Never Forget!
Well I can’t believe how quickly the last year has passed and I am writing this as the new Chairman of Area 3! I feel very honoured to be in this position and I thank you all for giving me this opportunity.
I’d like to say a huge thank you to Claire for being a brilliant ambassador for Area 3, those of you who attended the National Conference in Leeds will know what a fantastic job she did as Ladies Circle Local Convenor when she took over from Kathy at the last minute when baby arrived slightly earlier than expected. I certainly was proud to be an Area 3 Circler and it has been invaluable for me to learn from someone as organised and experienced as Claire.
I’d like to thank all my new exec members for volunteering to support me in this special year and I hope that you enjoy the experience as much as I will. Remember that as Area 3 exec we are here to support and assist any Circle so please invite us along to your events or contact us if we can be of assistance.
As I’ve been on Exec for the last 5 years most of you will probably know me, for those that are new to Circle here is some useless trivia. I have been a member of Sitlington Ladies Circle for 10 years, am married to Tony and have 1 son Jamie aged 14, 3 step children Ben 22, Faye 21 and Ffion 16, a cat, a dog a gerbil and a partridge in a pear tree.I work part time as a specialist nurse for Contraception and Sexual Health Services in Wakefield, teenagers being my speciality so if anyone needs any advice !!!! I am a mad Bon Jovi fan, love champagne and strawberries and have had a thing about Firemen ever since I was rescued by the Spanish Fire Brigade ( but that’s another story). I have jumped out a plane at 13000ft for charity which was a fantastic experience especially since I was strapped to a rather nice young man from the Red Devils Parachute Regiment. I love all things pink and would love more than anything to be able to sing which I’m sure those of you who have heard me at karaoke will agree with.
My theme for the year is NEVER FORGET, (nothing to do with Take That although I am a bit of a fan). The theme came about totally out of the blue when I started thinking about my years in Circle. When I met Tony and moved down to Yorkshire from Sunny Scotland, I didn’t know anybody. Tony at the time was a member of Table and it wasn’t long before I went to my first event which was a fundraising disco. Off we went dressed up to the nines looking forward to meeting lots of new people. I was rather taken aback when I was introduced to everyone. I couldn’t believe how old fashioned and frumpy their dress sense was, I figured out we must be way ahead of the fashion stakes in Scotland. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I found out the disco had been fancy dress and the theme was “Bad Taste” (Sitlington please accept my apologies). I was soon invited to Circle as an honorary member for Marie, who I am now lucky to have on my Exec. I will NEVER FORGET the friendship that was shown to me through Circle and the fun that we have had along the way.
I’ll NEVER FORGET my first Area Rally in Scarborough when the hotel had no hot water, I’ll NEVER FORGET winning the “ wheely bin trophy” after a silly games party with Sitlington(that’s another story), I’ll NEVER FORGET doing something amazing with Libby and giving blood, which is a huge thing for me considering I fainted when I had my ears pierced ( incidentally I still donate). I’ll NEVER FORGET Carol Pateman in the rise and fall bed in the “Palace of Gin” Hotel in Alkmaar, I’ll NEVER FORGET how proud I was to be an Area 3 Circler when our T became LCI President. I’ll NEVER FORGET LCI Tallin where unlike the theme I didn’t fly and still have the scar to prove it. I’ll NEVER FORGET the two centre, three cities, one luncheon, no nudity top weekend with Tanni and I’ll NEVER NEVER NEVER FORGET how I felt when Gill and I reached the summit of Ingleborough, completing the 3 Peaks Challenge.
These are just a few of many highlights of my Circling years. I’m sure all of you will have memories of Circle that you too will NEVER FORGET and I encourage you to share them with others and let them see what a fantastic organisation we are part of and encourage them to experience for themselves the fun and friendship that Circle brings.
In keeping with my theme the charity I have chosen to support is The West Yorkshire Forget Me Not Trust . This charity is raising funds to build a Chidren’s Respite Centre and Hospice in Huddersfield. At the moment the nearest Childrens Hospices are in Wetherby or Manchester. A Children’s Hospice is funded almost entirely by voluntary donations. The facility will care for children who suffer from terminal illnesses or have special needs, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is free of charge to families. It will cost approximately £4 million pounds to build with an estimated running cost of £1 million pounds a year, so every penny counts. You can start supporting the Trust by using the following search engine on your computer. http://westyorkshireforgetmenot.easysearch.org.uk Using this will generate £25 a year. The Trust is also holding The Emperors Ball on Friday 12th September at the Galpharm Stadium for which I have reserved two tables. Tickets are £50 each and numbers are limited so if you would like to attend please contact me directly (more information in folders).
I know many of you are wondering what I plan to do for a fundraising event. After the physical challenges of the Moonwalk and The 3 Peaks I thought about cycling the Tour de France or perhaps rowing the Atlantic ( I read that James Cracknell lost 3 stone in 49 days doing that). Well don’t panic keep your trainers and your lycra locked up. I have decided to do something a little less physical that will require skill and tactical planning - A Jailbreak. This will take place sometime next year more details to follow.
I would also like to continue supporting the Ladies Circle International Project SARIS which is running for another year. So far Area 3 has raised nearly enough to fund two toilet blocks which is a fantastic achievement.
Finally I would like to wish all new Circle Chairman and their Vice Chairman luck for their coming year. I hope you will be able to join me at the Chairmans /Vice Chairmans evening that I am hosting at my house on Friday the 18th July. This will give you the opportunity to meet exec and get to know each other better, share ideas and enjoy the fun and friendship of Area 3.
Sine Kidd
Area 3 Chairman 2008/09