I openly admit I needed to go out so only read some of that item.
But I did notice this bit -
"
Wendy Howard also stated she had not been in favour of the spending £25000 for the series of five cartoons used on YouTube." (The highlighting of the £25,000 was in the original item).
I am sure that this was discussed by the executive before the decision to spend the money was made and if Wendy Howard felt differently to the majority that is unfortunate. I have been on very many committees and projects over the years where I have not always agreed with the final decisions made, but you always go with the majority.
That £25K works out at only £5K per video, and considering how well and professionally produced they were that does not seem excessive to me.
Back in 1980 when some of the reps for the regions started £25K was a massive amount of money, now it is not.
Back then nobody would have considered videos to get the message across (even if they had only a VERY small number of people (<2%?) would have been able to watch them!).
Back then half a dozen sheets of A4 might have been sent to get the message across ... now they would be thrown in the bin without being looked at.
Now if the video was poor quality and not professionally made, users will not even give it 30 seconds before turning it off. These videos catch the viewers attention and get the point across.
When I gained the one permission, the (admitedly very friendly) landowner said "Yes detecting that field is fine, are there any rules or anything" (I did like the way he said "Yes" first
). I had already said about the NCMD and the Code of Conduct and the insurance, but I said I would send him some more details (as I always do when gaining a new permission, I am "old school" so if something is said verbally that is good enough (so none of the written agreements lark for detecting here), but that e-mail is a "it was agreed" just in case! ) and I sent him the link to the one video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRyRInuQA9s.
I saw him a few days latter, straight away he started talking about the video and how good it was - he thought the characters were great (and even named some locals that both fitted the image and actions! - proving the kind of thought that the producer had put into creating them) and said how much he had learnt about metal detecting from it.
That video is 2 minutes 1 second long. The landowner watched
all of it. He learnt a lot about
RESPONSIBLE detecting.
Maybe somebody could have written some thing that would have taken less time for him to read. BUT straight away that video "hooked" him, the written sheets would never have been read if if requiring less time.
If they have that impact on somebody that never has, and never will, gone detecting then you can see how effective they are for getting the message across to the modern detectorist.
By location I am in the Western Region, and have been in a traditional "bricks and mortar" club for about 10 years, but I posted a question on our FB page a bit back asking if anybody had ever heard from the Western Region reps; a good friend of mine has been detecting for even longer and is in another traditional "bricks and mortar" club like wise his club never has any contact with Western Region.
I understand the logic of how and why the regions were set up "back in the day". But they are badly outdated now. Not only am I a member of my local traditional "bricks and mortar" club, and long may they thrive (we hope to restart meetings next month, so will be good to meet up ... and they are in a pub
), but I am also a member of 2 small online groups, one much further down in the South West and one in North Wales. But they are a change of scene, nice friendly groups, and a lot of finds are "localised" .... as an example I love crotal bells but I have never found one locally but I have found some (including a ringer
) with the group in the South West. I have done one off events in various parts of the country, including a fantastic event right up near Dundee in Scotland (where some of my finds were "common" up there but unique to me so meant a lot). So I rightly consider myself a responsible detectorist, but sadly the NCMD Western Region does NOT represent me. The hobby has moved on and to survive all the challenges the NCMD needs to move forward as well - yes this will upset a lot of the "old guard" but times change, if they change with it then their knowledge and experience can be used to everybodies good .... but if they refuse to change like the dinosaurs then new people with new ideas will lead the hobby forward.
Evan
