Fanderson is 40 years old this year, and we’re rightly celebrating our many achievements over those four decades.

But as well as looking back over the great things we’ve done, we’re looking forward to the future for the club, and we’d like your input. It’s seven years since we last surveyed the entire membership so it’s certainly the right time to do it again.

Click here to complete the survey and give us your views. The survey will only take a few minutes to complete, and club members’ collective views will really help us ensure we’re making the right decisions for the future.

If you’d rather not complete the survey online, click here for a copy that you can print, complete and then mail to us at Fanderson, 99 Caton Crescent, Milton, Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire, ST6 8XH (United Kingdom).

The 2021 membership survey closes at midnight on 31st August 2021. All valid entries* received by that time will go into a draw to win one of these fantastic prizes:

• Japanese Thunderbirds Visual Archives book – hard to get outside of Japan
• UFO Screenplays book – a long out-of-print Fanderson book from 2001
• Earthfall – our 2002 reprint of EC Tubb’s 1977 Space:1999 novel
• Century 21 Diary – our membership gift from 2008

*valid entries are from current club members, and whose personal details provided in the survey match those in our membership database

We’re delighted to announce that Derek Eaton has joined the Fanderson committee as Online Services Supremo (we’ll have to come up with a better title!).

Derek’s worked in IT for over 25 years, with the last 20 or so as Head Of IT, so he’s brilliantly placed to ensure that we’re using technology at its best to service club members. Many will already know Derek as he’s been a member for many years, and during a previous stint on the committee (2007-2014) masterminded our website re-platforming and introduced online ordering.

Most importantly, Derek has a great sense of humour too, as evidenced by his fancy dress costume at our TV21 convention in 2010. Or was it X-2-0?

Welcome aboard, Derek!

After 13 years of sterling service to club members, Jay Mullins has decided to step down from the Fanderson committee. On behalf of all club members, I’d like to thank Jay for his contribution to the club during that time, hope to see him again before too long, and wish him well for the future.

As a result of Jay’s departure, Fanderson is looking to recruit a club member to look after our Online Services (click here for a Role Outline). We’d like to hear from any club member who would be interested in the role.

Please email your CV to fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com with a covering letter explaining why you’re interested and what makes you perfect for the role. Experience of working with content management systems is essential (and WordPress and Woocommerce in particular is desirable), as is web hosting. Due to the nature of the role, applicants who can show experience of working in similar roles where security (including the secure handling of personal information) is an important factor will be looked on particularly favourably.

The closing date for applications was Sunday 18th July 2021, and selected applicants will be invited to a subsequent virtual interview shortly afterwards (by mutual arrangement).

Nick Williams, Fanderson chairman

We’re delighted to announce that the Fanderson Forum is back! You can get to it using the link above, or under to “Social” button on the menu bar.

For a decade, the Fanderson Forum was an online place where club members could share their news, views and ideas. Unfortunately, due to insurmountable technical issues, the Forum closed in 2019.

The club’s Facebook group has continued to be a great place for Anderson fans to share their thoughts and ideas. But members have repeatedly asked when the Forum is coming back, as it offered the ability to put and follow threads in discrete spaces (modelling, fan fiction for example) rather than the stream of consciousness that is Facebook.

It looks a bit different now, and you’ll need to log in to your Fanderson account to post anything (as you do to buy merchandise or renew your membership). Your old Forum log in will not work and, sadly, we haven’t been able to recover any of the old Forum conversations.

As it’s part of your online membership account, you can be sure that you’re talking with other club members on the Forum. Although this also means that when your membership expires you’ll lose access to the Forum.

It’s a new, blank canvas. Come in and join the conversation.

39 years ago today, representatives from clubs Anderpup and the Century 21 Appreciation Society, the Fanderson 81 convention and ATV Licensing met with legendary TV and film producer Gerry Anderson at Pinewood Studios.

Together, they pooled their ideas and talents to form the world’s only official appreciation society for the work of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

On behalf of all Fanderson members, a big THANK YOU to Gerry Anderson, Pam Barnes, Mark Jones, Barbara Kitson, Chris Leach, David Nightingale, Phil Rae, Keith Shackleton, Brendan Sheehan and John Williams for giving our club such a great start.

39 years on and the club’s going stronger than ever, so thanks to all Fanderson members – especially the committee members over the years and those who have made a significant contribution (recognised as a Friend Of Fanderson or Life Member).

Join us in celebrating today with something bubbly, and you can read more about Fanderson’s beginnings here.