Chelmsford Friendship Group

Welcome to Chelmsford Friendship Group. As we move into our fourth year, the club is all about making friends and having fun. We now number over 800 members!

Over the last three years we have created a happy and safe environment where people can meet and have fun. We have hosted many events, from restaurants evenings to pubs, clubs, and local events.

Our more popular events are the mid-week and weekend hosted walks, pub quizzes, cocktail and drinks evenings and fish and chip picnics which are always great fun.

We also have a book club and many interesting and highly enjoyable walks, several meals out for all tastes and plenty of informal weekend drinks gatherings.

Open to anyone of any age although the bulk of our members are in the 40/50 age range. Be involved as much as you wish, be it suggesting and hosting new events or sitting back and just enjoying yourself with new friends. We are always looking for new hosts so if you would like to join our team please get in touch with one of the leadership team and we can guide you through the process.

As a club our number one concern is safety and we operate strictly within our Code of Conduct and we expect all our members to agree to this. We are very welcoming and value inclusivity whilst having a zero-tolerance policy for any unacceptable behavior from our members that would make anybody feel uncomfortable or excluded.

To cover the admin costs there will be a small, one off fee of £5.00 (payable by all new members) into our (Community/Business) bank account:

Bank: MetroBank
Account Name: Chelmsford Friendship Group
Account No: 44126710
Sort code: 23-05-80

This fee is mandatory to all new members after your first event. Our organisers generously give their time free to administer this, so please assist them in actioning this payment promptly.

We are incredibly proud of our club and the 100’s of fantastic friendships it has made. Going into 2024 this is going to be our best and most active year so far, so come and join us, we can’t wait to meet you all.

The Leadership team

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CODE OF CONDUCT

Our group is about friendship and fun, our organisers willingly give their time to ensure all our members get the most out of the group and it is with this in mind that we have a few simple codes we would expect all of our members to adhere to.

1. Subscription -
This is just £5.00 when you join the group and this covers the group's administration. We would expect all new members to pay this after you have attended your first event. It would be unfair to make our leadership team have to chase this, as failure to pay this after a reasonable amount of time would result in your membership being put on hold.

2. Age range -
Although this group is open to anybody, it is ideally suited to people aged 40 and above.

3. Event booking -
Most of our events are very popular and have large waitlists attached to them. If you booked one and do not turn up or cancel at the very last minute, it is very disappointing as another member on the Waitlist would have happily taken this spot and the organiser can waste large amounts of time waiting for you to arrive.

All you need to do is change your RSVP to 'Not Going'.  We realise that things happen unexpectedly and this is sometimes unavoidable. However, if a member consistently does not turn up to events they will automatically be removed from event lists.

4. Profile Photo -
We do ask for your profile photograph to be a recognisable likeness of yourself, as this aids our organisers finding you at busy events.

5. Photo and Video -
We all like capturing and uploading memories from many of the fun events we have. Out of courtesy we would advise you to ensure the subject of your pictures are aware and give you their permission before uploading or tagging them in social media posts.

6. Unsolicited use of the database -
As a group we are able to direct message each other through the MeetUp platform. Please do not abuse this facility and note that we have a zero tolerance policy for the following:

• Promoting goods and services via the app
• Unsolicited approaching of members for personal relationships
• Using the database to directly message members and organise events outside of the Meet Up Group.

In all cases the member will be removed from the group once a final warning has been issued.

7. Personal details -
We actively encourage using this group to develop closer friendships. However, please use caution when disclosing personal contact details with another member. If in doubt please see one of the leadership team for guidance

8. Respect and courtesy -
We are all ambassadors of the group and as such we expect everybody to be polite and respectful to staff at venues where we have organised events. Many of the venues we go to are regular events where we are well known to the staff, who very often go the extra mile to give us a great event. It is with this in mind that we ask that if you have an issue with food or service, please offer that feedback in a polite and respectful manner.

If you have any questions regarding any event please contact the host and not the venue.

Also, our organisers give up their free time and often put a lot of work into these events. If you feel the event was not as you expected, please feed that back in a respectful and constructive way.

Once again, we take a zero tolerance to this and persistent or serious breaches of this will result in the member being removed from the group following the issue of a final warning.

9. Behaviour -
Safety and comfort of our members is our number one concern. Below is a list, although not an exhaustive one, of what will not be tolerated.

• Aggressive behaviour/bullying
• Degrading comments around race, politics, culture, sexual orientation, and gender identification
• Any unwanted behaviour or comments towards a member that would make them feel uncomfortable or unsafe
• Failure to comply with government guidelines around the control of COVID 19.

If you require further clarity around any of these points, please contact one of the group leadership team.

As this is a private group the Organiser reserves the right to remove a member if they are deemed to be having a negative effect on members within the group.

Leadership team