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2005 CMA Seminar & AGM
29-30 September 2005
A personal view of the day by Mike Anderson - CMA Secretary
It
was a late summer afternoon and there I was sitting in a plush living
room, tea in hand, browsing one of the complimentary daily broadsheets and the
only sound was that of the slight ringing of tinnitus in my ears. At home I
would have been being used as an assault course whilst cries of ‘Hot tea!
Hot tea!’ were aimed at my two year old whilst my five year old was asking
why there was a lady with her boobs out in The Sun.
"It’s been a while since I’ve ended up in a dark alley with six blokes and one woman!" As the day progressed there was a steady trickle through the room of old friends and friends I hadn’t yet met. Malcolm and his team of organisers had done their work perfectly and there was an air of professionalism that carried over the whole time I spent at Losehill Hall. What I found best about the few days, and one of the main reasons why I enjoy being actively involved in the CMA, is the networking that went. Mine really began, not surprisingly, down the local pub. Janice from Losehill, guided us safely down a treacherous path in the pouring rain to the local watering hole - it’s been a while since I’ve ended up in a dark alley with six blokes and one woman!
The pub was being run that night by the
world’s most miserable barman. Everything was just too much of
an effort including at one point pulling pints (he just walked off). The least
I expected was a large amount of fawning given that a group of twenty people
had just spent the best part of £400 on a wet Wednesday evening. Still,
if it all had gone well I wouldn’t have got a paragraph out of our time
there. Once the ale was flowing freely Richard (outgoing Treasurer) and I leant
on a few individuals to get them to write a brief précis of the upcoming
workshops; although I have to admit our ‘leaning’ was less like
the Krays and more like the Chuckle Brothers. After last orders it was back
to the Hall where a bottle of port and some cheese was rustled up from the suitcase
(well, it would have been rude not to). 
With
a full day of concentration on the Thursday everyone was safely tucked up in
bed a little after 1am and I was looking forward to a rare lie-in. However,
having spent the best part of five years waking up at dawn by the dulcet tones
of the children banging their toys, it would transpire that my natural in-built
alarm clock saw me waking up at dawn, which was soon followed by the dulcet
tones of the water pipes banging in the room.
Given the amount of sitting and listening that I had to do the day seemed to fly by. My only criticism is that, like all good quality workshops, you want twice as much time as you’ve got in order to really chew on the issues. It was such an inspiring day that someone even piped up during the AGM to volunteer to help (although you don’t have to wait that long. Just get in touch with your regional rep or me - there’s always plenty of ways you can get involved).
With business out of the way for the day it was back to the socialising.
For those who have never been to Losehill Hall it has a wonderful little bar
stocked full of bottles of real ale and a plethora of whisky, or should that
be whiskey. I’m never sure, but either way fine food and stimulating companionship
accompanied it.
It was a good evening for building bridges with our ranger friends north of the border. Two representatives from SCRA had accepted our invite and, under the cover of alcohol, acquired nearly two hundred of our English pounds to take home for the IRF Congress. We tried to be gracious hosts and kept them up ‘til gone 4am. Or did they keep us up? It all got a hazy after half past port (well, it would have been doubly rude not to).
"Friday dawned with the ceremonial banging of the water pipes". Friday dawned with the ceremonial banging of the water pipes and the consumption of Red Bull, Nurofen and stomach acid blockers; it was the only way I was going to get through the day. After a light breakfast (which, for Losehill Hall standards, consisted of fruit, yoghurt and half a dozen croissants for me rather than the large mounds of fried bacon, sausages eggs et al that awaited further down the serving table) it was into minibuses and into the glorious Peak District countryside. I was amazed that it was so close to so many large cities and still remained undeveloped and so attractive. We visited the Upper Derwent Valley an area where the NPA have the vision to close a large section of one of the roads so that cyclists can use the area safely. I have big problems just closing a path so we can fell trees safely.
We then moved onto Stanage Edge, a very popular climbing spot, and where Keira Knightley stood for some of the most evocative shots in Pride and Prejudice. What amazed me about the NPA was that, despite the size and complexity of managing the area, they actually appeared to have a workable balance between the rights and responsibilities of visitors and wildlife/landscape management. It does raise the question as to why we have such piecemeal greenspace management outside of these areas. Is it just budgets or egos as well?
And that was the end of that.
As an end note I have to say that I’m proud to be a member of an association that can, through voluntary effort, organise and deliver such an inspiring and professional Seminar. If you didn’t attend it and your employer won’t pay for it then start saving your pennies for next year’s which will be in Worcester. The programme for the Seminar never captures all the aspects and opportunities that arise over the course of the two days and in this case the sum of the parts really is greater than the whole.
Mike Anderson - CMA Secretary