Clubs United

[nickp82]

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere here already so thought I'd bring it up... Saw this new initiative on OrganFax which is an attempt at saving the organ/keyboard club scene in the UK from total demise in a few years time. The direct address is www.clubsunited.org - quite a few interesting comments on there so I thought worth sharing!

Does anyone here have any views or experience on the current state of clubs?
I think one problem is communication... I tried to get in touch with the local club here (it says the preferred method of communication was their e-mail address), but despite sending two emails so far, no response, so I may try the number soon. It makes me think how many potentially interested people have e-mailed but received silence. :o

[RogerM]

How long did you give them to reply to your first e-mail before sending the second, and how long is it since the second? Don't forget club officers will be doing this voluntarily in their spare time and you can't expect as prompt a response as you might get from a business.

[nickp82]

Roger, several weeks unfortunately... And a polite follow up a week ago. ;-)
I know the clubs run with volunteers but I think there should be arrangements to see that enquiries are answered promptly (perhaps a shared mailbox that multiple officers of the club can check?) as it could be part of answer to increasing participation and interest again. To the average joe, not answering an email may just project the impression that the club is not interested in helping new people come along or get involved. Despite the volunteer nature of it, I think good communication needs to be a key priority (it's also stated on the website that it is the preferred contact method).

P.S. I did try to find out about Basildon Organ & Keyboard Club as that seems to have been quite a large and prominent club some years ago. They also have a YouTube channel with really good concert footage that was last updated several years ago but the actual club seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth! Is there anyone here who knows whether it's still running? No listing in OrganFax either...

[RogerM]

Several weeks is too long in any circumstances and I agree that sort of delay or, even worse, no reply at all is likely to contribute to a feeling that the club is not interested. I attend Medway Organ and Keyboard Club, Rainham, Kent, and we regularly have 80 to 100 members and visitors at the monthly concerts. The chairman and committee do book first-class acts and the whole thing is very welcoming, with a licensed bar as well as tea/coffee and home-made sausage rolls and cakes. It's enough to draw me 30 odd miles up the motorway.

I liken the problem to activities such as railway modelling and die-cast collecting which are also in decline because followers are dying off and not being replaced by youngsters who are just not interested in these things. I'm 75 and I don't think there is any member at the Medway Club under 50.