Our Friends’ scheme was launched in autumn 2012. Since then we have held over twenty special events for our Friends who have enjoyed closer engagement with the Institute’s activities while helping us promote the study of Japanese arts and cultures. We are very grateful to our Friends for their support. Their kindness and generosity have always been a source of inspiration and great encouragement for us.
Following a recent strategic review, which considered the future directions of the Institute, our Management Board has made the difficult decision to discontinue our Friends’ scheme. Whilst the scheme has brought our supporters and friends together and has delivered many inspiring events at 64, The Close and elsewhere, it has been deemed not to be financially sustainable in the longer term.
Although we will stop taking on new members, we will continue to run the scheme for the next 12 months until July 2017. Those whose memberships expire prior to July 2017 can continue to enjoy events for our Friends until that date at no additional cost, and we will continue to hold events at the same pace until then.
Our flagship outreach programme, the Third Thursday Lecture Series will continue to run at the Norwich Cathedral Hostry and we hope that all our Friends’ scheme members, and many more, will continue to enjoy these lectures.