After the wettest 18 months since records began in 1836, we are all undoubtedly hoping for a drier spring and summer, although there is little sign of it so far. The rain is continuing to fall remorselessly as I write this article. However, although many farmers are in despair as waterlogged fields have drowned or spoiled their winter crops and prevented the planting of spring crops, with adverse implications for food prices later in the year, a hardy group of Hurlingham members can’t get wet enough.

Six members from the Club’s Early Birds swimming community will be embarking on a relay swim across the English Channel in September with support from three of the Club’s Fitness team.

Completing such a swim is no mean task. The distance across the Channel from Shakespeare Beach, which lies between Dover and Folkestone, to Cap Gris-Nez, the headland halfway between Calais and Boulogne, is a hazard-strewn 21 land miles, with jellyfish, seaweed, flotsam, jetsam and about 500 daily vessel movements. The water temperature is usually between 14ºC and 18ºC and the swim, somewhat coincidentally, should take between 14 and 18 hours. Rather them than me!

In case you think this venture is a rather extreme reaction to the prolonged closure of the Outdoor Pool, due to essential repairs and maintenance, I’m happy to report the swimmers have a noble motive for embarking on it. They are hoping to raise funds for the Hurlingham Club Foundation which, as I’m sure you know, is the Club’s official charity, that works to support the 20,000 children and older people in Hammersmith and Fulham who are living in poverty.

"Their goal is to raise £20,000 for the Foundation, which to be used to improve the well-being and life chances of local children"

Their goal is to raise £20,000 for the Foundation, which is to be used to improve the well-being and life-chances of local children. I strongly encourage you to donate in support of this worthwhile initiative by the Early Birds team, which you can do by visiting the following link – www.justgiving.com/page/earlybirds

Turning to more prosaic matters, preparations are continuing apace for the start of work on the East Wing, immediately after the conclusion of Tennis Week. Please be prepared for some inevitable disruption as this work gets underway, though I’m sure you will be glad to hear that a key goal of the planning is to keep any disruption to a minimum.

In addition to the East Wing works, the thoughts of the Main Committee and the Club’s management have turned to what needs to be done in the North and West Wings. These projects are interdependent in many ways and I’m grateful that Richard Rawlinson, the former Chair of Finance, has agreed to lead a working group to understand this in greater detail, so their findings can be factored into proposals put to members.

With another season of Hurlingham events about to begin, I wish you all a dry and warm summer!

SIMON DUFFY, CHAIR