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What we’re about

South Herts Walk and Social Meetup Group

This is a private North London/South Herts based Meetup Group that organises walks and social events. New members can only join by invitation. If you are looking for a public group with similar interests, there are others on Meetup. Here is what we offer but we keep within any restrictions that are in force:

OUTDOOR EVENTS

  • Weekend walks, weekday walks, evening walks usually up to 6 miles, sometimes with the option of a shorter or a longer route.
  • Local walks in the Hertfordshire countryside and outer green areas of the London Boroughs of Barnet, Harrow and Enfield.
  • Day walks elsewhere in South-East England including Buckinghamshire Chilterns, Essex, Surrey, Sussex or Kent
  • Visits to National Trust properties and other places of interest, sometimes combined with a walk or a choice of walks.
  • Walking weekends and longer trips in England and Wales and occasionally further afield

SOCIAL

  • Re-connect with friends after COVID restrictions ease.
  • Make new friends if you have moved to the South Herts Area and keep in touch with friends if you have moved away
  • Visits to museums, exhibitions, concerts, cinema, theatres, restaurants, cafes etc.
  • On-line Zoom meetings to keep in touch and plan future events
  • Send messages to other members using Meetup messaging or post a comment on the Group's on-line discussion forum

ABOUT

This summary information page is publicly visible on Meetup. The list of event titles and dates is also public but all other group content is only visible to members. Only members can see the list of members, the location of each event, the names of the event host, names of members attending, group photo albums, group discussion forum, group emails and members' documents.

MEMBERSHIP

Many of our members already know each other and new members can only join if they have an invitation password that has been provided by one of the organisers. There is no annual membership fee and membership runs from 1st January to 31st December each year. Members will normally be offered free renewal of membership at the end of each year, at the discretion of the organisers. We may also invite small donations (£1 - £2 per event) from participants of some events to contribute to the fees that group organizers have to pay Meetup.
Members may bring well-behaved dogs that have been approved for membership by the organisers.

HOW TO JOIN (IF YOU HAVE AN INVITATION PASSWORD)

You can only join this group if you have received an invitation password by email, by Meetup messaging or by face-to-face contact. If you click the "Request to Join" link, you need to provide a valid invitation password for your application to be considered. If you don't have an invitation password then there are many other public groups on Meetup with similar interests.
Your membership application will be accepted if:

  1. You are known to at least one of the Group organisers
  2. You have a valid invitation password (individual or group)
  3. In the opinion of the Group organisers, you meet the criteria for membership (see below)

There are two types of invitation password, individual and group. Individual passwords are issued to one person only and if you receive one, your membership application has already been approved. Individual passwords cannot be shared. Group passwords may be issued to a group of people. Group passwords can be shared but each application is considered individually.

HOW TO SET UP A MEETUP LOGIN

If you join this group then you need to set up a Meetup login if you don't have one already. If you already have a Meetup login, just go to step (2) below. Here is how to set up your own Meetup login:

  1. Anyone age 18 or over can set up a Meetup login free of charge. You only need access to the Internet and an email address. You can use a "smart" mobile phone, an iPad, a laptop or a desktop computer. There are two ways to set up a new Meetup login. You can either:

    (a) use a Facebook or Google/Gmail account (if any) to log in to Meetup.

    Meetup is not connected with Facebook or Google but if you already have an existing Facebook or a Google/Gmail login, then you can use this to set up a Meetup login quickly and easily with just a few mouse clicks. This will copy your name and optionally your photo (if any) from Facebook or Google, making it visible to others on Meetup, or:

    (b) set up a separate stand-alone Meetup login

    If you don’t already have a Facebook or Google login or if you don't want your Facebook details to be visible on Meetup, you can set up a separate stand-alone Meetup login. Unlike Facebook, you don't need to give much personal information for Meetup apart from an email address. Information on your Meetup profile includes:

    * A Meetup user name (required).
    You don't need to give your full name although you can if you like. You can use a first name and initial, a nickname or an abbreviation. Your Meetup user name will be visible to other members of this group on Meetup. If you also join other Meetup groups then the name(s) of your other group(s) will also be visible on Meetup but there is a setting to hide this information if you like.

    * An email address (required).
    This is used by Meetup for communication but it is not visible to any other member unless you receive a Meetup message by email and reply by email. Your email address would also be visible to the Group organisers if we had Meetup Pro, which we don't have.

    * A profile photo of yourself (optional).
    For this group, you don't need a photo or you can use a distant photo of yourself, a photo of something else like a landscape or your dog if you like. Some other groups require a passport style photo this group doesn't.

    * Your location town (required).
    This is visible to other members

    * A post code (required).
    Your post code is not checked against an address as you can't enter a full address. It is not visible to other members.

    * Your home town (optional)

    * Your birthday and gender (both optional).
    These are not visible to other members.

    * A short biography (optional).

  2. When you have a Meetup login, log in to Meetup and find this group. Click the "Request to Join" link. You will need to answer some questions. The first question is to give your invitation password.

  3. You will be notified when your application to join is accepted or rejected.

  4. You can download a Meetup App for Apple iPhone or Android phones but this is optional, see https://4142298.xyz/apps/ The app allows you to get Meetup messages on a mobile phone instead of by email but it is possible to do everything on Meetup using a normal web browser on a desktop computer, a mobile phone or tablet.

GUIDE FOR MEMBERS
Here is what you can do with this group:

  • SIGN UP FOR EVENTS
    When new events are scheduled on the Group calendar, you will receive a notification by email if your Meetup status is "active member", that is that you have attended an event in the past 3 months. You can see full details of the event including a map of the meeting place and you can also see who else has already signed up. When you find an event that you would like to attend, click "Attend" and you should receive an email confirming your place. Some events may have a limited number of spaces but if all spaces are full, you can join a waiting list and Meetup will notify you automatically if a space becomes available.

    If you change your mind about an event, please change your response to ‘No’ on Meetup, so that someone else can take your place.

  • ON-LINE MEETINGS ON ZOOM
    Meetup events can be face-to-face or on-line. On-line events can be on Zoom and you will get the Zoom link to join after you have signed up for the event.

  • GROUP PHOTO ALBUMS
    There are photo albums visible to members showing past events that some members may remember. There may be photos of forthcoming events and you can also upload your own photos of events or other things.

  • EMAIL LIST
    There is a Group Email list that allows you to send a message to all other Group members. These could be:

    * An informal invitation to other members to meet somewhere for a walk or social event or a party. This is a simple and quick alternative to putting an event on the calendar, for example for events at short notice.

    * Suggestions for future events.

    * Discussions about past events.

    * Anything that is likely to be of interest to other members such as items for sale or wanted, requests for information (does anyone know a good plumber, builder, gardener, etc.?)

  • DISCUSSION FORUM
    There is an on-line discussion forum for members. We mainly use this like a notice board for announcements that remain visible.

  • ORGANISE EVENTS
    You are welcome to organise an event but this is optional. You are not expected to organise any events or even to participate in any. If you would like to organise an event, please ask one of the organisers to make you an event host. We have some draft events such as walks that you can copy and adapt or you can send details to the organisers who will be pleased to post your event on-line for you.

    Events could be walks, weekends away, other outings or social events such as a party or a meal out. You can set a limit on numbers if you like. If the event needs payment such as for accommodation, it is possible to collect this online.

    Alternatively for an informal event that doesn't appear on the calendar, you can just send an email to other members.

MEMBERSHIP CRITERIA
Members accept that this group is a "Grump Free Zone". That applies to face-to-face events and also for on-line contact via email or Zoom. Further information on what this means in practice is available to members in the Files area.

ETIQUETTE
These aren't rules but advice for a friendly group

  1. The walk leader sets the pace suitable for the slowest member, as long as we can complete the walk in a reasonable time. It is not a race to finish first nor a training event nor a good non-stop work-out. We stop from time to time to regroup (for example after going through a gate), to have a rest, a drink or a snack, admire the view or take photos, etc. You may need extra clothing to put on for stops in colder weather.
  2. We have members of different ages and genders and we like everyone to relate to each other on an equal basis.
  3. We have members from different nationalities and cultures. We like to make everyone welcome and we don't quiz anyone about their background or country of origin, they can tell us if they like but this is optional.
  4. Conversations on a group walk or other event can often be overheard by others so we avoid discussing anything that is out of place in a friendly social group. This would include avoiding heated debates or any discussions about controversial or unpleasant subjects that others may not wish to hear about, including religion, UK politics or politics of any other country.