Hello again! I am currently marveling at the endurance of this year’s snowdrops. Ordinarily they are over and done with at the rime of writing, however the tiny white spots of colour in the verges and hedgerows are still there in amongst the daffodils that are now appearing.

This flourish of spring flowers is a welcome sight from the gloom and austerity of the winter months, and in some ways, it is also a reminder that the Principality is seeing new growth and variety starting to come through. Sometimes our perennial activities need to take a rest, hibernate and recuperate. We are not machines, but volunteers and with a spot of patience, rest and thoughtfulness, we too can create a community that changes with the seasons and with different activities and expectations, can sprout something for our members at all levels of participation and enthusiasm over the next few months.

It is with pleasure also that I can announce that the Big August Summer Event will be going ahead at Bourn in Cambridgeshire. With the capable steerage of Master Yannick and HL Amphelise, and a ton of planning, this is already shaping up to be a well-delivered event. We have taken on board a lot of the lessons learned, especially under the tough heat conditions of last year, and look forward to welcoming as many of you as possible for a great camp-out in the countryside.

Also in the news is that we have accepted the Barony of Eplaheimr’s Coronet proposal, and the Principality will be gathering near Galway, Ireland, to select the successors to our illustrious Royal Couple.

Behind the scenes news next. More event support guides are in draft form – a reservation steward’s guide and how to crete a planning timeline for your event are now at the review stage. Also, we have a draft Child Safeguarding policy at draft stage.

The new Principality Finance Policy is about to go out for comment to the branch seneschals and exchequers, and is on-track for finalisation this summer.

This month’s request:

The demo season approaches! Please drop a line if you have an idea for recruiting coming up. We are able to support and enhance your ideas for demos large and small, from village fetes to giant conventions. The Principality always needs new members and to make sure they feel welcome and can see us as a long-term hobby base. With the size of some of our branches, the Principality is keen to help share the burden of this.