Handovers

Every year the committee are freed from their sentence and can go on to live the rest of their lives. This means fresh faced hikers must be found to replace them!

The rituals of copious drinking and curious songs at the AGM are intended to miraculously infuse these recruits with a knowledge of their task for the next year. However, in the rare cases where this fails, useful information from committee members past can be gleaned here, in addition to the committee page that has the job descriptions.

=Committee Positions=

Chair
Congratulations, you're the new chair of UMHC!! :) What do you need to do...

See all of below. And also do lots of pointing.

A few more practical things as well... It'd be worth asking the new committee when they are free. Usual meeting time is 20:00 on Monday evenings at the Student Union. Location/time depend purely on the committee members though.

Also make sure you book rooms for committee meetings ASAP, there have been times in the last year when all rooms have been gone by Tuesday.

Make sure you chair the meetings properly, shushing and throwing pens at naughty committee members or whatever it takes. :)

As a chair, you'll most likely receive a dozen of texts/facebook messages/e-mails everyday, make sure you answer all of them and as quick and FRIENDLY as you can :)

Talking about friendliness, this is the most important (and fun) part of being a chair. You'll need to be sociable..(wait, you're already are the chair so you must be damn sociable.. ) But really, be friends with everybody, actively approach the new members to see how they're doing, make friends quickly :)

Make sure things are spotless for trips - have the routes been planned, ice axes taken, do you know where the coach car park is, are there people meeting you there, is this scramble too risky for the conditions?

After that..you'll have to do all of the things below:

On practical terms

Vice-Chair
Be grumpy and point out what should be done better in the club. Mainly the first thing though.

Treasurer
Count up the money and chase debtors with an ice-axe.

Secretary
Secretary handover

Congratulations on becoming the club Secretary!!

There are three main roles that you will perform as the Secretary:

1)	Minutes: The Secretary takes the minutes at committee meetings, the annual general meeting and any extraordinary general meetings that occur throughout the year. This is very important because emailing the minutes to the committee list post-meeting reminds every one what the meeting was about and what jobs every one has to do for next time etc. They also serve as a nice record of events if you ever want to look back at anything in particular! When you begin as Secretary the notebook to use for minutes will be passed down to you. You will need to record the date, people who were present, any apologies and what was discussed at the meeting.

2)	Membership: As Secretary you will be responsible for maintaining the club members list throughout the year on an excel spreadsheet as new members join. If you ask nicely I’m sure your predecessor will email you the spreadsheet for you to copy the format  This spreadsheet is also periodically emailed to the BMC in order to pay for our new members insurance as they join. A cheque is sent in the post at the same time as the email to cover the cost of the new members.

3)	General post/emails: You will be receiving a small amount post and emails from all over the place related to hiking so you will need to sift through this and work out what is relevant and important to pass on to the rest of the club/relevant committee members.

Other useful information:

BMC club account number: 910582

BMC email address to send our membership spreadsheet to (current in 2011): hannah@thebmc.co.uk

BMC postal address to send the BMC membership cheque to (current in 2011):

British Mountaineering Council FREEPOST NAT 11244 Manchester M20 7ZA

Hike Secretaries
The hike sec’s job is usually quite simple – you plan and lead hikes. As there are three of you, you can take it in turns to do the planning and you are therefore not obliged to come on every trip. Also, there are often other committee members who want to plan and lead hikes, so that makes your job even easier. You will probably be expected to be good at navigating and be familiar with the mountains we visit, but it isn’t strictly a requirement (as witnesses to my performance of naming the mountains of the Snowdon Massif at last year’s AGM after 3 pints of Guinness will testify).

You are guardian of the club’s maps, although there may be a law of nature against all of the maps being in one place at one time (they’re like socks, only harder to keep track of). At the moment one sec (me) looks after most of the maps and the other two have a few maps for common destinations (and there are lots of ancient maps somewhere, with Markus last I heard). This seems to work quite well as it saves the one map guardian having to rush about to get maps to people for a trip they’re not going on. It’s probably a good idea to make sure you get maps back from leaders as soon as possible after a hike. Once a hike leader has taken a map home you’re not likely to see it again for a while, despite requests for lost maps to be returned. You may have a bit of a challenge getting hold of the maps to begin with; certain former hike secs can be slightly reluctant to hand over their charges, and there are quite a lot of them so just getting them home can be a slightly painful experience.

Other than making the speech on the coach on the way to hikes (which Markus seems to enjoy doing, so you probably don’t need to worry about it), that is all there is to being a hike sec. Enjoy!

Greg

Weekend Secretary
Hello new weekends secretary! This is a summary (yeah right! - Markus) of the main parts of your job...

Booking the huts: I did this as soon after the Hikes Meeting (usually held sometime during the summer exams) as I could, otherwise stuff gets booked up. The nice thing about the weekends job is that you can get a lot done over the summer so once you go back in September feeling smug that you’ve done most of your work! It’s very easy in the cases of places we’ve been before- you just need to find the contact details of the huts we’ve used in the past online and then phone or email them asking if it’s free on the weekend we want it and how to secure a booking. (I don’t know if there is currently a summary list of all the huts we’ve used in the past or if you just have to trawl through the email archives/pester previous weekend secs to find out where we went. If there’s not, I’ll make a sort of 'hut catalogue' at some point because it'd be handy!) N.B Nethy is already booked each year when we leave so you don’t need to book it.

However, if we haven’t been to an area before then you’ll need to do some searching online for a suitable hut- somewhere within our price range, which sleeps enough people (usually around 15-20) and has space for our minibuses to park. This part of the job can be a bit confusing when Welsh places with silly spelling are involved, or Scottish places that all sound the same. Picking old gits brains can help find a good hut! Theres a website of huts i found that looked cool, i'll find it and add it here when i find it! Also sometimes the hiking societies of other unis might own a hut which is really good. Don’t stress too much if you can’t find a hut in the area planned at the hikes meeting, we can always alter the location slightly. Likewise, if a hut is already booked for the weekend we want, ask what weekends are available because we can change the itinerary.

Once you’ve found suitable huts, they will probably want a deposit to secure the booking, so you’ll need to get a cheque off the treasurer but remember that the chair or vice has to sign it as well so try and get the cheques before people go home for the summer.

Then just sit back, and feel smug that all your work is done!!!

Well... not quite. You’ll need to remember to pay the balance when it’s due which is sometimes a month or so in advance of the trip (I made sure I put a big reminder in my diary), and find out from the hut owner the arrangements for collecting keys. And then there is the matter of organising the trip itself:

An email will need to go out the weekend before signup starts telling people what the trip is and where to sign up. Signup generally starts on the Monday two weeks before the trip. Use previous weekend trip emails as a template so you don’t forget anything!

Then you’ll need to chat with the transport sec about what the transport is and allocate people to a transport which is sometimes based on what time they finish uni (it’s really annoying when the people at box don’t make sure people fill this column in, same as when people don’t fill in their phone number, so shout at boxers if they don’t make sure people do this!) Once you’ve sorted this, another email with the final trip details goes out on the Wednesday before the trip (once again, use previous emails as a template as they’ll have the kit list etc on them). I try to photocopy the list and give a copy to a committee member on each bus, so that if people are late or don’t turn up then they’ll have their phone numbers.

You should try and go on weekend trips if possible, although if you’re a stressed-out final year this is often easier intended than done. On the trip just make sure everything goes smoothly and everyone is happy. You’ll also have to sort out a cleaning rota: give everyone a job and make sure the hut is squeaky clean at the end!

Nethy: Most of the work for Nethy is left to the Transport Sec who has a lot of difficulty cramming people into buses. Your most important job for Nethy and the main thing which is different to other weekends, is to sort out the food. This requires ringing the Spar (for bread and milk) and the butchers in advance to make an order, and printing out the shopping list to give to people on the first bus. Don’t forget the veggies: sometimes there is a veggie in the club who is happy to look after the other veggies so you’ll need to find out the ingredients they need. My tip for Nethy, which I should’ve done but didn’t think to do, is go into the pantry at some point on the first day organise the food a bit: e.g. split stuff up into the four main meals, so that the cookers know which veg is for each meal and they don’t miss out half the curry sauce when they come to cook because it was put in a different place to the rest of it when the shopping was unloaded. Make sure the veggies’ food is kept separately as it makes it easier for the veggie chef. Throughout the trip, if we’re running low on something e.g. loo roll then nip to Spar or someone gets it from the Tesco in Aberfeldy. At the end of the trip make a note of the food leftover and consider altering the shopping list accordingly: we started this off this year but it's still a work in progress and would be good to try and cut down on waste.

Good luck and have fun- weekend trips and Nethy are loved by all so your job is pretty special :)

Transport Secretary
(Possibly the easiest role on committee…) Book coaches & get driver's number each week/for annual dinner, book union minibuses 8 weeks (at least) in advance (put the dates in your diary NOW!), snap up willing drivers for weekend trips.

Coaches

When we (eventually, it WILL be a very long meeting with much arguing as to how much we like/hate the Peaks and how awesome everywhere in Scotland/Lakes are and how we should go there more often – experience and a half :P) decide on the hikes program for the next year, send out an email to BelleVue (company from last year) with the list of all Sunday hikes and see if they can keep the price reasonably low - £440 per hire (push for this! We’ve been their customers for 2 years now and they kept it at that price last year as a ‘good will gesture’ for our ‘commitment’ to them or something along those lines) – and speak to treasurer if they put the price up and if it’s too much then try searching for somewhere else. If the price is awesome, make sure you book them asap, if not, apologies but could you try to find a cheaper company? – We get a 49-seat coach each week. 8:30am Front of Owen's Park 8:40am The University of Manchester Students' Union 8:50am Weston Hall (North Campus) We leave at 5:30 (and arrive back around 8:30 location depending). With the coach booked, make sure you get the treasurer to pay up :). Also, you will need to make sure they manage to get the bookings correct by going through all the confirmation letters – tedious I know, but they’re not always the best at copying and pasting :/ On the Friday before the hike the company will have assigned the drivers so you should find out the driver's name/number in case something goes wrong. If you're not going on the hike, let someone who is know! – I tend to write the name/number on the front of the sign-up sheet. Last year we used BelleVue. You'll need to tell them you're taking over (and this will almost certainly result in a lot of them being very confused and needing to confirm this). You'd probably be wise to ring to let them know but after that they're quite happy with you emailing. You can get them via: 	sales@bellevue-mcr.com or our contact is donnat@bellevue-mcr.com 0161 94 79 477 Ah, one other coach you'll need to book: the annual dinner. We leave usually at 1AM and have in the past got this trip for £300 so try and push for this price. – this year was 12AM and it was £350… Unhappy treasurer and social sex, well, just meant that the infamous ‘tickets’ were a little more expensive than usual…

Minibuses

Minibuses can be booked from the activities office (1st floor, union, from Barbara or Steve) up to 8 weeks in advance – though this system didn’t seem to be working this/last year so would recommend seeing if you can book at least one minibus for all trips as soon as we have decided what next year’s calendar is/asap when you get back after summer. You should do this -- they get booked up very quickly and the alternative is Salford Van Hire or Manchester Van Hire minibuses which cost a bit more depending on the size of bus – just go and speak to Naomi or Jackie in the Activities Office (t’other end of first floor, and through the double doors into a massive room full of ‘busy, working’ peoples. To book a minibus you need to be a "card holder" which is some union jargon meaning you've been approved to book "union stuff". Traditionally the Chair and Transport sec are card holders. Once booked you need to get the drivers(!) to sign some paperwork and the treasurer to pay. Drivers must be: 	At least 21 	Have a clean driving license 	Been driving for at least 2 years 	Have taken the union minibus test -- this can be booked from the activities office. 	(Everyone can drive a 15-seater) If you need to book a Salford bus, brace yourself for the wrath of the treasurer and then speak to Jackie in the students union who can book them so that you're insured (also this seems to let us use drivers who Salford would not normally allow). Drivers Resort to all means to encourage people to take the union minibus test and promise many a pint to those who successfully bring us around – don’t lie to drivers, if you promise a pint give them one, we need to keep them on side!!!! For short trips just one driver will do (unless they're ill -- try to have a back-up plan!) but longer trips (e.g. Scotland) will definitely need two per minibus – personally, I tried to make sure there was at least one extra driver between the minibuses but often they’re hard to come by (and a lot of the minibus drivers have their own cars and are a pain and offer to drive their cars when we need more space and for some reason are unable to drive the minibus at the same time…). Try and encourage new people to take the test (it’s not too scary!) too!

Social Secretaries (also see socials)
Synonyms: Dancing Queen, King of the pint, hepatic hero

Job Spec in a nutshell: Organise a social every week. Organise the annual dinner.

What it’s really about: The social secs arguably have the best position on committee! First of all, there are 2 of you so theoretically only half the workload. Follow this up not only with the allowance for you to drink a lot, but the heavy expectation that you will, and the fact that other committee/club members generally see you as fun and up for ‘the craic’ and you’ve got a winner!

Other things you might wish to know before being crowned Social Sec: '''* Most importantly, do not forget to bring refreshments to ALL committee meetings! Cake would be much appreciated ;) (Not fruit cake!)'''
 * When not hiking, hikers like to drink Beer/Ale. Beerfests, Breweries and Pubs are always a hit...
 * The post of social sec offers lots of freedom however, the club has many long standing traditions and the old gits tend to get a little upset when they’re not respected. The fresher’s pub crawl, *follows a fixed a route*... unless you wish to make lots of old gits angry! ;)
 * Vodka and Doughnuts- there’s lots of stuff to carry, hire help (or trick some big and strong hike secs into thinking you’re bringing them to the pub!)
 * The Summer BBQ- take advantage of friends with a big garden
 * The Christmas Party- organise the venue early, and learn the party games before going!
 * The Annual Dinner - make the hotel booking before Christmas
 * Failing all else just improvise (preferably with a pint in hand!)

Lisa :)

Publicity and Merchandise Secretary
Hello new Publicity and Merchandise Secretary!
 * First of all, be organised and get all the posters designed as soon as you can (find nice pictures of the places going on the hike, people WILL notice if you stick a hill from Grasmere on a Patterdale poster) Get them printed all in one batch, on size A3 paper, nice and colourful...much cheaper. Get about 30 posters printed for each hike done. Will probably cost around £60 for the whole year. The printing place is in North Campus Union right by the entrance can’t miss it
 * There is a lovely thing called the Poster Run. You have to drop the posters off for the NEXT week’s hike in the reception in the union before Friday, and they will be put up all over campus for you! So do this a week in advance. Hold back about 4 posters to stick around the union, these need to be stamped at reception before you can stick them up, so get it done when you hand in the posters for the poster run!
 * Also what is good to do at the beginning, is to upload all the hikes onto the union diary at the website: http://www.umsu.manchester.ac.uk/diary. Will be a bit time consuming but stick with it, you can find descriptions of each hike from the emails gone out. Also upload when you can information about socials on this website!
 * Another thing I do is get something put on the Message of the Day (this comes up on the uni portal). You email: messagesforstudents@manchester.ac.uk. Below is an example of what to put in the email:

TITLE: University Manchester Hiking Club Halloween Hike to Pendle Hill START DATE: Sunday 31st October 11:30am - 7:30pm BODY: As far as scenic grandeur is concerned, only Snowdon itself and the Highlands of Scotland can compete with this place. It is certainly a favourite for the hiking club with us visiting the area about two to three times a year. There many delights here, including the imposing North Ridge of Tryfan, The Glyderau range has many walks on offer with much interesting and varied scenery along the way. Closer to Capel Cruig the smaller summit of Moel Siabod dominates the village and offers a fine but less demanding walk for those looking for a more relaxing day. This is certainly a trip you don't want to miss! Sign-up Mon-Fri at 12.30-1.30 in the Student Activities centre, top floor of the Student's Union.


 * In terms of getting merchandise, it’s done differently every year depending on what you want. The company I used to do this hoodies and hats was actifwear. They were a really good company and I would definitely recommend using again! Email address for these is: sales@actifwear.co.uk. The last few years we didn’t take orders beforehand and there were lots left and much money lost, this year we got people to order a hoodie first which worked well for money, but it does mean latecomers have little chance of getting one. But their own fault perhaps?

That’s about it to be honest, if you have any more questions you know where to find me!

Good Luck! Emma :)

Kit Secretary
Your duties:

1) Look after the kit. Make sure you know where it all is (within reason), throw out old stuff, etc. 2) Buy new stuff. From 2015, throw out maps >10 years old, replace as appropriate. Aim for 5 laminated and 3 unlaminated copies of each map. 3) Make sure the kit gets to the trips. Whether this is you personally or giving the kitbag to somebody who is going is up to you. 4) If crampons or ice axes are buggered, replace them. 5) Clean the camping stoves before they're needed. Year old bacon fat in a pan is not good.