Best wishes for the season and the New Year

Season Greetings to One and All,
At the beginning of the year we wondered what would unfold for our practice, courses and membership, with the Covid years behind us, all hoping things would be back to normal as much as possible.
Who would we be practicing with? 
Who would be waiting in the Dojo?
Who would we having that first practice with?
As it turned out the first Oxford course was very well attended, not only by old members but also some new students.
Following Oxford the Spring Course proved more than successful with full classes over 2 days enjoying the practice styles of the different instructors!
Many thanks to Paul and all at Malvern for arranging our use of the ” Dome”, to which we will be returning in 2023.
Summer School proved as popular as ever considering the times we are in!
Great instruction during the week! Many thanks to the instructors sharing their time and knowledge, led by Kanazawa Shihan and McClarence Shihan, Morgan Shihan plus our  members returning to our regular yearly retreat for a week of Aikido practice with old and new friends in the Dojo, and catching up socially.
After losing the previous 2 Summer Schools to Covid it was important to remember past times and friends who we often only meet at Summer School. It felt so much more important to meet and practice again, in harmony, creating new times going forward !
So now is the time we look to the New Year.
This year’s Spring Course we will have a visiting instructor joining our own Sensei’s McClarence and Morgan Shihan. A long time friend of the BAF, Sensei Jean Pasley.
Summer School will see us welcoming a Hombu instructor again, though we haven’t yet been told who. Plus of course, Morgan Shihan, McClarence Shihan and BAF senior instructors sharing classes throughout the week!
Along with those important courses there are instructors travelling around the country to different areas taking courses on weekends when invited to Dojo’s!
If you think of holding a course but only have a small Dojo consider getting together with one or more Dojo’s and organise a course together!
Importantly by attending courses with different instructors you widen your knowledge and perspective on practice.
All of us no matter what grade, instructor or student, must carry on developing, there is no end to our practice aiming to extend our knowledge over time on the path of Aikido, the practice left to us by O’Sensei!
So lets not stroll in to 2023, but enter it with a strong spirit and firm intent towards our practice.
Also by working together we are moving the BAF forward not only for 2023 but the years to come, developing our Aikido both as an organisation and individually, from the foundations left to us by O’Sensei !
Keep Practicing!
Peter Gillard

BAF Chair