www.berkskfa.org.uk

Carole Williams, President of Berkshire KFA

I joined Berkshire KFA in September 1969 and never looked back! I continue to be a loyal class member. My teachers have included Lily Mood, Brenda Perris, June Furneaux and, currently Pat Kidd and Shirley Stallwood.

I was invited to use my administrative skills on the Berkshire Committee and at my first meeting found myself unexpectedly in the Secretary's post. I continued my service on the Committee as Chairman, and subsequently Berkshire's representative on Southern Counties. I also served on Southern Counties as Chairman, followed by a 4 year period of office as National Delegate, during which time the National AGM was held in Reading.

My commitment and desire to help run the Association in a professional way led me to serve on various committees and working parties over a period of 29+ years. For a number of years I was a co-ordinator of recreative weekends at Bisham Abbey, Bishop Otter College at Chichester and the Savoy Country Club on the Isle of Wight.

As a class member I still consider myself to be one of the backroom girls and am happy to help at events in any capacity.

I have appeared in numerous demonstrations at all levels - my true love in Keep Fit is skipping.

In May 1997 I became Vice President of Berkshire KFA and was delighted to accept the invitation of Berkshire KFA to become President in May 2009, taking over the role when Jean Stallwood retired.

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Maureen Maude, Vice President of Berkshire KFA

I’ve been a keep fitter in Berkshire since the 1970s, though the first class I attended was in London in the ‘60s. In fact, I found out subsequently that Jeanette Hughes (National KFA Chairman from Berkshire and member of Berkshire KFA Training Committee) and I both started our KFA career with the same inspiring London teacher, only I was there first.... being the senior!

One husband and two small children later I was persuaded to turn my love of doing keep fit into a love for teaching it, so I joined a training course. That first training course was (say it soft!) over thirty years ago. There has been Advanced Training and Trainer Training since then and I have taught evening classes at Adult Education Centres and privately in Reading, Southcote and Caversham, taken sessions at the Berkshire KFA recreative weekends at Bisham Abbey, led rallies and summer classes, and forgotten what else in the passage of time!

I’ve loved being a team member in lots of demos including at the Royal Albert Hall, and also been privileged to be County Team producer. By some strange quirk of fate I found myself the announcer at the Royal Albert Hall at four of the KFA annual festivals, and managed to fail to recognise a celebrity from Coronation Street in the Royal Albert Hall Green Room!

Along with my KFA teaching qualifications I learned a lot about the way Berkshire KFA works when I was elected to the executive committee, serving time as executive chairman and subsequently chairman of the training committee. Those were heady days when the KFA was "packing them in" before the multitude of new exercise disciplines had taken hold. More recently I was co-opted onto the Constitution Working Party, where I gained a dubious reputation for actually enjoying all the complexities of this splendid document!

Why did I go to that first KFA class in London? I joined keep fit because I love moving to music and after all these years the variety of choreography and teaching styles still keeps it fresh for me. The KFA has been buffeted about in recent years but it is resilient and committed to promoting the social as well as the physical well-being of its members. Fabulously, keep fitters are lively, interesting, warm, engaging people who are great fun to be with. It’s a joy to meet so many good friends at every keep fit event.

It’s a real honour to be invited to stand as Vice President. Current President Carole Williams and former Vice President Jean Stallwood both brought dignity and warmth to the role in their time as Vice Presidents. I can’t guarantee the dignity but I do care about the future of Berkshire KFA and think of all members as good friends who share my love of movement, exercise and dance. It will be a pleasure to serve the Association in any way I usefully can.