The club has a voluntary unpaid committee, who are responsible for running the club on behalf of the membership. There are four Executive Officer’s namely a Chairman, a Vice-Chairman, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Who in addition are supported by a dedicated General Purpose Committee. All the committee members are elected annually from the clubs membership at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) in January.

The object of Pick is for the advancement of Information Technology, in Computers and various peripherals. Thereby increasing member’s knowledge in the computers sector with all the various ancillary equipment. In addition we encourage a happy and friendly atmosphere with the social interaction of its members, and visitors at all club meetings. Therefore we provide a much needed service in Information Technology to the local community.

During the past nine years of Pick. Many members have said how much pleasure they have gained from being a member of the club. As well as increasing their technical knowledge enabling them to become more computer literate, with their various computer systems. We have a sizeable membership. We always welcome new members irrespective of their level of competence, as we all had to start somewhere. Indeed that is one reason why we run the computer club to assist people in becoming more competent.

As can be appreciated things are always advancing quickly in the world of computer technology. But with our help, we try to keep members up to date. Because computing covers such a wide variety of subjects. Therefore it can be difficult to keep pace with the upgrades as things are constantly being changed and improved. However we will always strive to keep members informed of the latest technology as it is developed!! By an large this applies whether the member is relatively new to computing or an advanced user.

Over the past few years we have been fortunate in receiving two lottery grants which enabled us to purchase a digital projector, and computers, in addition to many other computer peripherals which has added to the enjoyment and benefit of the club. In addition we have had small grants from Weymouth & Portland Borough Council and also The Portland Island Steam & Vintage Show. All these donations have assisted us in being able to keep our computer systems up-dated, as technology and operating systems are revamped.

All Events details are publicised on our Pick website, (see website details below). Informing members what events are being demonstrated and discussed. Should there be anything that anyone is particularly interested in being displayed on our website including photos, then please contact the webmaster on picklubb@waitrose.com who will give every assistance.

I would like to give our assurance that when anyone joins Pick,their personal details including any email information are never disclosed to anyone except to committee members who may require some contact information. Also if and when members are emailed en masse the message will be sent under ‘Bcc’ (Blind carbon copy). So other members are NOT aware of anyone else’s email address details or even who has received the email message. It should be appreciated that in the interest of our members confidentiality. Every precaution is taken to ensure that the highest level of email security is maintained, thus preventing Pick being a source for Spammers and viruses from gaining access to members computer systems. However we strongly recommend that all members should ensure that they have an efficient anti-virus and anti-spy wear system installed on their computers, which should be updated regularly to avoid anyone accessing their computers.

As you may appreciate the club is run for the benefit of all members, to improve their knowledge and computer skills. Where possible we will always strive to ensure that any members with a computer related problem is given help and assistance. With this in mind we occasionally hold Question and Answer sessions. However it should be borne in mind that individual training and instruction may not be possible. As this could well detract from the members evenings events programme.

Maurice Grange