Newsletter

December 2007

News and Views

Editor’s Edict*

 

Pictures

Great photos we’ve got this time!  Keep them coming!

How do people feel about group pictures?  We all like to see ourselves in print, don’t we?  When it’s my holiday, ‘Oooh, aah!’  But what about events you didn’t go on.  If you know a lot of the people, it may be nice.  I’m not so sure it’s good to have lots pictures of people, is it?  What do you think?  Here are some ideas on what you might like to submit:

  • An unusual feature of a walk
  • A particular view that lifted your spirit
  • Sighting of a rare bird or animal (you should be so lucky to snap it!)
  • Action shots of people on events
  • A photo of accommodation, especially unusual buildings or good places we are using for the first time
  • Some fun pictures!

Remember, they’ll be in black and white, with a lesser quality than a photo print.  You will need to provide a caption for each picture.  If you can, make reference to the scene in the report, particular if it is unusual.  Finally, think about what would interest others, when you are selecting which ones to send in.

 

Walking Gear

We didn’t make it this time with an article on winter gear.  I know some people like to keep up with the latest stuff, whilst others like to go to the hills with fabulous colour coordination.  Let’s have some ideas.  What are you really chuffed with?  What have you got that’s really naff?  We don’t want to all look the same, but we can come up with suggestions to help others, especially those who are newcomers.

What about the sweaty back?  There’s nothing like a soggy shirt, is there, cold and clammy; wicking shirt materials these days work well to minimise that.  What about the rucksack - has anyone found one that really does keep your back more or less dry?  Mine is like corrugated cardboard, and is supposed to help circulation, but it doesn’t seem to do much good.  What about those with a net trampoline thing; are they any good?

 

Below the Belt

I’ve been trying for a long time to solve the winter legs problem.  It’s hard to find warm walking trousers; so long johns might seem to be the answer.  But the ones I’ve tried drag at the knee, and I really don’t like wearing them for walking.  What I wanted was something like a light tracksuit bottom to wear underneath, but most of them don’t have a fly.  At last I found what I was looking for in Lidl.  For those who don’t know, Lidl and Aldi are two German supermarkets that sell typical food and household goods.  But their secret weapon is their weekly special offers.  Every week they have a new range from PCs and tools to toys and gardening goods.  They advertise them in advance, and when they are gone, they are gone, so that makes it a bit hit and miss.  They often have gear for walking, cycling, and athletics, and their prices are low.  I’ve been pleased with many things I’ve bought there, and the quality is good.  Tchibo coffee shops also do outdoor gear from time to time, at reasonable prices.  WARNING: low prices can get you spending more than you would have done elsewhere!

 

Standard Event Charge

The committee has received a number of queries about the event charge, so it seemed appropriate to clarify the issues, and offer our apologies for the previous lack of clarity.

- WHY?

The event charge was introduced for two reasons.  We identified that event leaders can, and sometimes do, claim a range of expenses related to their events, such as phone calls, postage, photocopying, maps, etc.  These were not covered by the event payments and had to come out of subscription income.  As mentioned at the AGM, the club is not in a strong financial position, and we need a larger balance to pay the increasing deposits required for hostel bookings.  Our current balance of about £5,000 is less than the cost of some individual events.  It was felt appropriate to recoup some of this money from an event charge, as this placed more of the burden on those who make most use of the club’s services by coming on events.  This will reduce the pressure to increase annual subscriptions.

- HOW?

Any person coming on an event, whether staying in a hostel or in bed and breakfast accommodation, as well as anyone attending more than one day walk on an event, will be asked to pay the £2 charge.  It is per person, per event, not per night.  Children under 18 are exempt.  Those booking and paying through CRC will include it in their booking payment.  Others will pay the event leader at the event.  This has been introduced for all events appearing for the first time in the September 2007 programme, or later.  There may also be extra charges for some events, e.g., for communal tea and coffee.

I hope this clarifies things.  Please contact the Committee if you still have queries or issues.

The Treasurer

 

Subscriptions

At the committee meeting on 22nd September it was decided that, despite the introduction of the standard event charge, it was still necessary to increase subscription rates for 2008.  In 2006 we made a loss of about £500, and this will become substantially worse if we cannot sell £1,000 worth of merchandise, mostly the recipe/walks/thoughts books.  Our expenditure on general administration (largely newsletter and programme, publicity, admin, insurance, tithe) exceeded our income from subscriptions.  If we are to increase our balance to a healthier level, we will need not only to remove the deficit, but also to make a significant surplus.

The new rates will be:

Individual:       £15

Couples:         £21

Unwaged:         £6

The Treasurer

 

Associate Members

The Committee would like to thank all those who returned ballot papers in respect of the proposal to include Associate Members into the CRC.  The results were 110 in favour and 16 against.  Therefore the proposal is carried as having been accepted by the membership.

The CRC Constitution is being changed in accordance with the result of the ballot, as are all other relevant existing documents.  The Membership Renewal Form for 2008 will reflect the change to include the option of Associate Membership.  New members joining after January 1st 2008 will be able to apply for Associate Membership if they so wish.

 

Tithe from CRC Funds

In CRC we follow the Biblical principle of tithing our income, that is, giving one tenth to some other work for the Lord.  Following the request for suggestions in the last issue, the Committee have decided to split this year’s tithe of £640 between three organisations which members are involved with:

  • Romsey Mill - a Cambridge based youth project (Kevin Pryor)
  • Christian Solidarity Worldwide's work with the Dalit people (Alison Edwards), and
  • Cambodia (Elaine Richmond)

Some details on Romsey Mill are provided below.  Information on CSW and Cambodia will be provided in the next issue.

Romsey Mill is a Christian Charity that has been working with children and young people since 1980.  It provides a number of innovative and exciting forms of support and intervention to the young people of Cambridge including a social inclusion programme and a young parent’s programme.  More recently it has begun an ‘Aspire Programme’ which seeks to work with young people with Asperger' Syndrome or Autism.  You can find out more by visiting their website at www.romseymill.org, or by contacting 01223 213162.

Kevin Pryor

 

The Dummies' Guide to Buying a Digital Camera on a Budget

Digital cameras can be very expensive to repair.  When my four year old Canon Powershot A70 broke down six months ago I was quoted £90 to repair it, but I was then able to buy a later model higher specification Powershot A520 for less money - how did I do this?

Camera magazines are crammed with reviews on all the latest cameras.  Under £200 is regarded as a 'budget camera' (those who agree can stop reading here!).  The first time buyer could save the £4.50 magazine price, and go down to their local library where copies of 'Which' magazine should be available, to find the latest reviews on compact cameras.  (The first time buyer is unlikely to need a more expensive and bulky SLR - single lens reflex).  Apart from 'best buys' the review should also list a few end of line bargains which may be found on the internet.  'Amazon' is a website I recommend where you will find camera reviews and specifications and also be able to check out prices.  There are many other sites for reviews, some of which are: Steve's Digicams, CNET reviews, and LetsGoDigital.  At the time of writing the Canon Powershot A460 available for under £80 was likely to remain a good buy.

A four mega pixel resolution with a 3 or 4 times optical zoom is adequate for a first camera.  The image is made up of pixels or picture elements on the image sensor, similar to the dots on a newspaper picture.  A higher number of pixels is only important if you want enlargements of your prints.  The optical zoom factor is more important than the digital one.  The digital zoom enlarges the image at the expense of quality, i.e., it enlarges the pixels.  The optical zoom magnifies the image before it gets to the pixels, so the quality is not degraded.  I recommend you consider a camera with an optical viewfinder as well as a screen display.  A viewfinder can be a useful option when the sun is behind you.  Most digital cameras do not have them.  A high specification camera is unnecessary if all you want to do is point and shoot.  If you have a friend with a digital camera, ask for their advice. 

Those upgrading or replacing their existing digital camera could find a model from the same manufacturer operates in a similar way so you won't have to spend ages wading through a user guide a hundred or more pages long!  Buying a two year old end of line camera as I did can give a huge saving over the latest models.  Photographs are stored on memory cards.  These can be bought on line cheaper than chips!

I look forward to seeing some of your pictures in the Club Newsletter some time in the future.

Roger Philpott, with additions by Ken Ed.

 

The Back Marker

While I was on a walking event with Ralph Palfrey last December it occurred to me how eccentric we walkers are.  Each of us has our own preferences, habits, and idiosyncrasies.  On that event there was Ralph with his sou'wester and plastic Macintosh rainwear.  He had brought a friend who wore shorts all through those December days, and Wellington boots.

My own eccentricity is that I am forging for myself a ‘career’ as a back marker.  Every time I offer to be back marker the walk leader seems to snap up the opportunity with alacrity.

This personal preference of mine has its roots in a week’s outdoor activities course for service personnel.  It was at Plas y Brennan in about 1956, and I can remember being in awe of one particular instructor, John Disley.  He was the Olympic steeplechase champion at the time.  I always remember advice given to us as we set off from Pen y Pass to Snowdon: ‘You should go at a pace you can keep going all day’.

So as I follow on behind the crowd it never troubles me if, when I catch up with the others as they pause to look at the view, they move off straight away

Probably the main reason for this choice of being a back marker is that for nearly thirty years I have walked alone: backpacking, long distance walking, and day walks along many of the well known walking routes from the Kennet and Avon Canal to the Saxon Shore Way.  My habit and my joy have been to observe all aspects of the countryside, or the riverside, or the seaside.  I still do this as back marker, while enjoying conversation from time to time, like any other CRC walker.

I venture to suggest that I may be considered a professional CRC back marker.  There are some who are inveigled into the job and it brings out the schoolmaster or mistress in them, or worse.  They seem scared of losing stragglers.  They get edgy if people stop, or disappear at the call of nature.  I consider the real ‘professional’ is relaxed, reassuring, and anxious to put stragglers at their ease.

I also reflect that the Lord plans what our route through this life shall be.  Jesus leads us on the road and we are all, in one sense or another, just stragglers.  Praise be for the Holy Spirit; always there, making certain we are not left behind, keeping us in touch; patiently, gently, keeping us on the right path.

Brian Eyles

 

Quite a Lot in Common

In 1940 the Channel Islands became the only part of the British Isles that was invaded by the German army and these islands remained under the control of the Nazis for five years.  After the initial shock of seeing enemy troops arriving in Guernsey the civilian population settled down to a tedious life of strict food rationing, the confiscating of their domestic radios and a ban on public meetings.  Church ministers approached the military governor for permission to lift the ban on church services and he agreed to allow the islanders just one service on Sundays in a single church.  All Christians irrespective of denominations would have to share the same service.

So every Sunday Christians of all denominations from Catholics to Quakers gathered together for a simple service.  To their surprise these services became spiritually enriching, it became a time of powerful prayer and the denominations found they had much in common.  The expected disputes over ideology never occurred.

During the final year of the war food on the island was desperately short and the islanders were within weeks of starvation.  Whilst some islanders were filled with despair and hopelessness the Sunday worshippers began to pray steadily for deliverance.  In early 1945, with five more months of the war still left, a shipload of food from the Swedish Red Cross arrived in Guernsey.  The food was distributed to the islanders with complete fairness.  Not only had there been an answer to prayer, it seemed that the different congregations had more in common than at first had been thought.  Something for us to think about perhaps?

Richard Blackwell.

 

Editor’s Acclaim - Southeast CRC

I joined the SE Group for a walk in August.  It’s a bit out of my area, so I haven’t walked with them before, but I especially wanted a walk that day.  I was very impressed with the organisation, and in particular, the information provided before the walk.  I’ve never been on a local walk with such a comprehensive service.  Here is a summary of it:

  • Email - Please reply if you are coming. 
  • If you don’t have your own transport then please phone the leaders now (and find out your train times) so they know to ask someone if they can meet a train
  • Meeting 10.15 for a 10.30 am start
  • At … Car Park, free – toilets available.
  • Grid Reference: *
  • OS Explorer map no:
  • How to get there:
  • Brief description of Walk
  • Lunch stop, public toilets, drinks stop.
  • Mobile numbers for the day:
  • It may be useful to look at the following website for directions: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap
  • You then click on GET-A-MAP and insert the grid reference.
  • If you intend coming then please let us know. 
  • Also, it would really help leaders if you could phone if your plans change and you cannot come.
  • If possible, please don’t leave it until the last day – they may be out!

Congratulations to Mary Goodspeed and her group!

The Editor would be pleased to consider entries for future Editor’s Acclaim that would make interesting reading.

* As an aside, I once joined a Ramblers’ Association group for a walk.  They provided walk details, and just a number, which I telephoned.  Somebody answered, and was mystified by my call.  I later found out that it was the Grid Reference!

Ken Ed

 

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