The Christmas meal was held at the at the Staunton Arms Harvester on Saturday the 7th of December and was attended by 25 members and 4 guests. Our thanks to the organizer, who took this task on at very short notice.

     There is a club dig for each Sunday between now and the next meeting. Our Site B is now available on any Wednesday. Also, the North field of Site C is now available for detecting, - see the map on the 'Members Only' page of solentmdc.co.uk.

     Members were reminded that our next meeting on the 8th of January 2014 would be the Annual General Meeting. As the new committee would be elected and a change to the club rules proposed, it is hoped that as many members as possible would attend.

     Members are reminded that only paid-up members with current FID or NCMD insurance are allowed on the clubs farms. No Guests, friends, relatives or other members of the public are allowed on the sites as they do not have permission and are not insured. The club cannot take responsibility for non members.

     Once again I would like to remind members to look at the website on a regular basis so that they get information on club activities, changes to the digs schedule etc.

    The club limit on membership numbers remains at 50, but there will be about 11 vacancies in the club for new members for 2014. The first 11 members on the waiting list have been invited to join. If some do not take up the offer then a few more vacancies may become available. It is proposed to limit the area from which members are taken, as it has been found that members who live some distance away do not attend the meetings and do not join in with club activities. Also, it is proposed to increase the number of meetings that must be attended in order to continue membership in the following year. The cost of attending a dig will also be increased in 2014.

The next monthly meeting will be on the 8th of January 2014. The FLO will be in attendance so please bring along those finds for identification/recording.

 There is a farm available for detecting each Sunday for the 4 Sundays up to the next meeting. Also we have one farm that can be detected on any day until the fields are seeded.

The meeting was attended by our FLO. who was kept busy with members finds. To show our appreciation for her attendance at our meetings during this year and for help with finds recording, the FLO was presented with some wine. We have built up a good working relationship with Katie our FLO during her first year with the club and hope to continue this in the coming year. The FLO's next visit to the club will be at the January meeting.

Our raffle continues to provide funds for the club, and the income for digs attendance will continue to be put aside for donation to the charity we support, the Rosemary Foundation.

The members of the committee present at the meeting got together to discuss some rule changes. These will affect the recruiting of new members, so invitations to join the club will not be sent out until full agreement is reached on these issues. The limit of 50 members will continue for 2014. It is estimated that there will be about 10 vacancies for new members for 2014. The proposed new rules will limit the area from which we take members to a radius of 20 miles around Waterlooville excluding the Isle of Wight and the area to the west of Southampton Water. Also, members will be required to attend at least one meeting for each quarter of the year to retain membership. This will increase the required attendance from 3 to 4 meetings and spread the attendance throughout the year.

A further change under consideration is that the fee for attending a dig will increase from £3 to £4 although this has not yet been agreed by the committee.

Comments from members concerning these proposed changes are welcome. The final wording of the rules will be presented to the membership for acceptance at the AGM on the 8th of January 2014.

The Christmas dinner has now been booked, with 23 members and 4 guests to attend.

Please note,- the next meeting will be on the 11th December 2013 at the usual venue.

  Would members please pay their membership fee ( £10 ) for 2014 as soon as possible., but certainly before the end of the year. This will enable the secretary to know, in good time,  how many places would be available for new members.

  The committee will be meeting to discuss the club rule regarding the number of club monthly meetings that must be attended by members in the year in order to qualify for continued membership.

  The AGM will be held during the January 2014 monthly meeting on the second Wednesday of January 2014.

  The Christmas dinner was now being organized and members who wish to attend should let the club secretary know as soon as possible. The dinner is free for members, but guests must be paid for. The venue and date are yet to be decided.

  A club dig is available for the 5 Sundays between now and the next meeting.

   The club raffle continues to provide funds for the club. Members are requested to purchase at least one ticket when attending the meetings and any donations of items for prizes would be appreciated.

  Our Finds Liaison Officer ( FLO ) will be in attendance at the next meeting to record finds on the PAS.

  Next meeting, Wednesday, 13th November 2013.

 There was a short discussion on the Brighton Club rally.

Our FLO was in attendance and was kept busy with member's finds.

Next meeting will be on the 9th October 2013.

Club digs, -   Site C may now be available for detecting ( at any time ) but members need to check that suitable fields are available. There is a farm available each Sunday until the next meeting. For details, see the bottom of the Notice board page on this website or the Members Only area of solentmdc.co.uk   Site F has now become available and is on the schedule for Sunday the 18th August 2013. This is a good opportunity to detect while the fields have been prepared for the next crop.

The raffle continues to bring in an income for the club. Don't forget to buy at least one ticket at the meetings and do bring along any suitable unwanted items for inclusion in the raffle. 

The next meeting will be on the 11th September 2013 when our FLO will be in attendance, so bring along your finds.

Meanwhile, I will see you at the Scallow Bridge rally. Best of luck to everyone who attends. Do let me know what you find!

We have land to search for each Sunday until the next meeting ( 5 Sundays ). Site G has an additional field for search. The new field is identified on the map in the Members Only area of solentmdc.co.uk.

The FLO was in attendance at this meeting to deal with the past months finds.

We are arranging a mini-bus for the Brighton Rally on the 1st September, please contact the organizer if you wish to have a place on this trip. Further details for this rally will shortly be available on the Members Only page of solentmdc.co.uk

Next meeting. - 14th August 2013.

  The chairman informed members that the donation of £500 had been presented to the Rosemary Foundation, by our treasurer, at their offices on the 13th of June. Letters of thanks had been received from the Foundation and a note and the photograph had been placed on their website. See the Notice Board page  for the photo and details.

   This month we have a dig each Sunday, however, it has been reported that the grass is too long for detecting at the site scheduled for the 13th of June. The grass may have been cut by then, but please check this web site for further information.

   Members are reminded that the club is proposing to organize a mini-bus for the Brighton rally on Sunday the 1st of September. If you wish to go on this rally with the club, please put your name on the list at the next meeting or asap. See the Notice Board page for details. The site is not far from the Possingworth site of last year.

   The FLO will be in attendance at our next meeting, so bring along those finds for identification and recording.

Next meeting, Wednesday the 10th July 2013.

This month we have a reduced number of digs available due to growing crops and lambing. Of the 5 weeks before the next meeting, there are only two digs, - see bottom of the notice board, or the 'member's only' area. If you haven't tried beach detecting, give it a try at this time when land is unavailable. Bring you beach finds along to the meeting and show other members just what can be found on our beaches!

The club is considering attending the Brighton rally at Scallow Bridge.

Brighton & District MDC Rally Sun 1st Sept 2013

The £500 donation to the Rosemary Foundation will be made during the next few weeks.

Our FLO, Katie Hinds attended the meeting to record member's finds.

Members were reminded that the 'Find of the Month' competition would be held at the next meeting, so bring along your finds and you may be rewarded with the Club's prestigious 'Find of the Month' certificate.

 Some good finds were shown around by members and the usual discussions took place along with the raffle which continues to provide a reasonable source of funds for the club. Don't forget to bring along those unwanted gifts, detecting magazines etc for donating to next months raffle.

Our next meeting will be on Wedneday the 12th of June at the usual venue.

Two suggestions from this meeting were:-

   1) That the 'Find of the month' competition would be held on alternate meetings starting on the June meeting ( scheduled for Wednesday the 12th of June ). The rules of this competition are that the items submitted must have been found on club sites since the last meeting. The winner will be awarded a Find of the Month certificate. The finds, or photos of finds if the find has been submitted to the FLO, will be assessed by the members present at the meeting and the winner will be selected by majority vote.

  2) It has been suggested that the meeting place of each of the clubs detecting sites be identified by post code to enable users of Sat Nav/GPS to find the site. These post codes will be published on the members page of this website and also issued to members on the Monthly Digs List.

                      Members were reminded that  Sunday 14th April 2013 - is  Meon Springs Country Fair. This is held at West Meon. Details from  01730 823134.  It is a great day out for all the family, with Fieldsports, Farming and Fishing attractions. For information on this event see         www.meonsprings.com/country-day
 

                    This year the Brill ( Buckinghamshire ) metal detecting rally will be held on the 28th April 2013. The cost is £15 per person. Start time, 9-15am. Please check the Internet for details.

                      This month we had two reports  from members about searches for lost items. The first was for a very small hearing aid, lost in a garden at Beaulieu. An identical hearing aid was available, but gave no response on the metal detector or the pro-pointer, so dowsing for the item was attempted. No success on this occasion though, but thanks to the member for trying. Another member reported having searched for a ring , but this was lost somewhere in an area of about 5 acres in the Midhurst area, but no success with this one either. Thanks to this member for trying.

                      After the usual raffle, members showed and discussed their recent finds.

                      Next meeting will be on the 8th of May 2013, usual venue. Please note, our FLO is due to attend this meeting.

    In his opening talk, the chairman welcomed the two new members who were present. Members were once again reminded that they must sign in when attending the meetings.

    As the treasurer had stated that we did not have quite enough in the charity fund to make the £500 donation to the Rosemary Foundation Trust, the club would make up the shortfall from club funds. Also, as it was such short notice for the Rosemary Foundation Easter Fayre on the 23rd of March, the club could make the donation at the charity offices in Petersfield instead. The date and time will be announced.

   It was suggested that the club be represented at the next public charity event, such as the Rosemary Foundation Summer Fete. It is some time since we have given a demonstration of metal detecting and collected for charity at one of these events. 

  The chairman then introduced PC Jon Radcliffe who had come to the meeting to talk to members about Crime in the countryside with particular reference to 'Heritage crime' including illegal metal detecting, otherwise known as 'nighthawking'.

                              Jon Radcliffe opened his talk by explaining that his special duties with Hampshire Police involved the various aspects of crime in the countryside, and that his 'patch' was roughly the area of Hampshire north of the M5. In this very entertaining an informative talk, Jon spoke briefly of rural crime, including wildlife crime, illegal hunting, poaching, hare coursing, egg collecting etc., and then went on to the subject of 'Heritage crime' including damage to ancient monuments ( such as graffiti ) and, illegal metal detecting, commonly known as nighthawking  -  and the disturbance of archaeological sites in general. The digging up of artefacts without the permission of the landowner was a criminal activity. The selling of artefacts could also be a criminal activity. 

       Jon told the members that Special Constables with specialist knowledge of metal detecting or historical artefacts, such as an experienced metal detectorist might have, were needed by Hampshire Police, and anyone interested in this rewarding activity was welcome to contact him at any time. Also, members wishing to take part in the Country Watch scheme can contact Jon.  An application form is available for download on the Members Only page of this web site. Go to solentmdc.co.uk,  Members Only page. Email me with your name, membership number and FID/NCMD number if you require the password.

      Jon also encouraged members to be aware when they were out and about in the countryside and report any suspicious activity to him. Details of how to contact Jon are in the Members Only section of solentmdc.co.uk.  under Club news. He emphasized that the 999 emergency number was only to be used for a real immediate emergency, such as being threatened by members of the public whereby a serious situation could arise. The reporting of less immediate situations, or the reporting of suspected criminal activity should be done by dialling 101.

    The meeting continued with the usual raffle and Katie Hinds our FLO was kept busy with examining, recording and discussing  members' finds.

Please note, - our next months meeting will be on Wednesday the 10th of April at the usual venue.

P.S. If you spot any errors or omissions in these reports please let me know.

As usual at this time of year the club welcomed the new members. Experienced members have been allocated for all four Sunday digs for this month to introduce the new members to the farm and ensure these members were aware of the site code of conduct and where they could and could not detect.

Three rallies to be held in 2013 were reported, 

16th Royal Wootton Bassett Rotary Club Rally on the outskirts of Wootton Bassett. 9th March 2013

     This is a one day rally, Raffle, Trade Stands and Toilet Block on site.
     These are well executed rallies that are run yearly by the Rotary Club.
     Cost is £18 per detectorist.

     Tickets by post only, send SAE to
     Brenda Sedgewick, The White House, 9 Station Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN4 7DZ

     Cheques made payable to Wootton Bassett & District Rotary Club.
     Directions to the detecting site are sent nearer the date.

     Apply early to avoid disappointment

     See advert on page 77 Feb issue of the Seacher for all details

Two charity rallies in the Bedfordshire area, - see the Notice Board page of this website for details.

The FLO, Katie Hinds, would be present at our next meeting on 13th March. Also, for this meeting, the club has invited PC  Jon Radcliffe to give his talk on the Country Watch scheme with special reference to nighthawking.

The club also is hoping to have a talk on dowsing. The date for this will be given on this website when known.

Members were informed that there is now a 'members only' section of the club's website., accessible by use of a password. This will hold information applicable to members only. Maps of our farms will be available ( in colour ) and can be printed out. The list of digs for the coming month will be available to members.   

Members are reminded that they must sign in when attending the meetings. Both the club signing-in sheet and the RNA Club forms must be signed. When it is time for membership renewal it is important that members have attended at least three meetings, and have signed the sheet for their attendance.

The raffle was held as usual and members were requested to purchase at least one ticked as the proceeds of the raffle was the only source of club funds. Also, please contribute any unwanted items as prizes.

No report on the Christmas meal is available at the moment, but see next months report.

Please note. the next meeting will be on the 13th March 2013.

The meeting opened with the chairman's report for 2012, which included the following:-

The membership fee will remain at £10 and the farm dig fee at £3 until further notice.

Rallies,- In September, 11 members went by mini bus to the Somerset rally at Over Stowey.

Donations to charity. This year the club has not made it's donation to the Rosemary Foundation, but there is enough in the charity account to make our usual donation of £500 at the next event, which will probably be the Easter Fair.

Finds Liaison Officer. Rob Webley moved to Somerset towards the end of 2012, but we now have a new FLO, Katie Hinds. Katie was in attendance at this meeting, her first visit to the club. She was welcomed by the chairman.

Christmas dinner,- The 2012 Christmas Dinner for 2012 had to be postponed and will now take place at the Green Farm Toby Carvery on the 19th of January.

Royal Naval Association. The club had presented the RNA with two donations of £50  during 2012.

Honorary members,-  The club had given honorary membership to two long-standing members.

Talk on Nighthawking and the countryside. This is now scheduled to take place at our March meeting.

New members,--  The club's membership limit of 50 is to be maintained, but this will not now include honorary members.  This change to the rules was proposed, seconded and agreed by the members present. Two new members attended the meeting and further new members will be at the February meeting. Membership for 2013 is now closed, but a waiting list exists and will be maintained for the 2014 intake.

Donations to the Rosemary Foundation and other charities. It was proposed that when donations were made we should attempt to get more publicity and that our landowners should be informed by letter.

Treasurer's report.

 The treasurer gave his report for 2012 and presented the balance sheet. The figures were very similar to 2011 and showed a continued healthy balance for both the club funds and the charity funds. The balance sheet will be available for members to view in the Members Only section of this Web site.

Election of the committee for 2013. All the members of the 2012 committee were re-elected after being proposed and seconded and voted in by majority vote. The Committee remains the same, with a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, and two other members. Our committee consultant agreed to continue in this role for 2013. 

Any Other business,-

 Members were given the opportunity to propose changes to the club rules. The rules were deemed satisfactory as they stand, the only change resulting from this meeting is that honorary members will not be included in the count for the maximum membership limit  which, at present stands at 50.

This concluded the formal AGM business.

New  Finds Liaison Officer.

 Our new FLO introduced herself to members, She gave a brief summary of her career so far and made the following points.

She would visit the club every two months but would set a limit of 15 items submitted as this was a practical limit on what could be processed.

She suggested that our landowners should be informed about items, found on their land, which came under the Treasure Act and possibly all items that were submitted to the PAS data base.

 There then followed the raffle and general discussion concerning finds made since the last meeting.

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