It was a delight to arrive in Scarborough again.  Although only 4 hours by coach from Hertfordshire it always feels like another world – kindly hoteliers, helpful shop assistants, good food and excellent prices.  And the sun was shining – as it usually does for us.  Only those stalwarts of many years can remember more than a couple of councils that have had bad weather.  Our last visit to Scarborough, despite being towards the end of November, had bright sunshine to temper the frost, and our previous visit saw us walking along the prom at midnight after an energetic evening of line dancing not needing to wear our jackets.

Ready for business

The Spa Centre was as welcoming as we have come to expect with the staff all willing to go the extra mile for us.  The man at the bottom of the cliff lift, despite having to open and close the lift doors and take money from both sides of his kiosk, leapt to hold open doors when he spotted me on my scooter and ensured that I always got on the next available lift.

Sadly the sense of well-being soon evaporated on Friday evening.  I knew the running order had been transposed, but did not imagine it was because the whole future of the CWL News was in doubt.  It was good for members who do not have access to the internet or do not spend their lunch hours surfing to see the new website and listen to Jean Clarke describing the various pages on the web, but I treasure my News and read and re-read it before storing it in a magazine file where it fades and the paper turns yellow - but it is still treasured, and I defy anyone to make a tape of a website for members with sight difficulties.  I am delighted that we have such an eye-catching and informative website (is there no end to Jean’s talents?)  but feel there is still a place for the News.  I listened with gloom to suggestions that we move to a colour magazine, knowing that our brother organisation, the KSC, has just cancelled production of theirs because of the rising cost of production and distribution – I think it is more difficult to obtain advertising revenue for glossy publications.  Elizabeth Rogers tried her best to hold her depleted team together, but I reached Night Prayer with a heavy heart although the gloom was soon lifted by the excellent liturgy.

Members of East Anglia Branch relax in the Conservatory at the Spa Centre

It was so heartening to have a liturgy that had been written especially for us with our work in mind and my mind was sent spinning into considering us as the ‘Samaritans of the Third Millennium’. The Prayer Service will surely be remembered for the heartfelt and thought-provoking end to a long day.

Saturday dawned bright and sunny  (what else did we expect?) and the bank of helpful stewards greeted the members as they arrived while Westminster Branch tried to sell them raffle tickets before they had taken their coats off or found their seats.  The Mayor seemed genuinely delighted that we were in Scarborough and stayed for much longer than I can remember any Civic dignitary staying in the past.  I always look forward to the welcome where we learn interesting and amusing items about the area.  The roll call always brings a smile to people’s faces from applauding the few who have travelled the furthest to wondering which branch will have the most representatives – will Hexham & Newcastle win that accolade this year or has Westminster pipped them to the post?  The usual message from Buckingham Palace – my mind wandered to wondering whether the Knights of St Columba would receive such a greeting the following weekend in Glasgow.

The National President leads the National Banner in the procession at the beginning of the Mass of the AGM

I stand in awe of Margaret Valentine’s work – not only doing the accounts but dealing with a myriad people of varying ability, all generously giving their time to try and help the League keep on the straight and narrow.  Margaret treats her fellow League Treasurers with courtesy and kindness and the net effect of everyone’s work is a set of accounts of massive proportions which has to meet both accounting standards and charity law standards.  She then stands on a stage in front of several hundred people and holds the audience with her report, which could be either dull as ditchwater or unintelligible, but it is neither.  I have never before seen an increase in capitation fees go through without a murmur and applaud the vision that saw that fixed fees for some items for all Sections penalised the smaller Sections in favour of the larger ones so the increase meant she was able to abolish two of those charges.  Do others, like me, dread hearing the word ‘retirement’ fall from her lips?

How often with hindsight simple ideas look masterly – as was the case for spreading out the reports from the Regional Officers.  When they all follow each other the mind has gone numb before the last strawberry tea has been mentioned.  Separated as they were the members can appreciate the diversity of the League across the country.  Region 5 knows that they have to do something special to get a mention because with 4 large Branches there are far too many Sections for all to appear on the list.  Other regions are able to itemise the work of every Section in the Region.  The A-Z from Liz Cooper was a very novel and light-hearted slant on a very busy Region, even if she did acknowledge she had lifted it from the Canadian website.  Perhaps the time limits could be changed to proportional representation so that those with more Sections and Branches get longer than the smaller Regions, but that may mean that we do not work so hard as we will all get a mention regardless of our efforts.

The Mass of the AGM is always an impressive event, with the banner procession bringing a tear to many an eye.  It is the one time in the weekend when we are quiet and still and all the petty nuisances and problems are forgotten.  Who needs Bishops when we have such excellent and caring Chaplains?  We will, of course, welcome Bishop Peter with open arms when he is able to attend, but we will not go into a decline if he cannot.  Our National Treasurer showed that she is as multi-talented as our National Secretary by accompanying our singing.  (Will any future request for officers carry the caption ‘only multi-talented women need apply’?)

It was interesting to hear of the work of CAFOD in Burma from ‘the horse’s mouth’.  I remember Julian Filachowski asking us to raise funds for that work but not to publicise it as the situation there was so fragile.  How honoured we felt that he trusted us to use our discretion.  Was it in Buxton? 

Members very generously collected for the CAPD (Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis) Unit at Reading Hospital following an appeal by the National President who can be seen here presenting a cheque for £1126 to the Sister in charge of the Unit.

The organisation of the day was so good that we had much longer breaks than we expected.  This was good news for the recipients of the raffle proceeds, but not such good news for Westminster members who were valiantly selling tickets to a queue that at one stage snaked round the hall.  Many people had been able to collect money from members not able to attend Scarborough and arrived at the table with quite large sums.  This added to the generosity of those attending to give the splendid result of just over £1210 raised which will be split equally between Our Lady’s Catechists, Relief & Refugee and Services Committee.

If anyone doubted that we had the right National President to see us through these difficult times in our country, they would have been dispelled by Doreen’s quiet dignity and heartfelt thanks to all who had supported her through her recent sad bereavement.  How she epitomises everything we would like to be and are not – she is always elegant, always polite and listens attentively, is able to quietly hold the floor and command attention when needed, and she can make marvellous cakes!

Some of the members from Northampton at the AGM

It is always a temptation not to return to the conference centre on Saturday evening, but what a loss that would have been!  I have read some of Gervase Phinn’s books, but as a speaker he was better than I imagined.  His description of the situations he found himself in when teaching, then later, inspecting schools in the Dales left us crying with laughter His poem for his son’s wedding was a masterpiece.

By Sunday morning everyone is looking slightly jaded but Father Brian’s words at Mass revived us all.  It is easy to see the Social Awareness Team Reports as predictable, but was I the only one amazed by the passion of Brenda Hilliam for the plight of refugees in this country?  I did wonder if anyone asks those who are helped by educational grants to ratify their qualifications to enable them to work in this country to remember us in future as we do not have a bottomless pit for this work. 

All the speakers kept to their allotted time (which must be a first).  While it is always sad for those whose special area is no longer to be covered specifically, it is good that we are not fixed in concrete.  Where an issue, such as Marriage and Family Life or Interfaith and Ecumenism, is taken up by the Diocese or Bishops Conference it makes sense to deploy our resources where such concerted action is not directed.  I enjoyed the pictures from the Forces Pilgrimage to Lourdes, having been in Lourdes once at the end of their pilgrimage and marvelled at the precision and ingenuity they deployed.

I was impressed by the way some items in the Suggestion Box were accepted by members of the National Executive with promises to implement them.  I did feel that anonymous suggestions should not be publicised, although there should be the proviso for names to be withheld at request.

We departed with our heads held up high and ‘see you in Swanwick/Torquay’ ringing in our ears at the end of a very enjoyable and successful conference.

Gill Moodie

Branch Secretary

Westminster