February 2003 NEWSLETTER

Editorial and Chairman’s remarks.

A Happy, healthy and peaceful 2003,

it is never too late to wish you all that.

This is a brief letter providing information for your diaries and inviting your help.

Annual General Meeting

May 10^th 2003 at Fordwater School at 6.00pm. after we have enjoyed our swim and whipped up an appetite. Please note this in your diary, tell others and please come! Vicki will be putting out a request for food. Prizes for tombola and the raffle are also invited. Please bring them to the desk during April.

This is the meeting when awards are made to a few of the very deserving members of our club. (There are never enough trophies to go round). Those who received them last year are asked to return them to the desk by the first Saturday in April.

Twenty fifth Anniversary Celebrations

Yes. We are 25 years old this year. Quite a number of our original members are still making their weekly pilgrimage to the swimming pool. Others do not come but are interested.

How shall we celebrate this important milestone? The committee suggests a social gathering based on a meal. One possibility is a buffet supper one Saturday evening.

The other possibility is Sunday lunch. Someone would be engaged to provide the meal so we would have to pay for it. Our usual helpers will be enjoying an evening off, no providing, no washing up! Please let our friends at the desk know your preference and we will do our best to make arrangements. The date will be between The AGM and the Garden Party, so, if it is an evening do, we shall not have to contend with dark nights.

The Garden Party date and venue have still to be decided.

The Otter Story

The following brief account has been provided by Alan Hawkins, a founder member.

I was invited to go to a Steering Committee Meeting fro the new swimming club for the disabled in February 1978 at the Committee Room. Pallant House, Chichester.

The meeting was held with the intention of forming a swimming club for the disabled, the facility having been enjoyed on Sundays from 12.30 to 1.30pm. for the previous four weeks by 2, 10, 12, and 14 disabled persons respectively.

The Steering Committee was formed representing the various handicapped groups, present or represented. I became a member and have remained on the committee ever since.

A committee meeting held in March 1978 agreed that the club should be called ‘Sussex Otters Club’ and that no reference should be made to the disabled or handicapped users. It was also discussed at the meeting that the club would need a hoist and that social services would be approached plus some help from private donors. The club also needed more lifeguards to assist in the smooth running of the club. The question of raising the temperature of the water was discussed. (Nothing changes!)

Much discussion took place together with a questionnaire being sent to members regarding the time of swimming on a Sunday. It was officially decided by Chichester district Council that the Sussex Otters would be able to use the pool on Saturday afternoon between 4.30 and 5.30pm.as from 2^nd April 1978, a much better time than Sunday lunchtime.

Mrs. Penny Hardwick together with her 11^th Chichester Guides and Brownies raised the money to supply a hoist for the Club. The official opening of the Sussex Otters Swimming Club and the presentation of the pool lift took place on Saturday 4^th November,1978, attended by members, invited guests, and brownies and guides who had been involved in the fund raising.

Other members may be able to add to this account and/or tell their own stories about the Otters. The editor will try to compile a bumper 25^th anniversary edition, but it depends on your help. Please let me have material on a floppy disk (Microsoft Word), or send an email WOCOLE@aol.com if possible. I’m not a speedy typist,

Otters’ Web site

Yes one feature of our 25^th year is that we are going on the web.

Thanks to John Parrott our site can be found at http://www.sussexotters.org.uk. and we look forward to any comments you may have about it. At the moment we have included details of membership, meeting time and venue, copies of the last three newsletters and the club’s aims and constitution. This is a new venture on our part, we would be grateful if computer literate members could give it as much publicity as possible.

Finally, though Christmas 2002 is now far behind, our very successful Party is not forgotten. The committee and helpers were very pleased with the numbers who came. Everyone seemed to enjoy the evening. Thank you all very much. (Owen).