**Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Purple Warriors (The Charity”)** on Google Meet at 8pm on 23 January 2023 (as adjourned from 5pm in December 2022 at Silverwing Sailing Club) **Present** : Gary Cruwys, Mark Batty, Steve Pearson, Natasza Telfer, Glyn Own Barrell, Bernard Broadhurst, Lee Dunkley ## **In Attendance** : - Non-member Trustees: Peter Li (Chair), Charles Ryder, Jennifer Henderson, Daniel Windsor, - Secretary: Sarah McBride - Associate members: Amanda Broadhurst Taylor, Linda Harris, Nicola Winskill-Hales, David Mountain ## **Apologies were noted from:** Frank Smitheran (Associate), Jez Ryan (Members), Sutton Yeung (Treasurer) , Paul Cutmore (Coach) Mr. Peter Li (Chairman of Purple Warriors) opened the meeting and welcomed all to the meeting. Peter Li took the attendees through the business of the meeting and noted that: - A quorum was present in accordance with regulation 11.5.(b) of the Constitution and the meeting could proceed to business. - Notices to convene the meeting were duly served to all members of the Charity with the accompanying Trustee report and Treasurer Report. It was proposed that the two reports be taken as read and all members present at the meeting consent to the reports as read. ## **CHAIRMAN’S REPORT** ## **Trustees’ Annual Report** ## **1 January 2022 – 31 December 2022** ## **Section A - Reference, Governance and Administration Details** Charity name: Purple Warriors Registered charity number: 1169153 Registered office: 132A College Road[1] Bromley, Kent BR1 3PF Charity Trustees: Peter Li (Trustee from 19/10/19, Chairman from 01/07/22) Jennifer Henderson (from 23/09/17) Charles Ryder (from 03/02/22) Dan Windsor (from 19/10/19) Bernard Broadhurst (from 19/10/19) Natasza Telfer (from 01/09/22) Admin Committee: Natasza Telfer (Committee Chair) Sutton Yeung Linda Tucker Glyn Barrell Lisa Turgyan Paul Cutmore Sarah McBride Bank: Santander, Bridle Road, Bootle, L30 4GB Type of charity: Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Trustee selection: 3 trustees were elected by members during our AGM on 3[rd] February 2022, one proposed by an existing trustee and two from existing trustees. Contribution by volunteers: Purple Warriors has no remunerated posts. The Trustees wish to particularly acknowledge the contribution of: `o` Jennifer Henderson – Former Chairman (to 30[th] June 2022) `o` Natasza Telfer –Chair of Management Committee `o` Linda Harris - Events ## **Section B - Charity Object and Activities** Object per constitution: _For the public benefit, the preservation and protection of the physical and mental health of serving and retired members of HM Forces who have some form of physical or psychological impairment because of their service by providing and assisting in the provision of opportunities to take part in the sport of dragon boating._ 1 Note: The registered office address was moved to Bromley following a change of Chairman of Trustees. ## **Main activities undertaken in support of the Charity Objects** The opportunities available to take part in the sport of dragon boating cover three distinct areas. 1. Training Sessions 2. Racing Events 3. Social Events & Support Systems As of 10 December 22, Purple Warriors has **19 full** members and **15 associate** members. Full Members are veterans and pay no fee, Associates are friends and supporters who pay a small associate fee. ## **Training Sessions** - a. Centralised training sessions are organised about once a month and last for a full day. They are held primarily at Silverwing Lake supported by Hurricanes Dragonboat Racing Club, but we have also used facilities at Henley, Pershore and Wath-on-Dearne. These sessions are available to both full members and associate members and those wishing to give both the sport and the Club a go with a view to joining the club as either an associate or full member. Members are encouraged to attend as many training sessions as they can, and the coaches provide a mix of classroom theory and on-water training. ## **Racing Events** - a. Purple Warriors is a full member of the British Dragon Boat Racing Association (“BDA”) and takes part in its racing events around the country. - b. Purple Warriors also participates in charity race events in the UK and in international events. - c. Purple Warriors has not competed in many race events in 2022 due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions, however the Warriors did compete at the BDA National Finals and achieved great results with some help from friends at Pershore Dragons. ## **Social Events & Support Systems** - a. A key element of the charity and our objectives is to provide a team ethos and safe environment for our members. It is important that we do not overlook the social events and support systems that are in place to help foster this. - b. After training sessions, we always try to provide a meal for members and families; these are generally well attended and allow members the opportunity to relax and socialise. - c. We appoint team captains who are responsible for making sure everyone has what they need during events and are available for members if needed. - d. A buddy system is in place for members and potential members who have expressed an interest in joining the club to ensure they are given full information and feel secure about joining a training session. - e. At our last AGM on 3[rd] February 2022, we presented key members with trophies in thanks for all they do. To date we have undertaken numerous email campaigns to raise the visibility and awareness of Purple Warriors and will continue with this activity to help introduce new members into the sport and into the club. We also use Facebook extensively and have a large following on this platform. During the 2022 year the Management Committee and the Trustees focused on four key areas: 1. Retention & Support 2. Fundraising 3. Refocussing our efforts in new referral pathways 4. Governance ## **Retention/Support** Purple Warriors is a membership organisation and as such we will always have fluctuations in our membership. This is no different to any other membership organisation and any other Dragonboat club who always go through peaks and troughs in membership levels. This year has been a tough year, with many clubs losing members and the BDA membership is down overall. As we want to support as many people as we can, maintaining our membership and how we can help people who are members is critical. ## **Fundraising** Charities have been hit very hard over the past few years. Fundraising is always a constant challenge for any charity, and we are very lucky that we have support already and a healthy bank balance that has been built up over the past 6 years and with limited operational costs. However, this is something that needs to be continued and ideas. We do have access to a Give As You Live system where we can use graphics and links for people to use to donate money and we are now registered for Facebook (and other) donations via the PayPal Giving Fund, JustGiving and Benevity platforms. As we know, Purple Warriors members are very resilient, and we have yet again gone through another difficult year with our core members and due in part to the bond and strong relationships created as a team. ## **Referral Pathways** In the last few months, the trustees have been busy working on our future strategy and fundraising and partnerships as well as how to grow and develop the club and reach new potential beneficiaries. We are in the process of registering with several forces’ frameworks, including Sporting Force, Veteran’s Gateway and COBSEO to increase our reach and membership. ## **Governance** The Board of Trustees manage and control the charity. We set the strategy for the charity and are responsible for ensuring the charity is compliant and the resources are used effectively, and only in pursuit of the charity’s objects. We review risk and governance structures on a regular basis and ensure financial surety for the efficient operation of the charity. The Trustees are supported by the Management Committee who support the Trustees with the operations of the charity as delegated to them by the Board of Trustees. To support our desire to raise and shift the profile of the charity we are currently undertaking a review of our governance structure and building new policies that bring us into line with similar organisation to ensure compliance and deliver the best service to our beneficiaries and stakeholders. ## **Section C - Key External Relationships** Purple Warriors has developed ongoing relationships with a range of individuals and organisation. Worthy of special mention: **Immaculate** Immaculate has provided a significant amount of _pro bono_ support to Purple Warriors. It is responsible for our branding, our web presence, design of our clothing, and for ‘back office’ IT support to our social media and email. **Race The Dragon** Race the Dragon is a corporate company who organise charity dragon boat races throughout the country. They support Purple Warriors with reduced/free entry into certain races in the year and raised awareness of the charity during the day to visitors of the events. **Forces Platforms** These have been mentioned above but we hope to add them as confirmed here for next year. ## **Section D – Financial Review** Treasurer: The role of Treasurer throughout the period covered by this report has been undertaken by Sutton Yeung. He is authorised to expend monies up to £250 at his own discretion; purchases over £250 require the approval of Peter Li (Chairman). Policy on reserves: As at 10 Dec 2022, Purple Warriors held **£21,900** cash at the bank of which **£3,900** were restricted funds (mainly for hardship support). The Trustees have determined that £3,000 is to be maintained as a financial reserve. Additional information: The main source of funds has been: Associate Membership fees Donations (for unrestricted club use) Sponsorship Hardship support (restricted) ## **Section E – Declaration** **The Trustees declare that they have approved the Trustees’ report above.** ## Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees: Signature: _Peter Li_ Full Name: Peter Li Position: Chairman Date: 10/12/2022 ## **FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS:** ## **Background** The year from April 2021 to March 2022 saw global events take a turn for the better from a covid perspective. As a result, opportunities for the Purple Warriors family to return to some semblance of normality improved significantly compared to the previous year. This was evident in the number of meetings held from October 2021 onwards, enabling us to get together and provide that embracing support, both mentally and even physically at times. Even if we couldn’t all get together to talk and paddle, the Committee continued to meet to discuss operational issues and review the situation. We had to continue to assess the risks associated with running events that required physically meeting up, as a number of the Purple Warriors family are clinically vulnerable, and we had to think about the possible outcomes for them if they attended sessions and subsequently contracted covid. The events situation for 2022 – 2023 continues to improve, with more meets already having taken place. We look forward to seeing all of you for the remainder of this year and beyond. ## **Finances** As a result of not being able to meet, our finances remained stable. We started the financial year on 5 April 2021 with £21,527 and ended the year with £21,900. The main source of funds was from Dyer’s Hall charity, where we received £1,000. Our expenditure for the year was minimal, being mainly the usual monthly accountant’s fee (£20 per month) and the Capsule CRM fee (£30 per month). Aims audited our accounts in September and signed them off with no issues raised. The final accounts are shown below for review and sign off by the Trustees. Appendix 1: Final accounts - Sect A - CC16a Appendix 2: Final accounts - Sect B - CC16a **THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS WERE RESOLVED:** 1. To re-appoint Jennifer Henderson who has retired by rotation and is eligible for reappointment in accordance with clause 13 of the Constitution 2. To re-appoint Dan Windsor who has retired by rotation and is eligible for reappointment in accordance with clause 13 of the Constitution 3. To re-appoint Natasza Telfer who was appointed as trustee by the Board of Trustees on 1st September 2022 in accordance with clause 13 of the Constitution ## **AWARDS:** With the formal part of the meeting complete The Chairman asked Natasza Telfer, as Chair of the Management Committee to present the Outstanding Contribution awards to the following: - To Glynn Owen Barrell – for his continuous long-term support to the Charity - To Mark Batty – for his support of the Charity and inspiration of others - To Peter Li - for this work and support to the Charity as chair bringing a new level of vision, focus and determination. Natasza also said the Management Committee Chairman’s award was granted to Craig WinskillHales for this impressive contribution in helping with the coaching. Peter Li then gave thanks to the Management Committee and coaching team, Pershore Dragon Boat club for all their support over the past year with events and the Nationals, and to Linda Harris for her help with training venues. Peter Li also gave thanks to his predecessor Jennifer Henderson (who stepped down as Chair of the Charity in June 2022) for her hard work. Natasza gave thanks to Sarah McBride for her work on governance and compliance. There being no other business, the Chairman declared the meeting closed at 8.25 pm. Appendlx l.. Flnal accounts- Sect A- CC16a Purple Warriors 1169153 Receipts and payments accounts For the period from 5 April 2021 to 4 April 2022 Section A Receipts and pa ments Unrestricted funds to th8 nèarèat Restricted funds Total funds Last yèar to the nearest £ to tho nearest to th8 nèarèst £ A1 Receipts Membership fees Donations Ti¢lillllly & Rdb¥ lee Sale of merchandise Hardship Other receipts 184 1.252 610 48 779 2,019 441 1,252 610 48 Sub total I. 2,094 2,094 3.239 A2 Asset aiid iiivestment sales Total receipts A3 Payments Administration Trainin & race events Markelin Hardshi Purchase of merchandise Other payn)enls 972 975 490 140 140 603 603 Sub total , 1,118 60$ 1,721 A4 Asset and investment purchases Training and race equipment Office equipment Sub total Total payments I: Net of receipts/(paymentsJ AJ Tr