Posted: Sun May 08, 2005 4:22 pm
Setting the club up was a doddle really.
I chatted to another smallholder on another self sufficiency/smallholding website, about wanting a more local club and we decided together, that it would be a great idea to start one. So we did.
We have never even met yet and so all our correspondence has been by email or phone.
But I went around putting up posters ,that my friend had designed,all around the area where I live and she did the same where she lives .
I then contacted a potential venue in the local area and knowing the owner was interested in self sufficiency ,as she keeps goats for milk and cheese, I asked if she would be interested in helping the club in any way and she offered her venue for free!!!.
Then I advertised the meeting on every website I could and contacted local newspapers , who came and did an interview with me, and local councils and libraries who have also advertised the club for us too and hey presto we launched a new club!
We have also just set up a website and are in the process of arranging banking facilities for any funds we raise, to enable club members to have a variety of events each month etc
It is a steep leearning curve for me, but my friend has experience in chairing meetings etc so we share the work. I do promotion of the events etc and she chairs the meetings and does the website etc .
I have lots of people offering to host future meetings at their various smallholdings, for free and also people offering to give talks etc on a wide range of subjects. It has been fantastic, the sheer amount of help we have been offered! If you want a club in your area then I would say go for it! It has certainly given us the opportunity to get lots of likeminded people together !
I chatted to another smallholder on another self sufficiency/smallholding website, about wanting a more local club and we decided together, that it would be a great idea to start one. So we did.
We have never even met yet and so all our correspondence has been by email or phone.
But I went around putting up posters ,that my friend had designed,all around the area where I live and she did the same where she lives .
I then contacted a potential venue in the local area and knowing the owner was interested in self sufficiency ,as she keeps goats for milk and cheese, I asked if she would be interested in helping the club in any way and she offered her venue for free!!!.
Then I advertised the meeting on every website I could and contacted local newspapers , who came and did an interview with me, and local councils and libraries who have also advertised the club for us too and hey presto we launched a new club!
We have also just set up a website and are in the process of arranging banking facilities for any funds we raise, to enable club members to have a variety of events each month etc
It is a steep leearning curve for me, but my friend has experience in chairing meetings etc so we share the work. I do promotion of the events etc and she chairs the meetings and does the website etc .
I have lots of people offering to host future meetings at their various smallholdings, for free and also people offering to give talks etc on a wide range of subjects. It has been fantastic, the sheer amount of help we have been offered! If you want a club in your area then I would say go for it! It has certainly given us the opportunity to get lots of likeminded people together !