Ex Pres of SNU & AFC no longer Class B member

Latest PN reports that Duncan Gascoyne ex SNU President and former head of AFC is not renewing his Class B membership. He's 75 and has retired but says he was 'sickened' by recent developments at SNU. I've met Duncan and he's one of those wise elder statesmen that the movement really needs.
New is all very well but experience is essential too.

especially Hadley who seems to be playing headmaster badly

There's those as want to sell off the Hall for a spa or airport hotel and cash in on the subsequent bonanza.
Once enough of the property developers mates are in post at SNU via driving out the old brigade spiritualists then I give Stansted another six months tops as a spiritualist concern before the fences go up and the JCBs move in with at least one current SNU nabob on the new owners payroll in some spurious 'consultancy' sinecure or other. Thirty pieces of silver for selling our heritage off to the favoured bidder.
That said the Hall has a terrible atmosphere,always has had.
I'd not be sorry to see it pulled down but with all receipts going into SNU not some receipts minus a huge backhander.

Remembr you read it here first!
If its going to happen it'll be soon. English charitable and nfp law changes from next month mean not for profit and or charitable corporations which are also colleges can transfer assets to whomsoever they will without the checks and balances previously in place. Huge shakeup and will mean that a committee acting as director trustees can hand the family silver to whomsoever they choose with nary a squeak from charity commissioners nor anyone else. It's going to be like the Wild West this next financial year for asset strippers currently embedded in not for profit concerns with freehold property on their books as there's no regulators in place yet.
'Free for all' won't even begin to describe it.
But....
'Kerching, trebles all round and take a large one for yourself landlord'
.... might do.

Of course, being the clean, honourable folk that they are, all the financial gain will be returned to Arthur Findlays family, along with grateful thanks for the free use of the facility for so long.

Sure to be.
:-)

That would be terrible if Stansted Hall were destroyed! If efforts to do so commenced, do you think the building could be saved for historic preservation reasons?

Jim

hiorta wrote:Of course, being the clean, honourable folk that they are, all the financial gain will be returned to Arthur Findlays family, along with grateful thanks for the free use of the facility for so long.

The SNU would be obligated to do so IF there was such a provision in the will or trust or whatever instrument whereby Mr. Findlay allowed them to own or use the building.

If there isn't any such provision. . . yes, I catch your meaning.


Jim

KatyKing wrote:There's those as want to sell off the Hall for a spa or airport hotel and cash in on the subsequent bonanza.
Once enough of the property developers mates are in post at SNU via driving out the old brigade spiritualists then I give Stansted another six months tops as a spiritualist concern before the fences go up and the JCBs move in with at least one current SNU nabob on the new owners payroll in some spurious 'consultancy' sinecure or other. Thirty pieces of silver for selling our heritage off to the favoured bidder.
That said the Hall has a terrible atmosphere,always has had.
I'd not be sorry to see it pulled down but with all receipts going into SNU not some receipts minus a huge backhander.

'That said the Hall has a terrible atmosphere,always has had.'
A slight interruption to topic,sorry.

What is meant by the above quote,KatyKing?
Drew my curiosity....
Petal

Tom Harrison was forst manager at AFC and he comments on it in his book. Eric Hatton also alludes to ill will generated at Stansted.
Could be the SNU effact but i reckon there's a certain restlessness about the place that rubs off on people causing othewise nice folk to behave in ways less charitable one with another than they perhaps would elsewhere.
Only been a couple of times and the back biting and bitchiness amongst staff and some students who were 'into' regular attendance at Hall programmes...
Put me off so it did (that and the costs)

KatyKing wrote:Tom Harrison was forst manager at AFC and he comments on it in his book. Eric Hatton also alludes to ill will generated at Stansted.
Could be the SNU effact but i reckon there's a certain restlessness about the place that rubs off on people causing othewise nice folk to behave in ways less charitable one with another than they perhaps would elsewhere.
Only been a couple of times and the back biting and bitchiness amongst staff and some students who were 'into' regular attendance at Hall programmes...
Put me off so it did (that and the costs)

This is why I queried it,Katy.
A friend who was booked for a course there,walked out because of the bitchiness she encountered.
Thanks Katy.
Petal.

I think buildings absorb atmospheres then replay them. Arthur Finlay was no barrel of laughs by all accounts then the SNU move in and if ever there was an awards ceremony for mutual loathing,place holding and downright bumptiosness then the SNU national officers over the years would scoop the prizes. Old PN would have had little to write about had it not been for the huffs and puffs emanating from denizens of the Hall. New PN has only been going two minutes and already the big stories are Trouble at t' SNU mill - Margaret Preece, David Hopkins having a 'not even medium mediums' pop at SNU trained mediums and now Duncan Gascoyne voting with his feet. They really do detest one another and that atmosphere is tangible at the Hall. As I say, at heart these are good people but made less than they could be by atmosphere and association. Its been like that at Stansted from day one according to Tom Harrison and he opened the place for SNU, so its never changed nor, likely ; ever will. JV Trust weeks are said to be fun but those attending are paid for and tend to be the usually overlooked grafters who deserve a holiday.

Maybe its the angry ghosts of our pioneers getting restive Katy. I have always thought that there were moves within moves especially with the rapid rise of the wealthy property developer Hadley riding on Bruton's coat tails of Bruton.

His appearance as a badly suited headmaster in charge of all colleges was very telling especially after his involvement in the PN fiasco. I reckon that the excuse will be the cost of conversion of Stansted to a 5 star venue will be "too high" making its sale and subsequent aquisition of "more suitable" premises. Now that leaves lost of profitable options in the disposal.

Sounds like I should come over and do a geopathic stress study on Stansted, working with the ghosthunters and pest exterminators (especially those that deal with the two legged variety).


Reckon Gascoyne's more canny than people might think he is.

It'd be a dowsers dream I reckon. There's somewhere out by Radnorshire way forget where exactly sort of a nexus of malevolence . So bad there's five ancient churches built around the perimeter each dedicated to St Michael who by all accounts is a specific remedy against such problems. Maybe the Hall's the right thing in the wrong place but I'll stick with a 'battery for accumulated bitchiness'. Something that feeds on negativity and grows stronger the more it gets fed.
Little Mr Sunshine me as a rule but I've come away both times from the Hall feeling unusually heavy if that's the right term. Took a day or two to get back to frisky.

I have never been to the AF college - some inner prompt, I suppose.
But the type of thing described is exactly the result that could be expected from anyone who 'wanted to develop' and attends a succession of circles in pursuit of....what?

I've always advised those who wanted to travel this road, to take a long, hard and truthful look at themselves before even beginning, as whatever is there - the good, bad and the very ugly in some cases - will all develop proportionately.
We cannot select the 'nice bits' in isolation. I suggest this process of identifying, then inner cleansing, should take about a year.

Generally what happens is that they are happily in circle by the following week.

Multiply this by the number of those 'seeking to do good' and it is easily seen why Spiritualism has major problems.
They just do not understand the potency of the power they open to and the rigorous conditions that must be observed.

Yep. Somebody described developing mediumship as like.....
Rewiring a house... with the power switched on.