Word went out in one of our many WhatsApp groups recently for more volunteers to work on a show, and slowly apologies starting coming in from people: "I'm on holiday. I'm already working on the show. I've got the kids. I'm working on another show. I'm already doing the bar that night. I want to actually watch the show..." Etc, etc. What struck me was how apologetic everyone was. You could sense that people actually felt bad about doing other stuff – about having a life, and sometimes a family, outside of Kelvin. Why do we feel bad about going on holiday with our family instead of working on a Kelvin production? A while back, I spoke to someone who holds a similar position to myself at a local junior football club. The club operates a number of teams across different age groups, each team giving dozens of people the opportunity to follow their passion. Of course, to run a club of that size requires a huge amount of commitment from those running it – coaches, welfare, treasurers, secretaries, communications, referees, and many other roles across the club need filling each week to continue operating. Can they fill them? Often, no – and it usually comes down to the same extremely small number of dedicated individuals to ensure the club survives. Ah, just like us, I immediately thought. And then I started thinking a bit harder, and reminded myself of the various people who carried out bar, box office, front of house, and theatre manager duties on Earthquakes, and other productions last year. So I did a count. And I realised that across 2021/22, more than 70 people volunteered for various roles within the club – many were on FoH, bar, box office, while lots held roles within the club. That doesn't even take into account those that worked backstage in different positions. Over the years at Kelvin two of the comments I've heard over and over again are that we can't get enough volunteers to help run the club, and that it's always the same old people running things: I don't think either is true. For a start, the makeup of the current committee proves that it's not the same old people. What we see from the numbers above is that more than half of the members are getting involved in running the club. And so many more have done in the past or will do so again in the future, usually when time allows. It made me realise just how much people give to the club, and how much they value it. So I don't think we should ever feel bad if we can't get involved because we have other things going on in our lives. What we should be doing is celebrating every one of us who is able to contribute. Thank you for all the time and effort you give to the club. Mat Rees
Chair