Below is a copy of the letter sent out to all members on 7^th April 1999.

To fellow Indians

Dear Fellow Indians

As some of you may know a meeting was held on 28^th March 1999 to decide the fate of Huntingdon Hindu Samaj. You can see from the above that it was decided that the Samaj should be dissolved and a replacement association should be set up, hence Indian Association (Huntingdon) was formed.

On behalf of the new committee we would like to thank all previous committee members and trustees for their work and hope that they will continue to support the Association. A new committee was chosen and mandate was given by all present that the committee should encourage and actively seek new members from all faiths for better integration.

At the same meeting various other items were discussed. A brief synopsis of what was agreed and voted in by majority of present is listed below.

• Bi-Monthly Social events should be held. Some suggestions were made, for example, quiz night, fun day(BBQ), games, fireworks, drama, dance, competition but all these activities should bear in mind children.
• Religious functions should be kept at minimum and Navratri and Junmastmi were only selected. Bearing in mind that there would be members of other faiths joining us we should look at their faiths and their celebrations and where viable hold these functions as well.
• Membership fees. It was decided that a membership fee should be set at £10 pa for every adult (18-65) and a concessionary rate for OAP and students (over 18) in full time education should be set at £5 pa. A non paid member will not be allowed to vote at any meetings and where applicable, either  a higher or an entrance fee to the function will be charged.
• Education classes to be held and fees payable by term.
• Social evening entertainment should also include participation from adults as well as children.
• Better and effective communication network should be set up. It was suggested that following should take place:-
• There should be as much notice as possible given to any events
• There should be further newsletters to let members know what is happening
• The members should contact committee member to find out latest news/information
• The members should return any questionnaires or feedback forms as soon as possible
• There should be two way communication
• Entrance fee for social evening should be set at £5 per adult (18+) to cover costs of hall hire and drinks.
• Reduction in fees for members buying tickets in advance to a function, for example Dinner Dance
• New directory of members should be printed
• Members will also help promote the Association and to recruit new members.

As you can see from above lots of items were discussed, after the meeting the executive committee held a meeting and the following decisions were taken in response.

• Along with this letter you will find all the dates for the next 8 months, however not all venues have been confirmed so please keep an eye out for further letters and don't forget to ring us for latest information (two –way conversation!). Please return enclosed form as soon as…
• We have gone electronic please visit our web-site and use e-mails to contact us. We are also asking for your e-mail address so we can send out any news as well.
• Weekly Educational classes are to start from 18^th April at HYC (Huntingdon Youth Centre) from 1.00 to 3.00 fees will be discussed at the first lesson. Class will comprise of activities (getting ready for first social evening, where children will put on some kind of play etc.), musical classes, language class, games etc. More information can be obtained from Arunaben Patel.
• Dinner Dance this year is to either be held back to celebrate new millennium in conjunction with other samajs in the area or called Millennium Dinner Dance. Date, venue etc. to be confirmed later.
• Directory of membership, we will start working on this later in the year when details of members are known.
• We will now require a new logo so any budding artists want to have a go? A prize will be awarded to the winning entry.

Please find enclosed an application form for membership along with a feedback form, which should be returned as quickly as possible. We will need teams for the quiz night consisting of 2 adults and 2 children (not from the same family), we will need either 6 or 8 teams, so please start forming teams and let any of the education team know. There will be semi-finals and a final with the winning team being presented with a prize.

Your new committee, title and contact numbers including e-mail addresses are listed on Contact page

I, along with my fellow committee members, look forward to your support in making Indian Association (Huntingdon) a success. Only your participation can ensure this.

Hitesh Patel

Chairman

Webmaster H.Patel  [email protected]