Balloting Report & Finance Report

On behalf of the Balloting Committee I would like to thank Matthew Rudd (our recently retired Chairman) for his exemplary leadership over the last seven years. Hooray! Finally, after ten excruciatingly long months we held our first physical interviews with prospective candidates in January. It was hosted outdoors on the Chairman’s Lawn and, as expected, to the Club’s highest standards in terms of safety and social distancing. Having to observe social distancing we had to restrict the numbers , which meant unfortunately, we were unable to accommodate any proposer or seconder, but we look forward to initiating this again once we are out of the woods.

Kudos to the Club team for an excellent set up and the most delicious canapés! Due to the pandemic there has been a longer wait for candidates than the norm. In order to ‘catch up’ on the back-log we will be hosting an additional physical interview meeting for the next few months. Thank you for your continued patience. A polite nudge to any proposer or seconder whose candidate is still on probation, to remind them to return their completed ‘pink candidates’ booklet within three months of their orientation, bearing in mind that their booklet requires endorsement of six Club Members’ signatures (who are neither relatives or business associates of the candidate.)

Thank you and looking forward to meeting many of you in person in the next few months.

Best wishes,

Kush Bhardwaj Chairman Balloting Committee

finance

Dear Members

I hope you are all adapting well to the new ways of life. First and foremost, I would like to thank you for your continued support, by using the Club and paying your subscriptions on time. So far, your support has helped the Club weather the financial shock, resulting from the pandemic, and I am happy to report that Club is slowly coming back to a semblance of normality. As at end of February 2021, year to date usage revenue had reached 54% of last year. Costs have been managed very well and the Club’s cash position is stable. The Club has now resumed full operations, but usage will take some time to get back to pre-Covid levels. We must therefore continue to manage costs very prudently. Seventy-seven of our former staff opted to take advantage of the Voluntary Exit programme that the Club offered, and we have now recalled the majority of the balance. We plan to recall all the staff needed to run the operations in the medium term, by April 2021. We continue appealing to all Members, now more than ever, to please come back and use your Club and to pay your Club bills promptly. In the meantime, stay safe and healthy!

Daniel Ndonye Chairman Finance & Strategy Committee