SWOAPG Directors met on 23 Mar to discuss concerns that had been raised about us asking for Membership fees in these difficult times.
The Directors appreciate that this is a very difficult time for all of us; that many Members may already be struggling financially; and that many of you will not now be accessing the gorges and will not therefore be able to make use for the foreseeable future of one of the main benefits of Full Membership.
Having said this, the Directors also believe that our Members will want SWOAPG to continue to represent their interests in any discussions between WATO and Welsh Government around support to our industry in this difficult time; in the ongoing Welsh Government Access Reform programme; and by liaising with landowners around access (although there may be less need for this right now). The Directors therefore hope that all our Members will feel able to make their Membership payments at some point this year when they feel the time is right, so that we can continue to employ our Coordinator to carry out this work.
We are very grateful to those of you who have already paid, which will enable us to maintain our usual service for the next few months at least and, as we have already said, we will continue to send renewal reminders but will not ‘downgrade’ anyone who is unable to pay for the time being. We would, however, expect anyone who is able to use the gorges to pay in full so that we can issue this year’s ID cards to them.
We hope that all our Members will understand this position and we remain extremely grateful for your continued support. We will keep you informed of any relevant, official responses to Covid-19 but will try not to add unnecessary clutter on the subject to your inboxes.
At this time of uncertainly, we wish the best for you all and your families.