A few people asked me why I didn't run for Barnet Council at the recent council elections. The reason was very simple and I did mention it briefly. In October, I became Chairman of the Mill Hill Services Club, when the former Chairman stood down. The club has elections for such positions every May, but if a Chairman steps down in the intervening period, the vice chairman assumes the position. As the Vice Chairman also stood down, the committee elected me as acting Chairman. I made the decision to seek another term, as there is plenty to do and I felt I had much to offer. The club has over 650 members and each has a vote. Often, in the past, Chairmen have not been opposed, but another member chose to also put their name forward. I was delighted that I won. The result was announced on Sunday. I was pleased to get a large majority. I was also pleased that the members of the committee who stood again for election also were re-elected. They are all good guys and deserved to get another term.
I did want to share with you how pleased I am to be elected. It is an important achievement for me. But that is not the main reason I am posting this. For me, there is a far more important point to be made. The post of Chairman of the club is an unpaid role. I am also the chair of a local educational charity, which is a very different beast. Both are very different roles but each is important in their own way. But the point is that if people do not step up and join committees and take responsibility for local community organisations, they will cease to exist. World events such as covid and the increase in fuel costs mean huge challenges for many organisations. You can be doing a great job and then find that there is a major world event and the balance sheet shifts and there is nothing you can do about it in the short term.
You need good people, who are calm and rational and can make sound decisions based on the facts as best they can be ascertained. Being able to read and understand a balance sheet helps. Keeping calm when people gets cross is another asset. Committee meetings for community organisations can get surprisingly heated, as people often have vastly different ideas of what needs to be done. I always take the view that people should be listened to and their comments respected, even if you disagree. You should be able to explain why you disagree to them clearly and concisely, whilst being polite.
If you think you can do all of those things, then I would strongly urge you to give your time and talents to local organisations. I've been a member of the Mill Hill Music Festival organising commiteee for over 20 years. It can be fraught, but the good it brings to our local community is something I will always be proud of. We have had some wonderful artists performing and I am proud to be associated with the Festival. I've been a committee member at the Services Club for about five years and Chairman for just over six months. We have done some great things and had some wonderful events, which help the finances. But most of all, the club opens its doors every day and gives the members who live in Mill Hill somewhere to go and meet friends, play Snooker/Pool/Darts, have a drink in a comfortable and peaceful environment at a price lower than local pubs, and as all members are co-owners, feel part of something. The club is part of the CIU, which is the Cooperative movement, which is one of the biggest drivers of social good in the UK. Such things are worth preserving. So just a little request, if there is a community organisation that is doing good works and you have a bit of free time, why not get involved and help them out. One thing I've learned is that the most important people in any organisation are not the executives or the chair's. It is the ordinary people who do all of the heavy lifting, usually for little or no thanks. One thing I've always tried to do, is show some appreciation to such folks.
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