Open Day 2013 Report

On Thursday 11th July, we held our annual Open Day in the Dell Cafe at St Mary’s.  Doors opened at 2pm and closed around 6.45pm, before our AGM which was planned to start at 7pm.

We were lucky to have the Sheriff of Southampton, Councillor Sue Blatchford, to open our event, and after a short speech by Councillor Blatchford, we were up and running.

There were a number of local groups to provide information to visitors, including the MS Society, Saints Away Travel, Wheelchair Basketball and Rugby, and a wheelchair dance group who also gave a couple of displays.

The SDSA also had a few tables for Membership and Emergency Medical Card enquiries, cake sales, raffle, and our Summer Draw.  Thank you to everyone that bought cakes, raffle and draw tickets, and joined the SDSA.

There were 3 mini-stadium tours planned, but while the first tour was taking place, we were informed that the remaining 2 tours could not take place due to “un-foreseen circumstances” (but could the fact that Victor Wanyama was about to be announced as the latest Saints signing be just a coincidence?).

Outside the Dell Cafe, the Saints Foundation looked after a blow up goal so that anyone could take a shot at Sammy Saint.

Around 4.30pm, we were lucky to get a visit from Saints legend and 1976 FA Cup winner Nick Holmes.  Nick did a tour of the room, chatting to everyone, before giving a very rare talk on his playing days (Nick said that it was the first public speaking he had done for a number of years).  We had hoped that Lawrie McMenemy would also pop by, but he was unable to make it at the last moment.

Nick also helped by drawing the raffle followed by the main prizes in the Summer Draw.  The winners of the Summer Draw are listed on our site.  We are also going to have a series of silent auctions (you bid your highest offer and at the end of the auction the highest bid wins) and details will be on this site soon.

At around 7pm, we started our AGM and although we would have liked a few more members there, those that were there heard what we had done in the last year, and our plans for the coming season.