Recently I had the pleasure of giving an interview to Radio Berkshire, where I spoke about the club, its history, and the community that has grown around it. During the conversation, I mentioned one of the pressures I feel — entirely self‑inflicted, I should add — which is the desire to do something about the striking imbalance in our membership. At present, we have 37 female members out of a total membership of 2,182. It is a figure that speaks for itself.

Interviews on broadcast media, like the one I did recently, certainly help. They give us visibility and remind people that we exist beyond our own internal conversations. If you come across opportunities of that kind, or if you hear of someone looking for contributors, guests, or interviewees, do let me know. As Chair, I am very happy to represent the club in any appropriate media setting, including radio or local press, if that would help raise our profile. Every small opening helps.

You may also have noticed recent items in the news section about opportunities to appear on First Dates or to take part in an LGBTQ+ questionnaire. These are examples of the speculative emails I receive from people seeking access to the LGBTQ+ community. I am more than happy to pass these on to you. You are, of course, under no obligation to respond to any of them, but if you do take up an opportunity, I would appreciate any feedback you can offer. It helps me judge which of these approaches are worthwhile and which are best quietly retired. And if your experience leads to something you feel able to write about, an article for the website would, I am sure, be of real interest to other members.

Whether spring begins for you on Sunday 1 March, as the meteorologists insist, or on Friday 20 March at 10.46 a.m., as the astronomers prefer, I think we can all look forward to lighter days, better weather, and the world around us coming back to life. For me, this is the best season of the year. I do hope you are able to get out and enjoy it as much as possible.