WALKSPACE 2025: IMPORTANT INFO ABOUT YOUR MEMBERSHIP
Hello Walkspace members and Happy New Year!
We hope you had a restful and rejuvenating festive period. 2025 will be an exciting year for Walkspace; not only does it mark our fifth anniversary, it will also be our first full year as a co-operative. The first significant change is that we now have a community bank account with NatWest, enabling us to collect membership subscription fees to cover our costs collectively.
If you would like to continue as a member in 2025 read on for info on paying your subscription, how the money will be spent, and what membership will mean going forward. If you no longer wish to be a member please reply to this email to let us know.
Paying your subscription fee
At the AGM in October 2024 it was agreed to set the minimum subscription amount at £10.00 for the year. If 17 members paid this then that would cover our basic costs of website hosting, newsletter service and video conferencing (see below for a full breakdown). If however you are in a position to contribute a bit more (and perhaps if you’ve been a member for several years and feel you’ve received value from that) then please consider doing so as this will enable us to do more as an organisation and make future planning easier.
Please make a one-off payment of £10 or more by bank transfer by no later than February 14th 2025:
Account Name: Walkspace
Account Type: Business Current Account
Account no: 49312154
Sort code: 60-01-27
Please put your name in the reference so we know who the payment is from. If we don’t receive your payment and we don’t hear from you by Feb 14 we shall assume you no longer wish to be a member.
Walkspace Membership in 2025
As we’re moving to a subscription model it’s important that we set out exactly what Walkspace membership means: what the members can expect from the co-operative and what the co-operative expects of its members. For 2025 and beyond we shall commit to a basic level of activity to ensure all members have opportunities to engage and get the most out of being part of this community.
What members can expect from their Walkspace membership:
Online salons every 2 months - a forum for members to share an aspect of their practice and receive feedback. Also a place for announcements, discussion and decision-making regarding Walkspace operations.
Regular members’ walks - led by members, for members. Great opportunities to meet new people and explore new places. These will now be announced through the “Members’ Walks” WhatsApp group.
Join the WhatsApp community to connect with a supportive network of walkers and artists.
Discounts on ticketed Walkspace events.
Chance to lead or co-lead a public walk with support of the Walks Team.
Chance to publish your writing on the Walkspace blog.
Chance to participate in Walkspace events and projects (stay tuned for a possible Walkspace Festival 2025!)
Guide and influence Walkspace decision making as a co-operative member or even put yourself forward for a Committee position.
What is expected from Walkspace members:
Pay the annual subscription fee.
Engage with the Walkspace community through the WhatsApp group, the salons, the walks and/or the blog.
If you have the time, help out with Walkspace activity by joining one of the working groups or volunteering when specific tasks need doing.
Talk about Walkspace! Let everyone know about this amazing community you’re part of.
How your subscription money will be spent
Website hosting – The Walkspace website tells the world who we are and plays a crucial part in how we advertise our events, attract new members and direct people to sign up to our mailing list. Our current plan with Wordpress is £36 per year but if we were in a position to pay two or even three years up front that would significantly bring down the price in the long run.
Newsletter service – This year will likely see us exceed 300 newsletter subscribers. The newsletter is the most reliable way for us to communicate with our followers and members (you wouldn’t be reading this without it!). We don’t want to rely solely on opaque social media algorithms to reach people. Our current plan with Buttondown is £70 per year.
Video conferencing account – This will allow us to host regular salons as well as committee meetings and our AGM. We are a geographically dispersed group and so video meetings are essential and worth paying for if we don’t want our meetings cut short after 40 minutes. There are different options, each with pros and cons. A Google Workspace business account is £60 per year. Zoom Pro is £129.90.
Any money left over after covering these essential costs will go into a general fund and we shall discuss at a general meeting/salon how to use it. Some possibilities may be: venue hire for exhibitions and events, public liability insurance for Walkspace as an organisation, travel costs for Walkspace daytrips, promotional costs eg. posters, flyers etc.
All expenditure will be recorded by our treasurer Charlie Best who will give a financial report at our AGM. Accounts are available to view by all co-operative members on request.
Happy walking in 2025!
Andy, Rachel, Dan, Charlie - the Walkspace Committee