British Mensa
British Mensa is the official Mensa organisation for the British Isles.
British Mensa currently has around 24,000 members, divided among 13 administrative regions, and is unusual in covering more than one country.
The Republic of Ireland and the British territory of Northern Ireland comprise one region ("Ireland") while the Channel Islands are also outside the United Kingdom and have their own small region. The remainder of the regions are formed by the United Kingdom nations of Scotland, Wales, and the English regions, with the Isle of Man (a British Crown Protectorate which isn't a part of the UK) forming part of the North West England region.
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British Mensa Ltd
Its operating company is British Mensa Ltd, which maintains an office in Wolverhampton with 13 staff headed by Chief Executive John Stevenage. BML has a Board of nine voluntary directors each of whom is elected for a three year term. The current directors are Sylvia Herbert, Glenys Hopkins, Fay Langton, Terry Boswell, Chris Leek, John Paines, Peter Tesseyman, and Deborah Theasby. The principal officer posts are selected each year by the Board; currently they are Chairman - John Paines, Secretary - Glenys Hopkins, Treasurer - Deborah Theasby. After the 2007 BMAG these posts will be reassigned. Of these changes, it has been announced that Chris Leek will take over as Chairman.
Membership
Individual annual membership costs £45. The membership package includes a monthly 48pp magazine, a regional newsletter, and free subscription to two printed SIGs. British Mensa administers its Special Interest Groups centrally, requiring members to pay a small fee for subscriptions beyond the initial two, and printing and posting the volunteer-edited newsletters out to members.
Regions
British Mensa is subdivided into thirteen regions, each led by a Regional Officer and having its own monthly regional newsletter.
- Ireland - comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
- Scotland
- Wales
- North West - including the Isle of Man.
- North East
- West Midlands
- East Midlands
- Central
- East Anglia
- London
- South West
- South East
- Channel Islands - the Crown Protectorates of Jersey and Guernsey, which are politically separate.
Regular events
- British Mensa Annual Gathering
- IMAG - Irish Mensa Annual Gathering
- SMAG - Scottish Mensa Annual Gathering
- M@C - Mensa at Cambridge
- Mensa at Malvern
- Mensa at Portmeirion
- Mensa at Oasis
In addition to these, many regional groups and individuals run weekend gatherings.
SIGs
British Mensa administers around 100 Special Interest Groups.
