With the New Year I wish all members good health, happiness and good progress in Aikido. To develop and build the Lancashire Aikikai, we need more members, teachers and clubs. I hope that all members will take a more active part in promoting Aikido and the Lancashire Aikikai. Also I wish to stress the importance of all weekend courses especially the 13^th & 14^th February with Sensei Tomita 6^th Dan.

Mr. Mucha Principal

Dates

13/14 February.........Sensei Tomita's course at Blackburn. Number limited and advanced booking required. Members £12 per day.

5^th March... Dan Grade Class

23/24 Apr..... Teachers and General Course respectively at Chorley

12^th June...General Course at Hazel Grove.

10/11 September...Teachers and General Course respectively at Chorley

22^nd October...........Dan Grade Class

26/27^th November...Teachers and General Course respectively at Chorley

BRITISH AIKIDO BOARD

Mr. Mucha and myself attended the board meeting early in December, this time held in Oldham. Amongst items discussed there was the BAB Coaching Award Scheme, which will involve our Dan Grades in 1988. Also the Board is growing as two more organizations have applied to join. The Board is gradually breaking down barriers and no doubt the February course will see practitioners from many organizations as the information about the course was well received round the table.

Andrew Baird.

AGM REPORT

Our Principal described 1987 as a ìgood yearî both financially and in other ways. The mat fees and other charges were compared to other Martial Arts and although financially stable and making ends meet more reserves would and could only benefit the Aikikai when opening new clubs. It was reported that Blackburn would open shortly on a Tuesday. The new club at Hyde is now running on a Friday.

Juniors as normal would be half the quoted adult charge where not shown separately.

Blackburn is our latest Club to open, at Audley Sports & Community Centre on Chester Street in Blackburn. The Practice night is Tuesday and is between 20:30 and 22:00

BRIDGENORTH RE-VISITED

I apologise for the timing of this article in relation to the original event! Sometimes good intentions are like snowflakes on a warm window. However, better late than never, and particularly because of the course at Bridgenorth was, for me, such an important event. I found out about the course very near to that weekend and although I very much wanted to go, I was not mentally prepared.

It is not my intention to related all the details of the weekend, but to put down some of my thoughts that I want to convey. The Saturday began with an announcement that Chiba Sensei would be delayed. This allowed for a very hard practice in the morning led by one of the organisers. In fact, the morning session was so hard, that only 3 or 4 people turned up for the lunchtime Iai session, out of several hundreds.

After lunch, everyone was lined up for the arrival of Chiba Sensei and the air was electric with expectation! After about ten minutes he came onto the mat and the course proper began. Apart from the actual teaching of Chiba Sensei, the weekend was an opportunity to practice with so many different people. I find it difficult to describe the feeling of taking part in such a gathering, except to say that it reaches towards the true heart of AIKIDO. It was hard going, it was too hot, some people were awkward, and others were deadly serious! At the end of the weekend I wanted to continue, but unfortunately due to commitments could not.

On returning to our Aikikai and further practice, I felt 're-charged' by the experience and determined to improve my own Aikido and that of others. An event like Bridgenorth not only serves to improve practice but also helps to see our clubs and our Aikido in perspective. My real conclusion to you is that to practice Aikido you have to practice with different people. In other words, I am Aikido; you are Aikido; everyone who practices is .................AIKIDO. If you accept this, then I believe that the ideals of O-SENSEI are there to be realized.

Aikido is a difficult way - but like many ways, the journey is more important than the destination. Like any journey, one is always glad of companions.

Graham Harrison 2^nd Dan

STOP PRESS

If you have not yet booked for the course in February...DO SO NOW numbers are limited and many people are now booking. Cheques etc to:- Christine Hinton