From the Chairman: Mark Welling

At a time of great anxiety when the lives of so many people are being hugely disrupted, we at NewSPAL want to send a message of solidarity and sympathy to all our volunteers, donors and supporters.  Because each of us is involved, in some way, with performing arts groups we are acutely aware of the particular challenges facing such groups, with the consequential impact on the lives and livelihoods of the many freelance professionals (conductors, leaders, instrumentalists, music directors, accompanists, teachers etc) who work with those groups.

 Our first priority has been to take steps to follow Government guidance.  Even before Surrey Libraries closed their doors, we suspended the cataloguing work at Ewell Library which was being done by our small army of wonderful volunteers.  Our Transition Project Manager, Victoria Taylor, will be working from home (there are many strands of the project which can continue to be worked on “virtually”).  Our trustees will be meeting “virtually” for the time-being.  It is too soon to know what the wider implications will be for the NewSPAL project but the trustees will be keeping that under careful review and updating regularly through the NewSPAL e-newsletter and website.
 
Before the COVID-19 emergency broke over us all, we had prepared an Annual Review to let you know what we had achieved in the first year since Surrey County Council’s momentous decision to allow us to proceed with the NewSPAL project.  For reasons of accountability and transparency, we think it is still important to circulate the Annual Review.  For the reasons given, it does not make reference to the effects of the COVID-19 emergency.  

To read the Annual Review please click here.

Mark Welling
 
M. R. Welling
Chairman