Dear Members,

The summer period is traditionally a busy one for the Club with lots of competitions organised to raise funds for the Club at Bushy Norwood, two camps for our members to take part in and a the Area competitions. During August we successfully ran separate 2-phase, TREC and hunter trial competitions; only the dressage fell foul of the weather. We are fortunate to have access to Bushy and it is important that we make the most of the facility as compared to other venues the overheads are low. Could I also take this opportunity to recognise Liz Pickman, who will stand down at the end of September, for her contribution to the Committee.

I would like to reflect on two issues in this newsletter: accessibility and community. In the brief time I have been Chairman I have heard a number of voices suggesting a disparity in accessibility among members: whilst training caters for all standards, camp and team activities can seem a little daunting and cater to the minority. If you can relate to this sentiment then please do send me ideas for activities you may want to participate in; in the meantime I will suggest to the Committee that we organise fun rides around our patch and "grass-roots" camp activities at Bushy.

I have also had occasion to reflect on us as a community. I believe a club is a community: a collection of individuals with a similar interest who collaborate in order to be able to better pursue that interest. The organisation and execution of activities is carried out on a voluntary basis by the membership of a club: without such collaboration there would be no activities and no club. Logically then, for the smooth operation of a club, every member should not only take part in but contribute to the activities of a club: the former is easy because it is fun, the latter is harder requiring us give of our time to repay the generosity of others. As a community we are grateful to those who make themselves available to organise and help and we encourage increased participation in the future.

Best wishes

Greg Simpson-Horn