PROGRAMME

YEAR 2020 - 2021: OUR 93rd SEASON

In 'normal' years we meet on the first Thursday and the Third Friday of each month from September through to June.

We would then have a short break for tea or coffee and a chat at about 9pm.

However, 2021 is not a "normal" year SO...

OUR NEXT ON-LINE ZOOM MEETING WILL BE HELD ON

TUESDAY 9 MARCH - AT 14:30 HOURS

There will be three displays:

“A Visit to County Down 1714 -1999” – Stan Challis

“New Zealand airmail stamps” – Graham Ashdown (from The Bromley and Beckenham Society)

“A Backstory to the City of Nice” – Roger Niven (but only if time permits)

Members interested in joining this meeting should contact roger niven (rogerniven@aol.com) for joining details

Until we are able to resume "Face to Face" meetings again we plan to hold two online "zoom" meetings a month. Details of these will be published here within the next two weeks.

When we are able to resume we are considering changing our meeting pattern with one meeting in the afternoon in East Molesey or one of our monthly meetings, and one in the evening in our usual Surbiton locations for the other.

In the meantime we will seek to increase our on-line presence and ensure that the circulation of packets to Members continues.

This service continues, with members taking appropriate protective measures in terms of agreeing where and how to hand over the packets, and how these may be safely handled.

SURREY FEDERATION

The FCPS annual competitions and Mason Cup competition had to be postponed from its planned November date. The Council has now decided to postpone all competitions until (possibly!) March 2021. Options under discussion include judging of physical entries (without displaying them); virtual competitions; or sadly the possibility of cancellation.

OUTLINE OF PROGRAMME FOR THE 2020-2021 SEASON

At the moment we are unable to announce meeting dates for our next season due to continuing restrictions and our wish to keep all our Members safe.

We are also considering when and how we can reinstate our joint auction with Epsom, Twickenham and Wimbledon which had to be postponed in March.

ZOOM MEETINGS

We will start some experimental "Zoom" meetings in February and March Members who are interested in participating should contact Roger Niven (rogerniven@aol.com) to receive further details and invitations to join.

PACKETS

Our circulation of packets has now started again, however, with subscribers practicing safe distancing and ensuring that the boxes are clean. These are proving even more popular than before as many people prefer to peruse real stamps, look at items they would otherwise think of, and ascertain condition - all aspects that it is difficult to replicate on the Internet sites.

Moreover, without our meetings to look forward to we are experimenting with our web-site to see if we include more items that might interest our Members (and of course, any visitors to our site).

Please scroll down on our 'home' page where instead of our usual notes on our most recent meetings we will show philatelic items and mini-displays from our Members that might be of interest.

Also note that on the site we will continue to add to our existing rather serendipitous approach to items and articles about stamp collecting and philately, and have also created new pages on the philatelic journals that some of us like, and our growing list of well known people who either are, or were, collectors of stamps.