Autumn Newsletter – September 2019

Hello and welcome to the Autumn 2019 newsletter

The days are growing shorter and the light is getting dimmer in the sky. After an abundance of sun, flowers & heat amid bouts of unceasing rain & boisterous winds- it’s now time to say goodbye to this year’s rather frenzied London summer.

But we hope you had a good one.

Lots of exciting things are happening at Bloomsbury Speakers. Our new committee team has now taken charge and is working hard to ensure the club runs smooth and fine. Check out who’s who here.

Feel free to reach out to our committee members for any questions about the club, membership fees, pathways, mentorship, or for any support you may need in your Toastmasters’ journey.

  What’s in this newsletter?

  • Contest season
  • 10-year anniversary
  • Beyond public speaking
  • Club socials
  • Events
  • Useful links & upcoming meetings
  • New members

Contest season

Autumn in the UK means it’s Humorous Speech & Table Topics contest season, and the Bloomsbury Speakers’ club contest date has been set for Monday, 30th September.

It’s a fun & unpredictable night of public speaking and all members of the club are eligible to compete.

  • Humorous Speech contest involves contestants delivering a 5-7 minute prepared speech on a topic of their choosing.
  • Table Topics contest involves delivering a 1-2 minute impromptu speech on a topic set by the contest chair. This could be about absolutely anything – so be ready to test your spontaneous speaking skills.

The winners of each contest will go up against the winners from the other clubs in our area – the date for the Area contest will be announced soon.

Members are encouraged to enter both contests, but we also need functionaries to help run the show on the night – contest chairs, timekeepers, a sergeant at arms and a couple of vote counters.

Do volunteer by signing up on EasySpeak or write to us at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.

Be an audience

Even if you are not contesting, please do come along to the meeting. It’s an excellent opportunity to learn and pick up some handy speaking tips & tricks from our versatile speakers.
And our speakers could do with some cheering and encouragement too!   

Judging the contest

Judges are normally invited from other Toastmasters clubs, which means we need our members to reciprocate by judging at their club contests. Please get in touch via education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’re interested in helping out. It’s a great opportunity to see and judge some entertaining speeches from speakers outside our own club – and you don’t need any previous experience as a full briefing will be given in advance.

We are 10 years old! It’s time for a celebration

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Bloomsbury Speakers. Over the years we have grown as a club, improved our presence, won competitions, and helped our members become better public speakers.  It’s time to celebrate our success and accomplishments.

To mark the occasion, we are holding two very special celebratory events!
1. Saturday, 26th October – dinner & drinks get together with all members and guests at old haunt, The Clerk & Well pub, more details on this to follow.

2.  Monday, 28th October – we will be holding a special Toastmasters meeting featuring some of our most legendary members, past and present, performing speeches and functionary roles – including several former presidents of the club. This will be from 6:30pm at one of our more recent venues, The City Pride.

Formal invitations will go out nearer the time, but for now please save the dates in your diaries – we look forward to seeing you there!

Beyond public speaking

Our members are set to make a difference – and we are not just confined to our stage.

In July, our long-standing Toastmaster, Jamie completed a relay swim of the English Channel with 4 other people in her team, the Aspire Panthers – to raise money for the spinal injury charity Aspire.

They swam 21 miles in 16C water, swimming all through the night, with lots of jellyfish! It took them 13 hours and 8 minutes.

Earlier this month, our very own Chantal also completed a relay swim for Aspire. Chantal’s team – Aspire Tigers swam through the night and battled seriously rough waves to complete their Channel relay in 14 hours and 46 minutes. Chantal had the privilege of being the one to land in France! 

It requires enormous courage and unceasing passion to swim in chilly waters and for gruelling hours. Well done to both of you!

To support the charity – Jamie & Chantal had also organised a fundraising pub quiz earlier this year and gave all members of Bloomsbury Speakers the privilege to be a part of the cause.

As a club, we are always keen on supporting training, workshops, charity events/ social activities organised by our members. If you are organising an event or have some interesting ideas to share with the club, please get in touch with our committee members or send us an email at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.

Club socials

Another July highlight – our ex-president Peter Richardson celebrated his 28th birthday with the Bloomsbury bunch. Highlights of the evening – great food, music, dance, a friendly dog and polaroid camera – here are some cool pictures to relive the day.

What else to look out for?

Fancy an Autumn hike?

What better way to enjoy the Autumn colours – join us for an all-day hike on Sunday, 29th September followed by a pub dinner at the end of it.

Location TBC but it will be just a train ride from London.
For more updates, keep an eye on the Bloomsbury Speakers chat group or get in touch with our organiser Jamie for more info.

Bloomsbury Speakers Christmas party

The festive season is not far off and we have started gearing up for our club’s Christmas social which will take place on Saturday, 7th December.

Our very thoughtful Sergeants at Arms, Yassine & Sterling, are on the task of looking for possible venues, food & drink and entertainment options.

More details to follow closer to the time. Meanwhile, if you have any suggestions for the Christmas party feel free to drop these at info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.

Events you may be interested in  

A Masterclass in Public Speaking & Presentation, by Kings Cross Speakers

Saturday, 28th September

This is an excellent course for anyone who wishes to improve public speaking or communication skills. The course will help you to:

  • Develop skills, including voice, clarity, intonation and body language
  • Prepare for a public speech, understand audiences and tailor the talk to different audiences
  • Minimise nervousness and increase confidence
  • Apply delivery techniques, including memorable delivery, how to use findings from science to increase effectiveness, how to create & maintain positive energy, persuasion, and how to combine all skills & knowledge gained for effective public speaking.

Investment: £30- £40

Timings: 10:30am – 5:00pm BST

Location: SamsungKX, Coal Drops Yard, Stable Street, Kings Cross N1C 4DQ

For full details and to register visit here

Other useful info

Need a mentor?

Need someone to guide, inspire and challenge you through your Toastmasters’ journey?

Anyone who joins Toastmasters can request for a mentor and at Bloomsbury Speakers, our experienced Toastmasters are always happy to help & support members. Do get in touch with our VP of Mentoring Stella for more info.  

EasySpeak

Getting ready for the next meeting? The fastest way to book a role or a speech is through our website – using the handy EasySpeak feature. All you need is your login details – so do give it a go.

Check your progress

Want to check your next Pathways project? – Go to Base Camp on https://www.toastmasters.org/.
Base Camp is your online gateway to the Pathways learning experience – here you can work on projects, track your progress, connect with club members and have access to a wealth of useful resources, videos, tools & tips.

Upcoming meetings

Only six meetings left until the end of the year. Make sure you have booked your speeches!

  • 23rd September
  • 14th October
  • 11th November
  • 25th November
  • 9th December
  • 16th December

New members

Finally, we would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest members –Mykal, Joseph, Jeremy and Fabio. We look forward to hearing your ice breaker speeches soon.

Summer Newsletter – June 2019

Hello and welcome to the summer 2019 newsletter!

If you’re free this Monday evening (3rd June), please come along to a special charity pub quiz being run by two of our members. Bloomsbury Speakers itself is entering a team and we need a few more participants – see below for the details.

2019 is a significant year for the club as this October will be the 10th anniversary of our first ever meeting! Details of a special celebratory event will emerge nearer the time, and obviously all former members will be invited, but keep reading to find out how to get involved.

What’s in this newsletter?

  • Spring contests – Division C results
  • Club socials – a charity quiz night!
  • 10-year anniversary plans
  • Your new committee
  • Summer 2019 Toastmasters Leadership Institute
  • Opportunities for mentoring
  • New members

Spring contests – Division C results

As mentioned in the last newsletter, our member Matt did a marvellous job in getting through to the Division C final of the International Speech contest. In April, Matt once again gave a brilliant performance of his speech “Magic Maketh Man”, which cleverly structured the story of his personal development in Toastmasters using an interactive card trick. Sadly he didn’t win this time, but we’re sure Matt and the club will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in future contests.

Matt at the Division C final


Club socials – a charity quiz night!

This Monday, two of our members (Chantal and Jamie) are hosting a charity pub quiz in aid of Aspire, an organisation supporting people with spinal cord injury. Bloomsbury Speakers is entering a team and we’re still looking for more members to join us so that we can win! Here are the details to book your ticket:

Date: Monday, 3rd June
Time: 6:30pm onwards
Venue: The Star of Kings, 126 York Way, King’s Cross, London, N1 0AX (Map)
Price: Minimum £10 donation
Tickets: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chantal-jamie

 

Back in March, we visited the Natural History Museum in South Kensington where we looked around some of the museum’s collections of specimens and attended a talk on how humans are copying some of nature’s solutions to the world’s problems – maybe it will have inspired those of us there to give more scientific speeches at our future Toastmasters meetings!

Bloomsbury Speakers at the Natural History Museum


10-year anniversary plans

Bloomsbury Speakers first met on 26th October 2009 after being formed as an off-shoot of Holborn Speakers when they grew too large to cope with the demand for membership. In the decade since, over 170 members have joined Bloomsbury Speakers to improve their communication and leadership skills in the safe and friendly environment we provide at our meetings. Indeed, our own growth resulted in the formation of yet another club, Clerkenwell Speakers, with members also having a hand in starting Kings Cross Speakers.

Our members have also done a fantastic job in representing us at various Toastmasters speech contests over the years, and Bloomsbury Speakers was even recognised for excellence in the use of web and social media in promoting the club.

Of course, all of this should be celebrated, especially at this significant 10-year milestone, and so we are looking for a small team to help organise an event (perhaps a party or dinner) and a special meeting at the end of October. This would involve arranging the dates, venues, invitations, tickets (if required), food and drink, agendas and entertainment. This in itself is a great opportunity to develop and practise your organisation and leadership skills, so please get in touch via info@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’re interested in getting involved.


Your new committee

The Toastmasters year ends this month and a new committee takes over running the club from July. We’re very pleased to announce that the following appointments have been made for the year 1st July 2019 to 30th June 2020:

  • President – Margarita Sachkova
  • Vice President Education – Mara Dumitru and Chantal Lyons
  • Vice President Membership – Matt Robertson
  • Vice President Public Relations – Kamakshi Pandya
  • Treasurer – Peter Francis
  • Secretary – Peter Richardson
  • Sergeant at Arms – Yassine Meziane and Stirling Habbitts
  • Immediate Past President – Atul Chauhan

See the Club Leadership Handbook from Toastmasters International for more information on what all of these roles involve.

Huge thanks go to our outgoing committee members, Scott, Helen, Yamina, Lei, Swarajit, Sarah and Jamie who have all done a great job over the past year. The last two club meetings under the current committee will be on the 10th and 24th of June, so come along to see them off and welcome in your new leadership team.


Summer 2019 Toastmasters Leadership Institute

Our new committee members will need to attend Club Officer Training over the summer to learn how to become better leaders for our club. The first opportunity for this is during the Summer 2019 Toastmasters Leadership Institute – a day of educational workshops and networking open to everyone (not just committee members). More details to follow at the Eventbrite link below.

Date: Saturday, 22nd June
Time: 9am onwards
Venue: NCVO Society Building, 8 All Saints Street, London, N1 9RL (Map)
Price: FREE for Toastmasters members
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/summer-2019-toastmasters-leadership-institute-tickets-62352769813


Opportunities for mentoring

Bloomsbury Speakers offers opportunities for members to receive mentoring from others in the club, and of course for members to become mentors themselves. This is often a valuable and rewarding learning experience for both the mentor and mentee, so if you’re interested in having or being a mentor, please fill in the form at the link below.

tinyurl.com/BloomsburyMentoring


New members

Finally, please extend a warm welcome to our newest members Alicja and Aman – we look forward to seeing much more from them in the coming year.


That’s all for this newsletter – see you at a meeting soon!

Spring Newsletter – March 2019

Hello and welcome to the spring 2019 newsletter!

It’s spring contest season and that means Toastmasters clubs up and down the country are holding their International Speech and Evaluation contests. You can read about what happened at ours below but, before that, please note that our second meeting in April will take place on the fifth Monday (29th April) rather than the fourth, which is a bank holiday.

There’s plenty more dates for your diary below!

What’s in this newsletter?

  • Spring contests – the results so far!
  • Upcoming workshops
  • Club socials
  • Want to lead your club?
  • New members

Spring contests – the results so far!

At the beginning of the month we held our annual International Speech and Evaluation contests. Five contestants took part in the International Speech contest, with speeches on topics ranging from artificial intelligence to a wander through the streets of Islington and an upcoming swim across the English Channel.

After a closely fought competition, the final results were:

  • 3rd place – Sheldon Dee
  • 2nd place – Margarita Sachkova
  • 1st place – Matt Robertson

In the Evaluation contest, four competitors all evaluated a speech on our visiting speaker’s troubles with Turkish airport security. After the counters and chief judge returned, the results were announced as:

  • 2nd place – Matt Robertson
  • 1st place – Margarita Sachkova

Contest chair Atul with Evaluation contest Margarita

Margarita won the club Evaluation contest

Matt and Margarita went on to represent the club at the Area 2 finals, which were held last week in Southwark. Matt once again placed first in the International Speech contest with his spectacular speech “Magic Maketh Man”. Margarita didn’t place first in the Evaluation contest but still did a stellar job!

Matt won the Area 2 International Speech contest

Matt is now through to the Division C contest and will be up against the champions of the other areas in central London, so please go along and show your support.

Date: Saturday, 13th April
Time: 10am-3:45pm
Venue: Saint Boltoph’s without Aldersgate church (Map)
Price: £5.92-£8.06
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sharing-your-stories-tickets-56994715729

Lunch is included in the ticket price and, as well as the third rounds of the International Speech and Evaluation contests in our division, there will also be workshops to help you become a better storyteller – an essential skill in giving impactful speeches.

If Matt wins again in this round, he’ll be through to the District 91 contest which will take place over the weekend of 3rd-5th May in Ashford, Kent. This event also includes the finals for the Evaluation, Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests, as well as more workshops on communication and leadership, so there’ll be plenty to see and do. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.


Upcoming workshops

There are always opportunities to learn and improve at events around the Toastmasters community. Here are just a few upcoming workshops that anyone can attend for free.

Body Language Masterclass
Former UK & Ireland evaluation champion Lynne Cantor will share the “secrets of non-verbal communication”.

Date: Wednesday, 27th March
Time: 7pm
Venue: PMI UK Toastmasters Club, Saint Boltoph’s without Aldgate church (Map)
Price: FREE
Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pmi-uk-toastmasters-club-body-language-masterclass-tickets-57924690308

Table Topics Workshop
Table Topics district champion and debating expert Paul Carroll will share his top tips for terrific table topics.

Date: Tuesday, 30th April
Time: 6:45pm
Venue: Holborn Speakers, The Rugby Tavern, 19 Great James Street, WC1N 3ES (Map)
Price: FREE

Evaluation Workshop
Another one from champion Lynne Cantor! Learn how you can make your evaluations even more effective.

Date: Tuesday, 28th May
Time: 6:45pm
Venue: Holborn Speakers, The Rugby Tavern, 19 Great James Street, WC1N 3ES (Map)
Price: FREE


Club socials

We love socials at Bloomsbury Speakers, and this month we’re planning something with a more intellectual slant – a visit to the Natural History Museum’s monthly ‘Lates’ event (and hopefully some food and drinks afterwards).

The details are below, just let us know if you’d like to come.

Date: Friday, 29th March
Time: 6:30pm onwards
Venue: Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, SW7 5BD (Map)
Price: FREE


Want to lead your club?

As you may know, every Toastmasters club is run by a committee of volunteers from its membership. As we enter the last quarter of the Toastmasters year (which runs from July to June), it’s time to start thinking about whether you would like to lead your club into the year ahead.

Joining your club’s committee is a fantastic way of gaining and honing your leadership skills– and, just like a regular meeting, a Toastmasters committee is a safe and friendly environment in which to do so. There are roles to suit all levels of skills, experience and time commitment and you’ll also have a direct impact on the day-to-day running of your club.

If you’d like to find out more about what the different roles on the committee entail, feel free to speak to any of the existing members or get in touch via president@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.


New members

Finally, we’re very pleased to welcome our newest members Henrik, Anca, Eoin and John – they’re already playing an active part in the club!


That’s all for this newsletter – see you at a meeting soon!

Winter Newsletter – December 2018

Hello and welcome to the winter 2018 newsletter!

We had our last meeting of 2018 this week, but we have one more evening get-together up our sleeve – join us for an informal social from 6:30pm next Monday, 17th December. We’ll be at our old haunt The Clerk & Well, 156 Clerkenwell Road, EC1R 5DU which has some great Thai food. See you there!

It’s been an eventful few months for the club – not only did we move to our new venue The City Pride (arguably some way outside Bloomsbury itself), but our members had great success in the autumn Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests. Keep reading to find out what happened.

Moving with the times, we’ve also created a members-only WhatsApp group to share news of club events, including socials and last-minute roles that need filling at our meetings. It’s proven to be quite effective so far and we welcome feedback.

What’s in this newsletter?

  • Autumn contests – the results!
  • Spring contests – looking ahead
  • Club socials
  • Mentoring
  • New members

Autumn contests – the results!

Margarita was our double champion in the club’s Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests and, after winning again at the area contests, she took her speech about an embarrassing addiction to reality TV all the way to the Division C finals!

Margarita after winning both contests at the Area level

Meanwhile, Helen also qualified through her corporate club at Google – again in both contests – to make it to the same finals as Margarita with a speech about her family heritage, telling us where she was really from.

Helen at the Division contest

The two of them did us proud – Margarita placed third in the Humorous Speech contest while Helen placed second in both the Humorous Speech and Table Topics contests – and both members were robbed of a higher placing in this author’s humble opinion!


Spring contests – looking ahead

They’re still a few months away, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the annual International Speech and Evaluation contests. The Evaluation contest requires all contestants to evaluate one speech given by a mystery speaker – this really pushes your critical thinking and evaluation skills to the limit, as you’ll have much less time to prepare than you do in a regular meeting (just 5 minutes), but it’s a great experience.

Meanwhile, the prestigious International Speech contest involves writing and delivering your own 5-7 minute speech on any subject, with the eventual winner being crowned World Champion of Public Speaking.

To be eligible for the International Speech contest, you need to have completed at least six speech projects from the Competent Communication manual or a minimum of two levels in a Toastmasters Pathway. All members are eligible to enter the evaluation contest.

Both contests will be held on the same night in March, so get preparing and practising!


Club socials

As mentioned above, we have one last informal meetup planned for next Monday, 17th December at The Clerk & Well – but regardless, it’s been another busy quarter for club socials at Bloomsbury Speakers.

In November we had a fun night of Scottish folk dancing at a ceilidh event in Camden, and last week we took an early leap on to the Christmas bandwagon with our festive meal – held jointly with our friends from Kings Cross Speakers. Much merriment was had by all!

We’re always happy to receive ideas for more social events, so do get in touch via socials@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk or the WhatsApp group with any suggestions you might have.


Mentoring

As members of Bloomsbury Speakers, many of us have benefitted from having a mentor within the club. A mentor is someone (usually a more experienced member of the club) who can give help and advice to guide you on your Toastmasters educational path. This can involve helping you draft your first speech, watching you practice and giving you immediate feedback or advising you how to prepare for functionary roles at club meetings.

If you’d like to become a mentor or benefit from having on yourself, feel free to get in touch via mentoring@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk.


Code of Conduct

Our club Code of Conduct has now been finalised – these are the basic rules we expect all our members and guests to follow to make Bloomsbury Speakers as friendly and supportive as possible.

  • I will applaud every speaker
  • I will listen to every speaker
  • I will provide honest and constructive feedback to speakers when asked to do so
  • I will help keep the meeting space tidy
  • I will keep my phone on silent and otherwise avoid disrupting the meeting
  • I will not pressure anyone to speak who does not want to speak
  • I will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of their age, race, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or ability
  • I will not cause discomfort to any guest or member, and I will step in if I see this happening to anyone else
  • I will help to make Bloomsbury Speakers an inclusive and nurturing club

New members

Finally, please welcome our newest members Gabriele and Yassine as well as returning member Aislinn – she couldn’t stay away forever! Be sure to say hello to all three at a future meeting.


That’s all for this newsletter – see you at a meeting soon!

Autumn Newsletter – September 2018

Hello and welcome to the autumn 2018 newsletter!

We’re just over two months into the Toastmasters year (which starts in July), but your new committee is has been working hard behind the scenes on keeping everything running smoothly. See the People page on our website for details of who’s who!

What’s in this newsletter?

  • Contest season
  • Membership fee increase
  • Club socials
  • Pathways
  • Code of Conduct
  • New members


Contest season

Autumn in the UK means it’s Humorous Speech and Table Topics contest season, and Bloomsbury Speakers’ club contest date has been set for Monday, 1st October.

All paid-up members of the club are eligible to compete in what is always a fun and unpredictable night of public speaking. The Humorous Speech contest involves contestants delivering a 5-7 minute prepared speech on a topic of their choosing. For the table topics contest, contestants all deliver a 1-2 minute response to the same topic, which is set by the contest chair and could be about absolutely anything!

The winners of each contest will go up against the winners from the other clubs in our area on Thursday, 11th October at Blue Fin Speakers, 110 Southwark Street.

All members are encouraged to enter both contests, but we also need functionaries to help run the show on the night – contest chairs, timekeepers, a sergeant at arms and a couple of vote counters. Enter and volunteer by signing up on easy-Speak – and, of course, we need an audience too!

Judges are normally invited from other Toastmasters clubs, which means we need our members to reciprocate by judging at their club contests. Please get in touch via education@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk if you’re interested in helping out. It’s a great opportunity to see and judge some entertaining speeches from speakers outside our own club – and you don’t need any previous experience as a full briefing will be given beforehand.



Membership fee increase

Like all Toastmasters clubs, Bloomsbury Speakers is run not-for-profit by its members and for the benefit of its members. Price rises are never welcome news but, due to costs increasing, they are unfortunately a necessity from time to time.

From September onwards, membership fees will be increasing as follows:

  • The fees for new members will be £125 for a year or £95 for six months.
  • Renewal fees will be £110 for a year or £80 for six months.

Bloomsbury Speakers is affiliated to Toastmasters International, and the majority of your membership fee is paid directly to the organisation as dues. In return you receive the monthly Toastmaster magazine and access to the educational materials that we all work through to become better public speakers and leaders. It also means that we can hold and enter our four speech competitions each year (International Speech, Evaluation, Humorous Speech and Table Topics).

The remainder of your fee is used to meet club expenses such as hosting our website, printing materials for meetings and subsidising club events. All things considered, it’s still great value for money and we’re still among the cheapest Toastmasters clubs in central London.



Club socials

We’ve always been a friendly and sociable club and, over what was one of the longest-lasting and hottest summers in recent memory, we held several social events. These included a trip to Speakers’ Corner in Hyde Park and not one but two hikes through the English countryside.


It seems a bit early – and we may have another event sooner – but our Sergeant at Arms, Lei, is already researching possible venues for our club Christmas social! Do get in touch via socials@bloomsburyspeakers.org.uk with any suggestions you might have.



Pathways

In March this year, Toastmasters International rolled out its new Pathways educational programme in District 91 (Southern England & Wales). Unlike the old Competent Communication and Competent Leadership tracks, which were seen as something of a ‘one size fits all’ system, Pathways allows for a much more tailored learning experience based on your individual requirements. See the Pathways website to read all about it.

www.toastmasters.org/pathways-overview

Those of us still working towards any of the awards in the legacy tracks have until March 2020 to complete them, but in the meantime it will actually be our newest members acting as the trailblazers in Pathways. We look forward to hearing about your experiences using the new educational programme!



Code of Conduct

To make our club as supportive and welcoming as possible, the committee has written a Code of Conduct that all members and guests should follow. As this is quite new, and as is the case for everything in Toastmasters, feedback is welcome!

  • I will applaud every speaker
  • I will listen to every speaker
  • I will provide honest and constructive feedback to speakers when asked to do so
  • I will help keep the meeting space tidy
  • I will keep my phone on silent and otherwise avoid disrupting the meeting
  • I will not pressure anyone to speak who does not want to speak
  • I will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of their age, race, sex, gender, sexual orientation, or ability
  • I will not cause discomfort to any guest or member, and I will step in if I see this happening to anyone else
  • I will help to make Bloomsbury Speakers an inclusive and nurturing club


New members

Finally, please extend a warm welcome to our newest members Kamakshi, Mary and Mara. We look forward to hearing their ice breaker speeches in the near future.


 

That’s all for this newsletter – see you at a meeting soon!