You have no doubt noticed that our Society Newsletters have lately contained a number of articles courtesy of the BFS CADS Fuchsia News. This is a quarterly publication of the BFS Affiliated Societies Sub-Committee headed by Carol Gubler, Arthur Phillips and Derek Poole (hence CADs).
The purpose of this publication was to collate some material to assist editors of affiliated societies newsletter who often struggle with very little material forthcoming from their own members. It has now been going for a couple of years and has indeed proved to be a boon for busy editors. It allows them to use articles to supplement their own offerings, but in return many Newsletters are exchanged with the CADs and this has now developed in an excellent two way flow of information to mutual benefit.
A full copy of the CADs Fuchsia News is always placed in our own Society Library for your perusal and it is now also placed in it entirety on the BFS Web site to reach an even wider audience.
I think the CADs do an excellent job and long may the continue their good work - thought you might like to know a little more about those hardworking individuals  so we publish their profiles below!

Carol Gubler, CAD 1 Born in Epsom Hospital, my grandfather is quoted as commenting "if it is not a girl with red hair, send it back!" luckily I was both. My Dad, Reg Gubler started growing fuchsias in 1963 after a neighbour gave him a few cuttings. I can't really remember a time when we didn't grow fuchsias and from an early age I could be found helping with the gardening, stopping plants etc. I left school with eight 0 levels and two A levels and went to Goldsmiths College to study Botany and Zoology and emerged three years later with a degree (which hasn't necessarily done me a lot of good since! but I do know an awful lot about cell structure etc.!) Life occasionally means that you go off at a tangent so I became a Civil Servant and, I will say this very quietly, I was a tax collector for just over five years, initially working close to home and later in the nice parts of central London, Brixton, Peckham etc. In 1984 my Father died and I decided that I really could not see me spending the rest of my life commuting to London and asking people for money. So March 1st 1986 I opened Little Brook Fuchsias, and the rest as they say is history, and I suppose I am still asking people for money!
Fuchsias have certainly opened a lot of doors for me, I have been on Gardener's World twice, local radio, written a book, produced plants for a number of other books and been given my very own soap box! A lot of it is being in the right place at the right time, but I believe in grabbing opportunities as they pass by, you never know what they could lead to.
Fuchsias are not my whole life, ever since I was seven years old I have been  involved in Guiding, and currently I run a Guide Unit of over 30 girls. I am also District Commissioner, co-ordinating two Rainbow Units, six Brownie Packs, two Guide Units and a Ranger Unit, 300 girls & 30 adults. It can often be quite a commitment, but I wouldn't want to give it up, the highs far outweigh the lows and it does mean that I have a very loud and carrying voice for my size.
I could say a lot more but the main thing is that I enjoy it all - whether it is growing a fuchsia, collecting fuchsia Lore, or just being part of the fuchsia World. I believe that I could do a world tour just staying with fuchsia friends.

Arthur Phillips, CAD 2 Occupation: Plumbing and Heating Estimator/Quantity Surveyor/ Buyer/Contracts Engineer. Education: once a very long time ago, I think!. Interests: many and varied, apart from fuchsias, which is a disease, cricket, soccer, naval history (Second World War), reading and playing solitaire on the computer.
Fuchsias: started messing about with fuchsias as a youngster, my father grew fuchsias and I helped in the greenhouse. I drifted away in my teens, whilst taking my apprenticeships etc. In the early seventies my father became ill and the doctor suggested a hobby as therapy. We restored the greenhouses and I helped rebuild the collection and in doing so visited the newly opened Fuchsiavale Nursery and formed a friendship with John and Val Ridding, which continues today. I was persuaded to visit the newly formed North Worcestershire Fuchsia Society, found myself joining, then onto the committee as Assistant Treasurer.  Continued on next page