Editor’s Edict

Well, where do I start?

What a strange year so far. All the hopes and plans of just about everybody have been put on hold for at least 12 months, and people are stuck indoors waiting to see what happens. At the time of writing we may be allowed out soon, or not. We may be allowed to go to the pub, or not, and we may be allowed to travel, or not. Basically, no‐one know s what is going on and your guess is as good as mine.

One thing is for certain. This Coronavirus has taken away some much missed people from us. Families have been devastated and the biking scene will never be the same again. These interesting times have meant that we have not been able to say goodbye to those we have loved and lost. I have a feeling that the first event I attend, there will be many a glass raised in honour of them.

Speaking of events, what events? Yep, everything has been cancelled or put off until next year. Our own NABD National and NABDonia events included. We still hold out hope of maybe a few events towards the end of the year, but I personally believe it may be wishful thinking at the moment. At least I have been able to get out on the bike (I have no problem with social distancing, I’ve been practicing it for years) but the one thing I have missed is sitting in a field around a fire having a drink and putting the world to rights with friends old and new.

We in the NABD have always held our doctors and nurses in the NHS in high esteem, and it is nice to see that everyone else has the same opinion. We collectively give our thanks to everyone who has continued to work and help us through this trying time. Many of us have disabilities and health issues, so the help and support many of us have received has helped us soldier on.

But it is fair to say that the NABD, along with a lot of charities, is struggling at the moment. You will see elsewhere in this issue a statement from our Chairman about the AGM being postponed and the suspension of our grant system. This is heartbreaking for us all. However, we have a duty on us to make sure the NABD continues and comes through this. We continue to investigate all means available to help the Association. Why is the NABD struggling/suspended grants?

Well, quite simply, the NABD relies on donations. Every penny we get in donations goes out as grants to people, and if we get no donations, we cannot give it out. The vast majority of donations come from events and rallies that clubs and individuals put on. Obviously this has stopped completely, so the donations are not coming in.

The bills of the Association are paid for by the money raised at our own events, which have been cancelled this year (the National cancellation actually cost the NABD money it had already paid out). Meanwhile the bills still need to be paid.

It may be that there will be no events until 2021. In that case the NABD may be looking at Summer next year before the donations begin coming in again. So the Trustees of the charity have an obligation to ensure that the NABD survive the next 12 months and come through this period. Behind the scenes we have been working hard to try use every available measure we can to cut down on our outgoings, but the NABD is already run on a shoestring, so options are limited.

We are also looking into other means of raising funds. Our on‐line pr esence has been invaluable in trying to both entertain people and bring in donations. Our Virtual YBN rally was well received, and hopefully our virtual NABDonia on Facebook will be the same.

You can be assured that we do not take these decisions lightly, and we are constantly reviewing the situation on a month by month basis.

I doubt the situation will have changed by the next issue of Open House, but I live in hope.