Table set to serve up great 60th year

HENRY Burbidge, right, the new chairman of Saddleworth Round Table with outgoing chairman David Wood

THE new chairman of Saddleworth Round Table has promised another "fantastic" year in this the club's 60th anniversary year.

Henry Burbidge, a 24-year-old property investment and development consultant, has taken over the demanding role from Dave Wood.

Speaking after receiving the chain of office at the club's headquarters at the White Hart, Lygate, Mr Burbidge said: "It is a privilege to be this year's chairman.

"Being only 24 years young I am bowled over by the trust fellow members have given me. All I can say is that hopefully that trust is not misplaced.

"Coming into the 60th anniversary of Saddleworth Round Table there are of course age old traditions that need to be adhered to.

"However, the organisation itself has come on leaps and bounds from its 1958 founding year.

"We have members from a variety of different professions ranging from engineers, marketing professionals, pilots, businessmen and falconers.

"And, as you can probably guess, no meeting ever feels repetitive with such a diverse set of friends.

"Although having such a laugh isn't the be all and end all," he explained.

"We are charitable fundraisers and I can only congratulate our immediate past chairman, David Wood, for what will be viewed as one of the most successful years in recent Round Table history. David, with the help of volunteers, friends, family, new and existing members ran an incredibly successful Santa Dash in December.

"This provided local residents a fantastic spectacle, with 500 Santas sprinting through Uppermill, all for local and worthy causes. We can only hope to improve upon [that] this year.

"It is a daunting act to follow," he added. "But I will give it my all and, with the help of my fellow members and welcome prospective members, I can only hope that 2017 will be another fantastic year for Table."