President Visits the Branches
Kent February 2007

I was recently honoured to accept an invitation to attend, as a guest, a meeting of the Kent Branch of the AMUSF. This is a very active branch of the Association and I was curious to see how they arranged their meetings.


L-R: Roy Theobald FAMU; Brenda Finch FAMU; Derek Oviatt FAMU; President of the AMUSF Joan Milton; Joan's husband David Hayes; retired member Jim Johnson; retired member Davin White FAMU; former member Peter Finch FAMU; Joan Johnson and retired member Alan Croucher FAMU.

The meeting took place at The Cuxton Social Club in a private meeting room. Unfortunately the current Chairman, Cyril Knight and his wife Hazel were away on holiday. There are still a number of retired members who attend the meeting, a practice I find very helpful as their wealth of experience in the trade can be very useful to newer members. I personally find that chatting to these experienced Upholsterers and Soft Furnishers can be fascinating and never fail to glean a tip or two from a conversation.

There were some other prominent Kent members missing due to other commitments but the attendance of nine was still good.

The strong sense of a close community is very evident and no trade subject was regarded as irrelevant and not suitable for discussion. If one member had a problem then all shared in solving it.

Social events were strong on the agenda but there was no pressure to be part of these unless you wished. Retired members seemed especially helpful for these occasions as they have more time on their hands to help the busy working members.

There were a couple of points that were highlighted at the meeting and I felt that maybe this article could be followed with a reply from Mike Spencer who could enlighten Kent and other members and lay to rest some misunderstandings that sometimes occur when changes within the organisation take place. The following were questions raised by the members:

First item:

On the subject of our new code of practice it was asked why this was necessary. Some felt that this code was already understood to be in practice and that all members of the AMUSF were already expected to comply with these codes.

Equally it was felt not good practice to highlight, on the web site, those members who have so far signed up to the new code. It makes it look like other members do not comply. I must point out that none of the branch felt that the code was unreasonable, just that they thought it already applied to all members.

The second item referred to the logo on the ‘code of practice leaflet’, which is distorted. It was felt that it was extremely important that this logo was precise and presented in its clearest form as this is what we are asking the public to look out for when placing their work. It was considered that we were missing a good opportunity to promote the logo to the public by not making it easily recognisable.

Another Point was their disappointment in the large sign for their new building being ‘The Furnishing Group’. They asked why there had to be large sign at all and would have been happy to have the building called ‘Francis Vaughan House’ and except the list of Associations and publications on the smaller sign by the door.

If any other members have thoughts or positive feedback on these subjects I would be glad to hear them and I will be happy to take them to the Board. I do understand it can be difficult to get a point over especially if you do not have a local branch in which to discuss matters or clarify your understanding of a subject. Why not go along. If you are a member in Kent or surrounding area and would like to attend the next meeting just turn up on the 21st March at 8 pm or contact Davin White on 020 885 44402 for further information, you would be made very welcome. Or simply visit the Kent Branch on our website Go:

And Finally It was good to hear varying opinions on different subjects, none of which, in my judgement, was either wrong or right. It would be a sad day when if, as a Director and elected President, I did not keep an open mind and listen to the views of members within the Association.

There is nothing better that meeting members and recognising faces of the future and catching up with faces of the past. I would be more than happy to visit other branches or simply a local gathering of members anywhere in the country during my reign as President. Contact me on 0870 777 8934 or email: jam@jamiltonupholstery.co.uk

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