AGM 2023
8pm 22nd May 2023
Present: H Norman, D Harris, A Furlong, S Barnes, K Lane, K Green, M Green. V Queally, S Bhowmick, D Aspinwall, M Peacock, C Bass, G Green, J Stevens Apologes were received from G Sharples, M Wiggans, P Brooking & E Stevens
The minutes from the 2022 agm were read and accepted as a true record. (H Norman proposed / C Bass seconded)
Report from the Chair
To begin with sports…
Cricket had a mixed year. Senior player availability was difficult throughout the year and eventually this knocked on to results on the field. The second half of the season was somewhat challenging! However, on the junior side things went very well. We had iro 30 youngsters coming to weekly practices and an u10 team playing matches in the PS competition. They represent hope for the future!
Tennis consolidated it’s standing in the club – with a strong membership & two teams playing in the summer leagues + one in the Autumn league. The regular use of the courts brought about the need to repaint them ! A good problem to be facing ! But this is what we raise our funds for… & this job was done in September. The loss of Alison as coach came as a blow – but it hoped that the “We do Tennis” organisation would be able to plug the gap. Whilst the coach that they provided was very good – ultimately it became apparent that they were not close to delivering what they might – indeed HN was doing far too much for them… and so we ended the relationship in the autumn. However, the WDT link did prompt us to improve wheelchair access – we now have L3 access via the side door. (More on this later perhaps). Subsequently after Xmas we engaged another coach, A Hanley – who was making a good impression before she was understanbly tempted away by longer hours at Mawdesley.
There were a great many events throughout the year – Easter Fun Day, Queen’s Jubliee, PTFAbbq, Family Fun Day, Bonfire, Xmas Carol singing, NYE party … plus various birthday parties along with usual monthly Quizzes, Art nights, Supper eves etc etc. We also hired out the club on numerous occasions – to Withnell Anglers (good to build a link with them via their juniors), various bands who use the club to rehearse for eg. – along side our strong link with West Pennine U3A. It’s very encouraging to see the club being used virtually every day….which is what it is for…
Of course, the increased use of the club brings some challenges – for eg the septic tank struggles a bit with the extra call on its provision / the track has seen a big increase in use = more wear, more potholes at various times / the fabric of the clubhouse takes more wear & tear…. It also brings challenges for our volunteers – who are being asked to do more …
The load on the relative few has meant that we have been more selective as to what functions we take on – and generally we are now only putting on events for club members & on the grounds that the hiring member helps to organise bar staff, preparation and clear up. It is rare that non members appreciate this aspect, hence the tendency to decline hiring to non members.
The strong social calendar has meant it has been a successful year for the Bar. We have made iro £9k in profit – which is significantly more than previous years. We have to recognise the massive efforts of Dean Harris – who stocks the bar/ cleans the lines/ serves etc. We must also look to reduce the load that he takes on – by increasing our volunteer numbers … during Covid we had iro 30 bar staff who shared the serving duties – this has gradually drifted down to about 8/10 – so it
would be good to address this… can you help? On a positive note it was good to have 5 new bar volunteers in the last week…!
Our finances began the year in a healthy state and have remained in good order. This meant we could invest in the club – painting the tennis courts/ putting in an extra gate / electronic scoreboard for cricket/ machinery improvements & repairs – took large sums – however, we have managed to make a small operating profit. Special mention must go to Jayne Stevens & her book keeping. She has a massive task keeping the other members of the committee in order … but manages this and still finds time to organise events such as Art night / quizzes etc.
Volunteers – need replacing – none of us are immortal or without fatigue. A call goes out again for members to consider what they can contribute. In the words of a particular supermarket – “Every little helps” – so to have a few more making a small contribution would make a big difference. Good turnouts at working parties have made such a difference to how things look around the club -some of us can remember how things used to be – so whilst we would benefit from more help, we are still in a good position. We are particular fortunate to have the cleaning group, the ground team & the bar team – who collectively make a massive input to the club.
We must also acknowledge the contribution from each of the committee members not just the ones who have had particular mention – who tackle many tasks behind the scenes that become part of the fabric of how the club works; it was pleasing to have a social Secretary added to the ranks – who has made a noticeable impact already – & there still remains a vacancy as secretary – if you are interested, please get in touch.
We remain in flux about the outcome at the former Eckerley’s farm. Our agreement with Primrose Holding regarding use of the track is still operational although there have not been signs of it being exercised. PH did hire the club in March, to make a presentation regarding a possible proposal for a Business Park on the land – which would have complicated things around the agreement – but this was an outline proposal and does not seem to have moved any further as yet. What remains is that the motive behind the agreement with PH is to try to secure the future of the club – and develop & possibly extend its provision in a limited manner.
It is very pleasing to see the club being used so much – even if this presents extra challenges … we have gone from a position not too long ago where the club was open for during the summer for tennis & cricket with an occasional winter event to where we are now. This puts a strain on the fabric – so we are always actively looking to invest in the club. The building is showing signs of it’s age and it’s design does not always help multiple uses – so in an ideal world we might like to rip it out and start again… We have some very provisional designs around for a couple of years – but there needs to be more careful consideration of where the club wishes to go and how it can get there. One recent discussion centred around trying to develop the club via a modular approach – then we would be able to continue to offer our facilities to members – rather than a tear it down and start again approach. All contributions and suggestions are to be encouraged.
Finally: To be in a position where we have invested in our fabric in the manner that we have and still made a small profit should be seen as a strong achievement. We have fulfilled our objectives of providing sporting and social amenities to our members. Ideally, we should aim to increase our sporting provision as the social aspect of the club seems very secure. On this aspect there are a few green shoots – with the renovation of the bowling green leading to the development of a croquet section. Overall it has been a good year for the club and we remain in a good position overall to face the future
GG
Treasurer’s report
This again showed the good financial position that the club holds. The audited accounts were presented and the treasurer gave an outline of income and expenditure lines. Questions were invited and answered. Committee members will know that these accounts are in line with the reports that are given at each monthly committtee meeting. As mentioned by the chair, it was
pleasing that, after significant investment into facilitates, a small surplus had been added to reserves.
Election of Officers
The following were elected to the committee.
G Green Chair
J Stevens Treasurer
G Green (acting) Secretary
A Furlong Safeguarding
H Norman Tennis
C Bass Tennis
G Sharples Cricket
S Barnes – publicity & media
K Green Social Secretary
K Lane House
D Harris House
No other proposals had been recieved.
The meeting closed at 8:35pm