's name must NOT appear on the actual story or poem which should be identified by only an original title and a number of the entrant's choice. A word count must be given at the end of short story entries, and the number of lines for poems. The entry fee is £5 for a single entry and £8 for two entries per person. The maximum number of entries is two for full members and only one entry for guest members. If 30 entries are received, any further second entries will be returned and the fee paid will be refunded. Cheques, made payable to 'Anderida Writers', should be included in the main, outer envelope, NOT in the sealed inner envelope containing your name and contact details. If you are submitting more than one entry, please ensure they are marked 1st Entry, 2nd Entry. The entry fee of £5 will include an automatic entry into a BUMPER RAFFLE which Nigel Gearing is also sponsoring by providing a Fortnum and Mason hamper, full of goodies, as first prize. But entrants and non-entrants are also asked to buy a raffle ticket for £1 each. Prize winners will be announced at Anderida's Christmas festive meal at which entrants will be asked to read out their successful entries. HYDRO MENU FOR ANDERIDA'S FESTIVE LUNCH STARTERS A. Spiced carrot, butternut squash and roasted lentil soup (vegan, gf, nut free) B. Deep fried panko breaded brie with sugar dried cranberry compot, orange syrup (v, nut free) C. Sriracha grilled king prawn with a pomegranate lime and mano salsa (gf) MAIN COURSES D. Slow roasted breast of turkey, peach, thyme and chestnut stuffing, smoked bacon chipolata, glazed sprouts, roasted potatoes, burgundy wine and turkey sauce E. Slow braised beef in a port and vegetable jus, glazed new potatoes and thyme dumplings (nut free) F. Grilled fillet of sea bream with a piri piri butter and chorizo potatoes (gf, nut free) G. Eggplant rollatini.with sunblush.tomato, mozzarella and basil (v, nut free) DESSERTS H. Traditional plum pudding with an Amaretto sauce (v) I. Mango delice, pineapple and lime salsa, mango puree J Gingerbread spiced chocolate tartlet, chocolate sauce, coffee ice cream K. Vegan vanilla rum panna cotta, red fruit compot, coconut cookie (vegan) plus FRESHLY BREWED COFFEE AND MINTS

JOHN SILVERTON MAKES IT A WINNING DOUBLE IN ANDERIDA COMPETITION JULY 2024
John Silverton won both sections in the Anderida Writers Annual Short Story and Poetry competition at the Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday, July 9th, when actress Susan Thacker read out the entries. He lifted the short story trophy with The Raffle Ticket, pipping another humourous entry, Tony Flood's Pleasure and Guilt. Wendy Ogden (Imposters) came third, followed by Francis Wait (Ghost Story) and Mike Haffner (Bangers and Cash). John won the poetry competition for the third successive year with An Independant Candidate, finishing ahead of Alan Turner with A Nearly Nonagerian Ned and Tony Flood with Growing Old. The winners are pictured with Anderida patron Tamara McKinley and Sue Thacker. This year's competition was on any theme, and there were cash prizes of £60 for the winner of the short story section and £50 for the poetry section. Other prizes were: two theatre tickets for the Royal Hippodrome Theatre's summer season production A Night To Remember, signed copies of Ellie Dean's books Homecoming and A Place Called Home, a book giving creative writing advice by well-known authors called Being a Writer, donated by John Silverton, a book called How To Get Published and Make a Lot of Money, donated by Tony Flood, and a writer's notebook donated by Michael Fleming. Entries were judged by those present who were either full Anderida members or guests having attended at least one previous meeting this year. They gave scores up to 10 for each entry. Actor Brian Capron of Coronation Street fame, who had shared reading the entries in previous years, was unavailable on Tuesday so Sue Thacker read all 18 entries. * Sue Thacker will be appearing in A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen at Seaford Little Theatre, 4 Steyne Road, BN25 1HA, from Friday, September 6th to Saturday, September 14th. Both Saturdays are matinee performances, starting at 2.30 p.m., while all weekday performances start at 7.45 p.m. A Doll's House tells the story of a young wife (Nora) who is treated by her husband like a toy...a doll. She has always played along with this, but there comes a crunch time in their marriage when she has to make some hard decisions. This young woman has an older friend (Kristine, played by Sue Thacker) with her own story. Nora and Kristine decide to take action. Ticket, priced £11 tiered seats and £10 level seats, can be booked online at www.ticketsource.co.uk or by going to the website www.seafordlittletheatre.co.uk and following the links
The picture shows all of the winners with actress Sue Thacker.

ANDERIDA TO HOLD NEW COMPETITION WITH PRIZES OF £150
Anderida Writers decided to launch a new writing and poetry competition, Be Creative, with prizes of £100 and £50 for the winner and runner-up, as a result of their Vice Chairman Nigel Gearing offering to donate these amounts at the club's annual meeting at the Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday. This competition will be judged by local publisher Nigel and best-selling author Tamara McKinley, who was re-elected as Anderida patron and assistant competition secretary. It will be in addition to the annual Anderida Short Story and Poetry competition in which entries are voted upon by members after being read out by Coronation Street legend Brian Capron and across Susan Thacker at the July meeting. The Anderida Accolade for outstanding service to the club was won by Francis Wait for successfully carrying out three roles as treasurer, competition secretary and membership secretary. Tony Flood and Tamara McKinley, who was unable to attend due to illness, were given votes of thanks, proposed by Peter Smith and seconded by David Barclay, for playing major parts in the club's success. Other officials were also thanked for their contributions, and Mr Flood paid tribute to former Anderida chairman Harry Pope who passed away recently. The accounts showed a profit for the year of £320.30p, and total funds of £1294.08p prior to a payment for the website to be maintained. Members ratified the decision by the committee to reduce the annual subscription by £6 for those paying it prior to the AGM starting, and keeping it at £26 for those paying after the AGM. A proposal to increase entry fees for the Annual Short Story and Poetry competition from £5 to £6 for one entry and from £8 to £9 for two entries was passed unanimously. Mr Flood said one of the outstanding events hosted by Anderida in the past year had been the book launch in March of the latest in the series of Cliffehaven war-time sagas, written under the name Ellie Dean, by Tamara McKinley. Members had also supported the book signing at WH Smith, Eastbourne, of Driven by Desire, a family saga set in Italy in the 1920s, and written by The Collective, consisting of seven authors, most of whom belonged to Anderida. But Mr Flood referred to it being disappointing that most of the tasks of running the club had fallen on the same few people. He thanked Christine Racher and her brother Michael for serving one year as secretary and assistant treasurer respectively.

Officers elected were: Patron – Tamara McKinley; President – Tony Flood; Vice President –Brian Capron; Chairman – Tony Flood; Vice Chairman – Nigel Gearing; Secretary – John Silverton; Assistant Secretary – Hex Austin; Treasurer – Francis Wait; Assistant Treasurer – John Silverton; Competition Secretary – Francis Wait; Assistant Competition Secretary – Tamara McKinley; Membership Secretary – Francis Wait; Website Joint Editors – Tony Flood and Alistair Colley; Website Administrator – Alistair Colley; Facebook Administrators – Tony Flood and Alistair Colley; Publicity and Marketing Officer – Tony Flood.

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT by Tony Flood. Anderida Writers were delighted to host the book launch at our March. 2024 meeting of the latest in the series of Cliffehaven war-time sagas, written under the name of Ellie Dean, by international best-selling author Tamara McKinley. Tamara has given us great support as our patron and former chairman so it was wonderful that we could show our support for her and her latest book Love Will Find A Way. She has regularly given helpful critiques at our meetings at which members have read up to 600 words of their work. Others present have also provided helpful critiques and advice. But it is disappointing most of the tasks of running the club have fallen on the same few people, with myself and Francis Wait each filling three or more roles. Christine Racher and her brother Michael have left their positions as secretary and assistant treasurer and I would like to thank them for their contributions. Michael has kindly audited the accounts which treasurer Francis Wait has presented despite the breakdown of his computer thanks to John Silverton printing them out. John Silverton has stepped into both roles as secretary and assistant treasurer, with Hex Austin standing as assistant secretary. I am sure they will be valuable members of the committee and Hex has already made several suggestions as to how Anderida can attract more members. Alistair Colley, who is our Website administrator, has agreed to join me as Joint Website Editor which means he will regularly copy on to the Website items I post on our Facebook page. Hopefully more members will contribute to the posts on the Facebook page and provide posts of their own. Thanks to the arrangement we have with the Hydro Hotel to hold meetings without paying any hire fees, Anderida again has a very healthy bank balance of around £1,000. If anyone has a suggestion for the club to hold a sponsored event at reduced prices then we would welcome it. Meanwhile, please show your appreciation for the Hydro's support by buying drinks from the bar so that the hotel enjoys some benefit from giving us the use of their premises. The club will continue to welcome, and help, authors, would-be authors and those just wishing to write for fun, Those members who bring out new books or want to make special offers on existing books are welcome to hold book signings at our meetings by prior arrangement with myself. Alternatively, if members are launching a new book or having a signing at a local bookshop we will urge members to support it as was the case with the family sage Driven by Desire, written by The Collective of seven authors, most of whom were Anderida members. They sold 35 copies at a book signing at WH Smiths so that was a splendid achievement.

SECRETARY'S REPORT by John Silverton, who gave the report as secretary Christine Racher had resigned. John Silverton explained that the committee had decided to give a reduction of £6 to anyone paying the annual subscription before this AGM started, thus reducing it to £20. Even paying this amount in two instalments gave those present voting rights. John endorsed what chairman Tony Flood had said about the successful book launch by Tamara McKinley and the book signing by The Collective of seven authors at WH Smith, Eastbourne.

..TREASURER'S REPORT by Francis Wait This has been a good year for the accounts of Anderida. A profit of £320.30p was returned for the year and the bank balance stands at £1294.08p. From May 2023 our main bank account was moved from Barclays to Metro Bank, with a nominal £50 being left in the Barclays account to keep it open. The move was prompted by an improved service and access offered by Metro Bank. I would like to thank Michael Racher and John Silverton for checking the figures. When answering questions, Francis confirmed that the balance would be reduced when we make a payment for the website to be maintained. It was agreed by members that we should again make a donation of £50 to Children With Cancer UK.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS It was agreed that we should have more guest speakers at our meetings, and John Silverton and Hex Austin were asked to find suitable speakers together with their contact details. Nigel Gearing offered to sponsor a new story and poetry competition by providing prizes of £100 and £50 to the winner and runner-up. It was agreed to ask Tamara McKinley to act as a joint judge with Nigel.

FRANCIS AND JOHN TRIUMPH AGAIN IN ANNUAL WRITING COMPETITION
Francis Wait and John Silverton triumphed for the second successive year in their respective sections of the Anderida Writers Annual Short Story and Poetry Competitions at The Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday, July 11th, 2023

Francis received the Short Story Cup and £60 first prize from TV star Brian Capron for his entry Mystery of the Hospital Bed. John Silverton won the £50 first prize in the poetry section with The Poets Lament. Entries, which were read out by Brian Capron and actress Susan Thacker, received marks out of ten from those members present. The results were: Short Story: 1. Francis Wait, Mystery of the Hospital Bed, 2. Jackie Harvey, Smugglers, 3. Tony Flood, Blonde wife far from dumb, 4. Denis Stidder, Fond memories of Mandy, 5. Lena Bowling, Inner Thoughts. Poetry: 1. John Silverton, The Poets Lament, 2. Michael Racher, The perils of punctuation, 3. Michael Fleming, Rue de Wakening, 4. Heather Flood, Classroom madness, 5. Deane Smith, Scruff. Prizes included tea for two at luxury Eastbourne hotels the Langham and the Hydro, lunch at Cafe Old Town, a voucher for the Eight Bells public house, Jevington, Sweet memories of you by Ellie Dean, Homecoming by Ellie Dean, Bad for Good by Graham Bartlett and a box of chocolates.

The picture shows the winners with Brian Capron.

HEATHER, TONY AND PATRICK TAKE TOP HONOURS IN ANDERIDA WRITERS COMPETITION
Heather Flood's two entries won first and second prizes in the poetry section of the Anderida Writers Annual Short Story and Poetry Competition, with her husband Tony and Patrick Chapman joint winners of the Short Story section. The event, held at Hydro Hotel on Tuesday, October 12th 2021, was attended by 24 people, with actors Brian Capron and Susan Thacker superbly reading out the entries, which were judged by members giving marks out of 10.
The full results were as follows: SHORT STORY COMPETITION - Joint 1st - Patrick Chapman (Monet's Revenge) and Tony Flood (A Furious Wife); 3rd John Newton (The Game); 4th John Newton (Four Stages of Christmas); Highly Commended - Jackie Farmer (The Balance). POETRY COMPETITION - 1st Heather Flood (The Time We've Lost); 2nd Heather Flood (If You Let It); 3rd Michael Racher (Not For-got-goon). 4th and Highly commended - Deane Smith (A Change is as good as a rest). The first prizes were £60, shared by the two joint winners of the short story section, and £50 for the winner of the poetry section. Additional excellent prizes were tea for two at top hotels the Langham and the Hydro; meals at other popular eateries Haberdashers Kitchen and Cafe Old Town, a £20 Waterstones voucher donated by competition secretary Francis Wait, and other prizes. The Anderida Accolade for services to the club was presented to chairman Tony Flood by Brian Capron.

Pictured above from left to right are: Michael Racher, Francis Wait, Sue Thacker, Brian Capron, Tony Flood, John Newton, Pat Chapman and Heather Flood.

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR ANNOUNCES HER RETIREMENT Tamara McKinley, a Sunday Times best-selling Eastbourne author with the...
Posted by South East Writers Network on Saturday, 20 February 2021

REPORT OF ANDERIDA AGM AND TRIBUTES
APRIL 13th, 2021 Anderida Writers overcame the covid restrictions by holding a DOUBLE AGM by email on Tuesday, April 13th, 2021 after the previous year's annual meeting had to be postponed. This entailed Chairman Tony Flood sending out proposals in advance by email and members giving their votes by reply. Tony said: "This worked out extremely well. It gave members time to read through the agenda and consider the proposals. Their response through emails was excellent, with 100 per cent support for all the proposals and reports. "We scrapped last year's subscriptions because covid prevented us holding any meetings, and we have reduced this year's subscriptions from £26 to £20. Many people are taking advantage of this. If they wish they can pay £10 now and the rest when we resume physical meetings on Tuesday, July 13th with the Annual Short Story and Poetry competition at the Hydro Hotel, Eastbourne. The closing date for entries is Wednesday June 30th." Both Tony Flood and secretary Heather Flood referred to the sad deaths of Vice President Alan Baker and Ollie Cater, the husband of Anderida patron Tamara McKinley. Tony said: "Both were wonderful characters who will be sadly missed". Tributes were paid to former treasurer Roger Hardman, stand-in treasurer Laurie Wilkinson and new treasurer Francis Wait, together with Tony Flood and Francis Wait for both taking on several roles. There were also glowing tributes to Rod and Alistair Colley for their excellent work in maintaining the website as well as the Facebook pages for both Anderida and our new associated group South East Writers Network. Members can now visit these two Facebook pages to make comments and provide news, advice and opinions. Members voted that the award of the Anderida Accolade for outstanding service to the club should go to Tony Flood. It had previously been awarded to Francis Wait and Roger Hardman. The treasurer's report showed a healthy balance of £733.82 for the year ending March 31st, 2020 (a profit for the year of £215.50) . In the year ending March 31st, 2021 there was an even bigger balance of £756.82. ELECTION OF OFFICERS: Patron – Tamara McKinley; President – Tony Flood; Vice President – Brian Capron; Chairman – Tony Flood; Vice Chairman – Nigel Gearing; Secretary – Heather Flood; Treasurer – Francis Wait; Competition secretary – Francis Wait;. Assistant Competitions secretary – Dave Wells; Website editor – Rod Colley; Newsletter editor – Tony Flood; Membership secretary – Francis Wait; Facebook administrators – Alistair Colley and Tony Flood; Joint Social secretaries – Tracey Stringell and Dave Wells; Publicity and marketing officer – Tony Flood; Librarian – Francis Wait.

JOHN AND LAURIE CLEAN UP IN ANDERIDA'S ANNUAL COMPETITION
Actor Brian Capron of Coronation Street fame and actress Susan Thacker read out the entries for the Anderida Annual Short Story and Poetry Competition at the Cavendish Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday July 9th 2019.
The winners of the two sections were John Ellick and Laurie Wilkinson. John Pipped Tony Flood by three marks to Win the Short Story Cup and a Fortnum and Mason hamper, while Laurie finished ahead of Heather Flood to take the Poetry Prize of £60.00.
Results were Short Story - 1st John Ellick (You have been Warned); 2nd Tony Flood (The Love of his Wife's Life); 3rd Dave Wells (Rupert's Revenge); 4th Yas Hudson (The Caretaker). Poetry - 1st Laurie Wilkinson (Humpty Dumpty Revisited); 2nd Heather Flood (Just A Boy of 18 On D Day); 3rd Yas Hudson (My Little Girlfriend).
Judging was done by those members present who gave marks out of ten for each of the entries on the theme 'Cleaning Up'.
Other prizes were a luncheon voucher for £20.00 for the Haberdashers Kitchen at C&H Fabrics; two theatre tickets for The Night Watch at The Devonshire Park Theatre; a box of Quality Fudge and books by Ellie Dean and Peter James.
The Night Watch, a thrilling and beautiful story from award winning, number one best-selling author Sarah Waters (Tipping the Velvet, The Paying Guest and The Little Stranger), is at The Devonshire Park Theatre from Thursday 22nd to Saturday 31st August 2019.

Winners of the Anderida Writers Short Story and Poetry Competition are pictured with actor Brian Capron and actress Susan Thacker from left to right: Laurie Wilkinson, Dave Wells, Yas Hudson, Brian Capron, John Ellick, Tony Flood, Sue Thacker and Heather Flood.

TERENCE AND NIGEL TAKE MAJOR ROLES
The Anderida Writers Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday April 9th, 2019 at the Cavendish Hotel, Eastbourne.
Best Selling author Tamara McKinley was happy to continue as club Patron and Tony Flood as President, with actors Brian Capron and Alan Baker as Vice Presidents.
Former police superintendent Terence Walter joined by Tony Flood as Joint Chairmen, with publisher Nigel Gearing becoming Vice Chairman. The Anderida Accolade was presented jointly to Roger Hardman and Francis Wait for giving outstanding service during the past year.
Proposed changes to the constitution proposed by Francis Wait, were agreed as follows:
A. The number of officers can be increased if necessary to allow for joint holders of various positions.
B. The club can also elect an honorary President and honorary Vice Presidents as well as Patron and Inspector of Accounts, who should all be automatically re-elected if they are willing to stand and the Committee wishes them to do so.
It was confirmed that honorary memberships be given to (a) Rod and Alistair Colley in recognition of their work in hosting and maintaining our website and providing discounted filming/post-production to members amongst other services to all AW members including multimedia services if members wished to take up any or a combination of these available services; and (b) Terence Walter for one year as a 'thank you' for offering to be our guest speaker at two meetings. Votes of thanks were given to those who stood down from the Committee and to new Inspector of Accounts Charles Marshall.
A proposal by Tamara McKinley that those submitting entries to Flash Fiction competitions should pay a fee of £ 1.00 was accepted.

Those officers elected were:
Patron: Tamara McKinley
Joint Chairmen: Tony Flood and Terence Walter
Vice Chairman: Nigel Gearing
President: Tony Flood
Vice Presidents: Brian Capron and Alan Baker
Secretary: Heather Flood
Social Secretary: Dave Wells
Treasurer: Roger Hardman
Membership Secretary: Francis Wait
Competitions Secretary: Francis Wait
Assistant Competitions Secretary - Dave Wells
Joint Website Editors: Rod Colley and Alistair Colley
Liaison Officer: Alan Baker
Newsletter Editor: Tony Flood
Librarian: Dave Wells
Publicity and Marketing Officer: Tony Flood
Inspector of Accounts: Charles Marshall

FRANCIS AND MICHAEL TAKE OVER FROM ALAN AND HEATHER
It was 'all change' at Anderida Writers' annual Short Story and Poetry comeptition at The Cavendish Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday August 14th, 2018.
Francis Wait took the Short Story trophy, which had been won in the previous three years by Chairman Alan Baker, by finishing narrowly ahead of Beryl Teso. In the poetry section new winner Michael Racher pipped Heather Flood, who, like Alan, had previously recorded a hat-trick of victories. Mr Baker, who did not enter this year, and fellow actor Sue Shephard read out entries, and members acted as judges by giving each of them marks out of ten. The Theme, devised by our hard working Competition Secretary Dave Wells, was 'Wrong Direction' and there were seven prizes. The winner of each section received £50.00 and the other prizes were: two tickets for MY MOTHER SAID I NEVER SHOULD at the Devonshire Park Theatre on Tuesday 6th; a luncheon voucher for £20.00 for The Haberdashers Kitchen at C&H Fabrics; a £20.00 voucher for the coffee shop at Sharnfold Farm; a £10.00 voucher at C&H Fabrics and an Ellie Dean book!
We are most grateful to our sponsors and would encourage members to give them their custom.
The full list of winners were Short Story - 1st Francis Wait (Afterlife); 2nd Beryl Teso (The Escapee); joint 3rd Danielle Morris (How Many Wrong Directions Can You Take) and John Ellick (The Frustrations of Logging On); Poetry - 1st Michael Racher (Red On The Green); 2nd Heather Flood (Brexit Turmoil); 3rd Michael Fleming (Hello Norma Jean).

Pictured are readers Alan Baker and Sue Shephard with the winners of the Anderida Short Story and Poetry competition. They are from left to right: Alan Baker, Sue Shephard, Francis Wait, Michael Racher, Michael Fleming, Danielle Morris, John Ellick, Beryl Teso and Heather Flood.

AWARDS FOR MIKE AND TONY AT ANDERIDA AGM
Awards were made to out-going Chairman Mike Fleming and re-elected President Tony Flood at the Anderida AGM at The Cavendish Hotel, Eastbourne, on Tuesday April 10th 2018.
Mike received a special service award to mark his fine work as Chairman and previously Vice Chairman and Competition's Secretary, while Tony was given the Anderida Accolade for his outstanding contributions over the past year.
Tony, who received a glowing tribute from newly-elected Chairman Alan Baker paid warm tributes himself to Mike, Jeff Fleming and Robin Kempe, who all stood down as officers.
They received votes of thanks as did Tamara McKinley and fellow best selling author Peter James, who Tamara had succeeded as Patron.
Alan Baker had decided to step down as Vice Chairman as he was unable to get to some of the winter meetings, but, in the absence of any other nominations, volunteered to be Chairman for a second spell on the understanding that Tony, as President, would take those meetings that bad weather prevents him attending.
Dave Wells accepted a nomination to set up from Assistant Competitions Secretary to Competition Secretary, with Alan Baker standing as his assistant.
Alan agreed, by taking this role he should not enter the annual Short Story Competition, which he had won for the last three years!
A rule change will enable anyone to attend as a 'guest' member up to five times each subscription year at £4.00 per meeting. Those taking advantage of it are asked to ensure that they hand Membership Secretary Francis Wait the £4.00 guest fee before the start of each meeting.
This should help anyone who might be deterred from paying the annual subscription of £26.00 in one go!

Election of Officers:
Patron: Tamara McKinley (automatically re-elected).
President: Tony Flood, proposed by Francis Wait, seconded by Alan Baker.
Vice President: Brian Capron, proposed by Tony Flood, seconded by Alan Baker.
Chairman: Alan Baker, proposed by Francis Wait, seconded by Roger Hardman.
Vice Chairman: Vacant.
Secretary: Heather Flood, proposed by Francis Wait, seconded by Alan Baker.
Treasurer: Roger Hardman, proposed by Tony Flood, seconded by Mike Fleming.
Membership Secretary: Francis Wait, proposed by Alan Baker, seconded by Tony Flood.
Competitions Secretary: David Wells, proposed by Tony Flood, seconded by Mike Fleming.
Assistant Competitions Secretary: Alan Baker, proposed by Tony Flood, seconded by Heather Flood.
Website Editor: Tony Flood, proposed by Francis Wait, seconded by Alan Baker.
Newsletter Editor: Tony Flood, proposed by Francis Wait, seconded by Alan Baker.
Social Secretary: Dave Wells, proposed by Heather Flood, seconded by Francis Wait.
Publicity and Marketing Officer: Tony Flood, Proposed by Francis Wait, seconded by Alan Baker.

Mike Fleming (left) and Tony Flood with their awards.



FRANCIS WAIT'S EROTIC BOOK BANNED BY AMAZON Francis Wait's new erotic crime thriller 'Without their Consent' is so sexually explicit that it has been banned by Amazon. It is a thriller about two men seeking revenge after being humiliated by females. This e-book is still available on other websites such as Kobo, Sony and Diesel.

LAURIE'S LATEST SUCCESSES
One of Anderida's newer scribes, Laurie Wilkinson, has already had a number of publishing successes within 3 months. Four poems in the poetry columns of the Eastbourne Gazette; two poems in 'Peterborough' pages of the 'Daily Mail'. The Eastbourne Herald featured an article on Laurie, on the publication of his book 'Poetic Views of Life,' which has already gained eleven 5* reviews on Amazon. And there is a video to view on the Sussex Newspapers Group website of Laurie talking about and reading from 'Poetic Views of Life.' A donation from each book sale will go to 'Help 4 Heroes.'Laurie’s poem, ‘Eye Line Smile’ was accepted into the Great British Write Off, and will be published in a book ‘A Way with Words’ on the 20th November. And his next book of poems, ‘More Poetic Views of Life’ will be published in December 2014.

ANDERIDA MEMBERS WIN AWARDS AT EASTBOURNE BOOKFEST
At the Towner Art Gallery on Sunday June 1st, there was an awards presentation to winners of the writing competition, themed. 'New and Different.' Receiving prizes from MP Stephen Lloyd and the Mayor Cllr. Janet Coles, were Anderida members Heather Flood, Tony Flood, Robin Kempe, Hazel Elrick and Roger Hardman. Short listed were Jill Rutherford, Maria Louka and Lena Bowling.

TONY RECEIVES A RESIDENT OF THE YEAR AWARD
More than 300 people attended the prestigious Eastbourne Herald’s Achievers Awards 2014 ceremony held at the Winter Gardens on April 25th. This is a yearly event to pay tribute to the town’s unsung heroes.

In the Resident of the Year category, Tony Flood won Highly Commended in recognition of his work as Chairperson of Anderida Writers, being a locally published author, joint leader, with his wife Heather, of the Creative Writing Group for the Over 50s Club and being the oldest members of the Sovereign Harbour vets Football Club.

The sponsor was Advanta Chartered Accountants and the framed certificate was presented by Malcolm Toghill. Tony followed in the footsteps of a fellow Anderida member, Dorit Oliver Wolff, who won a similar award in the same category last year.

Keith Ridley, editor-in-chief of the Gazette and Herald said, “Eastbourne’s sense of community means that this is always a very special night……the town should be proud of those who made it to the stage.”

L to R:- Tony Flood winner of a Resident of the Year Award 2014, MP Stephen Lloyd, Dorit Oliver Wolff, winner of a Resident of the Year Award 2013, and Heather Flood, Tony's wife.

My Life With The Stars
Venue: Royal Hippodrome Theatre, Eastbourne
Date: Sunday April 27th, 2014

REVIEW by Francis Wait

Tony Flood's jokes and amusing anecdotes about showbiz and sports stars provided plenty of laughs in his engaging talk My Life With The Stars at the Royal Hippodrome Theatre on Sunday.
Former Fleet Street journalist and Sky Television executive Tony enthralled us by spilling the beans about famous personalities he has interviewed.
There were stories from Tony's celebrity book of the same title as his talk about Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Joan Collins, George Best, Muhammad Ali, Kenny Dalglish, The Beatles, Britt Ekland, Patsy Kensit and many others.
On a few occasions he referred to his notes too much, but for the most part the Eastbourne author fully engaged with his audience. They responded immediately to his well delivered punch lines and self- deprecating humour, interspersed with secrets about Bruce Forsyth, Tommy Cooper, Sinatra, Presley etc.
Former West End actor Alan Baker introduced Tony, who last week won an Eastbourne Resident of the Year award, and also related some funny anecdotes of his own.
The Friends of the Hippodrome Theatre provided an interesting tour which took visitors backstage and into the dressing rooms where Charlie Chaplin, Max Miller and Peter Sellers once appeared. This added to a most enjoyable afternoon.

Above: Tony & Heather Flood with Jerome Farrow, from the Hippodrome Management Team. Picture courtesy of Eastbourne Herald.