IMPORTANT MESSAGE - UPDATE REGARDING CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) PANDEMIC

As members of the Society are aware there was a video meeting of the entire committee on Monday evening during which the current situation regarding the on-going coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic was discussed.

Reluctantly, in the light of the latest strict new measures introduced by HM Government to tackle the spread of coronavirus coupled with the advice from the NHS the committee unanimously agreed that there is no alternative but to suspend ALL meetings of the Society for the foreseeable future.

The committee would also urge all members of the Society to follow the new rules from the Government – ‘staying at home and away from others’ – which is the single most important action we can all take, in fighting coronavirus, in order to protect the NHS and save lives.  Please continue to be safe and protect yourselves and your families at this difficult time.

A significant consequence of the decision to suspend meetings of the Society means that the Annual General Meeting cannot now be held before the 30th June deadline as required by our Constitution.  The committee has therefore undertaken the authority (as set out in Clause 56 of the Constitution) to decide upon the actions that must be taken to manage the on-going affairs of the Society until such time as a General Meeting can be properly convened.

Throughout our long and successful history, the activities of the Society have only been suspended twice before during both World Wars.  Now for the first time in more than a generation we find ourselves in the same situation.  Charles Farrow, the Society’s Secretary, kept in touch with many of the Society’s members throughout the Second World War.  His conscientiousness meant that, with the cessation of hostilities in May and the Far East in September 1945, it was possible to call a General Meeting of the Society only a month later, on 2nd October.

There were 65 members present for the first meeting just two weeks later on 16th October when Captain G. K. Yeates FRPS gave a lecture on ‘Bird Photography’ - all achieved without the modern communication systems that we have at our disposal today.

Currently, there are 75 members of the Norwich & District Photographic Society and we are determined to ensure that together we shall not let our forefathers down by ensuring that when this current crisis is over, we are just as successful in returning to normality as quickly as possible.

On Monday the committee formed a sub-committee comprising Tom Watson, Paul Cowcher, Paul Oliver and Maurice Young whose primary role will be to maintain weekly contact with the members of the Society, produce a programme of activities that we can all participate in without the need to meet up and, prepare the groundwork for when this crisis is finally over.  

This sub-committee will come together for the first time on Thursday 26th March via a web conference call and the first new weekly edition of Infocus will be sent out to members no later than early next week.  We are grateful to those members who have already provided many suggestions for activities/initiatives we might organise in the coming weeks/months and be assure these will all be fully considered.

We have also set up a new email address ndps.infocus@gmail.com which everyone can use to get in touch with this new sub-committee to provide suggestions, to make comments, or just to leave their own message for other members of the Society.

Everyone please take care - by following the official advice and continuing to work together coronavirus will not beat us...!