A big thankyou to the members who rallied to the call for articles to fill the newsletter and so enable me to keep it going through these troubled times - these last few issues of have existed to a great extent because of their contributions. I have now run out of articles, so I am going to need more contributions if the newsletter is to keep going. If you have anything you think other members would like to know about, such as special on-line events or exhibitions, photographic hints, tips and tricks, etc., or just your experiences of lockdown, please let me know at the usual address: bpsnewsletter@bristolphoto.org.uk

It is with great sadness that I report the death, after a very short illness, of Mike Bigger. Mike had felt unwell last week and after several consultations with his doctor was admitted to the BRI on Saturday afternoon where it was discovered that he had a tumor in his abdomen which had spread. The prognosis was not good and in fact it proved to be much worse than we had all hoped as he died peacefully and without pain late on Tuesday evening. Mike will be sadly missed by me as I have lost a very close friend and also by the Society, which has lost a keen and energetic member.

 

Mike joined BPS in 2010, but in the few short years that he was a member he became a huge asset to the Society. He was a major player in the creation of the clubrooms and it is fitting that the picture above was taken at the official opening of Unit13, wearing one of his trademark checked shirts and clutching a glass of something red. Somehow, after much badgering, we managed to coerce Mike into becoming the official Librarian; this was the thin end of the wedge as it meant that we now had Mike trapped on the BPS Council and minor other jobs followed. This culminated in him becoming Bookings Manager. This role meant that Mike dealt with all matters concerned with the letting of the clubrooms which provided a major part of the Society’s income and included the weekly meetings of the Bristol Astronomical Society, the hiring of the clubrooms by WEX for their regular workshops and the booking of the studio by both BPS members and outside photographers who needed to hire studio space. This last item was something which was particularly close to Mike’s heart as his main photographic delight was studio photography, so (unsurprisingly) he occasionally managed to include himself in some of these commercial studio lettings by persuading the photographer that he/she needed “technical assistance” to operate the kit – yeah, right! Mike was a great supporter of BPS, making the annual pilgrimage to Exeter to cheer us on at the WCPF Interclub competition, DPIC, and whenever we got there, travelling up to Warwick to the National Championships.  

 

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