monthly meets
Mar 24, 2010 1:13:13 GMT -1
Post by ZEBRA on Mar 24, 2010 1:13:13 GMT -1
Organised meets
I have had several pms asking about the monthly meets and when we are going to start running them so I thought I would put up a post explaining why we don’t run them anymore .
In the early days of NWKF we ran monthly meets these were great events where lots of the guys met up on various beaches and really enjoyed each other company as well as learning from each other typically we would set up a gazebo and some of the admin would start cooking bacon buns and hot tea and coffee so when people arrived they were greeted with a hot drink and a bacon bun there was never any charge for this but later a donation box was brought in to pay for the food and drink these were great occasions and who could ever forget georges fish soup (I can still taste it now) ;D.
Well we then had a letter from the council asking if we had a food hygiene certificate for the food we were preparing and if we had a licence to serve food on a public beach we had none of them so they politely asked that we stop cooking food and drinks on the beach we did stop.
A few meets later we had another letter from the council asking if we had insurance to run the meets for both participants and the public and that they had not given there permission for us to hold a meet on any beach though they were brilliant with me on the phone and very understanding without the costly insurance they could not sanction any meet.
A few months later we went to port dafarch and there is limited parking on this beach
And again a few days later I had a nice letter complaining that we had taken up all the car parking spaces and we did not have permission to do this.
I called the council man again and he explained several things to me.
Even though in his opinion we were doing a good thing we had to stop
It was explained that the meets were organised through the site and if a member of the public had an accident through any of the guys attending the site admin would be held responsible it was also explained that even if every participant signed a waver if any of them had an accident again the site admin would be held responsible.
If any member of the group bumped a car accidentally in the car parks during a meet the organisers (site admin) would be equally guilty as they are event organisers.
The meets were hard work for all the admin involved.
What was involved from an admin perspective?
Deciding on a venue 12 months before so it could be published.
Making the decision on the weather the day before which we sometimes got wrong and sometimes got right we got lots of stick when we got it wrong and we did a few times.
Making that trip even if it was only 50/50 we had to be there.
Sometimes driving all over the place to find an alternative.
Being at the venue 1 hour before everybody else so we could put up the gazebo ect
Then being responsible for the safety of the group.
The admins role when on the water was usually expected to be one of a guide often not getting any fishing in at all.
I had a few pms from members complaining over the year’s one that I had not done enough to help him catch more fish even though on that day none of the admin had time to try any fishing.
I also had a complaint that I spent half hour taking pictures of a new kayak for a review and I should have been guiding him to catch more fish even though on that day both admin carried that mans kayak to the water and off the water and loaded it on his car for him.
And a complaint that the admin team had cost one man £50 in fuel and the weather was not fit and he wanted his money back from us.
All the admin done there best on all the meets and I think the vast majority of people appreciated that and I must say I really enjoyed the meets seeing all the guys both old and new and I know all the admin involved in all the meets felt the same as well .
On professional advice we changed the wording of out meets to get togethers and this seamed to be ok for a while then once again I had a letter saying we could not continue without the proper insurance and permission from the council.
I did do some checking in to getting the insurance and permission from the council but it was going to cost a small fortune and there was still the issue of liability of the admin for organising the meet not to mention the responsibility it entailed to the participants.
I hate to say it but the councils point does have good reason behind it.
We take up the car parking on that beach.
We generally are considered loud.
Because sometimes there is a large group of us we are sometimes considered a threat to others.
We have much hazardous equipment eg hooks and knifes.
In general anglers are considered as litter louts discarding line and hooks and packaging so I can see the council’s point of view.
Not to mention the fact that the admin were in the firing line if anything went wrong.
It was then decided last year that the monthly meets would have to stop we are only a website and forum and not a club.
I know many groups meet on beaches jet skiers. divers other forums ect and get away with it that’s great best of luck to them all but it is only a matter of time before they to receive the letters from the authorities just like we did or someone has an accident and the organising admin of that particular event and sport end up in court with a liable case to answer to in our sport it only takes a member of the public to step on a discarded hook be it from that group or not and the admin would have no way to prove it did not come from that meet or group.
A risk I do not want to take.
In the eyes of the law it is fine for any member or admin to put up a post saying they are going fishing and if anybody would like to join them they would be welcome To meet up and enjoy the day
As only a website and forum we can not organise and publish an official meet without both insurance and permission from whichever council are looking after the beach.
Sorry its such a long read but i hope everybody understands why we no longer have organised forum/website meets.
I have had several pms asking about the monthly meets and when we are going to start running them so I thought I would put up a post explaining why we don’t run them anymore .
In the early days of NWKF we ran monthly meets these were great events where lots of the guys met up on various beaches and really enjoyed each other company as well as learning from each other typically we would set up a gazebo and some of the admin would start cooking bacon buns and hot tea and coffee so when people arrived they were greeted with a hot drink and a bacon bun there was never any charge for this but later a donation box was brought in to pay for the food and drink these were great occasions and who could ever forget georges fish soup (I can still taste it now) ;D.
Well we then had a letter from the council asking if we had a food hygiene certificate for the food we were preparing and if we had a licence to serve food on a public beach we had none of them so they politely asked that we stop cooking food and drinks on the beach we did stop.
A few meets later we had another letter from the council asking if we had insurance to run the meets for both participants and the public and that they had not given there permission for us to hold a meet on any beach though they were brilliant with me on the phone and very understanding without the costly insurance they could not sanction any meet.
A few months later we went to port dafarch and there is limited parking on this beach
And again a few days later I had a nice letter complaining that we had taken up all the car parking spaces and we did not have permission to do this.
I called the council man again and he explained several things to me.
Even though in his opinion we were doing a good thing we had to stop
It was explained that the meets were organised through the site and if a member of the public had an accident through any of the guys attending the site admin would be held responsible it was also explained that even if every participant signed a waver if any of them had an accident again the site admin would be held responsible.
If any member of the group bumped a car accidentally in the car parks during a meet the organisers (site admin) would be equally guilty as they are event organisers.
The meets were hard work for all the admin involved.
What was involved from an admin perspective?
Deciding on a venue 12 months before so it could be published.
Making the decision on the weather the day before which we sometimes got wrong and sometimes got right we got lots of stick when we got it wrong and we did a few times.
Making that trip even if it was only 50/50 we had to be there.
Sometimes driving all over the place to find an alternative.
Being at the venue 1 hour before everybody else so we could put up the gazebo ect
Then being responsible for the safety of the group.
The admins role when on the water was usually expected to be one of a guide often not getting any fishing in at all.
I had a few pms from members complaining over the year’s one that I had not done enough to help him catch more fish even though on that day none of the admin had time to try any fishing.
I also had a complaint that I spent half hour taking pictures of a new kayak for a review and I should have been guiding him to catch more fish even though on that day both admin carried that mans kayak to the water and off the water and loaded it on his car for him.
And a complaint that the admin team had cost one man £50 in fuel and the weather was not fit and he wanted his money back from us.
All the admin done there best on all the meets and I think the vast majority of people appreciated that and I must say I really enjoyed the meets seeing all the guys both old and new and I know all the admin involved in all the meets felt the same as well .
On professional advice we changed the wording of out meets to get togethers and this seamed to be ok for a while then once again I had a letter saying we could not continue without the proper insurance and permission from the council.
I did do some checking in to getting the insurance and permission from the council but it was going to cost a small fortune and there was still the issue of liability of the admin for organising the meet not to mention the responsibility it entailed to the participants.
I hate to say it but the councils point does have good reason behind it.
We take up the car parking on that beach.
We generally are considered loud.
Because sometimes there is a large group of us we are sometimes considered a threat to others.
We have much hazardous equipment eg hooks and knifes.
In general anglers are considered as litter louts discarding line and hooks and packaging so I can see the council’s point of view.
Not to mention the fact that the admin were in the firing line if anything went wrong.
It was then decided last year that the monthly meets would have to stop we are only a website and forum and not a club.
I know many groups meet on beaches jet skiers. divers other forums ect and get away with it that’s great best of luck to them all but it is only a matter of time before they to receive the letters from the authorities just like we did or someone has an accident and the organising admin of that particular event and sport end up in court with a liable case to answer to in our sport it only takes a member of the public to step on a discarded hook be it from that group or not and the admin would have no way to prove it did not come from that meet or group.
A risk I do not want to take.
In the eyes of the law it is fine for any member or admin to put up a post saying they are going fishing and if anybody would like to join them they would be welcome To meet up and enjoy the day
As only a website and forum we can not organise and publish an official meet without both insurance and permission from whichever council are looking after the beach.
Sorry its such a long read but i hope everybody understands why we no longer have organised forum/website meets.
