Since my last report much to our surprise our Chairman Bruce Mowatt arranged a virtual meeting. It was very successful with members enjoying the catch up. The whole team seem to be in good spirits albeit most are in isolation. Some are fortunate enough to have been able to return to work. A healthy debate as to the way forward took place, but we have insufficient numbers available to consider much change in our current situation. We have in fact notified the authorities and SORN our mini bus until such times venues are open and it is needed.

A great deal of thought has been going on during the current period and I have been reading about the history of the club which was formed in 1964, an incredible 56 years. Interestingly reading the notes it was considered setting up as a branch of Rotary or Lions, but the initial members decided at the time, being a small Island an independent group would work better and we would create our own constitution.

We have no original members within the club now, but we do have a very long serving member who joined the club in its 11th year which was 1975. That is an amazing 45 years of membership, serving the Community into which he was born. The man I talk of is John Cottle, who many of you will recall as a Heating and Plumbing Engineer on Hayling.

John joined HIBC in 1975. In the early days membership was by invitation, unlike today, where we welcome membership from gentlemen with an interest in our Island community, charity and friendship. Originally all the members were local professional and business men, hence the name of the Club and the reason for meeting during the lunch time.

Early fund raising events were many and included a Donkey Derby in 1966, followed by Dog Derbies, new car and bicycle raffles, 200 Club, Charity Shop, Carnival support, Cabaret Nights, Beetle Drives, Seafood and Cheese and Wine parties, Strawberry Fairs, Street Collections, Raffles and Solent Cruises, today we have our ongoing Pig Racing Nights and our popular BBQ at Northney Farm. When John mentioned the charity shop back all those years, it must have been one of the first and it was an important fund raiser. However in those days shops didn’t stay empty long, so it was only ever temporary.

The Club has a great record of serving the Community with the use of our Community Bus and support with donations to many worthwhile individuals and organisations, Schools, Health Centre, North Hayling Recreational Hall, Community Centre, Boxing, Football Clubs, Scouts, First Responders, Age Concern, Blind Club, Orchard Close, Churches and holidays and food parcels for deserving Islanders.

John was born and schooled on Hayling, he also married Iris and their children were christened in St. Marys and being in business locally, he decided he wanted to put something back into the community which has served him and his family well. He is very proud to be part of this small, dedicated team and is now a Life Member awarded in recognition of his service. Club social events have been fun and an opportunity to meet up with wives and partners to whom we owe much for their support and encouragement.

Any club which can retain the services and interest for this number of years must have the right mixture of camaraderie and business, so John hopes these reminiscences of his will encourage some readers to consider contacting the Club and join us as a guest at one of our lunch meetings and then hopefully join us.

Hayling Island Businessmen’s Club Report. May 20

I did think last month would be the last Club report for a while but decided it may be sensible to try and keep communications flowing. Lyn and I are into our fourth week of lockdown following the breakout of COVID19 and despite the odd bit of stretched nerves we are managing fairly well with just the two of us in the house. I have only been out once to collect a shopping order, as we have managed with the help received from family, fantastic neighbours and friends in keeping our fridges topped up. We have not had to call on the various groups for help yet, but do appreciate the help that is available out there. I am sure one day we will need.

The club is so sorry to not be meeting but, firstly the venues are closed where we met and secondly we are nearly all in the vulnerable group when it comes to ages.

One of our Members Steve James the Club Secretary has joined the Hayling Helpers and doing a great job when called upon to do so. Steve is fairly new to the Island but he and his wife Lin have settled into the Hayling way of life so well, Steve joining the Businessmen’s Club and both now joined the Hayling Helpers. We really could do with more members in his mould and age group for the future of the club when we do get restarted. A wife of a club member has lost an elderly sister to the virus, but as far as I can ascertain that is the only casualty to date with a club connection.

Talking of the Hayling Helpers, the club were delighted to make them our last donations as we entered lockdown. What a great setup in such a short time helping our fellow Islanders. Please remember these groups are there to help you, this is why they all offered to help. They do not want you taking risks for a pint of milk, or collecting a prescription, ask for help, don’t be embarrassed if you are in the vulnerable groups. PLEASE STAY AT HOME and request help. The Community centre is the HUB with a good stock of emergency supplies. Who knows you may even get to meet one of Portsmouth FC’s star players supporting the boxing club. I believe they are all working as a team including the Hayling Volunteer Services who are into delivering meals for you on a daily basis. If you search on Facebook you can also donate to help fund these amazing people.

We still have the club’s mini bus locked away in the garage not being used, which seems a shame with all the hard work going on in the voluntary sector, but who knows following a further review of the lockdown next month, we may be able to reconsider our options.

Most of our club meetings from now would be taken up organising our BBQ in July, so it seems strange for the first time since 1989 it is not a part of my life. I just hope club members enjoy the rest and come back next year full of enthusiasm to have a real humdinger. The public I know will miss it in July going by the sell outs over the last few years.

Good luck everyone, just take care.

Hayling Island Businessmen’s Club:

Sadly in line with many other charities, this will be my last report for a while unless some news worthy items surface. Because of the Corona Virus we have had to close down our Club until such time this all passes over. This is no different from most other organisations on the Island. The average age of members and the volunteer drivers, plus the age of the users of the bus it is impossible to protect everyone. One user of the bus being infected would have really been problematical for everyone as the Bus is confined for space. Also our users, such as Age Concern and the venues we were taking them to have closed, so it is a no win situation until better days are here. I am sure everyone understands the stance we and all the other charities have taken.

The above obviously means that our fund raising events such as the much awaited BBQ is cancelled this year, as is what was to have been our first Super Quiz fund raising night in June. Maybe, just maybe, our Pig Racing night may get the go ahead in November. It would be wonderful if it can.

Like all charities we will be returning I trust, but with a huge hole in our finances which will not be easy to replace, so please consider supporting our events when we are able to start. If you are a supporter of the club and our aims, you can also donate through our Facebook page should you wish to help ensure we are up and running when we are cleared to do so.

Best of luck to all the charities we support as I know some are keeping going, such as the great work the Hayling Volunteer service do at the Health Centre and the Community Centre trying to keep a venue open, albeit with restrictions. I am sure there are many others, but a special thanks to the Hayling Helpers who managed to form and organise into a Task Force in such a short time. I know along with all the others, Hayling will remain strong.

Hayling Island Businessmen’s Club: Gentlemen Your Island Needs You!!

As many of you know we are a small Club historically made up of local Businessmen since 1964. In more recent years we have expanded on that and most of our members are now men who wish to give a few hours per month to help the Community in which they live. Our aim is to raise funds by way of a few events every year, which to date we have been very successful at.

We not only purchase a Mini Bus for local good causes to use as and when it is available, we are able to make small donations to help others out as well. Examples are the Christmas Dinner held every year for those who are alone, the Holiday lunch Club and the concert for senior residents which we hold at Sinah Warren.

Can you spare some time to mix socially with others by enjoying a light lunch at Seacourt Tennis Club once every two weeks? We meet to discuss various fund raising activity and how to spend the money raised. It is mostly a pleasure with the hardest task being our annual BBQ at Northney Farm, but do believe me when I say, we all enjoy it.

Can you spare those few hours a month to help us out and share the camaraderie that exists, plus carry on with our success to ensure our ambitions are achieved?

We have a member who is responsible for recruiting and he is waiting to invite you to lunch, on us to find out more about the club. Please contact Ray Jones who many of you will know on 02392 467374 to arrange.

A future date for our senior citizens to put in their diaries is the 11th November for our concert at Sinah Warren. Please help by ensuring you get the tickets you need, but returning unused ones for others to use.

Thank you for reading this report, please feel free to browse either our Facebook page or our website.

https://www.facebook.com/hibc.org.uk/

http://www.hibc.org.uk/

Both links have a great deal more information for you regarding our history and our aims.

On the 14th January on a wild and stormy night HIBC held its AGM at Seacourt Tennis Club. Considering storm Brendan was brewing up the attendance was very good, which highlights the comradery that exists within the club. Despite the seriousness and importance of filling the various positions, it is a fun evening.

Steve James awarded the Cup to recognise his hard work during 2019

Dave Turvey was awarded the wooden spoon.

Our outgoing Chairman Marcus Foot highlighted the extreme pleasure and pride he had in being at the helm for the past year. Marcus was especially proud, as he is the only second generation Chairman in the clubs history. His Father Geoff was Chairman in 1989 and one of our most active members prior to his death some years ago. Geoff was actually in the Chair the year I joined the Club. Interestingly, our longest serving living member is John Cottle, who joined the club in 1975, which is an amazing 45 years. Again, I think this highlights the enjoyment members obtain from the club, so if you want to know more please do not hesitate to contact us. As I have said before, don’t let the title put you off, it is of historical importance to the history of the club and how it came into being in 1964. This is a tremendous 56 years this year. Please visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hibc.org.uk/

Outgoing Chairman Marcus Foot welcomes Bruce Mowatt to the Chair.

Our new Chairman was duly elected after each member had submitted their reports. Unanimously, Bruce Mowatt was elected, as he has been an outstanding member since he joined five years ago. Bruce is now retired but during his career he was a General Manager of an engineering company in south Wales, supplying safety critical components to the car industry. Bruce prior to moving back to the Island had a previous connection, having gone to school here as a child. Bruce’s aim is to continue the good work we have achieved in the past few years plus, continue the growth in Membership.

On the day to day business, the club agreed to donate £240 to Hayling Holiday Lunches a very worthwhile cause.

Please note that the BBQ this year is the same venue and will be on Saturday July 11th. We have by demand booked Monarchy Queen again. Please put in your Diaries to ensure you don’t forget or double book the night.

To close on a sad note unfortunately, a lovely member of the club Pat Riley recently passed away. You may recall Pat from the newsagents at Eastoke Corner. Pat was quiet and an unassuming member of the club and carried out his role with enthusiasm. He will be missed

HAYLING ISLAND BUSINESSMEN’S CLUB REPORT

Happy New Year to everyone, we trust you had a great Christmas and kicked the New Year off in style. Everyone at the club had a fairly quiet end to the year following the Pig Racing success, but none the less we are still meeting and thinking of ideas to increase our funding and events to support our Community. We have our AGM in January when all positions in the club will be agreed and a new Chairman being voted in as it is the only position that is held for one year only within the club.

On the subject of supporting the Community, a great deal of effort is put into raising enough funding to keep our mini bus on the road, probably in the region of £500 per month without depreciation. It is currently, despite its popularity being underused. If you are a Charity or organisation working for the benefit of the Community the bus is available to use especially in the evenings and weekends. Please contact Trevor Slydell on 02392 468883 or 07836 241920 if you wish to enquire. Just because it has been in use when you have phoned before, do not let that stop you, we want it to be used, and see it running around getting people out who may not otherwise do so, or getting youngsters to sporting events.

Our Mengham street collection was held on the 20th December and again we wish to thank Islanders for their generous giving. Despite the early morning rain which did hold off for the rest of the day, we collected the grand sum of £424.11.

We do look forward to seeing you all at our future events and to continue with our successful events. By public demand with date to be confirmed, we have booked Monarchy as QUEEN!!!

Well, I didn’t expect to be writing another report for a newspaper dedicated to the good people of Hayling Island. What a fabulous speedy setup of the Hayling Herald by Hayling Print and Elise Sargent. We at the Businessmen’s Club are delighted we have this new venture to support the Hayling community, both in publicising the many charities and organisations doing great voluntary work and their fund raising events thriving on good publicity which I am sure the Herald will continue to support. In a place like Hayling good advertising of local businesses is great when you require a service or a trades person and can seek out that quality recommended local firm. We wish the Herald every success, as the people of Hayling have shown they love their own paper

Since our last publicity report we have held in July our Annual BBQ which was a sell out again. This year tickets were being sought on social media by those who had left it to the last minute. The roast beef and various other BBQ favourites were enjoyed by all with nobody leaving the event hungry. The evening was a great night for Dancing, with a Queen Tribute band being the highlight shared with a first class disco. Once again Islanders dug deep into their pockets and supported our fundraising with the profit being in the region of £7500. This was a fantastic amount for which we were very grateful, but we still need to raise approximately another £3-4000 over the year to keep the Community Minibus on the road. Our Bus is there for Community use, for which no charge is made providing it is a charity or good cause. So remember, if you see us out shaking the tin in Mengham or at local shops such as Hayling Hardware or Lidl you are helping us reach the budget needed to maintain the Bus. Our grateful thanks to our many sponsors, especially Northney Farm for the continuing support in allowing us to use the Farm.

Our next fund raising event is the hugely popular Pig Racing Event. This is to be held at the Community Centre on Saturday 9th November with doors opening at 6.45. Its Piggin Brilliant the night, with tickets being £10 for adults and £5 for under 12’s including food. Please do not think of reporting us to the RSPCA, the pigs are battery operated and no cruelty will be experienced by them during the course of the evening. You may however, if you place your bets on the right pigs end up having a free evening out with a generous meal thrown in. The Community Centre bar will be open for the evening. We have added an extra outlet for tickets this year to include East Hayling, so please pop in the Terracotta Pot shop if you live at that end of the Island.

Thank you so much for reading this report and as said previously we rely on your support. Come to an event such as the Pig Racing and see what a great evening can be had, especially a family night out with the children which can be expensive these days. We think we have a nice affordable evening which may just fit your budget.

April Report by Andy Lenaghan

It’s a sad day, starting on what will be our final report for the Hayling Islander. The Islander has always been a great supporter of local charities and organisations that support the Community. None more so than Hayling Island Businessmens’ Club, who have benefitted over the years from publicity for our fund raising events, without which possibly it would have been much harder raising the funds to keep our Community Mini Bus on the road. Our Bus is on the road seven days per week and is supplied free of charge to users, subject to being a Community group. We will all miss the Islander, not just for the support but the monthly read about everything that is happening on our Island.

By the time you read this it will be border line if it is before or after our annual BBQ, our main fundraising event. This year already it is a total sell out with people scrambling for tickets which are just not available, so just remember, buy early next year and believe us when we say they are selling fast, it’s not a marketing gimmick!! As we will be unable to report after the BBQ, we would like to thank Northney Farm for the continued support from them in allowing us to hold this event there every year. It is not without some inconvenience they allow it, as a great deal of equipment has to be moved and the barn cleared, so all round it is a fantastic and willing gesture from them. We would also like to thank all the local businesses that support us with the donation of raffle prizes, discounts on supplies and additional manpower we need for the event.

One of our other popular events is the Pig Racing, which this year is being held at the Community centre again and it is on the 9th November. All our events will be on our website or our Facebook page, so please follow us there. We will hopefully be given some editorial by the Portsmouth News to publicise our events, as well as advertising with them from time to time.

Our thanks go to Hayling Hardware for allowing us to hold a collection toward our running expenses. On a not so warm Saturday with the odd shower thrown in we managed to raise £169. Thanks also to our residents, who were so generous and supportive of our aims. It amazed us how many people expressed their thanks for the Bus during the course of our collection. Most of these were the elderly being regular users who would not be able to get to the various luncheon clubs, but for the Bus and the volunteer drivers.

Lastly, thanks to Simon Carter the editor of the Islander for his support during his time at the helm. Simon took time to visit the club, researched our history and gave us a recent wonderful editorial to help increase our profile within the Community. https://www.facebook.com/hibc.org.uk/ http://www.hibc.org.uk/

Contact us if you wish to know more about HIBC or wish to join as a local Businessman, Manager or maybe an enthusiast who has something to offer the club. E-Mail : secretary@hibc.org.uk