Background

At the 41 Club AGM in 2010 a proposal to extend membership to selected non-ex tablers was defeated. The members attending that AGM made it clear that supporting Round Table and developing strong links was the most important objective of 41 Club.

This initiative was devised in 2010 with the key objective of attracting back those ex-tablers who had never joined an affiliated 41 Club. It had become apparent that for many Tablers leaving Table the linked 41 Club didn’t meet their needs. For many they wanted to continue some of the activities they had been used to in Round Table and they felt that a “dining club” was not what they wanted. They also wanted to fully support the continuation and development of their Round Table, or in the case of some be in a stronger position to re-launch a Round Table that had closed. Most importantly they wanted to continue the  friendships and fellowships they had developed during their time in Round Table. On some occasions the age gaps had become too wide. It is important to recognise that this is not the case with all 41 Clubs as many have a very strong relationship with their Round Table and the move to 41 Club is seamless.

National Council endorsed the initiative with two key objectives:

1. To encourage existing clubs to change to become attractive to ex-Round Tablers by adopting a more active and varied programme and where possible to become involved in Community activities both in support of their Round Table but also independently.

2. To offer the opportunity to form new clubs.

In the past 2 years we have opened 17 new clubs or clubs which have re-affiliated with new membership.

What to do next.

Firstly try out the existing 41 Club. Attend meetings as a dual member or just go along. If you don’t know your club contact speak to either the National Councillor for your Region (go to Clubs and Regions on the web site) or the National Membership Officer.

The alternative is to open a new club with other colleagues who are leaving or have recently left your Round Table.

It is recommended that you need a minimum of 6 members as a starting point.

Invite your National Councillor to a meeting who will explain what is needed.

Follow the Guidelines in – Starting a New Club