Village Voice June/July 2014 | Page 3

And goodbye to others… COMMENT A call to arms! Stop Press: After much discussion and deliberation, Geoff and I have decided that 13½ years at the helm is enough. We will be stepping down from Village Voice this year. We have loved producing the magazine, which of course is why we’ve done it for so long, but we are agreed that now is the time to go. Of course we don’t want to abandon ship, so we hope that someone will come forward to take it over. It will need a production committee: having started in 2001 with a committee of four, the number has dwindled over the years to two, and between us we have been responsible for writing, editing, design and layout, finding advertising, accounts, fund-raising, and for some years, printing (although we now use a professional print company). We have been supported by an uncomplaining band of helpers who initially met to collate, staple, fold and deliver; now we just meet to count and distribute, and occasionally insert flyers. It has always been enjoyable. Over the years we have also had wonderful contributing writers, who I have no doubt will be happy to continue. With this issue of Village Voice you will have received a flyer advertising a meeting to discuss the future of the magazine. Some 13 years ago at the equivalent meeting we had a roomful of attendees and lots of discussion. I hope you will come along this time to contribute your thoughts (or write to us here if you can’t make it – we’ll make sure your views are aired). We say farewell and thank you to Sheila Lovett and Christine Hurn, retiring from their role as Bighton jumble sale organisers. Grateful thanks also go to Julie Crawford, Bighton Village Hall Committee’s secretary for over 20 years, and Adrian Arnold who has stepped down as chairman after many years’ service (thankfully he is staying on the committee). So the question arises: who is around to step into their shoes? And not just theirs, but the shoes of all the other people who do so much in, and for, our villages. In the years I’ve been editing Village Voice I’ve met many of the ‘movers and shakers’ in Bighton and Old Alresford. They are a worthy bunch, and the faces have hardly changed over the years (except of course that we’ve all got a bit older!) It can be easy to feel trapped in ‘the job’, because there are so few new volunteers coming forward. I know, I know, I’m always banging on about the community, and people not participating, but after all, this is a community magazine, and who else has the ability to speak directly to everyone in their own home in Bighton, Old Alresford, Gundleton and Abbotstone? I like to think that if you are reading this, it indicates that you do care about the community. We have a good demographic mix: plenty of young families, working people and active retirees. So here, my children, is the text of my sermon today: please don’t leave it all to the few people who are currently bearing the brunt. When the annual village fairs come round, it seems there are plenty of volunteers, presumably because everyone knows that it’s only once a year, and that the workload is reduced if spread across many people. Well the latter also applies to the ongoing activities, such as the village hall committees, with continued on page 2 associated events. 1