End of the Year

We have now reached the end of another school year - and it has undoubtedly been our busiest to date.

A summary of the action will follow in due course.

For now, I must immediately thank everyone who has supported CSC Teesside over the course of this school year.

That includes our 16 curriculum schools, Yarm School, the wonderful staff in each one and the fabulous children who embraced the challenge of learning something new.

It also includes my tutors, CSC colleagues and all of the volunteer helpers in our library sessions - and to everyone with whom I worked on the extensive Training Day Tour.

Thank you to all of the parents, grandparents and guardians who who encouraged - and transported - the children to our tournaments and events.

Thank you to everyone who is not even connected to a school or club but who still follows our news here, on Facebook and on Twitter.

Thanks are also due to the critical few who prevent me from becoming lazy.

It is no secret that our schools are under immense pressure at the moment, with financial matters being the most tense and problematic of all areas. This makes the renewal process extremely difficult in some cases but I am delighted to say that CSC Teesside will be teaching chess in schools for more hours than ever before when we return to action in September.

That should tell you how dedicated the Headteachers of our schools are when it comes to the art of enrichment, despite being under severe pressure to justify their timetable choices via national league tables. Behind the laughter and the smiles there is an immense amount of hard work behind the scenes to keep all of the plates spinning.

I want to make Teesside even greater than it already is and this can be achieved by bringing in more schools and creating more opportunities for people of all ages to play chess.

We will be working on some fundraising ideas over the Summer in order to try and help more of our schools feel more secure about the funding aspect of chess.

If anybody out there is in a position (or has contact with someone who is) to offer financial support for our schools to continue their involvement and development with chess then please contact me directly via a private message.

We have worked, very successfully, with corporate bodies before and we would welcome the opportunity to do so again.

I cannot predict too much of the future but I can confirm I will return for my 32nd consecutive year of chess teaching in September.

Thank you, everyone.