Solent Metal Detecting Club

Wednesday 12th December 2012. This months meeting was attended by 20 members and 2 guests. The meeting opened with the following items from the Chairman:-

The talk on nighthawking by PCJon Radcliffe has had to be postponed until the March meeting.

Members were reminded that our new FLO, Katie Hinds, is due to attend our January meeting.

A donation of £50 has been given to the Waterlooville Royal Naval Association Club.

The latest FID bulletin ( No. 109, Winter 2012 ) has an article about the successful recovery by one of our members, of a very valuable item that had been lost. This article is reproduced on the Notice Board Page.

All members were reminded that they must renew their FID or NCMD membership and present their current insurance cards when renewing there membership of the Solent Metal Detecting Club.

Two long standing members of the club were made Honorary Life Members. Both were proposed and seconded by members and approved by all those members present at the meeting.

The Christmas dinner is now scheduled for either Saturday the 19th or Saturday the 26th of January 2012 and will be held at the Toby Carvery, Hilsea. Members wishing to attend should contact Steve and let him Know which date is preferred.

The next club meeting will be on the 9th of January and will be the Annual General Meeting. The committee for 2013 will be elected at this meeting. If any members have any matters they would like discussed, such as changes to the club rules, then please let me know and I will put them on the agenda.

The club finances are at a satisfactory level, so the annual fee for members remains at £10 and the fee for detecting at the farms remains at £3 per day. Members can renew their membership either at the January or February meetings or as specified in the AGM calling notice which all members will receive in due course.

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The list of farms available for detecting this month was issued to members. Many of the fields remain as stubble because seeding/planting has not been possible so much of our land is still available for detecting.

The usual raffle was held, the profit going towards the club funds. Christmas will soon be here! Please bring along all those unwanted gifts for donation to our January raffle. The raffle is the only source of funds for the club. All other income goes to our charities.

Next meeting, - the AGM - will be at the usual venue on Wednesday the 9th of January 2013. Be there if you are able and meet our new FLO.

Monthly meeting, Wednesday 14th November 2012. 21 members attended this meeting. The chairman reported that he had received news that our new FLO would be Katie Hinds. ( See Notice Board page for details ).

The chairman had received an email from Winchester Countrywatch/Hampshire police proposing that PC Jon Radcliffe of the Hampshire Constabulary visit the club to talk about nighthawking. A similar email had been received in June of 2010 stating that the constabulary would be pleased to 'meet up with representatives from local detecting clubs' to discuss the subject. (See the Forum page). This offer was not taken up at the time as the committee and some members had reservations about the motives of such a visit. It was suggested that this talk could take place at the next or the January meeting, along with an introductory visit by Katie Hinds. More news here on this subject when available. If you have any strong opinions concerning John Radcliffe's visit, please let me know.

The chairman pointed out that although we were still using the limited map of 3rd February 2011 for Site 5, the areas of stubble of site 5 could also be detected on. In most cases it is obvious to members which areas can, or can't, be detected on, but, if in doubt, ask at the farm.

The Christmas dinner has had to be postponed until January. The venue has been decided as the Toby Carvery, Hilsea. If you wish to attend this club function ( free to members ) then please contact Steve.

There were two stories of attempts to recover lost valuables. The first concerned two club members who were successful in recovering a signet ring that had been lost in a very large garden in Midhurst. The second involved a club member searching a camp site at Ashurst for a lost wedding ring. This search was, unfortuately, unsuccessful.

The treasurer reported the club accounts were in a satisfactory state. At present there was insufficient in the charity fund to give our normal £500 donation to the Rosemary Foundation, but we hope to be able to do this at one of their event early in the new year. Meanwhile, the Rosemary Foundation Christmas Fair will be held at the East Meon village hall on the 24th of November, 10.00am to 12 noon. Please support this event if you are able.

Please note that the club membership cards are valid for 2012 only. You will get a new card when you renew your membership. To ease the task of producing these new cards would members renew their membership as soon as possible, preferably at the December or January meeting, and certainly not later than the February 2013 meeting as required by the rules. The membership fee is £10 for the year. You will be required to show your valid NCMD or FID membership card in order to renew membership.

There are 5 members who will not have not attended the minimum of 3 meetings required to continue membership. A further 5 members must attend the December meeting in order to qualify for renewal. If you wish to renew membership then make sure you are not one of these 5, if you are, then you must attend the December meeting. At the end of the year there will be at least 10 vacancies for membership, and a possibility of a maximum of 15 vacancies. At present there are 37 people on the waiting list and I expect this number to increase as we approach the end of the year. Make sure you have attended the required minimum of 3 meetings and that you renew your membership promptly, or your place may be taken by someone on the waiting list.

The raffle was held as usual. Don't forget that the raffle to be held at the next meeting - the Christmas Raffle - , will have lots of special prizes, so please support the club by buying tickets. The cost of a ticket is still only £1. PS - some FREE tickets are available. The first 5 members to contact the club through this web site, by email or via the 'Text Box' will receive TWO free tickets for this year's Christmas raffle. All you have to do is :-

1) Contact the club via this web site ( See the Contact page ) giving your name and claiming the tickets.

2) Attend the meeting on the 12th of December and ask me, the secretary, for your tickets.

Next meeting is on the 12th December 2012 ( 7.30pm for 8.00pm ) at the usual venue.

Wednesday 10th October 2012. This meeting was attended by 22 members and two guests. members were given the new Farms rota (for October/November) with a reminder that any crops that are disturbed during digging must be carefully replaced.

The Christmas dinner is now being organized. Full details are not yet available but possible venues are :- The Toby Carvery Hilsea, The Woodpecker Waterlooville, or Gunwarf Portsmouth. This event is free to member but guests must pay. (See the Notice Board page).

There was some discussion concerning a recently attended rally which has claim that the land was 'undetected land'. In fact tokens had been found on the land during the rally indicating that at least one rally had been held there before. To a certain extent this is a case of Caveat Emptor, 'Let the buyer beware'. In many cases the rally organizers cannot be sure that the land is 'undetected'. You should always be wary of this claim that land is 'undetected'.

As yet we have no news about who will be replacing Rob Webley as the new Hampshire FLO. The website http://finds.org.uk states the following :- "Finds Liaison Officer Hampshire, - "This job is no longer available, it expired on the Friday 7th September 2012" Does this mean that there were no applications, or that applicants are currently being interviewed, or that someone has now been appointed? - Watch this space!

Members are reminded that to renew membership next year they must have attended at least three meetings during 2012. There is a long waiting list of people wanting to join our club, so to retain your membership make sure you are not one of the 10 members who have not signed in for at least three attendances at our monthly meetings.

The next monthly meeting will be on the 14th of November 2012, usual venue.

Wednesday 12th September 2012. Our meeting this month was attended by 23 members. The first subject of the chairman's address was the Over Stowey rally which 11 members of the club had attended last Sunday. The rally was enjoyed by all although there was little by way of finds. Some of the finds made by our members :- A cartwheel penny, a Victorian penny, a Victorian 'bun head' halfpenny, a thimble, some buckles and an Edward II farthing. One of our members had attended the Wantage rally on the same day (where there were 200 acres of undetected land) and reported that there were a large number of interesting finds made.

We are now without an FLO since Rob Webley moved to Somerset. The post of Hampshire FLO has only just been advertised so it will be some time before we have a formal contact with the PAS scheme. I'm told that interviews for the post of Hampshire FLO are to be held on the 28th September 2012. Further details from this web site when we know who has taken up the job.

The club is in a good financial position thanks to the continued support of the raffle and attendance at the club digs.

This year's Christmas meal was discussed and it was proposed that this be at Gunwharf. Details to be issued later.

Now that crops had been harvested and fields were being prepared for planting, we have plenty of land available for our Sunday digs.

At this time of the year we remind members that they must have attended at least 3 meetings in order to continue their membership next year. At present there are 5 places available for new members in 2013 - plus any vacancies left by members who do not, or cannot renew membership. We currently have a waiting list of 25 people who have requested to join the club in 2013. Due to the limited facilities of the club it is unlikely that the membership limit ( currently 50 ) will be increased for 2013.

The next monthly meeting for members will be on the 10th of October 2012 at the usual venue.

For a brief report on the Over Stowey rally, click here.

Wednesday, 8th August 2012. Attended by 21 members and two guests. In his opening remarks the chairman said that, as crops were being harvested, more land was becoming available for detecting, although, in some cases, planting would start soon, so this was an opportunity to do some field detecting. A site would be available for the next 5 Sundays as well as a site for Wednesday and at other times.

The club will be arranging free transport for members to the Over Stowey rally on the 9th September. Some details have been posted on the Notice Board page of this site. The rally organizers are naturally somewhat coy about revealing the exact location of the land to be detected, but a look at the OS map, in relation to the information given, more or less locates the site.

When transport arrangements are known, members will receive an email giving the details.

A request had been received by the club for help in searching a garden for a lost ring. A member responded within a few days and did a thorough search. No ring was found, but, as is often the case, the ring could have been lost elsewhere. The club efforts did not go unrewarded however. We were presented with a sum of money as a donation to our charity fund.

The chairman announced that our Finds Liaison Officer, Rob Webley, will be relocating and will no longer be our FLO. As yet we do not know who will replace Rob as Hampshire FLO. The chairman presented Rob with some bottles of wine and thanked him for his services to the club over the years and wished him well for the future. We hope that his replacement will continue to provide the excellent service that Rob gave and attend the club meetings to provide the friendly liaison between the club and the archaeological community.

Other business:- The Royal Naval Association Club was presented with a cheque for the use of the room as a meeting venue for our club.

The raffle continues to provide an income for the club. Any donations of prizes will be welcome.

Next meeting, 12th September 2012.

Wednesday, 13th June 2012. Twenty members and three guests attended this meeting. The chairman reported on the state of the farms. As usual, at this time of the year, due to growing crops, there is a reduced amount of land available for detecting. However, as the lambing season has now ended, the grass areas of Site 3 are now available and will be included in this months list. No land is available for the 24th of June, but, if you have the Sunday free, it gives you a chance to try your hand at detecting on the beach. Beach detecting is different, but no less interesting, - give it a go if you have not already done so.

There was interest shown in getting a club trip to a rally towards the end of September. Details will be posted on this web site and at the club meetings. We hope to get a mini bus as we did for the Brighton Rally last year.

The FLO for Hampshire was in attendance at this meeting and was able to return finds to members and examine some of our recent finds.

The monthly raffle continues to provide funds for the club. Don't forget to bring in any of those unwanted items as prizes for the raffle. For example, any old metal detecting magazines are always welcome.

At the next monthly meeting ( Wednesday 11th July 2012 ), as well as the usual evening activities, it is proposed to hold a quiz. I don't think there will be any prizes, but it will add to the evening's fun and entertainment.

The club continues to get request to search for lost items. This service, that we provide for the public, is FREE. We are not always successful, but when we are it usually results in a donation to our charity. This service is advertised on this web site and elsewhere, but if individual members let it be known that they, or their club colleagues, will help search for lost items then the service will become better known.

Members of the club, and members of the public, are reminded that they can advertise events or services on this web site. Just email to the address given on the Contact Page or fill in the Text Box ( Contact/Text Box/Contact Club ) as required. There is no cost, but items are published at the discretion of the Webmaster. Commercial items will only be accepted if they are directly relevant to metal detecting or our members interests.

Monthly meeting, Wednesday 9th May. This months meeting was attended by 27 members and 2 guests. The following items were included in the chairman's opening report.

An email has been received from the Rosemary Foundation thanking the club for the donation which was given by a member of the public as a result of the successful search reported at last months meeting. ( See the Notice Board page ).

The FLO had contacted the club and explained that he had been unable to return some of the finds to members, but would do so when he attended the June meeting.

It is hoped to have a 'Find of the Month' competition during next months meeting. Hopefully, this will be judged by the FLO. The winner will receive the usual 'Find of the month' certificate. Please note that only finds from the clubs sites are eligible.

A reminder that we would be pleased to receive articles for the proposed quarterly newsletter. This would be a paper document circulated to all members. Any stories of finds or any interesting news and views would be welcome. These can be hand written or typed, or sent via email with or without pictures.

Once again a thank you to all those members who have supported the club by buying raffle tickets or donating items as prizes. This is the only source of club income so please continue to support the raffle.

The next club meeting will be held on the 13th of June where the FLO will be in attendance. Don't forget to bring along those items for the Find of the Month competition.

Monthly meeting, Wednesday 11th April 2012. Twenty two club members and two guests attended this meeting. In opening the meeting the chairman pointed out that at this time of year there are limitations on the areas of land on which we can search. New maps have been provided for two of our sites showing those areas on which we are still permitted to detect. These maps must be used instead of the normal maps and only the areas coloured yellow are to be used. Any member who does not have a copy of these maps can get them from the club. As most farms now have growing crops (and one of our farms no longer has live stock, but grows crops instead,) there is the usual reduction in land available to search at this time of the year.

An email had been received by the club requesting help in searching for a lost item. A club member had responded to this request and had been successful in finding the object concerned. This had resulted in the grateful owner sending a donation to our charity, - The Rosemary Foundation.

The normal club evening followed, including the raffle. Please keep those unwanted items coming in as raffle prizes.

Our FLO was in attendance and was able to deal with a few of our members finds.

Next meeting will be on Wednesday the 9th May.

Monthly meeting, Wednesday 14th March 2012. This meeting was attended by 30 members. Note to all members, especially new members, - you must sign in on both the club signing-in sheet and the venue book when you attend the meetings. Failure to sign the club sheet may mean that your minimum of three attendances, for continued club membership, may not be recorded.

The chairman reported that the first committee meeting of the new ( 2012 ) committee had been held and a number of important topics had been discussed.

Guest speakers:- The committee would try to increase the number of guest speakers for club evenings, and would like to include talks from club members themselves. If you have a relevant topic on which you could give a short talk ( 15 to 20 minutes ) at one of our monthly meetings then tell a member of the committee about it.

Site Wardens:- The committee were attempting to get a more organized rota of Site Wardens so that members, especially new or inexperienced members, would have up-to-date guidance at club digs, on the day. The situation at our detecting sites changes from time to time, especially with the passing seasons, so all members need to be up to date on areas permitted to be searched and any special requirements. Where to park is often a problem; the Site Warden would also take responsibility for organising this.

Acquiring new land:- More detecting land is needed by the club. Some negotiations are under way for permission to search new land. Also, the Rosemary Foundation Spring newsletter has an article about our club. ( See the Notice Board page ) in which the club has pointed out that supporters of the Foundation can generate donations by providing land for us to search, either on a temporary or permanent basis.

Detecting on public land. This is a grey area for detectorists The committee hope to make a formal approach to councils to arrange for permission to detect on public park, commons etc. using the argument that councils have an obligation to provide land for legitimate recreational activities.

Attendance at public rallies:- The committee would be attempting to organize our attendance at some of the public detecting rallies this year. If any member hears of a rally suitable for our club to attend, then please let us know. Leisure Promotions will be holding a rally at East Stratton ( near Basingstoke ) on the 15th of April. See the Notice Board page for details. More information on club attendance will be given later.

Quarterly newsletter:- It is hoped that he club can produce a quarterly newsletter. The success of this will depend on contribution of articles from members, so if you have an interesting item that you can put in print, then pass it on to the club on paper or by email. Particularly interesting, of course, are photos and details of members finds. These can be photographed for you if you bring them along to the club meeting. This newsletter will help provide better communication within the club and will be especially welcomed by those members who, for one reason or another cannot attend many meetings and those who, due to advancing age or infirmity, are not able to get out detecting.

Club membership:- Currently there are 43 paid-up members and one honorary member, as well as 2 honorary guests. Our membership limit is 50. The remaining 6 membership places are,- 3 eligible members awaiting renewal, - and 3 offers outstanding to potential new members. If no response to the 3 outstanding offers of membership are received by the next monthly meeting, the places may be offered, on a 'first come first served' basis to any one wishing to join the club.

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The meeting then continued with a discussion concerning the task of Farm Liaison, which, up until now, had been carried out by one person. It was decided that each farm would have its own 'Farm Liaison manager' Volunteers for this task were requested. When this has been organized, members will be informed of who will deal with which farm and contact details will be given so that up-to-date information on each farm will be available. These will be independent of the 'Site Wardens' (although it could be the same person carrying out both roles. )

With such a good attendance of both experience long standing members and new members, there was lively discussion and showing of finds. The FLO was not in attendance at this meeting, but, all being well, will be in attendance at our next meeting on the 11th of April.

Many members provided prizes for the raffle, which was held as usual. Any suitable unwanted gifts, old detecting magazines, or other contributions are always welcome.

When time permits, it is hoped to introduce a 'Finds Identification' page on this web site. So, if you have any mysterious and unidentifiable objects in your odds box, post a photo/description via our email address and give other members, and indeed the general public a chance to provide and identification.

Don't forget the next monthly meeting at the usual venue on the 11th April 2012. Our FLO should be in attendance so bring along those finds for identification/recording.

Wednesday the 8th February 2012. This meeting was attended by 20 members and one guest. Our new chairman opened the meeting and welcomed the new members. The club digs for February/March were listed and members were asked to be sure to replace any seedlings and heel them in where detecting on newly sown crops was allowed. Advance notice was given that Site 3 would be unavailable from the end of March until further notice. Please do not detect on this site after the 29th February.

The FLO was available at this meeting to give his expert opinion on member's finds and to record them where appropriate. He was introduced to new members and his role wad briefly explained. Also, for the benefit of new members, the procedure to be followed when attending digs was described.

After the usual raffle, members were able to discuss and compare their experiences and the finds they had made since the last meeting. Once again, a reminder to members that donation of items for the raffle would be appreciated. The income from the raffle and the member's annual subscription are the only source of regular income for the club. All other income goes to our charity fund.

Next meeting will be on the 14th of March 2012.

January 2012 meeting and AGM, January 2012. The Agenda for this meeting was;-

1 Apologies for absence.

2 Chairman's report.

3 Treasurer's report.

4 Election of club committee for 2012.:_

Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary, Farms liaison member, Committee member 5, Committee member 6

5 Request for changes to club rules.

6 Any other business.

Apologies for absence were read. The chairman gave his report. First he welcomed the new members and gave a brief outline of the workings of the club, in particular the procedure to be followed when attending digs at the farms. It was explained that the club income from farms digs all went to our charities, while the income from our monthly raffle was the source of the club funds. The tradition of giving our farmers a gift of wine at Christmas as a small thank you was explained.

As the time of year had come around for election of the committee, the Chairman expressed the hope that there would be volunteers to carry out the many 'behind the scenes' activities essential for running a club such as ours.

The treasurer reported that the club funds were in good order and that a £500 donation had been given to the Rosemary Foundation at their Christmas Fair in December.

The new committee for 2012 was elected, with some members re-elected and some new committee members taken on.

The formal AGM business was brought to a close and the normal monthly meeting started by holding the raffle.

Next meeting :- Wednesday 8th February 2012. when our FLO will be present to examine and record finds..