Minutes for AGM 2008
Monday 27th October 2008 at Forest Hills Golf Club, Desford (SK482058)
Members Present:
Ernie Williams, Roger Edwards, Chris Phillips, Rachel Simonetti, Bob Haskins, Roy Denny, Peter Hornsby, Roger Williamson, Ursula Williamson, John Marriott, Mark Foxwell, Alison Hardy, Judith Holt, John Cook, David LeBoutillier, Simon Ford, Dave Toach, Peter Leake, Simon Starkey, Roger Kelly
1 Apologies for absence
Lee Powell and Roger Phillips
2 Declaration of membership numbers
20 people attended which meant that the meeting was quorate.
Total membership – 170 plus 22 Associate BSOA and 4 Associate Schools. 1 local group member was included in the total membership.
3 Approval and signing of minutes of last annual general meeting (24/10/2007)
Meeting of last minutes approved and signed.
4 Matters arising from those minutes
University promotion – it was discussed at the last AGM (in open forum) that we should be promoting our events to Orienteering Clubs in universities and that a volunteer should be sort to take project on board and see it through. RD pointed out that this University promotion had not been actioned. CP explained that this was because no willing volunteers had come forward to head this project.
5 Chairman’s Report on past year
A very busy year. Looking first to our events programme, the Chairman was pleased to report an increase in numbers competing at the club’s events during the year. This increase has been evident across the whole range of our competitions with, the largest increase at the C4 and C3 events. We have in total organised 49 events during the year to 31st August 2008. The Summer League continues to provide a firm foundation for much of our competitive activity and thanks go to Mark Foxwell and to all those who organised and planned. The Winter League continues to be successful, although the Saturday morning events attract only limited numbers. With the changes to the British Orienteering event structure coming on line on 1st January 2009, there will be some minor changes to our event structure next year.
Perhaps the most significant achievement in the last year has been the gaining of Club Mark. The club owes a major vote of thanks to Judith Holt for the large amount of work that she put into guiding us through the certification process. It should be emphasised that Club Mark is not just a British Orienteering “thing”. Sport England is the originator of the Club Mark Award and all sports National Governing Bodies take part in the scheme. LEI is represented on a number of local and regional sporting bodies and when the topic of club mark is raised, it is very pleasing to admit “modestly” that we are one of the very few holders of the award in the County.
Continuing with the work of the Development Team, we have offered a number of training opportunities at local events and also an introductory coaching course. There has even been attendance at a British Orienteering Course in the Lake District, on which no further comment is made other than to refer you to Irene’s “Club Shop News”!
We have been actively involved with our two schools partnerships, in South Charnwood and Oadby and Wigston, over the last year and Chris Bosley and Roger Edwards have organised events for them. One tangible result of this work, in particular with the after school club, was the appearance of Abington High School in the British Schools Score Cup Championships. They came a very creditable 6th out of 25 Schools. This is the first time this school has entered an Orienteering Competition and the first time we have had a schools team from the club in this competition. Congratulations to two of our club juniors who took part in the competition, Euan Tebbutt who won the Year 5 Boys competition and Nicholas Wilson who came 6th. Our presence in schools has grown significantly in the last year through our selection as one of Leicestershire County Councils “preferred sports”. At a conservative estimate over 1,500 children have had an introduction to the sport in the last year.
Attendance at the various country park open days is now a regular feature of our year and this year we have taken part in events at 5 locations. Thanks to all those who have helped. These days are very important. They do recruit new members for the club and also promote “brand awareness” of orienteering. Not everybody who visits the LEI stand at these events will want to take part in the sport but they will go away with a greater awareness of what we do. This coupled with the promotion of Orienteering to young people in schools will make the public more aware of the sport.
We have for some time been considering how to mark the accomplishments of our junior members. In future Junior members who do outstandingly well in club competitions will receive a Junior Squad Champion’s Top. The President has already presented the first of these to James Hornsby and Dominic Leake for their performances in the Summer League. We shall in the near future be giving LEI Junior Squad T shirts to Juniors who represent the club in Competitions such as the Yvette Baker.
The Chairman congratulated three of the younger members of the club on their performances over the last year. Firstly Mairead Rocke for 3rd overall in W18 in the Future Champions Cup and for selection to run as a member of the British Orienteering Junior Squad and inclusion in the squad for the European Youth Orienteering Championships. Secondly John Rocke for his selection for the Great Britain Team that competed at the Junior World Championships and thirdly to Ben Windsor, who as a comparative newcomer to the sport, has performed very well to achieve 14th place at M18 in the Future Champions Cup.
After some sterling work by Roy Denny, John Marriott and Roger Edwards and as a result of a grant from the National Forest Company we have now been able to increase the number of Permanent Orienteering Courses in our area to 12. We now have the facility for you to download maps via the club web site. Thanks to John Cooke for all the hard work that he has done in bringing the web site up to such a high standard, one of the best orienteering club web sites, in the Chairman’s opinion, in the Country.
During the past year we have run a number of training courses and workshops. These have included a Level Three Planners Training Course and a course for potential Grade 3 Controllers. Congratulations to Judith Holt, Simon Ford and John Cooke on successfully completing that course and being appointed as Grade 3 Controllers
Your club Executive Committee has met four times during the year and the various sub committees have met at regular intervals. As the Treasurer has already reported we are in a healthy financial state. We have been very fortunate to receive grants from both Local Authorities and the National Forest Company. Our expenditure on computing, both software and hardware and on SI kit continues to rise and is likely to remain as a significant item of expenditure for the foreseeable future.
My thanks to the committee members for all the hard work they have put in over the year. A special vote of thanks to Simon Ford who is standing down as club captain. Simon has been on the committee for a number of years in several different roles including that of Chairman. Simon will be continuing his “other” club job printing our maps.
“Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen I am pleased to report that once again the club has had a successful and productive year and remains in a strong and healthy position”.
6 Matters arising from Chairman’s Report
No questions
7 Treasurers report and budget projections for coming year
Overall surplus £543 this year. Over 4 years the club has broken even. The surplus is a result of a mixture of things, events income being £1000 higher then the previous year. This was a result of the success of the Wakerley regional event, increased entry fee for summer league and attendance to events being up.
Expenditure includes-
- LEI have bought 5 year Auto download licence and paid this as a lump sum.
- We have started buying SI kit and will continue this next year.
- There has been a big push in regards to establishing the permanent orienteering courses which has therefore increased the millage expenditure claimed through the year and this will also continue into next year.
- The new branded LEI top was subsidised by the club – £658 (£13 per top). Whilst income from branded tops go into the club shop, the shop made a loss because of the write off that had to be made of the previous tops and other slow selling products.
A procedural change agreed during the year was to increase the cheque single signature limit from £200 – £500.
We organised a corporate event for the Youth Sports Trust which was quite lucrative. Corporate events like this where the club charges for its time can be financially attractive and help increase our income.
Budget forecast for the coming year – loss £1,756. A reduction is forecast in event surplus due to the British Middles, however over the following 2 years, with putting on the Belvoir National and Compass Sport Cup final, the club should make more money. Budgeted for £700 income for the British Middle Distance Champs.
British Orienteering Federation levies – the cut off before BOF charge a levy per person has been increased to 75 from 40. This change may cost us a further £200 a year even though Focus magazine suggest that costs will stay neutral for most clubs.
Club shop will break even. Bank balance is half what is was in July, which will have a big effect on interest earned.
Extended activities -LEI currently have involvement with 2 after school clubs and this requires us to put on events with a school link. We have been given grants for this activity. Not many takers so far, but of those who have taken up the idea, they are enthusiastic.
LEI are currently applying for a grant / money from the Leicestershire County Council which is related to school sport activities.
LEI have now taken out insurance which is costing the club £200 per year, to cover all the SI equipment we have been buying.
RD commended RE for diligent accounts. EW seconded this.
8 Matters arising from Treasurers Report
None
9 Independent Financial Examiners Report
Account published and signed off by Lewis Sutton
10 Approval of Accounts
Proposed SF and seconded by RD
11 Club Membership Fees for coming year 2009-2010
We currently have 3 rates being seniors £4 and juniors £1. Groups £10
RE recommended the fees remain the same for the new year and this was seconded by RD .
12 President’s remarks and election of Chairman
This year the aim was to put on 52 events this year. LEI managed 49, which reflects well on club.
LEI are really pushing hard to make orienteering a real local activity with regard to schools and young people and generally trying to attract people into orienteering.
EW remarked that a lot of what had been achieved this year reflected on CP steering the club and leadership to ensure we take the club forward. EW thanked everyone for making our club what it is today.
EW remarked on the recently reported Lake District original fell running event where the press were using the words ‘irresponsible’ and ‘orienteering’. Being caught in the weather, which can turn very quickly at anytime. It was a credit to those taking part that everyone that went out came back which show the competitors were experienced enough to know what to do I extreme conditions and could cope. EW expressed that he hoped that the bad press would not create a knock on effect into our type of orienteering.
EW thanked the Officers for leading us and the Committee as well as all those who helped to make our club better this year.
Lets go for the 52 events next year!
No nominations for chairman before the AGM and it was proposed by EW that CP to remain as Chairman and was seconded by RS.
13 (New) Chairman’s address and plans for coming year
The coming year promises to be as busy as the previous year. Taking first the fixtures programme. The highlight of the year will be the British Elite Middle Distance Championships and the British Age Class Championships at Cademan and Thringstone Woods on the 10th May. Additionally the event has been designated a UK Cup Race. We are teaming up with NOC who are hosting the British Elite Sprint Championships on the 9th May to market the two events as the “British Short Race Weekend”. The organising and planning are well advanced. We expect between 750 and 1,000 competitors and we shall need all our members to help on the day. The team leaders for the various elements of the event have been appointed and will be soliciting help from all the members.
2009 marks the transition period from the old events structure to the new. We will continue to run the usual programme of colour coded fixtures as part of the EMOA League programme and as the months tick by these will change from being C4 events to L3 events. In due course, as and when the criteria for the revised BOF ranking scheme is published we shall consider which of our events to nominate as “age related” events and therefore included in the ranking scheme.
We have been asked to host the Compass Sport Cup and Trophy Final in October 2009. We have spent some months searching for a suitable area that combines both the level of terrain required and the supporting infrastructure required for the event. Subject to a final visit by the controller and CP it is hoped that we will get the go ahead to use Fineshade.
Looking further ahead to 2010 we will be running one of the new Area Championships at Belvoir in March of that year.
The Winter and Summer Leagues as always will play an important part in our fixtures calendar. Additionally the Development Team will be offering Saturday morning events for novices and juniors with a coaching element.
The C4 event at Bagworth on the 9th November will also be the Regional Round of the Yvette Baker trophy and Alison Hardy in her new role as Club Captain is looking to recruit juniors for our team. The event will also be “interesting” in that we will be practising timed starts in preparation for the British Middles.
Christmas Novelty event at Sence Valley on Saturday 13th December has a massed start at 11.00am. Post event refreshment will be at the Queens Head. As usual this is a closed event for club members and their guests.
The Development Team are going to be very busy during the coming year. Hopefully additional funding will be available so that we can extend the number and range of our after school activities that, have been so successful.
The Leicestershire and City Schools Competition Board, of which we are members, has revised their Awards Evenings and we shall be playing a prominent part in an evening we will be sharing with Athletics and Cross Country. Additionally there will be a County Schools Orienteering Championships during the early summer.
One of the tasks of the development team will be to continue the development of more self sufficiency of the two schools partnerships that we have been working with over the last 18 months and encourage them further into mainstream orienteering.
Lastly we will need, towards the end of the year, to start working towards ensuring that all the components are in place for the re-assessment of our Club Mark status the following year.
During the course of the next six months we will be taking part in a pilot scheme sponsored by Sport England aimed at recruiting volunteer helpers from outside the sport. We are one of 17 sporting clubs taking part, which if successful, will be rolled out nationally in 2010. The scheme involves working with the National Volunteer Centre through their 10 centres in the city and county. Whether there are people from outside the sport who want to be involved with a club like ourselves we shall find out over the next 6 months.
As the treasurer has reported, the club is in a strong and healthy financial position and we have no plans at present to raise either membership fees or charges for events. However I think it is difficult, if not impossible to predict how the current economic climate will affect LEI. Numbers at events are key to our financial well being and a significant drop in numbers would mean a re-think of both our budget and any activities not directly related to our core role of providing events for our members. We have sufficient reserves to maintain our current levels of activity for some time and good attendance at both the British Middles and Compass Sport Cup final would provide a financial cushion for the foreseeable future.
Finally, The Annual Awards and Presentation Dinner is to held at Botcheston Golf Club on Saturday 6th December. RD will take your order and your money.
14 Election of other Principal Officers (Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer)
BH re elected as Vice Chair, RE re elected as Treasurer and RS re elected as Secretary
Proposed by EW and carried.
15 Election of Committee
Ernie Williams, Roger Williamson, Irene Marriott, John Marriott, Roy Denney, Peter Leake, Graham Watson, Peter Hornsby, Mark Foxwell, Roger Kelly, Alison Hardy, Ben Windsor, John Cooke, Judith Holt, Kevin Bradley and Andy Portsmouth.
Proposed by SF and seconded by DLB
16 Election / adoption of Independent Financial examiner
Lewis Sutton – Proposed by RE and seconded RD
17 Election of President, Honorary Members
CP proposed for EW to continue, as chair of which there was a consensus.
The 4 honorary members – Tim Marshall, Lewis Sutton, Sam Lattaway and Irene Marriott were proposed by CP to re elect all, with no dissent.
18 Open forum
SF questioned the 10% reduction in membership from last year being consistent with everything else said tonight in terms of all the activities w are doing with schools trying to drive membership up.
CP – Yes we have lost a percentage of people who we recruited last year, quite a few were club members only on the special rate fee then decided against paying the higher fees when coming to renew.
RD – concerned regarding the lost member, commenting that we don’t keep selling the club once they have joined. Suggested the individual mentoring and adopting a member, which was discussed at previous meetings.
JM suggested following up the people that try the POC’s as we retain their contact details. We could follow them up and send them details on events and entice them to events etc. But there is no designated person for this job.
EW expressed a need for a meet and greet person at every event – this has been discussed before.
CP stated that we had not been able to find someone to take this on, but EW suggested to make the meet and greet a role which would be filled at each event by the organiser asking for a volunteer to help, similar to helpers for start, registration etc
PL liked the idea of appointing buddies to new members.
JH stated that the development tent was at last event and this acted as a focus for new members / enquiries together with the “Can I help you” bibs.
CP explained that NOC had had an aggressive recruitment campaign and would ask them for their retention figures.
CP expressed that we need someone to take on the role of collating the information we retrieve of potential new comers from all the different sources.
PH agreed to do a trial run of contacting the email addresses collected from the POC’s to advertise the Bagworth Event.
Meeting closed 9.45pm
