I hope that you will all have the opportunity to enjoy the 2024 Bulletin, with its very impressive array of articles that reflect the extraordinary wide range of interests. The content of this E-News illustrates just a fraction of our current activities.
One of the duties of the President is to ensure, while keeping the Société’s underlying purposes in mind, that as an organisation we are sufficiently resilient and adaptable to overcome the constant flow of new challenges and keep on delivering our key aims. My closer engagement with our Sections in recent months illustrates the tremendous value of the work that is being done, as the Bulletin demonstrates, but it also highlights the difficulties we face in attracting new, younger members. We need to constantly emphasise the unique talents that distinguish us from our partner organisations at Jersey Heritage and the National Trust for Jersey. We also need to address the issue of succession planning in some Sections in order to maintain high levels of energy and enthusiasm. I intend to give continued attention to these issues.
Financial pressures are relentless, of course, and competition for funds in the heritage and cultural sectors is fierce. It is vitally important, therefore, that we focus on what we do best and communicate this to you, our loyal members, as well as to potential new members. Our membership has unfortunately been in decline for many years, reducing a key strand of our income, though there are recent signs of an upturn in numbers. This is a reflection of increased activity and greater public presence in the last couple of years, and the considerable effort put into communication with members – our welcoming bookshop and reception has never been busier.
Our properties are expensive to maintain. The long overdue replacement of the services infrastructure of the Pier Road building necessitates very significant investment and has required us to dig deeply into our reserve funds. This work is not yet complete and the refurbishment of our accommodation at La Hougue Bie is also urgent. Because of this expenditure a fundamental review of our financial position is now in progress and a wide-ranging fund-raising campaign is also in preparation – we’ll keep you informed on this.
Stuart Fell
President
