Present

Apologies

Richard Barthram

Jane Kent

Julian Kent (Treasurer)

Michael Macturk

James Middleton (Chairman)

Roy Oldfield

Barry Palmer

Beryl Palmer

Christine Page (Secretary)

David Price

Steven Sherring

Di Slater

Kim Smith

Sheila Smith

Becky Whitton

Liz & Ian Campbell

Patrick Cosgrove

Helena Lane

Vi Sherring

1.

The minutes of the AGM and the last meeting were read, approved & signed as amended by the Chairman.

2.

Matters Arising

Julian Kent noted that he was yet to obtain legal advice on the Trustees document but would be doing so in the near future.

Julian Kent also presented a draft hire agreement for discussion. The following points noted for addition:
- reference to be made to where users can find the Health & Safety Policy and the fire safety notice.
- that alcohol can only be sold with the authority of the designated premises supervisor (Kim Smith). Note: alcohol can be brought in and consumed without supervisor present.
- ‘Condition of Hall’ section to include that ‘the hall should be left as it is found’. This, along with the ‘damages must be paid for’ statement, was felt would be sufficient to cover any potential damage caused by overzealous use of decorations. Beryl Palmer proposed that we adopt the agreement subject to the above amendments; seconded by Sheila Smith, carried.

The Chairman reported that the Gun Club planned to touch up the marks from the electrical work and in addition would paint the front of the hall in the near future.

Other actions from last meeting had all been completed.

3.

Chairman’s Report

There has been steady usage of the village hall over the past year with regular meetings of the WI, Gun Club, Astronomical Society, Flicks in the Sticks and Arts Alive, as well as the felting classes. Yoga classes have started to run in the hall organised by Patrick Cosgrove & Di Slater, who will also be holding the reception to their forthcoming wedding here.

Thelma Lewis was kind enough to donate £438 to the hall from the proceeds of the fund-raiser that she held to buy a bench in remembrance of her son.

Improvements to the hall have continued with the purchase of new trestle tables. The Gun Club has also treated all the woodwork and cleared the gutters. Beryl Palmer bravely took on the washing of all the individual curtains and arranged a spring clean of the hall back in March with other members of the community, so many thanks to you all.

We have welcomed several new people who have moved into the area over the past year or so, and these incomers, along with the old stalwarts, really seem to have helped re-energise community spirit. One notable result is the revival of a local newsletter, The Redlake, which is published under the auspices of the village hall committee, and has been very warmly received.

I would like to thank to all the members of the Committee for their hard work over the past year.

A special thanks to Kim & Sheila Smith for their continued support of the hall despite standing down as Chairman and Secretary last year due to other commitments. Their involvement in organising Flicks in the Sticks and Arts Alive is invaluable as these continue to be important events in our calendar. Managing the bar for various events and organising the Quiz Night (and Miss Whiplash!) is much appreciated as well as hosting their own 120 year bash in the hall.

In all a good year for the hall.

4.

Treasurer’s Report

It has been an exceptional year both in terms of spending and income. The £1,500 bill for the electrics was a shock but this was partly covered by the welcomed grant of £500 from the SSDC. The architectural drawings for the modifications to the toilets cost over £500 and new tables cost just over £1,000. The fundraising receipts have been very good and included £438 from Thelma Lewis.

The end balance was £3,494.98 however, this includes some ring-fenced items (£500 for the preservation of local historic items, £120 for refurbishment of the village sign, £111 for Hodre pond maintenance and £154 for The Redlake), leaving total assets for general use of £2,609.98.

It was noted that there is no longer a legal requirement to have the accounts countersigned by an independent accountant as total assets are less than £10,000. Although we would continue to do so.

5.

Activities

WI village BBQ – Sunday 20 July
Hodre Pond clearing – Sunday 10 August
Village walk – Sunday 14 September
Yoga – more classes planned for September if a replacement teacher can be found
Felting workshops – three more to come
Flicks in the Sticks & Arts Alive to continue, dates on the website
Church Cider & Savouries – Saturday 29 November
WI Xmas party – Wednesday 3 December

The Chairman proposed dance classes, which was enthusiastically welcomed – he would look into it.

6.

Hall Improvements

Building regulations had been approved in April for the refurbishment of the toilets. A grant from SSDC had been applied for and written approval obtained for £6,500. It was expected that this sum should fully cover the cost of the refurbishment.

It was a requirement of the grant that the work be completed by the end of November. Three written quotations from builders were needed and the Chairman and Secretary agreed to contact the following within the next week requesting quotes by Friday 18 July latest:

Chris Garland                                                Anthony Oakley
Sam Hornsby                                     Onny Builders, Craven Arms
DJ Bright                                            L&M Grimes
Jones (the builders that Bob James has recently used)

Becky Whitton asked if she might acquire one of the old toilets when it is removed.

Kim Smith reported that the fixed screen, provided by Flicks in the Sticks, had been installed. There is the opportunity to apply for a lottery grant
(£4-5,000) for the remainder of the technical equipment needed to show the films; sound equipment, a projector and DVD player. Having the equipment would offer significant scope to increase income from these events. However, the hall would have to provide insurance cover for the equipment as well as have a designated person to take responsibility for the safe keeping of the equipment. Kim volunteered to do this whilst he was still in Chapel Lawn but in the future this would change. It was suggested that Ian Campbell, whose profession is in this field, would be a good person to take this on as and when needed. Both Julian Kent and Christine Page offered back up help. On this basis Steve Sherring proposed that we apply for the grant for the equipment; seconded by Richard Barthram, carried.

7.

Election of New Officers

Jane Kent proposed that all the existing officers be re-elected to their current posts with the clarification that Beryl, not Barry, Palmer is the Bookings Secretary; seconded by Sheila Smith, carried.

8.

Any Other Business

a. Parish Plan – Kim Smith reported that the deadline for returning the questionnaires had passed and that the response had been ‘good’. It is expected to take a month for the data to be analysed, at which time Kim would disseminate a summary. After this the data will be used towards putting together the Parish Plan, a draft of which is expected early next spring.

b. Neighbourhood Watch – Steve Sherring reported that he would be handing over the post to Vera Bowen.

c. Housekeeping – Beryl Palmer asked if a trolley to stack the tables on would be useful, this was agreed and Beryl would revert with the price. The need for a winder cleaner was raised but it was felt not unless a special occasion. The Chairman recommended that the next major clean of the hall was done after the toilets were built. It was agreed that the Bookings Secretary would be responsible for buying the consumables for the hall (toilet rolls, washing up liquid, etc).

d. The chairman noted that the small ash tree at the end of the hall would be taken down before it crowded the hall.

e. Electricity Payment / Tote – there was a discussion around changing the way users of the hall pay for their electricity use. Currently the meter is fed with pound coins. However, with the rising cost of electricity, the meter would almost certainly be unable to scale up enough to cover the cost as it was already only one notch away from maximum. The hall would then be subsidising users. A Tote system was discussed to raise funds for the hall, part of which might go towards paying the electricity bill and users would not have to feed the meter at all. There was a concern, however, that this would lead to less frugal use and much higher bills. It was agreed to review the situation in 12 months time.

f. The Smithy Picture – last but not least, Kim Smith presented the Chairman with a beautiful framed photograph of the The Smithy in the old days for display in the hall.

9.

The next meeting date was set for Thursday, 24 July 2008 at 7.30pm at which point returns from the tender to build the toilets should be available for discussion.

The meeting closed at 9.10pm