2005
In 2005 the main meetings were being held at the York House Hotel. The fee charged for the room was £20 per session. Those present at the March AGM were John Bennett (Chairman), Liz Wright, Harry Pope, John Connor, Dave Sykes, Carmel Gregg, Sharon Searle, Len Rushton, Roger Hardman, Stella Freshney, Tamara McKinley, and Liz Baker. In the Chairman’s report, John Bennett said, “Overall, I think it is fair to say that we have had a good year…..the York House Hotel is a popular venue. The monthly meetings have proved to be both interesting and well received and the discussion groups have been lively and informative. This year we had a Christmas Dinner in place of a Christmas Party”.
Hardworking Ella Harris decided to leave Anderida as she needed a break, but could return later. There was some concern over the presentation of the Year Book, and upgrading future issues could be expensive, so it was decided, for the time being, to dispense with it. John Bennett continued: “The short story competition was a success and we reverted to having a professional reader. Earlier in the year there were periods of poor attendance, but there has been some revival”.
Treasurer Roger Hardman said that the York House Hotel made the monthly meetings a most comfortable occasion. It was agreed that the subscription for the year should stay at £15. Cash in hand and in the bank amounted to £742.03.
Officials elected were:
Chairman – John Bennett.
Vice Chairman – Harry Pope.
Treasurer – Roger Hardman.
Membership Sec/Publicity - Elizabeth Wright.
Secretary - Stella Freshney.
Newsletter Editor – John Connor.
The Anderida Accolade was awarded to Roger Hardman.
Elizabeth Wright was congratulated on having a four-page, illustrated spread about a local bird fancier, in ‘Bird Keeper’ magazine.
There followed a discussion on trying to obtain new members. An article written about Anderida Writers would be submitted to writing magazines, and the idea of a ‘proper’ website was suggested. As Ella was leaving, a new venue needed to be found for the Shorties. The situation concerning future speakers was discussed; related expenses seemed to be excessive for a small group. Harry Pope offered a few thoughts on the re-forming of Anderida Writers. He asked: “Where do we want the Circle to go from here?”