NOTICE

• Due to the coronavirus, this year’s A.G.M. Will be held in line with the legal advice issued by the association of conservative clubs
• There will be a limited agenda.
• In order to adhere to the present social distancing, only 30 members plus the 8 officials of the club will be at the meeting.
• The A.G.M. Will be held at 7. 30pm on Tuesday 10^th November 2020 in the Alexander Lounge and on that evening the club will be open at 6. 30pm.
• The notice stating the time and date of the A.G.M. Along with the agenda will be placed on the club’s notice board on Wednesday 7th October 2020.
• The agenda can be found below.
• The nomination forms for the election of all officers of the club and the club’s examiner will be placed on the clubs notice board on Wednesday 7^th October 2020. These will be taken down on Sunday 18^th October 2020 and re-posted on Wednesday 21^st October 2020. Should a ballot be required then the times and dates of the ballot will be circulated by email and exhibited on the clubs notice board.
• A copy of the 2019 accounts, minutes of the 2019 A.G.M, minutes of the special general meeting held on the 9^th May 2019, the 2020 Chairwoman’s address will be placed on the clubs notice board on Wednesday 7^th October 2020.these documents will remain on the clubs notice board until the morning of the actual A.G.M.

These documents are not to be taken off the premises.

 Should anyone wish to obtain a copy of any of the aforementioned documents, please contact the secretary.

• The system to select the 30 members who will be entitled to attend the A.G.M. Will be as follows:

 On Wednesday 7^th October 2020, forms will be placed on the table in the main hallway. These forms, which will be self-explanatory, are to be completed by those members who wish to attend the A.G.M. And placed in the appropriate box on the main hallway table.

On Wednesday 21^st October 2020 these forms and the appropriate box will be withdrawn. The committee will then draw 30 completed forms out of this box.

The 30 successful members will be informed by telephone or email as soon as possible after the draw that they have been selected to attend the A.G.M.

Any member that unfortunately has not been selected to attend the A.G.M. Will also be informed by telephone or email as soon as possible after the draw. However, any of these members that are not entitled to attend the A.G.M but wish to raise a point relating to anything on the agenda, should put this in writing to the secretary by Wednesday 4^th November 2020. Any such correspondence will be read out at the actual A.G.M. In due course, the secretary will reply to the individuals of such correspondence by either telephone or email.

Members are politely reminded that they must show their paid- up membership card for 2020 to gain access to the actual A.G.M. on Tuesday 10^th November 2020.

AGENDA

1. Apologies
2. Deceased members.
3. To agree the minutes of the 2019 Annual General Meeting.
4. To agree the minutes of the S.G.M. held on 9^th May 2019.
5. To receive the report of the examiners. (2019 Accounts)
6. To pass the Examiners Report.
7. To receive the Chairwoman’s address.
8. To elect Officers for the ensuing year.
9. To elect the Examiner for the ensuing year.
10. To receive notice of life members elected in 2020.

Chairman’s Address March 2020

Darren Willson

Introduction

I along with the Committee have tried very hard to ensure that the last year, 2019, has been “business as usual” for the Club and Members. There have been many challenges along the way, however, with the help of the Committee and a few willing volunteers we have met these head on and overcome them.

The last year has certainly been a steep learning curve for the Committee as a whole and particularly for me. I am more determined than ever to ensure that the Club becomes the best it can be, both in terms of what we offer the Members and the fabric of the building.

Challenges

During the past year the biggest challenge we faced was keeping the business going following the resignation of the Club Steward in July and the ensuing recruitment of a successor. Add to this the loss of various other members of bar staff, for various reasons. Regrettably one of our Cooks went on long term sickness absence and our Handyman has been off sick awaiting surgery since December and has now returned. Our long-standing stock-taker decided to give up work due to ill-health – luckily, we were able to find a replacement fairly swiftly.

During this period one Committee Member sadly passed away and another resigned. This naturally added to the remaining Committee Members’ workload. Can I appeal to all Members of the Club to consider becoming a Committee Member themselves? Anyone interested should contact Tony Lawson, (Club Secretary) in the first instance. All in all, 2019 was an extremely busy year.

Thanks

Thanks as always to Tony Lawson, Club Secretary for his tireless work and for being the “font of all knowledge” regarding the Club’s official matters. We would struggle without him.

A big vote of thanks has to go to Helen Andrew, our Treasurer who has been in post since the AGM last year. She keeps a tight hold of the purse strings and also strives hard to actively pursue money saving avenues which keep the Club as financially stable as is possible.

I cannot forget the committee members who have assisted me, in the face of adversity, to keep the Club running as smoothly as possible. Your assistance has been greatly appreciated.

I need to put on record my gratitude to Michael our Cook who stepped up to the plate, working mostly on his own, in our busy kitchen, particularly over the Christmas period. Thank you, Michael. Also, to all our staff, without whom we could not operate, including those who work behind the scene namely our cleaners Jo and Sheila who do a wonderful job keeping the Club clean.

Last but not least are the willing volunteers upon whom we relied greatly.  Without their help and support we would have struggled even more. My grateful thanks go to all of you.

Finance

In October due to financial circumstances the Club faced a problem with cash flow. In order to alleviate this problem and prevent a crisis it was agreed that the existing ACC loan should be increased by £20,000, our application was accepted and the crisis averted.

Recruitment

The most important job vacancy I have faced this year is that of the Steward. I think you will all agree that this is the key role in the Club. After a committee discussion it was decided that the vacancy should be residential, and it was advertised as such. After three months of hard work and a lot of wasted time due to candidates not turning up, we successfully appointed Miles Murphy. Miles has a lot of relevant experience and we are confident that he can help us develop the business.

After several months of staff changes and consequent recruitment, we have a core team of bar staff to call upon as and when required.

Communications and advertising.

Now that things have returned to normal as far as staffing goes, we can focus our attention on promoting the Club as a priority. To this end I have already held a meeting with our web-site manager who has suggested various improvements. I plan to action his ideas and various others in the next few months. Watch the website as it develops. During this exercise the hitherto neglected Face Book page will also receive our attention ably assisted by Andrea Murphy.

It has recently been decided that a monthly newsletter will be sent out electronically advising members of upcoming events and changes. There will also be copies available in the Lounge for those who prefer to read paper documents.

Winchilsea Avenue

I can report that both flats are now occupied and the rents are being paid on time. The committee has decided that the Club would be better served by changing Letting Agents and the flats are now managed by a different local firm.

Conclusion

I am really looking forward to working alongside Miles, the Club Steward and the committee in 2020 to maintain and develop the business. In order to ensure success, I am asking for your support by continuing to use the Club facilities, introducing family and friends as new members and spreading a positive message about the Club.

Any ideas, comments, suggestions are always welcome. Please do not hesitate to bring those to our attention.

Darren Willson, Chairman (March 2020)

Postscript

Ruth Lockwood (Acting Chairwoman)

 After this address was written, in preparation for the AGM to be held in March 2020, Darren resigned as Chairman because of personal commitments and I became Acting Chairwoman. Thank you, Darren, for all your hard work and commitment. I had been a member of the Committee for about two years prior to this and felt that I had to step up and find out what I could do.

I have learnt an awful lot in the past couple of months. I have much appreciated the support and encouragement given to me by Committee Members and Members alike. I am committed and determined to ensure that the Club is successful and provides Members with what they want from their Club. I am very proud to be the first woman in the Chair albeit “acting” at present”.

Miles, the Club’s new Steward took up post in late January 2020 and the Committee was looking forward to allowing him to develop the business. However, Covid-19 hit us nationally and by March we were in “lock-down” which was frustrating to say the least. At the time of writing the Club is open again and, operating within the Covid-19 regulations. The Committee, I and the Steward, Miles are trying to be flexible and imaginative in what the Club offers you whilst keeping you safe when you visit the Club. Miles is constantly striving to tempt Members back to the Club.

I want to take this opportunity to thank both Miles and Andrea, his wife who, whilst settling into their new home and a community they did not know and once lockdown was lifted, have kept the Club operating with hard work, good humour and enthusiasm under extremely difficult circumstances.  Their commitment to the success of this Club has been self evident and second to none.

My Goals

My first and immediate goal is to find a way to overcome the negative impact the pandemic is having on the Club. We (Miles, the Committee and our staff) have all had to learn to be extremely flexible and think outside the box during lockdown and since re-opening. Without your continued support we would have fallen at the first hurdle, however our situation is beginning to improve and we can now see light at the end of the tunnel. We all want to say a sincere thank you to all our Members.

Following on I want to follow Darren’s lead and to improve communication between the Committee and Club Members. As a first step I am writing a monthly Newsletter and try to report on what has happened in the previous month and notify Members of what is happening the following month. Secondly, I have personally delivered the Newsletter to Members for whom we do not have an email address. We are now sending 200 emails, so it was well worth-while. The web site is also still under active review by Helen Andrew – thank you for all your hard work Helen – and Andrea Murphy has agreed to keep us all posted on Face book.

Secondly, I aim to try and develop the Club in a way that maintains the interest and support of Members who come into the Club and to attract the interest of those who may never attend. This will be a difficult balancing act and there may be mistakes made along the way. However – nothing ventured, nothing gained. Your feedback will be really important and helpful in this.  At the moment we are more than a little hindered because of the pandemic.

I am looking forward to working with Miles and the Committee with your continued support to make this Club successful.

 

Ruth Lockwood

Acting Chairwoman

October 2020