Fordingbridge is alive with excitement! Is it the Olympic Games which are on the horizon? Perhaps. Is it the various local events for The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee? Maybe. No, it’s not even the news that Engelbert Humperdinck is available to put us into our rightful place as First in the Eurovision Song Contest! It is the news that could be the pinnacle of our endeavours in Fordingbridge this illustrious year - an exhibition of photographic work by members of the Fordingbridge Camera Club.

You will have the opportunity to examine the work your friends and neighbours have produced. It will be held in the Town Hall on Friday 4th May from 10.30am to 4.30pm and on Saturday 5th May from 9.30am to 2.00pm. The Mayor, Mr Malcolm Connolly, will be opening the exhibition and all are welcome. Entry is free.

Another date for your diary is a little earlier, Wednesday 25th April at 7.30pm in the Town Hall. Fordingbridge has challenged a number of local clubs to a projected Digital Images completion, to be judged by a noted photographic judge, Glyn Edmunds. Entry is free and it will give you the opportunity to see what is happening in photography and learn from Glyn’s comments.

We meet at Avonway Community Centre at 7.30pm on alternate Wednesdays. Our programme for the season is a mixture of talks by visiting top photographers, coupled with opportunities to show your work and have it commented on by experienced photographic judges. In addition to our regular meetings, we are devoting many evenings to Practical Photography, a group to help members who are new-comers to photography.

Having covered all this exciting news, I will now relax and continue my reading of a soothing brochure on cruising – it will be peaceful at sea in comparison to Fordingbridge.

Tom Gelleburn