Bells at the Bettridge - Another Success!
Sun, 01/01/2006 - 21:32 — Melanie
Thanks to everyone who helped make Bells at the Bettridge 2005 a fantastic success and probably the best one yet.
The usual volunteers turned up on hogmanay to set up the tables and chairs and decorate, and again the same faces today to clear up the mess, which unfortunately takes considerably longer.
It might be worthwhile mentioning that the tickets are only as cheap as they are because we don't pay for the professional cleaning of the hall after the event - volunteers do all the cleaning.
Anyway, a brilliant evening was had by all, and again huge thanks to the volunteers (you know who you are!).
Melanie
Contact Webmaster
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Except where otherwise noted, content on this site is
licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Bells At The Bettridge
Message for Mari,
As current NVA chairperson, I am sorry I was not around to meet you on 31.12.05. Hogmany took me to another place!
The NVA will be hosting the Old Folks Party on 12th March in the Bettridge Centre and as ever will be seeking out volunteers. If you can't make it then, drop me an email with your phone number and I will call you to introduce myself.
Cheers
Eileen Murray :lol:
Mari, obviously some of what I have written has come across in text in the wrong sense, rather than how it should have come across if it had been in the spoken word. It's difficult for things to come across in the right tone in text.
I have not taken offence at anything you said, and I certainly don't think we're having an argument! I just wanted to point out that your help was valuable and it would be great to see you at other events. It was a very good point you made though, and I will take extra interest in any new faces who turn up in future and make an effort to ask who they are etc.
Would there be any chance you'd like to get involved with the NVA? We are really short on numbers at the moment. We only meet once a month and organise BATB and maybe 1 other function during the year and have a stall at the Skateraw Fair. (I never miss a chance to try to drag someone on to the NVA! :D )
Melanie
The post was meant for all who organise these events and not directed at you personally. However as for knowing who i was i was told that you had been asked who i was and had said "you didn't know" which was why I did wonder why you hadn't asked me.
I do agree with you that if you introduce yourself 99% of people ar usually very welcoming. However, personally, when I am part of a team who organise an event, I would always speak to new faces as they have already put themselves on the front line coming along to an occasion where they will be the "new face"
As to settiing out the tables, What I said was that I had helped to set out the tables up a few times as it seemed that no one initially knew how they were to be set out. I know that you did know as I did see the floor plan which was really helpful but it wasn't available at 3 when people started setting up.
You did thank me for my help although you may have been so busy that you forgot that you had thanked me.
It wasn't to be thanked that I posted my message. I genuinely feel that it is something to take into consideration as an association looking for volunteers.
My husband and I both do voluntary work through various organisations including Aberdeen Lions Club and we know how difficult it is to get people to volunteer and keep coming back, so we actively welcome people who join us to encourage them to stay around and become part of the team. It does take time but then so does volunteering and of course it works both ways, the more volunteers there are to assist, the less of each individual's precious spare time is needed.
Once again, I say that I do not want to detract from all the hard work that you and all the other volunteers do.
I recognise your right to reply. Please take it as read that I consider your reply to my last post and any further reply as your right and I will not be offended. However, as It may seem like we are now having a personal argument instead of in the light intended, I hope you will not be offended if I dol not post any further replies to this particular thread.
I will be available to help at future events and take on board what you said with regard to introducing myself. I think this is a wonderful community and a very nice place to live, i look forward to getting to know more people in the village.
Best wishes
Mari Pienaar
Mari, your help was very much appreciated. I have to say that I didn't ask your name because I already knew who you were.
Personally if I turn up somewhere and I don't know anyone and they don't ask, I just introduce myself and 99% of the time people are very welcoming. It does work both ways.
Re being excluded in the thank yous, I didn't think you were new to helping out because I heard you telling my mum that you'd set up the tables plenty times! Hope that clears that one up. To be fair, in my original message, I did say "huge thanks to the volunteers (you know who you are)".
I hope you take this in the spirit in which it is meant. No-one should feel excluded from helping out, nor should they feel unwelcome, but with so much to organise it is difficult for me to thank people individually. But let me say again that it was very good of you to come along and spend the time helping to set up, and I really do hope that you'll come back to BATB and be willing to help out with the set up again.
'short cuttings'
Who did you talk to? The last thing we need is people being put off helping out. Our 'head' gardener has move to Houston and we are trying to revive a core group to help out with this...
I have to agree with this, I took up some plants that I had removed from my garden and was going to offer my help, but I received very short cuttings (ha ha) and barely got a thank you so I decided that my donation was enough!!
My plants do look nice in the border at the back of the hall though!!
I agree - Bells at the Bettridge 2005 was a wonderful night - my family and friends thoroughly enjoyed it!
However, I would like to offer some constructive criticism and hope it it taken in that light.
On receipt of my tickets, I found a flyer attached indicating the need for volunteers. As a new villager who wants to become part of the community, I decided I should make the effort to come along on hogmanay albeit I had visitor coming from other parts of Scotland to spend the New Year with my family in Newtonhill. I arrived on time (or perhaps 2.55pm) and started following others to get tables etc set up.
During my time there, I offered help wherever needed. I asked at least four people what their names were - no one asked mine. I left after tables were set and ballons had been blown up. I feel that it would have been more welcoming if anyone had asked me who I was. It only takes a minute to make someone feel welcome and those who are "the usual faces" know who are not.
Under the circumstances where there are few volunteers and more are needed, perhaps some time should be taken to make those new faces welcomed ( a minute or two isn't long) and perhaps not excluding them when reporting on the event at a later point would also be helpful.
Hosting ten people on New Year's day prevented me offering to help that day but I may have felt more inclined to spend even a short time had I felt it would have made a difference.
I am not looking to detract from the event (it was great) nor to take away recognition for all the work that you and all the regular volunteers have done and continue to do. Hopefully, I will be able to assist at other events and get to know the "usual faces"
regards
Mari Pienaar