Please note that we have updated our coach departure times for 7.30pm and 8.00pm kick offs. You can view or download our new timetable by clicking here.

 

Changes to pick up times on Coach 3

Following feedback from our Members we have made some amendments to the pick up times for Coach 3.

Please see these new times on the revised timetable which can be found here.

 

A new club committee was elected at our AGM on Wednesday 21st July, and it was all change.

With Ian Morris and Dave Owen deciding to stand down from their duties on the committee we went headhunting for two standout club members who could fill these roles and take NWSS forward into the next era. We welcome Sandra Gould as our new treasurer and Steve Whiten as our new club secretary, both Horsham based.

Sandra has been a NWSS member and regular coach passenger since the club was founded back in 2011 and Steve, although a more recent acquisition, is also another valuable asset to the club. We welcome them both to the committee. It’s a new era with different people at the helm bringing some innovative, fresh ideas that will hopefully help us to improve, change and develop the club going forward.

With John Jory remaining on the committee looking after our coach seat bookings and passenger lists it means that Mike Wilson will now move into the role of chairman to oversee the new committee, helping to steer the ship in the right direction. His ten years of experience as a committee member and club secretary will be needed as we transition across to a new team of people looking after the club’s future.

We at NWSS owe a huge debt of thanks to both Ian and Dave for their work and contribution to the club over recent years. Ian in particular has been with NWSS since it’s conception and some ten years later I guess he deserves a break from all those numbers. There’s no question that the club wouldn’t be the success that it is today without Ian’s hard work and effort over the last decade. It was only fitting at our AGM that club founder Andy Stonestreet nominated Ian as a fellow Life Member, a well deserved accolade which was greeted with a huge round of applause. Well done and thank you for your ten years of service to the club Ian.

This year’s NWSS AGM will be held on Wednesday 21st July at 7.30pm in the clubhouse at Horsham Bowling Club where a bar will be available should you require some liquid refreshment.

The club is located at the very end of Pondtail Road just before you reach North Heath Lane, it is adjacent to the Tythe Barn community facility. The bowling club is to the left as you enter and has its own large car park.

It would most be helpful if you could email mike@nwsseagulls.co.uk to let us know in advance of your intention to attend. On arrival, please sign the NWSS attendance register.

Covid precautions:
We very much look forward to welcoming our members and meeting you on a ‘face to face’ basis for the first time in almost 18 months.

The government have announced a lifting of most Covid restrictions in England after 19th July so it is not mandatory to wear a face covering when attending the meeting, however those who want to wear a face covering can of course choose to do so. The bowling club ask that you please sanitise your hands on entry to the clubhouse (there are two dispensers on the wall in the entrance lobby area).

Please respect those seated around you and give safe social distancing if appropriate or requested. We ask that you do not attend the meeting if you are feeling unwell. Thank you for your cooperation.

 

After ten years volunteering as club secretary Mike Wilson has finally decided it’s time to take a break so that he can play more bowls and seek even more trophies. As a consequence of this amazingly selfish and rash decision NWSS is now actively seeking a volunteer to step in as Secretary to assist in the running of our supporters club. You will be part of a small committee team who help to run and manage NWSS. Don’t be frightened to apply, we’re nice and friendly.

The secretary’s role primarily involves maintaining the club membership and communicating with them, usually by email. Yes, you do need to be able to read, write and use a computer, if you can’t then sadly being a club secretary is just not for you. We have a brilliantly easy to manage online membership system and a groovy looking website where club news and updates can easily be posted (we have local technical support from a terrific professional web design company just in case we get lost in cyberspace). If you’re into social media then you can also look after our Facebook page and Twitter feed if you like. There’s the occasional letter to write and committee meeting to attend where you’ll chat, drink coffee, eat doughnuts, talk football and take down the minutes. Mike will still be around for a few months yet to offer his help and advice when needed. Sticking his oar in as usual, trying to steer the ship in the right direction to help keep it safely afloat.

The pay is rubbish, well it’s unpaid actually but you will get free coach transport to the Amex on a match day. You would be helping over 200 Albion fans get to the Amex as well as contributing to the well being and future of the club. You will also be part of the charitable donations decision making process that makes a real difference to peoples lives. If you think the NWSS club secretary role is something that might be of interest to you then please do drop us a line and we can have a chat. The interview process is extensive; we ask if you want the job, you say yes and we say ‘Oh, okay then, the job’s yours’. Ideally we need to find a candidate to nominate before our AGM so please email us now.

It’s important to note that we must fill this position as the club will be unable to run without a secretary. Like the treasurer, it’s a crucial role that needs to be filled. No secretary, no NWSS. Simple as that. No pressure then, send us that email expressing your interest. 

Please be advised that nominations for persons wishing to be elected to the NWSS committee for 2021/22 should be received by no later than 21 days prior to the AGM which is being held on Wednesday 21st July 2021. Please email your nominations into info@nwsseagulls.co.uk

It is our intention to re-start running coaches to the AMEX as soon as the current restrictions allow and it is economically viable for us to do so. We haven’t yet determined the number of coaches and precise routes, this will be wholly dependent on the passenger numbers.

The cost of a Coach Season Ticket (CST) will be determined once we know the numbers wishing to travel. Priority will be given to existing CST holders but unlike previous seasons ad-hoc coach seats will no longer be available. However, CST holders will be able to book and pay for an additional ‘guest’ seat provided there is availability on their coach.

In due course we will contact all those registered NWSS members who have expressed an interest in purchasing a coach season ticket. You can only apply for a CST if you have registered online as a club member. Please keep referring to our website for the latest information.

Since its formation in 2011 NWSS has been making donations from its surplus funds to local good causes, charities and organisations. We are pleased to announce that we have now passed the £45,000 figure for donations over the last ten years. Most of those funds have been raised by organising NWSS coach travel to the Amex, these donations have only been possible because many of you have chosen to travel with NWSS over the last decade.

Due to the curtailment of crowds at the Amex for this and last season we have been offering refunds to all of our coach season ticket holders. Many of you have generously decided not to claim your refund and have asked for it to be put into our charity pot fund instead, an amazing gesture. Thanks to you handing back over £4,000 we are now able to offer a further £500 donation to each of the following eight charities and good causes:

Albion in the Community (AITC)

Horsham Matters

St Catherine’s Hospice

Henfield Scouts Community Centre Building Appeal

Henfield Area Response Team (HART)

Partridge Green Area Response Team (PART)

Horsham Community First Responders

The Salvation Army

On behalf of those organisations receiving donations may we say a huge great big THANK YOU. In these challenging times the generosity of our members is nothing short of incredible.

All of us at NWSS hope you are all keeping safe and well. Please click here for a NWSS News Update which outlines what has been going on recently behind the scenes at North West Sussex Seagulls and our future plans as we move forward through 2021.

After 10 years in the role Ian Morris has decided to stand down as treasurer from this June and take a well earned break. We thank him for all his hard work and the enormous contribution he has made to the club over the last decade, he will be sorely missed on the committee. We therefore invite applications from members for the post of treasurer, please contact Ian directly by email if interested ian@nwsseagulls.co.uk.

Stay safe and all of us on the NWSS committee are hopefully looking forward to running coaches and meeting up with you all again sometime in 2021. Keep an eye on our website for further updates.

29th November 2020: The Amex has now reopened to fans but with a much reduced maximum capacity of 2,000 for the time being. With this limited number of stadium seats being available we regret to say that it is currently not cost effective for NWSS to run coaches to matches at the Amex. We will continue to monitor the situation and post any further updates here on our website.

For those asking, NWSS will NOT be running a coach to the friendly match against Chelsea on Saturday 29th August. With a reduced capacity at the Amex of only 2,500 for this game we have too few passenger numbers to make it viable and too short notice to arrange travel I’m afraid. Sorry folks.