FF-UK Update - 2006 Christmas / New Year edition

Fandom, friendship, fun ... Welcome to the last Update of 2006!

2006 ... the year that was.

It?s been a year of many changes for Fan Force UK as a whole, and for the individual chapters. We have had our fair share of new Chapter representatives and one RSA. Like any social group this is inevitable but sometimes quite sad. Our membership has ebbed and flowed over the months, though it?s nice to see the people who stick with us through thick and thin. Fan Force is after all about making friendships, and it?s why I came here in the first place. And I have made some good friendships on here, ones that will last long after Star Wars and Fan Force will be gone.

Fan Force is a social group, and even though it has a foundation in people?s love of that wonderful space opera, it is also about people meeting to socialise, outside of the bounds of fandom. Chapters that work well build up the social aspect, and the friendships, and I know all the chapters here are doing well on that front. It?s great to see people socialise on the Fan Force UK forums and also in real life, it makes all the hard work by chapter representatives and members worthwhile. We won?t always get it right, but we?ll work at it till we do.

These boards are very much alive and all chapters are making steps to frequent activity ? I am more than happy to see Wales, Scotland and the South having meets, and I hope to support them in the coming months and the New Year. The more established chapters of London, Midlands and the North hold frequent meets and their members have firm friendships. What has also been great for Fan Force UK in 2006 is the meets where members from different chapters have come together, I hope to see more of these in 2007. Its not always just about your own local group, it?s about being part of the greater whole, the Fan Force United Kingdom. I hope that 2007 more than any year shows that.

2007 ... the year that will be.

2007 is going to be a huge year for Star Wars fans. It?s the 30th anniversary of ?Star Wars IV: A New Hope?, the film that started all this off. Lucasfilm have big plans for the party around this ? Los Angeles and Celebration IV, and more importantly for us as a group ... Celebration Europe in London. This is the year that UK and Europe based fans get the recognition we have asked for ? our own official convention, and that is something special. Having been to Celebration III in Indianapolis, I am so excited for Star Wars fans here, and even though it will be a different experience to the one in the States, it?s going to be OUR experience, and I can only see good in that. As well as the Celebrations, there will be a big multimedia project for all EU fans to enjoy along with the usual books, comics, and games and the Star Wars roleplaying game will be back, all new and improved.

Fan Force and Jedi Council will continue to support fan creativity of all kinds ? art, film, fiction, charity work, costuming and much much more. I hope that chapters wanting to take part in these will do so. I will give as much support and encouragement as I can. We have ideas of our own, some were talked about and shelved for a latter date, and I hope to see in 2007 these reaching some form of fruition ? especially the newsletter idea.

Convention-wise, aside for the huge Celebrations in London and Los Angeles, we have UK based Showmasters with venues in Chestnut, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Milton Keynes. Then there is Fantasy Events who usually hold venues in Bristol, Cardiff and Newport but for the 30th anniversary they are planning bigger ?

?Our plans for 2007 are a 30th Anniversary Roadshow of sorts visiting around 10 towns and cities in England and Wales.

The events will concentrate on areas that haven't had this kind of show before, and will start in February.

Confirmed dates so far are Newport on Easter Sunday and Cardiff on Dec