CHAIRMAN'S REPORT - 2004-2005
| What goes around comes around! Four years ago, I stood down from this role because I was concerned that, with increasing business pressures, I was not able to devote sufficient time to the Association. Last year, David Martin found himself in a similar situation, compounded by the increasing demands of a young daughter, and stood down – and I ended up filling the gap. We owe David a debt of gratitude for the developments he implemented and the sheer volume of work he undertook during his three years as chairman and look forward to his resuming a more active role when circumstances permit. Similar pressures seem to be affecting bridge in general in the UK. Potential bridge players are the very people whose time is increasingly under pressure from the demands of work. The Association’s membership declined by about 10% and this reflected a national trend. More worrying still was the greater decline in the number of junior members and schools, without which the future for the game is bleak. The one bright spot was that Bridge For All membership remained strong. On a more positive note, most of the Association’s events continue to attract reasonable entries although participation in one-day green-pointed events is declining, again mirroring a national trend. In the course of this year, we have undertaken a major review of our competitions, with a view to making our events more attractive by identifying and responding to what members want and providing variety – and the outcomes should be visible in the competition brochure for the coming season. We also have some genuine successes to report. Our team won the Tollemache Cup for the third successive year – a rare achievement – and fully deserve our congratulations. This is due in no small measure to the efforts of the Association’s selector, Brian Callaghan. We also retained the Committee Cup by beating the Surrey Committee in the annual teams of twelve match (in which we managed to field all twelve active full members of the current committee). In addition, various London members, too numerous to name have achieved success in national events People Since her retirement from the EBU our secretary, Christine Duckworth, has taken on even more work for the Association, something I shouldn’t have thought possible! In addition to her “traditional” tasks, she now also runs our junior events and edits the newsletter. She has brought her own inimitable style to the latter and, I think, made it appeal to a wider range of our membership. Another tireless worker has been Simon Cochemé who has organised the Lederer Memorial Trophy for the last two years and taken it to new heights. Not only is the event live on the internet but there are simultaneous “team up with an expert pair” events in a number of clubs in the region. Meanwhile, Roger Morton continues to run one of our two one-day green-pointed events, as well as enhancing and running the Association’s website. Finally, David Graham brought a new perspective to some of the Association’s activities and was the driving force behind the competition review. This was something of a cameo appearance as, having joined the LMBA committee last year, David has now resigned in order to refocus his efforts at national level and help the EBU develop its strategy. This will revitalise our active links with the EBU, which were weakened when Christine retired and David Martin resigned from the Board. Finance The underlying financial position remains stable and the Association continues, broadly, to break even. However, we remain exposed to any material change in the financing of or support for our events. The level of reserves is not growing to any appreciable extent, and this limits our ability to invest in the future of the game. Sponsorship remains a critical part of the Association’s finances. The Lederer could not take place without generous sponsorship from our President, Bernard Teltscher, and the Young Chelsea Bridge Club. Similarly, the London Trophy and the Della-Porta Plate would be less successful without a venue for the finals being provided by Queen’s Club. Our thanks are due to them all. The Future I have already expressed some concern about declining membership. It seems that the EBU is now beginning to recognise some of the issues more clearly and modify its strategy accordingly. It is recognising that, whilst efforts still need to be focussed on juniors, they may well drift away during their principal working years, returning only sometime after the age of 40 when preparation for retirement begins – and EBU actions and activities need to reflect this. It is also aiming to simplify its own administration by replacing county associations with a regional structure. Although this would ultimately lead to the demise of a number of traditional associations, including our own, it does seem to be the right direction for a national organisation to take. Indeed, this Association’s role has been increasingly regional rather than county in concept over recent years, so I see us playing a significant role in these developments over the next few years. Also in prospect is a national bridge centre – and providing the obvious risks can be managed, that can only be good news. Finally, 2006 is the diamond jubilee of the Association. Although there was a body organising bridge in London and the Home Counties in the 1930s, it ceased to exist during the war and, instead of being resurrected afterwards, was replaced by this Association (and others in the Home Counties) in 1946. This will be something to celebrate. M. R. D. Hill June, 2005. |
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| David Martin's Report 2003/2004 David Martin's Report 2002/2003 David Martin's Report 2001/2002 Mike Hill's Report 2000/2001 |