AGM report 23rd April 2024
(35 attendees including committee members)
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Chairman's Opening Address.
Dave Stanbridge opened the meeting by introducing himself as the newly promoted Chairman and thanked Cris for the twenty plus years that he had held the role and hoped he was enjoying his new role a President. He then introduced the three ladies seated to his right, Norma Park (our Guest of Honour), Janet Funnell whose role would come up later, and Gloria Dallinger who is to be our new Hon. Treasurer.He welcomed everyone and informed them of the change to the agenda, from previous years, which would mean the awarding of the prizes would now be in two halves with the juniors receiving theirs in the first half of the evening.
He also added that we are in need of fresh committee members and pointed out that several of the existing committee hold two positions which is not ideal.
2. Apologies for Absence.
Sandra Lawrence/Hayden Taylor
3. Minutes of the 2023 AGM accepted
YES
4. Presentation of Junior Trophies/Prizes by Norma Park.
Sadly, only one junior Joseph Beecher-Brigden, was present although all winners were read out.
Fortunately, Joseph had won quite a number of the awards, as can be seen from the prize list.
5. Honorary Secretary Report.
Good evening
Thank you to Norma for presenting the Junior awards and it is nice to see so many youngsters still joining us to enjoy our sport, they are hopefully the future of CDAA.
Over the past couple of years we have had to sort out a legal issue that came to light with regards our ownership of Scaland Wood and so I would like to single out both Dave S and Cliff for the considerable amount of time and effort they have put in to sorting this out. All the other committee members have done their bit over the past season too in their various roles but we do need more youngsters to get involved. I say this because I know of more than one club who are basically being run by just a few people and are in danger of folding completely, this also happened to a local branch of The Lions and Crowborough Town Football club and they did close. We do not want that to happen to CDAA so if you have what is probably a maximum of ten hours a month spare (that includes a work party & committee meeting then have a chat with us to see how you could help, especially if you have a particular skill that you think we might be interested in.
We have had more than our fair share of upheavals in the past couple of years but I am pleased to say things have settled and all is working well again. But we do have another big change that is happening now and that is that Cliff, who actually resigned two years ago but has stayed on to help us through a difficult period, is finally stepping back as Hon. Treasurer and so I welcome Gloria Dallinger as his more than capable replacement. She has the good luck to be taking over with the club in a very healthy financial state and I am sure that will continue with Gloria looking after all thing’s money wise.
I would like to say a big thank you to Cliff for the past 10 years, it has been a pleasure (most of the time) having him as Treasurer. We have also spent quite a bit of time fishing and doing work parties together and he has assisted me greatly in the near past with my own personal finances. I find it quite amusing that when I call Cliff and Cindy, his wife, answers the phone she calls out to Cliff “it’s your boyfriend calling”!
Cliff will remain in the background for a while yet, as he is not stepping back very far and will continue as our Assistant Treasurer for the time being.
As you are aware we have worked on improving the water quality at some of our waters which has shown good results at Pennybridge, not quite so good at Underhill (but we think this might be a Cormorant issue rather than water quality now) and Scaland Wood where the aerator seems to be doing a good job and the mats on the pegs are making sessions more comfortable and less muddy. At Scalands we are now planning to construct two platforms, at a cost of nearly £2000, on pegs 1 & 2 from recycled plastic lumber and improve the path down to these swims making them more accessible and these improvements will be funded thanks to generous donations that we have received in the past year from Pete Boorman, Norma Park (in memory of her late husband Dave) and Tim Kehoe (in memory of his late father).
While on the subject of waters we are fortunate in that most of our waters have been on our books for some years now which is testament to the fact that we have very good relationships with our riparian owners but we are always looking out for new waters and through no fault of our own we have failed to secure agreements on a couple of possibilities over the past twelve months but we will keep trying.
Well, that’s it from me for this evening and this year you will not have to listen to me fill in for our Hon Treasurer as he has decided to grace us with his presence this time, although I am sure he would much prefer to be back in the Maldives. So, I will now hand over to Cliff to give you the treasurers report.
Dave F
6. Honorary Treasurer Report and adoption of the previous year’s accounts.
Hello everyone and thank you for taking the time to attend.
Our Chairman and Honorary Secretary have told you all about what we have done and are about to do. I believe that we are, and continue to be, in safe hands.
I will therefore just concentrate on finances.
2023/24 was another great year for us.
Last year we made a surplus of £2994.79. That is the highest surplus we have made in the last 10 years, except for the Covid years of 2020/21 and 2021/22.
I have been Treasurer for the last 10 years. When I took on the role, we had £15858.49 in the bank, we now have £35777.29, and we paid off the loan for the purchase of Scaland Wood back in 2015/16. That for me is the best example I can give on the performance of all your committee members during the last decade.
The difference between us and some other clubs is, in my opinion, we have looked at how to improve the accessibility of fishing for our members, whilst maintaining the cost to them. In the 10 years we have never increased the subscription fees. We have managed this by increasing the membership numbers and managing costs.
Please name another service that has not increased their fees in the last decade, if you can’t please give a round of applause to all your committee members over the last 10 years.
You all have a copy of the annual accounts, which have been audited. If anyone has a question, please ask it now. You can ask any Committee member, I always feel better if someone asks a question, it makes me feel like my role has a purpose.
A member asked why the junior expenses were so low last season and Cliff explained that this was due to there being no Junior Day with its associated costs of Angling Trust coaches and purchasing equipment/vouchers to give away to participants on the day. It was also pointed out that we had held our 75th anniversary event which had included AT coaches and had attracted many youngsters to try fishing on the day.
Again, thank you all for taking the time to attend, just one reminder. YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU.
Committee members are always needed, with whatever they can offer, I am sure the Chairman and Honorary Secretary have already said this but I must reinforce it. Remember……NO Committee no Club…..
Cliff.
Adoption of the 2023-24 season accounts Proposer: Daniel Taylor Seconder: Cai Blakeway
Any objections NO
7. Any amendments to the Association Constitution and/or rules if required.
(there are none)
8. Election of Officers…..(voted en bloc*) Proposer Seconder
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President - Cris Millis Andy Hunnisett Luke Wilkins
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Vice President - Dave Stanbridge
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Honorary Secretary - Dave Flint
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Honorary Treasurer - Gloria Dallinger
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Assistant Secretary - Vacant
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Assistant Treasurer – Cliff Milledge
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Membership Secretary - Sandra Lawrence
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Minute Secretary - Dave Flint
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Water Management Officer - Daniel & Hayden Taylor
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Fund Raising Officer - Cai Blakeway
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Publicity Officer - Dave Flint
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Administrator of the Archives - Rob Veitch.
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Auditor - Tracy Waters
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Executive Committee (up to 12 Seniors) - a) to m) listed above plus Derek Blakeway/Dave Cottington/Amber Blakeway/Geoff Wickes/John Cattanach/John Manktelow/Roy Williamson
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Junior Representatives (up to 2 Juniors) – Joseph Beecher-Brigden
*Prior to the election of the above the floor were asked if anyone wished to stand for any of the vacant positions and Joseph Beecher-Brigden said he would stand as a junior representative. The floor was then informed of the changes taking place, being Gloria Dallinger taking on the role of Hon. Treasurer, with Cliff moving to Asst. Hon. Treasurer and Joseph Beecher-Brigden becoming a junior representative and they were then asked if they would be happy to vote en bloc. There were no objections to this and so after a proposer & seconder were recorded the vote took place with all present in favour of all positions.
After the election of the above the Chairman explained that we have had to appoint a CWO (Club Welfare Officer) who is independent of the committee and was pleased to announce that Janet Funnell had offered to take on this role. Janet is currently waiting to complete a course to be able to fulfil this role and we hope to have her in place very soon. Full details for this appointment and how members can contact the CWO will be included in the June newsletter.
8.45pm Refreshment Break/Buffet
The buffet was, as always, a welcome break giving everyone a chance to tell their own tale of the “one that got away” and as usual the Social Club put on a good spread for us.
9. Presentation of Senior Prizes/Trophies by Norma Park.
There was the usual banter during the presentation as old rivalries emerged and murmurs of “fix” were heard on more than one occasion!
After all the awards had been presented Norma thanked us for inviting her and hoped she could continue to be involved, as she has been for a great number of years already. She was then presented with a bouquet of flowers by Amber Blakeway in thanks of being our Guest of Honour for the evening from the committee.
10. Raffle
Dave Cottington had spent most of the evening hassling attendees to part with their cash in return for some raffle tickets. There was a fine selection of prizes up for grabs donated by Hooked on Greens and various attendees.
Once again the room was filled with light hearted banter and the raffle raised £232.
11. Any Other Business at the Chairman's Discretion but excluding any proposals that seek to alter or amend or add to Association Rules or Regulations.
One member mentioned that he was aware that we had been stocking small fish in large numbers into some of ourwaters but wondered if we could consider stocking some larger specimens in future so that members did not have to wait for the recent stockings to grow on.
The Chairman responded that this was currently being considered by the Committee for at least one of our waters.
The meeting closed at 21:55 with Dave S thanking everyone for attending and he hoped they had all enjoyed the evening and were looking forward to the new season.
Note: The following Committee positions are elected at the Committee meeting following the AGM
Chairman – Dave Stanbridge
Vice Chairman – John Manktelow/Geoff Wicks
Match Stewards – Dave Cottington/Amber Blakeway/John Cattanach
AGM report 2023
On Tuesday 25th April we held our AGM at the Social Club in Crowborough with Guest of Honour Janet Funnell. As usual it was a great evening attended by 37 members and the Social Club provided a great buffet and everyone dug deep to make the raffle the success it always is. This year we celebrate the club being in existance for 75 years and although this is cause to celebrate it is also tinged with sadness but read on for the full report.
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Chairman's Opening Address.
Good evening and thank you for coming to the 75th AGM of the club. I would like to extend a very warm welcome to our guest of honour, Janet Funnell who has kindly agreed to present the cups and trophies, Janet is known to many of you and was the wife of Roger Funnell who sadly passed away last year
Roger was a stalwart of the club for many years his lasting legacy is Pennybridge Lake which he managed the application for the Lottery Grant, the construction and the subsequent maintenance to keep the lake and surrounds in A1 condition. He was also responsible for organising the opening and 20-year celebration of the lake. In his role as Fresh Water Match Steward, he was highly regarded and many match fishers joined our club to enjoy a level of organisation that other clubs envied. He also ran the Junior Matches and the ever-popular Junior Day where he was often assisted by his wife Janet. Many youngsters learned to fish due to Roger's patient tuition.
The club suffered a further loss last year with the untimely death of our President Peter Boorman. Peter was a member of the club for 53 years during which time he served as President, Chairman, Publicity Officer and Assistant Treasurer. He was well known and highly respected in the community, Peter was involved in numerous organisations and charities but was always there for CDAA to sort out, advise and adjudicate on problems and issues. It is felt that Peter's efforts over the years have greatly assisted the club to become the modern efficient angling club it is today.
As you are aware this is our 75th AGM which means the club has been going for 75 years and contrary to popular opinion I was not one of the founding members! In celebration of this achievement, we are holding a fete on the 29th of July and our Vice President Dave Stanbridge will be giving you full details later in the meeting.
Well, would you like the good news or the bad news. The good news first, you won't have to put up with me chairing the next AGM after 21 years I am retiring as chairman. Now the bad news, the committee has asked me to consider becoming President and should I get voted in will be back next year.
As I have just mentioned I have been chairman for 21 years during that period the club has prospered and increased its membership and water portfolio and I would like to take this opportunity to thank club officers, committee and members for their help and hard work over the years.
Tonight, there will be the normal buffet and raffle for many wonderful prizes.
Over the past years it has been my sad duty to request the committee hold a minute’s silence in respect of Roger, Peter and many other long serving members but tonight let's celebrate their lives. I would ask you all to raise your glasses in recognition of lost friends, cheers.
2. Apologies for Absence.
Amber Blakeway/Cliff Milledge
3. Minutes of the 2022 AGM accepted
YES
4. Honorary Secretary Report.
Good evening, in 1948 this club was started by men who had returned from the battlefields of WW2, most of us can’t imagine what they had been through but the club prospered and soon grew larger and diversified from sea fishing to the other forms of angling. Over the years the club has seen good and bad times, it was not so many years ago that some of our long-standing committee members present tonight were out pounding the streets posting flyers through doors in and around Crowborough trying to drum up new members as our club had been making a financial loss and had been forced to drop some of its waters to survive. Then in 2020 along came COVID and once again the committee were thinking about possible damage limitation but fortunately, and probably due to the fact that angling was the first thing we were allowed to do as restrictions were eased, this event had the reverse effect as membership went to numbers previously unknown and is currently not showing signs of dropping away in any great way. And of course, last year we got hit with the double whammy, that Cris has already spoken of, which caused huge ramifications within our committee structure, and I would like to thank every one of the committee for stepping up to ensure that everything carried on as it should have. What I am really trying to say is that in 75 years this club has been through highs and lows but we have endured and I have every confidence that CDAA will still be here in another 75 years’ time.
Right then, so in the past year we have installed the aerator at Scaland Wood, this is already showing an improvement in water quality and subsequently catch rates and health of the fish stock. We have stocked more fish into Pennybridge, approx. 1000 small Crucians with a few being around the 8oz mark, we also stocked 50 6-8inch Tench quite recently. Some of you may know we started a feed regime at Pennybridge last season to try and bring the stock on a bit, this is being continued this season and I would ask that you do please report your catches from this water so we can judge more accurately how this is benefitting us with increased catch rates and size of fish being caught. I hope you will agree that our waters have been maintained to our usual high standard and I assure you this will continue despite some of the changes that have happened over the past 12 months.
Now to look forward to the coming season, In the past few weeks we have secured book exchange deals with Ouse Angling Preservation Society and Haywards Heath & District Angling Society. For details take a look at our website but this certainly gives us some good river fishing as close to home as we can get. Also after some doubts as to what was going to happen with the RFA we have committed to remain with them for another season as they have now secured a further section of the Royal Military Canal, more than doubling the length they had before. This new section does not get used for flood alleviation and so therefore remains at a fairly constant level making it a more reliable venue. I have previously travelled to Appledore dam to fish and found there to only be about a foot of water which was extremely frustrating.
We are also currently trying to tie up an agreement with another commercial and hopefully we’ll be able to give you good news on that very soon.
Well that’s it from me as Hon Secretary for this evening but unfortunately you will be hearing more of my voice as I have to fill in for our absent Hon Treasurer.
5. Honorary Treasurer Report
Good evening, everyone, sorry that I cannot be here but I have gone back to a pre-covid world, so at this moment I will either be 40 meters under the Indian Ocean or having a beer on a beach in the Maldives.
This year has been another great year for us financially.
We achieved a surplus of £1993.24, the 5th best result in the last 10 years, despite a 3% drop in memberships for the season, and an 11% drop in renewals for the forthcoming season. Hello to the financial crisis.
You should all have a copy of the audited accounts in front of you. I would normally blitz you with a series of figures and explanations, but today I would ask for your questions and hopefully I have pre-empted you and given an explanation to Dave Flint, Hon Secretary, to your potential questions.
INCOME +/- previous year Explanation for difference
Subs -£1247 15 light on last season + 25 light on renewals @ £35 per membership = £1400
Fundraising -£1298.64 Last season Underhill and Danesfield paid us £1191 for work done on their lakes.
Working party -£153 see subs
Day tickets +£224 The economy, less memberships more day tickets.
Joining fees -£255 see subs
Interest £37.62 The economy re higher interest rates.
Newsletter £9.50 More Sen Cit’s need a newsletter.
Paypal/Stripe Fees -£120 More people renewed in paper form this season
Bough Beech -£444 We have no tickets yet, this cancels out with tickets when paid for.
EXPENDITURE +/- previous year Explanation for difference
Subs -£159.50 last year included a couple of refunds.
Purchases +2304.53 Liming £420, Feed Pellets £420, WIX renewal £453, Water monitoring kit £113, Match deposits £175, Commemorative Bench £120, Stamps £490 (offset by income of £346), New Dinghy £399.99.
Special event -£208 We did not have any special event.
Working Party +£1459.57 We spent £3500 on a diffuser for Scaland Wood.
Bough Beech -£748 See Bough Beech above, we have no tickets yet.
RFA memberships -£712.50 There have been issues as to whether the RFA would be able to retain its waters, so no payment was made.
Trophies +£197.71 Sue did us a fantastic deal in 2021/22
PayPal costs -£48.13 See PayPal income.
Junior Section +£287.93 No real reason just stuff!
IF there are any questions for which answers are not apparent. I will answer them specifically upon my return, the answers will be posted on our website for all to see.
Dave F - Can I just add to the above that this shows that last year we spent approx. £6k on improving things with the aerator/liming/fish feed etc as we now feel confident that we can afford to, and should, be spending your money to make these improvements rather than just building a bigger bank balance. As Hon Secretary I hope you approve of this and are seeing the benefits.
One parting statement.
This is my last season as Treasurer. We have a very brave young lady stepping up as Assistant Treasurer. She is prepared to spend the next 12 months training to see if she is able/willing to take over the Treasurers role. I would ask if there are any of you, who have experience in a Treasurers role and would be prepared to take on the position, even in the short term, to allow her more time to get ready to take over in the future.
Cliff
Adoption of the 2022-23 season accounts. Proposer: Dave Cottington Seconder: Daniel Taylor
Any objections NONE
6. Vice Presidents Statement.
Dave informed those present that the administration matters that arose following the passing of the President were being dealt with and he was confident all would soon be sorted.
He also spoke about several organisations he had been involved with which had "folded" and appealed to the younger members of the club to come to committee meetings and keep a well organised association vibrant.
He also outlined the arrangements for the 75th Celebration and asked for volunteers to come forward to assist on the day.
He concluded by saying whilst Cris was moving up, his knowledge of the history of the club and experience would not be allowed to be forgotten.
7. Any amendments to the Association Constitution and/or rules if required.
(There are none)
8. Election of Officers….. Proposer Seconder
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President-Cris Millis Dave Cottington Sandra Lawrence
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Vice President-Dave Stanbridge Dave Flint John Manktelow
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Honorary Secretary-Dave Flint Cris Millis Dave Stanbridge
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Honorary Treasurer-Cliff Milledge Dave Stanbridge Sandra Lawrence
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Assistant Secretary-
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Assistant Treasurer-Amber Blakeway Dave Flint Derek Blakeway
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Membership Secretary-Sandra Lawrence Roy Williamson Nicky Darien
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Minute Secretary- Nicky Darien Dave Flint Dave Cottington
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Water Management Officer-Daniel/Hayden Taylor John Cattanach Graham Winter
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Fund Raising Officer-Gemma Beecher Derek Blakeway Cris Millis
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Publicity Officer-George Callingham Sandra Lawrence Daniel Taylor
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Administrator of the Archives-Rob Veitch Dave Cottington Sandra Lawrence
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Auditors-Tracy Waters
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Executive Committee (up to 12 Seniors)-a) to m) listed above plus Derek Blakeway/Geoff Wickes/Cai Blakeway/Dave Cottington/John Cattanach/John Manktelow/Alex Brigden
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Junior Representatives (up to 2 Juniors)-Hayden Taylor
8.45pm Refreshment Break/Buffet
As usual the Social Club did a good spread of food which everyone seemed happy with.
9. Presentation of Prizes/Trophies.
The prizes were handed out by our Guest of Honour Janet Funnell, who was then presented with a bouquet of flowers by our new President, Cris Millis, on behalf of the committee.
10. Raffle.
The raffle was as successful as ever, raising £177, with Dave Cottington having twisted every arm possible and teasing the money out of attendees’ pockets with his usual charm and wit! Dave was thanked for his efforts along with everyone who had donated prizes, of which there were many.
11. Any Other Business at the Chairman's Discretion but excluding any proposals that seek to alter or amend or add to Association Rules or Regulations.
Nothing was raised.
The meeting closed at 21:55 with Cris thanking everyone for attending and he hoped they had all enjoyed the evening and were looking forward to the new season.
Note: The following Committee positions are elected at the Committee meeting following the AGM
Chairman – Dave Stanbridge
Vice Chairman – John Manktelow & Geoff Wickes
Match Stewards – Dave Cottington/Amber Blakeway/John Cattanach
AGM report 2022
For the first time since 2019 we were able to hold an actual AGM on Wednesday 27th April at Crowborough Social Club, who we would like to thank for providing a splendid buffet. The evening was attended by 29 members, not bad considering that Covid restrictions had only recently been lifted which was also the reason we had decided not to have a guest of honour this year so our long standing President Pete Boorman stepped up to do the prize giving for us. The evening was very enjoyable but read on for the full details.
1. Chairman's Opening Address.
Good evening and a very warm welcome to you all, well we've finally made it to a more a less proper AGM. There are a few changes to the normal programme, due to uncertainty that this would take place we did not invite a guest of honour but our President, Peter Boorman, has kindly volunteered to present the cups and trophies.
As usual there will be a buffet and our water management officer, Dave Cottington will be selling raffle tickets. No doubt you have sorely missed Dave’s gentle arm twisting and will be willing to part with your money freely.
As you will hear in detail from our Hon. Sec and Hon. Treasurer, despite the dreaded Covid the club has grown over the past few years and is functioning efficiently. This situation is no doubt due to the hard work of the committee and volunteers whom I would like to sincerely thank for their efforts over this difficult period.
One thing that has made the news over the last few years is pollution of our rivers and streams by the water companies. as a fishing club we are very mindful of this and whilst we have a relatively small amount of river and stream fishing venues would remind members that pollution can also occur on lakes, i.e. pipes can burst, road spillages can happen, chemicals and other pollutants can come from farms etc. if you have any suspicions don’t hesitate to contact the environment agency (telephone number on licence) and members of the committee.
Thank you for listening to me and I hope you all have an enjoyable evening.
2. Apologies for Absence.
John Cattanach
3. Minutes of the 2021 AGM.
No issues were raised with regards to last year’s AGM minutes.
Daniel Taylor proposed they be accepted as true and accurate and this was seconded by Dave Stanbridge.
4. Honorary Secretary Report.
Good evening, and as Cris just pointed out, after 2 years of virtual AGM’s we finally get to meet up again. It was actually a little over 2 years ago that I took over the role of Hon. Secretary from John Butler and what a 2 years it has been, I was fortunate that John and his predecessors had left the club in a good position but what no one expected was the arrival of COVID and to be told we couldn’t do the thing we all love, fishing. Fortunately this was not for long as angling became an allowed form of exercise albeit with some hefty restrictions at first but these were gradually relaxed making it easier for us all to enjoy our hobby. What was not so easy was all the work that goes on behind the scenes as we could not hold our usual Committee meetings, as restrictions on indoor gatherings were much slower to ease, but thanks to the resilience and adaptability of everyone we still managed to keep everything going including maintenance, matches and not forgetting the previously mentioned virtual AGM’s.
One of the upsides to the pandemic has been the increased popularity of angling and so our membership numbers have gone up and therefore our income, more of that from the Treasurer later, and we have had comments about maybe stocking more fish into some of our waters. This would be great if it was that easy but the waters we have control over are small and will only support a given biomass, we made this mistake a few years ago at Scaland Wood when we were offered some very nice Carp which we bought but we then lost almost the equivalent amount of fish the following summer for no apparent reason other than the pond could not support the increase in fish numbers. Over the past few years we have added additional stock to Pennybridge and Mill House Farm although we now realise that Pennybridge has other issues which are being dealt with thanks to the help of a consultant and we are looking into options at all our waters and will keep you updated as we are well aware you expect to catch fish when you go fishing.
Also I have received comments recently about why do we support the Angling Trust, well firstly they do a very good job of fighting for angling clubs who have suffered pollution incidents (fortunately we have not had to call on their services and I hope we never have to). Secondly we have done rather well as a club in obtaining grants over the past years from the EA and then the AT when they took over. I asked Cliff, our Treasurer, to do the sums and I was quite surprised when he came back to me with the fact that over the past 9 years we have benefitted to the tune of £184.53 more per year than it has cost us to be AT members and that obviously does not include the other benefits we get including free advice if we have any water/fish/predator issues, free fish (yes the EA gave us 500 Crucians this year that are now in Pennybridge) and the previously mentioned legal team who are at our disposal should we need them. If anyone would like more detail on this Cliff has the full breakdown of the figures.
Sadly we lost the rights to fish Weirwood reservoir at the start of this season which was a bit of a blow after 21 years but rest assured that we are very actively working on acquiring rights to a 4 lake venue in the near future along with a couple of other waters that we may possibly gain access to in the next year or so.
On that bitter/sweet note I will hand over to our Hon Treasurer and I hope you all enjoy the rest of the evening and I wish you all the best for the coming season and better times ahead.
5. Honorary Treasurer Report and adoption of the previous year’s accounts.
Hello everyone,
Welcome back to the Crowborough & District Anglers Association annual buffet - sorry AGM – in these now (erm) post COVID times!!! It is good to see you all face to face again.
In the last 2 years we have benefitted financially from the Pandemic as you have previously heard from our Hon. Secretary. You should all have a copy of our audited annual accounts, and I am happy to report an annual surplus of £7649.37.
The accounts show our historical annual surpluses for the last 11 years, and show that our surplus for last season is the second largest, by a long way that we have reported in that time.
WHY? – basically because membership numbers have risen from around 300, 3 years ago, to just over 500 for each of the last 2 seasons, that equates to approximately £7000 per season.
I will say that we have allocated £1500 for additional fish and working party actions. Because of the weather these have not happened – but will when conditions allow. The surplus would have been around £6000 had these events taken place.
The bottom line is that we are not only doing well, but we are doing better than we ever have, and the way membership numbers seem to date, the indications are that this should be another good season.
I can go on and on breaking down the figures but it seems to me that there are 2 figures that need explaining:
Subs – they have dropped by £2400 this season. This is due to the timing of banking – 2020/21 we banked £1900 on the last day, this season 2021/22 we banked £991 one day after these accounts were produced. Additionally, the variation in average membership value effects this – generally around £35, but depending on the time within the season could be as low as £33.
Fundraising is up by £2097. This is largely due to:
CTC grant £490
Underhill owner donated £200 towards work that we had done.
Danesfield owner donated £991 towards work that we had done.
I think it is now 10 seasons since we last increased subscriptions, and I am pleased to say we do not propose to do so this season.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have on the accounts, and any questions re the Hon. Secretary’s statements re our membership of the Angling Trust.
Sandra Lawrence asked why Crowborough Shoe Repairs bill for the engraving has been so low over the past couple of seasons – Cliff explained this was partly due to fact that our Sea section has not been active as well as both the Ladies & Junior matches not having been fished. Cliff also said that he had queried the low cost with the proprietor but she had said she was happy with what she was charging.
Pete Gotts raised the question of purchasing a new water as we have £20k+ in our bank account – Cliff explained that we are always looking for new waters but looking at recent auctions of potential lakes within reasonable distance having a guide price that we could afford were being sold for well over, often 3-4 times, the guide price. Cliff did say that our best option may be to buy a suitable piece of land and then develop that.
Cliff then asked for a proposer and seconder for acceptance of the 2021-2022 audited annual accounts.
Proposer: Cai Blakeway Seconder: Daniel Taylor
Cliff then asked that everyone vote either for acceptance or non-acceptance of the accounts.
Those voting for …………....Unanimous
Those voting against ……..0
Before we finish there is one other figure that needs explanation, the expenditure listed as ‘Special Event’.
On that note…….
Good night from me and let me pass you over to our current Vice-President, Mr Dave Stanbridge.
6. Vice Presidents Statement.
It is not usual for the Vice President to speak at an AGM, the last two years have not been usual. The Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer have all, quite rightly, told you how difficult these last couple of years have been but I wanted to give you a few examples. We had to hold a meeting in my garden, we sat so far apart we had to shout at each other! At another time Cliff and I had to make an important decision in Morrison’s!
However, during that period several facts came to light. We discovered that 2 guys behind me have been involved with the club for over 90 years between them! One had been President and the other Chairman for 20 years we could not let that pass. For obvious reasons we could not consult you, or them, so we arranged a presentation. This took place at the December Meeting. As the committee had done such a decent job I proposed that the Club should buy them a drink to have with the 2 Guys as they were presented with their awards. This was with your money! The presentation was successful.
Thank you.
I will just finish with this “Next time you go fishing try liquorice as bait....... you will catch all sorts!”
7. Presidents report.
Pete Boorman thanked everyone present for attending and then proceeded to thank all members of the Committee for their commitment to keeping the club running despite the difficulties of the past two years. He also commented that the current Committee was possibly one of the best we had ever had due to the diverse range of expertise available and he hoped this would stand the club in good stead going forward.
8. Any amendments to the Association Constitution and/or rules if required.
No amendments had been tabled.
9. Election of Officers…..
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President – Pete Boorman – Proposer: Dave Stanbridge / Seconder: Derek Blakeway
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Vice President – Dave Stanbridge & Geoff Wicks – Proposer: Derek Blakeway / Seconder: Pete Boorman
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Honorary Secretary – Dave Flint – Proposer: Pete Gotts / Seconder: Daniel Taylor
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Honorary Treasurer – Cliff Milledge – Proposer: Daniel Taylor / Seconder: Cai Blakeway
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Assistant Secretary – Sandra Lawrence – Proposer: Nick Peters / Seconder: Bill Gibbins
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Assistant Treasurer – Pete Boorman – Proposer: Cliff Milledge / Seconder: Nick Peters
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Membership Secretary – Sandra Lawrence – Proposer: Cai Blakeway / Seconder: Cliff Milledge
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Minute Secretary – Currently covered by Hon. Secretary
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Water Management Officer – Dave Cottington – Proposer: Cai Blakeway / Seconder: Daniel Taylor
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Fund Raising Officer – Cai Blakeway – Proposer: Cliff Milledge / Seconder: Dave Flint
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Publicity Officer – Dave Flint – Proposer: Sandra Lawrence / Seconder: Roger Funnell
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Administrator of the Archives – Roger Funnell – Proposer: Dave Cottington / Seconder: Dave Flint
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Auditor - Tracy Waters – Proposer: Dave Stanbridge / Seconder: Cliff Milledge
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Executive Committee (up to 12 Seniors) - Amber Blakeway/Derek Blakeway/John Cattanach/John Manktelow/Roy Williamson – Proposer: Nick Peters / Seconder: Pete Gotts
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Junior Representatives (up to 2 Juniors) - Hayden Taylor – Proposer: Derek Blakeway / Dave Stanbridge
Roger Funnell took a few minutes to ask all present to support the upcoming Junior Day by helping to promote it via posters he had with him.
8.45pm Refreshment Break/Buffet
10. Presentation of Prizes/Trophies.
The winners were announced by Cris Millis and the trophies were presented by Pete Boorman.
The full list of winners can be found here https://www.crowboroughanglers.org.uk/agm-prize-winners
11. Raffle
The raffle was a great success considering the lower number (29) of attendee’s this year as we made £117, a big thank you for the donated prizes and to everyone for parting with their money to buy tickets although this was in no small part due to our Dave C being his usual persuasive self selling the tickets.
12. Any Other Business at the Chairman's Discretion but excluding any proposals that seeks to alter or amend or add to Association Rules or Regulations.
As there was no other business raised Cris thanked everyone for their time and wished them a successful new season before announcing the 2022 AGM closed.
Meeting ended at 10:20pm
Note: The following Committee positions are elected at the Committee meeting following the AGM
Chairman
Vice Chairman
Match Stewards
AGM 27th April 2021
1. Chairman's Opening Address.
Well here we are again or should I correctly state here we AREN'T again. Circumstances have forced us to hold yet another virtual AGM. Let’s all hope third time lucky for next year that we can hold a "proper" AGM.
Despite the dreaded virus the club is, as you will hear in detail later, doing well and getting things done. As we are unable to hold actual Committee meetings we have introduced a system of "internet voting" for major decisions including those matters that would be voted on during a "normal" AGM so despite not attending a AGM you still have a voice and this seems to be working well additionally we have been able to maintain and improve our waters by our own dedicated workforce and outside contractors where appropriate. Whilst some competitions have unfortunately been cancelled we have still managed to award many of our cups and trophies and I would particularly like to thank our engraver, Sue at Crowborough Shoe Repairs for her extra help in the collection and distribution of the cups and trophies.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Committee members and working party attendees for theist hard work during the season and to wish any retiring committee members all the best for the future. Don't forget if you feel that you would like to get more involved with your club and join the Committee we would be very pleased to hear from you. There are some members of the Committee who I feel have gone" the extra mile" during this difficult year, I don't intend to mention any names but my special thanks to you.
Thank you for reading this and I trust that next year I can say THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ME.
Cris Millis.
A few words from our Vice Chairman.
'I think it unusual for a Vice Chairman to speak (virtually) at an AGM, but these are not usual times.
When I first joined a fishing club in Essex, many years ago (note to Dave Cot - No, Isaac Walton was not the Chairman) I realised how important the riparian owners were. Without them, we would have no fishing. When I came to Crowborough, I soon realised that this relationship was even more important. I also knew that the feeling between our 'bailiffs', water management officers with these owners was paramount.
Early in 2020 the government and the Angling Trust made a hasty decision to suspend fishing. Realising that this decision was likely to be reversed and then imposed again, the committee felt we should have discussions with the owners. I felt that these talks should not be between the bailiffs and as I knew very few of the owners personally, I volunteered to do this, preventing, following an expected u-turn, a falling-out between the owners and their club contacts.
I am very pleased to report that these discussions went very well and it was obvious that the bond between CDAA and the owners was very strong. Every person I spoke to was happy with the arrangements we proposed and gave the committee a free hand to do what was best for everybody.
The committee was obviously pleased that the owners were content and to show our appreciation, we send them all a Christmas card! Our thanks here to members for generally obeying the rules.
However, being a MOG I cannot let this opportunity pass without mentioning a couple of points raised by some owners:
1. Litter and
2. Inconsiderate parking
I will say no more.
Dave Stanbridge.
2. Apologies for Absence.
As this is a virtual AGM there are no apologies.
3. Minutes of the 2020 AGM.
You will find these as an attachment (if you received this by email) or on separate sheets.
4. Honorary Secretary Report.
Dear Members,
This time last year I had not long taken over the role of Hon. Secretary and the world, and our sport with it, had some rather difficult challenges to contend with. In the past year we have been stopped from fishing then allowed only to be stopped again, thankfully things seem to be steadying now and we are hopefully heading for more normal times again and it is looking likely that we will be able to hold our full calendar of matches along with Junior Day and our Family Weekend in July which is great for both our club and the future of angling.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank every Member of the Committee for their commitment and support over the past year to make sure that everything happened as and when it should have, particularly after the first lockdown when we had very little notice that fishing would be allowed but with some severe restrictions which had to be put in place. The fact that our waters were kept to the high standards you expect and that all other works needed have been carried out is testament to the abilities of your Committee in these trying times.
I would also like to thank John Butler, my predecessor as Hon. Secretary, and Lyndsay Black who are both stepping down from the Committee after several years service for personal reasons, your passion and input will be missed.
Finally, this year I feel I can say with more confidence than last that I look forward to seeing you at next year’s AGM, here’s hoping.
Kind regards
Dave Flint
5. Honorary Treasurer Report and adoption of the previous year’s accounts.
Hello everyone and welcome to the CDAA AGM for the 2020/21 season.
Hopefully you all have a copy of the Accounts for the last season, showing a gross surplus of £9053.68, which I think you will all agree is a fantastic result on what was probably the strangest year many of us has ever had to face.
Before I explain the results of the last season we need to address the elephant in the room. The accounts for the 2019/20 season have now been audited but still need to be adopted. A copy is attached for your records, they have not changed since the unaudited accounts were presented at last year’s AGM. I would ask that these accounts are now adopted.
So, let’s look at the last season.
We, like everyone else I talk to in Angling, has benefitted greatly over the last 12 months.
Our subscription income has increased substantially in 2020/21.
The Junior section had no income or expenditure, obviously.
Fund raising disappeared, obviously.
No advertising income…. as we tried to help out our long-term supporters.
Trophy costs reduced … thanks to Sue at Crowborough Shoe Repairs generosity and no Sea Section, Junior Section or Ladies Trophy engraving.
Working party costs increased as a result of work done to rebuild the Dam at Danesfield Wood. We had to hire in machinery and specialist help for nearly a week, but all of the labouring work was done by volunteers from your Committee. This work was completed just before the end of the season, as a result we will get part of this cost back from the Landowner in the coming season.
You may notice our Net Assets have increased from £54087.18 in 2019/20 to £103386.43 in 2020/21. This is as a result of an increase in our valuation of Scaland Wood, which is based on recent prices achieved for similar properties sold locally. We have also included the club owned equipment and our trophies based on replacement values.
Please find attached the Associations audited accounts for the 2021/21 season, I would respectfully ask that they are now adopted by yourselves, BUT please do not expect them to be showing similar figures next season.
Thanks
Cliff Milledge
Honorary Treasurer
6. Any amendments to the Association Constitution and/or rules if required.
No amendments have been submitted for consideration.
7. Election of Officers…..
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President - Peter Boorman
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Vice President - Dave Stanbridge
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Honorary Secretary - Dave Flint
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Honorary Treasurer - Cliff Milledge
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Assistant Secretary - Sandra Lawrence
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Assistant Treasurer - Peter Boorman
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Membership Secretary - Sandra Lawrence
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Minute Secretary - Dave Flint
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Water Management Officer - Dave Cottington
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Fund Raising Officer - Vacant position
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Publicity Officer - Dave Flint
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Administrator of the Archives - Roger Funnell
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Auditors (2) - Mrs T Walters/Mr D Taylor
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Executive Committee – The Officers listed above/Amber Blakeway/Cai Blakeway/Derek Blakeway/Ian Herpe/John Manktelow/Cris Millis/Roy Williamson
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Junior Representative(s) (up to 2 Juniors) – Hayden Taylor
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Note: The following Committee positions are elected at the Committee meeting following the AGM
Chairman – Cris Millis
Vice Chairman – Dave Stanbridge/Geoff Wicks
Match Stewards – Roger Funnell/Helen Nicholson-Herpe
As we are unable to hold Committee meetings at present I have listed above the current holders of these positions as it is expected that they will continue in their respective roles until the next AGM.
8. Presentation of Prizes/Trophies.
The 2020-2021 season winners of the various competitions are attached/enclosed on a separate sheet and can also be found on our website here: https://www.crowboroughanglers.org.uk/agm-prize-winners-2018
As per last year all winners will receive a telephone call from a Senior Committee member congratulating them and confirming that their cup/trophy is ready to be collected from Crowborough Shoe Repairs.
9. Any Other Business at the Chairman's Discretion but excluding any proposal that seeks to alter, amend or add to the Association Rules or Regulations.
Any Member may bring anything they feel appropriate to the Committee’s attention for inclusion in this section within 21 days of the above date.
10. Presidents closing address.
This has been another very successful year for our Club with more people than ever turning to our Club during what has otherwise been a very restricted and frustrating year in so many other respects – our membership has never been so high. I hope that it can continue long after the restrictions have all been lifted.
Your Committee has had to work harder than ever to maintain all that the Club provides and our thanks must go to each and every one of them for they are the strength of our Club.
Our Club has now got, what I consider to be, the best group of officers it has had for a very long time. Our Committee Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary etc. and Working Party volunteers all do a fantastic job.
In spite of the unusual circumstances of the past 12 months many have put in exceptional effort and so I have decided to give the President’s Trophy to a man who has given unwavering support to our Club not only during this year but over many years, he has granted us financial and practical help with the Junior Fishing Day each year. He has also given much valued help and guidance on working parties, particularly Danesfield Wood in recent times. It gives me great pleasure to make this award to Dave Cottington – Many thanks and well done Dave.
I have also decided to give the President’s Medal to another very deserving gentleman for his unswerving support in so many ways, particularly caring for the finance which has been rather more demanding this year as our membership has grown to such levels as I don’t recall ever being surpassed in my 50 odd years as a Member. I have great pleasure in awarding the President’s Medal to Cliff Milledge. Many thanks and well done Cliff.
I thank all members of our Club for your support and wish you many times of successful fishing on our waters over the coming year.
Peter Boorman
President
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AGM 2020
Unfortunately due to Covid-19 we were unable to hold our AGM in the usual way but instead held a virtual one, the details of which are below.
AGM 27th July 2020
1. Chairman's Opening Address.
Welcome to the first and let’s hope last CDAA PEOPLE LESS AGM. As you are no doubt aware current restrictions have prohibited us from holding a proper AGM. However the committee felt that as time was marching on we should do something. The meeting will follow normal lines with reports by the Hon. Secretary, Hon. Treasurer and President. You will have received this virtual AGM by either email or post and you will have 14 days from the above date to comment, object and/or volunteer.
All members of the committee have agreed to continue in their present positions until we can hold our next AGM but we need to confirm the appointment of Dave Flint as Hon Secretary and Sandra Lawrence as Assistant Secretary, we also have a vacancy for a Fund Raising Officer. See item 7 below for the names of those standing.
There are also vacancies on the committee if you would like to get "more involved” with your club.
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all committee members for their hard work and dedication during this difficult and unique chapter in the clubs history and my best wishes to any who are retiring from the committee. A special thank you to John Butler who has retired from the post of Hon Secretary due to pressure at work and health problems, Thank you John for all you have done over the past few years.
With regards to our competition winners the cups and trophies have been sent for engraving and will be available for collection at Crowborough Shoe Repairs, my thanks to Sue Brereton for her help in this. All winners will be notified in due course when the trophies are ready. I would particularly like to congratulate Jeremy Stone for the landing of a Common Skate which exceeded the current British Shore Caught Record.
Any decisions at this meeting i.e. confirmation of new Hon. Secretary etc will be taken as read unless we hear from the membership within 14 days.
Finally I would like to thank all members for their patience and understanding through this difficult period.
Cris Millis
2. Apologies for Absence.
As this is a virtual AGM there are no apologies.
3. Minutes of the 2019 AGM.
You will find these as an attachment (if you received this by email) or on separate sheets.
4. Honorary Secretary Report.
Dear Members,
It’s a shame we can't all be together for the AGM, but these are the strangest times.
It’s been another good year for CDAA with waters fishing well and the working party regulars doing an amazing job of making all the waters look so good.
It was great news when the government allowed us all to fish again and I am sure it has helped a lot of people deal with the pressures that lockdown and isolation brought on us all.
Sadly I have to step aside from my role as Honorary Secretary due to work commitments and health, but I am still fishing thank heavens. I have enjoyed my time in the role and have been supported very well by an incredibly hard working Committee. The role of Honorary Secretary is too important a role and unfortunately as I was faced with severe time constraints due to work commitments in particular, I no longer felt I could dedicate the time needed. However I will still be on hand to assist with grant applications to the Angling Trust etc having successfully negotiated two grant applications previously with the help of Dave Flint’s costing and planning involvement.
Good luck with your fishing and may we all meet up again for the next AGM in the regular surroundings.
Tight Lines & Wet Nets one and all.
Kind Regards, John Butler
A few words from your new Hon. Secretary:
As your hopefully new Hon. Secretary I would just like to say thank you to my predecessors for leaving me a club which is both successful and in good shape which I intend to continue with and build upon.
I do feel a little like Boris in that just as I took over from John we were hit with the Covid-19 scenario which meant that what was expected to be a quiet transfer become quite “interesting” as we were stopped from holding our normal face to face meetings and everything has had to be done via phone calls and email. Fortunately our Committee, although aging (sorry but we mostly are), are pretty tech savvy and so we continued to function as things changed on an almost daily basis and I hope you the members are happy with how we have dealt with the situation and especially with the very short notice we got to reopen our waters.
I look forward to seeing many of you at our next AGM by which time let us hope things are back to normal.
Kind regards
Dave F
5. Honorary Treasurer Report and adoption of the previous year’s accounts.
(The 2019-20 accounts are attached or on a separate sheet, these will be adopted at our next AGM)
Hello Everyone. Firstly, may I apologise. I would love to be giving you these figures at our AGM, but due to this really weird year, that is not going to happen. So, I must now deliver the annual results virtually.
It has been another great year for us financially. We made a surplus of £1738.80, our 3rd best performance in the last 9 years.
At the last AGM I asked you for the authority to raise subscriptions by £5 per year if the Executive Committee deemed it necessary. At the time I tried to re-assure you that this was not a case of need request but a request for the future should we ever need to raise subscriptions quickly. I am happy to confirm that we have not raised subscription rates this season, that is now 7 years since the last increase, and I do not foresee having to raise them next season either.
So why is our surplus so much better this year than last year’s £597.44? The basic answer is us, i.e. your Committee and a few other volunteers. Over the last few years, a small body of individuals from the Association (approximately 12/15), have been doing a lot of work maintaining the Associations waters. Day to day maintenance as well as larger projects have all been managed in house. As a result, we are now on top of the projects we need completed at our various waters. Last season the efforts of those few individuals meant that our expenditure for working party work reduced by £1725. However, we do need more people able and available to do scheduled working parties and ad hoc work. Generally, this is never more than 2 or 3 hours at a time, but the benefit to the Association is enormous, and as one of the regular participants I can say it gives me an enormous amount of pleasure visiting any of the waters and thinking I helped it look like this. Being involved does not mean any regular commitment, just a willingness to be involved, a happiness to be contacted and an ability to be involved when it fits in with your other commitments. If anyone seriously thinks they can be involved in the day to day or one off working parties at our waters I will be more than happy to talk you through what we do, when we do it and what we need, to see if it fits with what you are able to commit to.
The other big change for the 2019/20 season is the membership. Income from memberships dropped by £951, however our membership numbers increased by 19 to 326. This change in income is partly due to the fact that we have more junior members, this accounts for approximately £300 of the drop, but the remainder is due to timings for renewals. Effectively fewer existing members renewed in March this year, and we all know why that happened Mr Coronus Virus.
To sum up – everything is great….
Membership numbers are up.
We have not had to increase subscriptions, again.
There is one thing I must emphasise. Due to the current situation, our Annual Accounts have not been audited. I hope that you are happy for us to continue moving forward. The accounts will be audited as soon as social distancing allows for this to happen, and if the audit required any changes to be made to them, you will be advised immediately. If the audit does not produce any issues, I will bring the accounts to the next AGM for official adoption.
Thank you all.
Cliff Milledge
6. Any amendments to the Association Constitution and/or rules if required.
No amendments have been submitted.
7. Election of Officers…..
-
President - Peter Boorman
-
Vice President - Dave Stanbridge
-
Honorary Secretary - Dave Flint
-
Honorary Treasurer - Cliff Milledge
-
Assistant Secretary - Sandra Lawrence
-
Assistant Treasurer - Peter Boorman
-
Membership Secretary - Sandra Lawrence
-
Minute Secretary - Dave Flint
-
Water Management Officer - Dave Cottington
-
Fund Raising Officer - Vacant position
-
Publicity Officer - Dave Flint
-
Administrator of the Archives - Roger Funnell
-
Auditors (2) - Mrs T Walters/Mr M Blackledge
-
Executive Committee – The Officers listed above/Lyndsay Black/Amber Blakeway/Cai Blakeway/Derek Blakeway/Ian Herpe/John Manktelow/Cris Millis/Geoff Wicks/Roy Williamson
-
Junior Representatives (up to 2 Juniors) - Vacant position(s)
Note: The following Committee positions are elected at the Committee meeting following the AGM
Chairman – Cris Millis
Vice Chairman – Dave Stanbridge/Geoff Wicks
Match Stewards – Roger Funnell/Helen Nicholson-Herpe
As we are unable to hold Committee meetings at present I have listed above the current holders of these positions as it is expected that they will continue in their respective roles until the next AGM.