North of England Conference

RSCDS North of England Conference, February 2012

by Joyce Cochrane

RuthBeattie(Chairman)andJohn Wilkinson(Chairman Elect)in front ofthe NorthofEngland Conference withthe event organiser, Malcolm Brown(on the mic). Photo by Allan Highet.

One of the first RSCDS Regional Conferences to be held in the UK outside Scotland took place on Saturday 4 February at the Cairn Hotel, Harrogate. Dancers attending the York & North Humberside Branch weekend school at the hotel were joined by members of branches and affiliated groups from across the North of England. Ruth Beattie (RSCDS Chairman) and John Wilkinson (Chairman Elect) had been invited to address dancers in the region to explain what the Society was doing and where it was going, and to respond to questions from the audience. Ruth began by explaining how the Society was run and how its committees and working groups operated. She outlined current projects and achievements, and spoke of the Society ’ s aims for the future. We learned how the RSCDS is supporting schools in Scotland, particularly with the inclusion of dancing in the Curriculum for Excellence; there is a Youth Development Officer, jointly funded by Creative Scotland; an Interim Youth Services Committee has been formed and is starting its work. John spoke about the finance and governance of the Society, and the role of its Trustees. He was concerned that we should know that the RSCDS is very aware of its responsibilities as a charity and as an employer.All decisions involving finance are subject to independent scrutiny. He also described David Cunningham ’ s role as Music and New Media Development Officer, working to put dance instructions, music and video on-line: this would also bring the Society some revenue. Ruth also mentioned partnerships with the Army Benevolent Fund and the National Trust for Scotland, where SCD can meet new audiences. She recognised the importance of volunteers (we, the members) without which the Society could not function. After the presentations, there was a question and answer session. Several of the questions came from members of affiliated groups, an area where the RSCDS has felt the need for closer co-operation; a questionnaire is being drawn up to find out how these groups feel the RSCDS can help them. Problems over booking for Summer School were discussed, as was the continuation of St. Andrews as the venue. We were also assured that in spite of the move to publish digitally and have resources available on the internet, conventional publishing would still continue. Ruth was also keen that people should know of the publicity materials available from HQ which branches and affiliated groups could use. The members present were generally very encouraged by what they heard – one said that he felt it showed a new level of caring from the Society – and went off in good spirits either to get ready for the evening dance, which Ruth and John also enjoyed, or to battle home through the snow. I hope the latter felt it had been worth braving the conditions to attend the conference. Thanks to Malcolm Brown for organising the event.

Calling all members -

would you like to be part of an 'Information Highway

Much has happened in the last couple of years to give opportunities for members to engage with Society business, giving you opportunities to share your skills and for your voice to be heard. One of the challenges is getting the right information to the right people at the right time. Therefore the Management Board has set up an Information Highway Working Group to review information flows to members. Branch secretaries do a sterling job in disseminating information, but are constrained by the timings of Branch mailings, sorting out what to send to whom, how to pass on the information and the time to do it! Whilst we explore the possibility of a new database that will better meet both our and our members ’ requirements, it was felt that we should put some interim arrangements in place. We will set up targeted groups to receive emails on specific subject areas, such as education & training, summer and winter schools, constitution, manual, music, health & fitness, IT etc. We are also keen to help experienced Branch secretaries share their skills with new or less experienced secretaries, who would appreciate a “ mentor ” , and would like to hear from both categories. For more information on the above, including guidelines for the information we need from you, please contact Elspeth Gray at Headquarters on info@rscds.org with “Information Highway ” in the subject line, or check on the website News section.

Elaine Wilde, Information Highway Working Group chairman.