Jean Fullerton: The RNA’s Chapter Liaison

We welcome the lovely Jean Fullerton to the RNA blog. Jean will be taking on our monthly interviews with the RNA chapters. So, if your chapter has not yet been interviewed please get in touch with Jean.

For those who don’t know me I’m Jean Fullerton and I write sagas set in the East End of London but the other hat I wear is that of RNA Chapter Liaison and it’s in that capacity that I’m on the blog today. 

Firstly, let me say how thrilled I am that Elaine has asked me to organise the monthly chapter blog

spot. As many of you will already know I am passionate about the RNA Chapters as I believe they are the backbone of the organisation. With that in mind I thought I’d tell you a little about what I’m hoping to promote over the next year or so. 

As the Chapter Liaison I’ve had the great pleasure of visiting the Norwich, Cambridge, Southern, Exeter, Oxford Leicester, Southern Belle and the Cornish chapters as well as regularly attending my home chapter, the London and SE, in the past twelve months. I’m hoping to drop in on many more before too long. Enjoyable thought it is to have lunch with you all and getting together with different chapters it has also given me some ideas about how we might increase members participating in chapter events.

I’ve proposed a set of chapter guideline and although this may sound very official it is in fact just setting down what many chapters are already doing. However, in addition it will cover things such as financing of events and creating new chapters.

I’d also like to encourage chapters to put on regional activities such as the recent Yorkshire and Chelmsford Chapters’ afternoon teas both of which were a huge success.  By holding such events members who are unable to attend the London based awards and parties can celebrate and network with RNA friends closer to home.

I’m hoping, in conjunction with Alison May our membership secretary, to assist members to locate their nearest chapter and set up a buddy system so new members can link to a long standing member to allay the anxiety of turning up to a meeting and not knowing anyone. To this end I’m looking at ways of contacting all members to provide details of their local chapter.

However, I won’t be doing all the work as I’m looking for chapters to write an account of their news and activities for the RNA blog.  Watch out for an email from me popping into your inbox.

Please feel free to contact me on writetojean@jeanfullerton.com with any suggestions or queries about the RNA chapters as I’m more than happy to help.

Thank you, Jean. We look forward to your monthly bulletins and interviews.

If you would like to write for the RNA blog please contact us on elaineeverest@aol.com