Presidents Diary The President's Journal

Hello to you all and welcome to our website.
As your new President can I say how greatful I am to have been given this opportunity. Tangent and Ladies Circle have been a huge part of my life for over 20 years and I feel this is my chance to give something back.
As so many of you were unable to attend the AGM I have printed below the speech I gave on becoming President, including the page that was mislaid on the day, during the interruption. Please take a few minutes to read it.
Those of you attending the Conference weekend will know what a fabulous time we all had and I would like to personally thank Mike Orme and his committee along with Maggie Jones, Tangent Conference Convener for all the hard work, time and effort given so generously. To members of Party Tyne 41 Club and Angels of the North Tangent thanks for an excellent interruption, though I doubt I will ever be down to just one case.
Richard Matthews, President of 41 Club and I have HELP FOR HEROES as the joint Presidential Charity. Your support will be invaluable. Every penny counts and will be put to good use. Details of how to donate will appear on here shortly as Tangent have our own unique reference which will allow us to find out exactly how much has been donated at the end of the year.

PYRAMID LUNCH/DINNNER - This is explained in my Presidential speech below.
Each hostess can chose her own menu and make a charge for the lunch with at least £5 from each guest, per lunch going to Help for Heroes.
Each hostess can pay her money in directly at the bank using our exclusive reference, or they can send a cheque to me with the lunch details on the back, made payable to Help for Heroes. It really couldn’t be simpler.
Please if you can, take a photograph at your lunch/dinner as I will try to show some of them at the Regional Lunches, in the magazine and on Tangent Day at Conference in Scarborough.

Please find the time to read ‘The Speech’ below as it will, I hope help you to get to know me and my aims for this Tangent year. Please remember to wear your lapel badge and display your car sticker. I will be promoting Tangent and this is a way you can also promote our wonderful association.

Myself and the rest of the Executive (pictured right) look forward to meeting you all during the year. We are only an email or phone call away.

JAN MULQUEEN
National President 2009-10

president@tangent-clubs.org

Hello Again to you all, I hope you are all well and have survived the snow which affected so many of us this winter, my apologies to the 4 Clubs I was unable visit due to the very bad travelling conditions.

As we move into a new decade I have been thinking back to the time 10 years ago when we were all looking forward to the new millennium and what changes it would bring. Where will Tangent be in 10 years time?

In January 2000 I was in my last year as a Circler and looking forward to joining Tangent. In the last 10 years I have cemented the friendships I made in Ladies Circle but now as Your President I have had the opportunity of meeting so many new people, making new friends along the way.
I would like to tell you about the day I truly knew that nothing in the world beats being a member of Tangent or Ladies Circle.

To enable me to make the most of my time in the South West for the Regional Lunch, (It’s a long way from Sunderland to Redruth) visits to Cornish Clubs were planned. Only one night could not be accommodated.

When Barbara, my hostess realized that I was going to book into a B and B on Tuesday she said “Don’t be daft I know who will put you up” She duly made a phone call and my bed for tuesday night was sorted.

I arrived at the house to find that a Circle meeting was taking place. Circle, along with the help of Tangent, were having a Relay for Life planning meeting. I was made welcome, with a glass of wine and nibbles some things don’t change, and invited to join the meeting. It was good to see Tangent and Circle working so well together. I hope it goes well for the Girls in Liskard and Looe they were working very hard on the preparations that night. I managed to spend half an hour with my hostess after everyone else had gone home. She said she had seen me at the NAGM but it was nice to actually meet
she showed me my room for the night, how the shower worked, where to find things for breakfast etc. Then she apologised that she would not be there in the morning as she had a meeting and had to leave a 7.10am along with her daughter. She hoped that I would not mind being on my own, to make myself at home and would I shut the front door after me when I left.

7.10am the next morning Linda shouted up the stairs “Bye Jan the kettle has just boiled, enjoy your morning, see you soon,” then she was off.
Is there any other organization you could belong to where you go into someone’s home, having known them for only a couple of hours and be shown that amount of trust and friendship? I don’t think so. Linda thank you.

We are now gearing up for Conference and the AGM which I am sure will be interesting. We really do need you there to participate. The Committee have organised a wonderful Tangent Day. There is a Luncheon in the Ocean Room, with costs kept the same as last year, followed by the AGM. attendance at the AGM is free. I do hope that some of you have taken up my idea of having a ‘Girls weekend away’ to join us On my travels a some of you have said that you would like to come to Conference but you don’t have a partner to go with. This has now been addressed because at the Friday night Ball and Saturday Final night party, tables will be available for Tangent members only. You just need to put on your booking form that you wish to be seated at a Tangent Table.

Although my theme for the year is IT’S POSSIBLE it would be impossible to write down and convey to you how much I am enjoying this year. But I will try.

The Scottish, South West and South East Luncheons were again well supported and a wonderful opportunity for friends made over the years to catch up. You can see how much everyone was enjoying the day on the web site and here in the magazine. To those Committees, thank you so much for your effort and time, you made it possible for us to have a great day. Those at the South East Lunch will remember and talk about 2009 for many years, the weather was appalling, blowing a gale, we were in a marquee, the sound system and lights failed for a short time, and at one stage we thought we would blow away but we all had a really good afternoon. That was certainly one for the memory bank.

This year I have tried to visit as many of you as I can. Every Club and host has shown me such great hospitality and friendship. When there has been a Regional Lunch, an invitation from a Club celebrating a special anniversary or Tangents who have a friendship night inviting others to join them, I have endeavoured to visit other Clubs in that area, especially when there is only 2 or 3 days between them. It has meant that I am not driving up and down to Sunderland.

Saying that, the car we have so generously been provided with by Hyundai has been wonderful and on a number of occasions I have been grateful to be in a bigger car than I would normally drive. There are some real idiots driving on our roads.

If you are thinking of changing your car in the near future please go and have a look in your nearest Hyundai garage. We have a very good discount available to all Tangent and 41 Club members and their families.

I have had two very special days during my year so far and I still have 3 months to go. The first was representing NATC at the Woman of the Year Lunch in London. A representative from Tangent has never been invited before and the day is one I will remember forever. Secondly, I was so proud when taking part in the Remembrance Day Parade at the Cenotaph in London. As I handed over our Tangent wreath you will never know how honoured I felt to be representing our Association. You can see pictures of both these events on the website.

I asked a question earlier Where will Tangent be in 10 years time. On my visits to you I have been told on many occasions that you have difficulty getting people to take on the Officers roles especially a Chairman for the Club. Ladies if we do not get Officers to take on the positions we will not have a very good future. PLEASE think about it now don’t wait until your AGM. Talk about it now for the future.

Sometimes, it takes that little bit of encouragement for a member to come forward, do they know that you believe they have the qualities necessary to do a good job, know that they will have your support if it is needed. Do you know someone that needs your encouragement? Please talk to them.

It is the same with the National Executive Positions. Most of you have what is needed to be a member of the Executive, you have run a home and family, you can use the telephone, can drive, you are a good communicator and you have been a Circler, where the majority of us became Chairman of our Clubs after doing all the other jobs. Some even went onto Area/National Executive.

Again if you know someone who you think would enjoy joining us on the Executive but needs that bit of encouragement then please give it, as we do not have nominations for a Vice President or Treasurer for the coming year.

Help for Heroes has had tremendous support from you all and on their behalf I give you my thanks. Cheques have arrived from you on a regular basis and over Christmas I have received a lot from Clubs who have sent donations for H4H instead of sending each other Christmas cards.

If you are thinking of sending a donation please will you let me have it, or notification that you have given the money direct to H4H, before the 12th April. This will enable both Richard and I to give the amount given during the AGMs. Should you find you have missed 12th April don’t worry as I will be pleased to pass on your donation and in the October magazine give you a Total of the amount given.

To date, 10th February, Tangent have given over £12,000. This is money that either I have banked or been notified about. 41 Club have given over £70,000 and we still have 2 months to go. Any amount that you feel you can donate however large or small will be gratefully received. If you want to know more about H4H have a look at their web site.

As I look towards April and the Conference and NAGM I can’t believe how quickly the time has passed. I am looking forward to the remainder of my year including Bournemouth No 1 celebrating 60 years as a Tangent Club, Derby and Nottingham their 50th, and Clevedons 40th Anniversaries plus the Midland and Irish luncheons and Club visits.

I wish you all a very happy, healthy and safe 2010.

Yours in continued friendship with a big hug

Jan

Tangent National President 2009-10

Jan Mulqueen National President of Tangent Clubs 2009-10 Presidential Address 04/09

Ladies, friends this feels weird. I am so proud to be wearing this chain as your President never for one moment, let alone a minute, did I think that I would ever be a Chairman, let alone a National President.
24 years ago I became a member of Ladies Circle and at that meeting thought how brave the chairman was, conducting the meeting so efficiently, seeming to know everything. Thinking I could never do that job. Well 20 years ago I became Chairman of that club (I know because I was polishing my commemorative silver tray, with the date on it only last week) I owe so much to LC and Tangent and this is my chance to give something back,
There are three things I would like us to achieve this year and I believe each of them will help our organisations in the future.
1. Raise the awareness and visibility of Tangent locally and nationally A little thing like getting a sticker and putting it on the car window. How often do you see a 41 Club, Round Table, Circle or Tangent sticker nowadays. I can remember when I first joined how proud I was to have a Circle sticker in my car as Eddie had a Table one in his.
It always made me feel safe if I parked the car and saw a 41 Club/Table sticker in the next car window. It also provided hours of entertainment and quiet time for us on a car journey as my boys concentrated looking out of the window hoping to spot a sticker.
How often nowadays do you see anyone wearing their lapel badge, I still wear mine and with great pride, please wear yours.

I would also like women to look at our website, How many of you here have looked recently, in fact how many of you have looked at all. This is such a great way to see what is going on, its full of useful information, up and coming events and I can assure that it has been designed to be very user friendly

2. We do not have fundraising as part of our aims and objects but I know thousands of pounds are being given to charity each year by our Clubs. This year I would like to find out how much each club has given to charity.

Did you have a speaker and gave a cheque for their charity instead of a fee, that would count. Have you donated to the local hospice or home, that would count. Have you given to the air ambulance, that would count. I will ask for the information on the bottom of the capitation form that is sent to all treasures, it will only be one figure the club treasurer has to add.

By finding out how much as an Association, we have given to charity in this last year, it will I believe, surprise us all and may help in the future, when and if we are asking for any sponsorship

Thirdly I would like to find out where all the past Circlers have gone because so many of the ‘girls’ I was in Ladies Circle with have not joined Tangent.
Could it be that we are seen as too old, not friendly or welcoming or could it be that we are cosy enough within our own groups and don’t see the need to invite anyone else in.

Whatever the reason we need past members of Ladies Circle if we are to continue and grow.

At the same time Circle needs us, they need us to pass on our memories and the enthusiasm we had when we were Circle members, to all the young women in our families.

Think of the fun and more importantly the lasting friendships we have had, only because we were members of Ladies Circle. You are depriving them of this opportunity if you don’t at least encourage them and ask them to look at the Ladies Circle the website.
I also believe that the saying ‘Once a Circler always a Circler’ is so true, no matter how old you are. There are many women over 70 who have more get up a go in them than women of 45, some of them are here today.

Tangent and 41 Club are jointly having Help for Heroes as the Presidential Charity this year.
My own son was in the army and had to have major surgery at HMS Hasslar. So I know how important it is for military personnel to have people around them that know and understand their situation.
I would like to ask if you will help me raise some money, either individually or as a club by holding a pyramid lunch
The idea is that you have a lunch for 6 people including yourself, Then those 5 people host a lunch inviting 4 others, those 4 then have a lunch inviting 3 others, going down to a lunch for 2. Each hostess charges for the lunch with a minimum of £5 from each guest, per lunch, going to Help 4 Heroes.

When I say lunch this could be a pyramid dinner, you chose. We have the whole of the summer and through to next March to do this. This is not only an ideal way to raise some money while enjoying time with friends but enables friends who have nothing to do with Tangent to share this with you.

Last year I promised you that I would do my best and as President I will give the Association my time which I believe is the most precious gift of all. I will try to visit as many clubs as possible, not only for the important events but to visit on a Club night just to have a chat.

My diary will be updated on the tangent web site every month so you can see where I am. Don’t be surprised if you get a phone call asking can I visit. I am no bother to look after as my hostesses this year will tell you. You can also contact me by phone or email.

My theme for this year is the same one I used when I became Circle Area Chairman. IT’S POSSIBLE. Then I stood and said how I never imagined I could be an Area Chairman and here I am now standing in front of you as Your National President.
If I can do it IT’S POSSIBLE for each and every one of you to do the same. IT’S POSSIBLE that you won’t agree with everything we do, IT’S POSSIBLE that you personally won’t agree with decisions taken here today at this AGM but I hope you will accept them, IT’S POSSIBLE that by being a member of this great association called Tangent your life has been enriched I know mine has.
I look forward with the rest of the Exec. to working WITH and FOR YOU over the coming year, we will remember that we are only custodians and we will always try to do our best.
IT IS POSSIBLE.