About Our Evenings

Although each evening will be slightly different we follow a standard pattern:

  • Members arrive from 7:30 to help set-up the room (setting out chairs etc.)
  • At 7:45 the meeting will open with a short introduction
  • The first half starts
    For a competition this would usually be the digital entries
  • Around 8:45 we take a short break and do our announcements about what’s coming-up and what’s going on in the club. This is where we also recognise our member’s achievements.
  • We then have part 2 of the evening.
    On a competition night this is when we’d do the prints
  • We finish at around 9:45, and thank our speaker or judge. Then everyone helps pack-up at the end of the evening

Historically we’ve always offered free tea and coffee at the half-time break, however with COVID, we now ask members to bring their own refreshments. Read more about our new room.

Face-to-face meetings – Protective measures: 

  • The Committee has conducted a risk assessment (available on request) and taken a number of measures to protect against transmission of Covid 19
  • Club meetings will take place in a very large room, the Sanctuary, in Christchurch. Pairs of chairs are very well spaced out around the room out to allow for social distancing and there are high ceilings and the ability to open windows and doors for ventilation 
  • Hand sanitiser will be provided on arrival and hand washing facilities will be available
  • Members will be asked to wear masks when moving around the room (except when seated) and to maintain social distancing  
  • To reduce handling, tea/coffee and biscuits will not be provided and measures will be in place to minimise handling of trophies and close contact during prize giving.

How you can help 

  • If you feel unwell, have any symptoms of Covid 19, or are required to self-isolate please do not attend a Camera Club meeting
  • Test for Covid 19 regularly using freely available lateral flow kits from the NHS
  • Please wear a mask (unless exempt) when moving around the room – this can be taken off when seated 
  • On arrival, please use the door next to the car park – you will be asked to sanitise your hands and sign in. Seats will be arranged to enable social distancing
  • Please maintain social distance throughout the evening and remember that other people may have different comfort levels to you, so please check before making assumptions       
  • If you would like refreshments during the evening, please bring your own as regretfully tea, coffee and biscuits will not be provided for the time being
  • Please follow the queuing and one way system which will be in place to view prints (when available). Members are asked not to congregate at the prints and to refrain from touching
  • If you test positive for Covid 19 within 7 days of attending a club meeting, please advise the committee in confidence by email at [committee AT hitchincameraclub.org]
  • Please participate as fully as you can in Club activities and continue to support the Club through your membership. Please talk to a member of the Committee if you have any concerns and bear with us as we navigate through this changing situation.     

Alternatives to face-to-face meetings 

Whilst we hope that members will join us in meeting at Christchurch throughout the season, we recognise that the situation can change quickly and some members may not feel comfortable meeting in-person at the present time. The Club will maintain Google Meet to enable virtual meetings where pre-agreed with guest speakers/judges (as advertised in the programme) and as a contingency measure. Whilst holding meetings solely in-person, or virtually enables everyone to participate on the same basis, we will experiment with ‘hybrid meetings’ and conduct a pilot to test technology which allows members to join virtually if they do not feel comfortable attending in-person. Please contact a member of the committee if this is of interest. 

 

 

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