Our 2018 Annual Report by Frances Homewood
It’s good to look back on another very busy year and reflect on all the achievements and changes. There have been quite a few!BuildingLast August we finally completed the renewal of all the old windows we inherited (and my husband Mike lovingly preserved) by getting new windows for the front hall. The difference in light and insulation has been significant, making them a great improvement. We were generously gifted a new Sign outside the building by Laura Potts. Then in March we got the stage and new storage in the front hall. I now feel that all the structural improvements to the building have been made. It has taken 14 years but it feels like a major achievement. Of course, an old building like this will always need repairs and maintenance but the costs are of a different order.New TeachersIt has been great to welcome Nidhi and Anna to the team and to know that the other 2 teachers I trained have set up classes in their communities. We have welcomed Dominic to teach a weekly class. Three Intermediate teachers have joined to assist me in the therapy class this year, travelling considerable distances to do so . Sadly Iris Pimm has stepped back from this work after many years in which she brought great compassion and skill to the team.New Admin teamWe have been lucky to recruit, on Catherine’s retirement, Cara and Niccole who bring such energy and new ideas to their roles. As a result, we have new leaflet designs, office systems and more support for me in managing the Centre.Classes and WorkshopsWe have had 3 Internationally renowned teachers with us over the course of this year- Stephanie Quirk, Firooza Razvi and Elise Browning Millar, as well as UK teachers such as Edgar Stringer and Uday. We now run 20 classes a week and the programme means we can accommodate/ provide for all students and their needs. I feel very proud of this and of the ongoing quality of teaching at the Centre. The feedback you gave us in evaluation forms was incredibly positive.The December 14th Centenary event was truly memorable and left us all heart warmed and grateful. It was so good to see the whole building packed and alive with music, film, yoga and food to celebrate the life of this great man BKS Iyengar.We also ran, for the first time, a Philosophy Course for Teachers, facilitated by Helen Clay and myself. It consolidated the beginnings of philosophy study and teaching at the Centre, which I and others would like to see continue.ChallengesGetting the new website to work properly has been a major one this year. A great deal of work by Katie, Catherine, Cara and Sam our designer has gone into this. We feel we are almost there but there is still a lot to be done to update it with the correct information and to get the most from the system.The other challenge is to promote our wonderful Centre .With such a professional and well trained team of teachers and admin, we know this can be done but always welcome your help as students to spread the word so that more and more people can get the incredible benefits that we all get from doing Iyengar Yoga in this beautiful tranquil space.Namaste,Frances