So the Phoenix's 60th year has drawn to a conclusion. The bullying that went on a year ago worked and we had 6 finishers in the 12 hour. For 1997 I predict 2 (and hopefully a tandem!) Six members have won the special trophy for completing the Club Championship distances, and a further three for completing the distances in another of the Championship Trophy classes. The overall totals being roughly the same as 10 years ago when, I think, it was 10 members awarded with the special mementoes.

The membership remains fairly static, we have dropped below 40 members in the last few years but that is mainly due to the drop in 2nd claim members. We have in the last 18 months welcomed (we do try!) two new members: Mark McNamara who had a promising start to the year and then faltered due to injury, and Tony Tugwell who kept trying to enter events mid-year only to he told "It's been cancelled. Do you want to ride the next one..." and then "The course has been changed, we're now much further from home..." ("...so that there’s no way that you can get there after work" or at least that's what it seemed like to some of us).

In organisational terms 1996 was a very trying year, with the local water board choosing to dig up the A24 in the height of summer – despite the council trying to get the work moved to a different time of year. Even the local police had not been informed as it was the RTTC local district who heard it first and contacted the police to sort out where we could race instead. All the rearranging of events was made worse by the fact that the water board didn’t stick to the timetable that they had given and some events had to be moved several times. The good side of it was that we got to try out two new (to us) courses which are available in our district. I think we all preferred the Crawley 25 course to the Holmwood one (almost all the clubs do, now they've tried it) and plans are afoot for the lnterclub with the Redmon to be on this course next year.

Hopefully as it is both a faster course and a more pleasant one to ride we will get a good turn-out from both clubs for this annual challenge against each other in 1997. The headquarters building is quite cheap for that course as well - at least it would have been if I hadn't paid for it personally!

All the committee have generally managed good attendance at the committee meetings and I believe all are willing to stand again for 1997, with the exception of Gary who has now made the logical move to another club - the Festival - where he hopes to have more company at road races. He remains a 2nd claim member and as he looks set to become permanently associated with Jake we haven’t lost him entirely. Hopefully the change will prove to be a beneficial move for him and his racing and we wish him well.

However that does mean we have a vacancy for BCF Secretary (or perhaps that should be Road Race Secretary) for next year.

I think that overall the 60th Anniversary Luncheon was a success. A lot of people put in a lot of effort to make it a success, particularly Rosemary Tanner. We had a good turn-out of ex-members and I think that they all found the effort to be worthwhile. For me it was a privilege to meet many of the people present as I know the names and have seen the pictures. Unfortunately I did not have the time to be particularly subtle about it, and settled for going round asking "Who are you?" of all and sundry. There were one or two snags on the day but the venue was chosen for its spaciousness, to allow people to talk and to look at the photographs, and it lived up to our hopes in that respect. If anyone wants to borrow the video...

In 1997 we are once again going no Majorca, 13 of as altogether. Hopefully it will be a successful return to the Pollensa Park Hotel.

The annual plug for the Annual Dinner and Prize Presentation. Last Saturday in Feb. This year we are at the Drift Bridge Hotel (Reigate Road). Tickets from Rosemary Tanner, as ever. There are rumours that the Stoneleigh Inn is to be pulled down - "...and not before time." I hear some of you mutter.

Finally the treasurer's report is unavailable at this time - but, I hope, should make it to the AGM. This is because I have been having to handle far too much in the way of financial transactions for the Phoenix and I’ve not had time to sit down and make sense of all the scraps of paper so that I can give an account of it all to Les Johnson. Money that is destined for Les should not be given to me in 1997. The only exception to this is the membership money for which I have a system to keep track of the money.

All the best for 1997

Lisa Colombo
January 1997

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