TOPIC:

I have had my ear bent by a few professional ear-benders recently about how they might get their voices and opinions heard about the general running of the pub they have invested in, or just use on a daily or weekly basis.

Most of the actual shareholders are quite happy to forego a percentage of their dividends next year, so long as vital work - or work which they see as vital - is carried out in The Bell, as promised in the general gist of the launch, over a year ago.

The state of the toilets comes up quite regularly - these being the obvious areas where remedial action is most required, and nobody can understand why almost nothing has been done about it, despite a profitable first year.

One shareholder asked me if he should attend a board meeting in order to air his views, and everyone said - quite rightly - that he was not eligible to attend any Board meetings, not being on the Board.

I asked him when was the last time he looked at this forum - it being the only immediate voice and connection with his other 535 share-holders, and he said 'once', and once only.

Some action needs to be taken by the shareholders and general customers themselves, and this need only be in the form of participation on THIS forum. The Board would - I am sure - be genuinely grateful for your input.

I know that the Board are slightly dismayed at the lack of participation here, but if you REALLY want your views to be seen and aired about issues regarding The Bell, right here is the place to do it.

Start using this facility before it becomes obsolete, otherwise stop bending my ear about the toilets when I am trying to have a peaceful pint.

Regretfully, I think you're preaching to the converted on here, a plea to the same effect needs to go out to those who aren't using the forum, maybe by email?

I'd also like to know what is happening with the toilets, the main gents is well overdue a bit of attention!

Finally, can nothing be done about the spam we're seeing on here? I'm close to giving up on the forum as noise is now outweighing the signal...

The spam beneath this topic is a perfect example of how even the bloody moderators do not check up on this forum.

I really do wonder what the point of it is, and - uncharacteristically - am getting really sick of my own voice.

As far as being alerted by email to topics here are concerned, it is up to the individual to ask for the alerts of their own choice, and since even the moderators do not even use email these days, then I think there is not much hope of that happening. Very depressing.

Facebook should be a quick alert to events and jokes, etc, and here should be somewhere where things can be thrashed out.

You, me and about 4 other people come here, and I might not stay that long.

I am also wondering why the predominance of the spam adverts is either vinyl windows, or - in the latest case 13 bloody adverts for free movie downloads. Maybe the moderator can tell us?

a wee squirt of descalent on the gents pissoir and a modicum of elbow grease could transform this facility with minimum outlay; perhapse a word in the cleaner's shell-like?!!

Despite how much I admire the lot - paid and unpaid - who keep the place running, I think it is beginning to verge on the disgraceful that absolutely nothing has been done about the stinking bogs. This is also the cleaner's responsibility, and not just the maintenance.

It is all very well telling the shareholders that they will not be getting a dividend this year, but I know that there is at least a few thousand quid available which could be spent on doing some - if only remedial - works to the facilities, which were scheduled in for immediately after the frontage work that I had a hand in.

The maintenance man is now a Board Member, so you would think that all this would be well in hand by now. I am beginning to believe that the biggest expenditure on maintenance is Gaffer-Tape and Blu-Tack.

Take a look at the ceiling in the bar, where it collapsed about six months ago, and you will see what I mean. I cannot see how screwing up randomly selected bits of Melamine-faced chipboard is any easier than nailing up one piece of plaster board ready for a skim, even if it takes another two years to get around to applying that skim. Even the bits of chipboard have TWO different types of Gaffer Tape stuck all over them!