2024-12-31-accounts - City Of Sheffield Rowing Club

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CITY OF SHEFFIELD ROWING CLUB AGM

7:30PM MARCH 27 2025

The Plough Inn, Low Bradfield, Sheffield

MINUTES OF MEETING

ATTENDEES

Andrew Hogley (Trustee),
Richard Selby Foster (Trustee),
Janet Vickers (Trustee),
Drew McLaughlin (Trustee),
Meri Middleton (CSRC Chair),
Tom Coles (CSRC Captain),
Stuart Mashford (CSRC Health & Safety),
Tom Phillips (CSRC Membership),
Donald McDougal (CSRC Fleet & Facilities),
Anna Palmer (Hallam),
Ciaran Quinn (Hallam),
Cat Webb,
Vicky McDougal,
Cat McDougal,
Piers Turnbull,
Simon Turner,
Elinor Turner,
Karen Millar,
Lauren Riley,
Jack Gilpin,
Rob Taylor,
Gareth Morris,
Maesie McKenzie,
Christian Fox,
Terence Chipchase,
Gregor Duncan,
Aidan Joyce

APOLOGIES WERE RECEIVED FROM

Simon Coyne (Trustee),
Ian Ripley (CSRC Treasurer),
David Marsh,
Mike Luckham

1. Election of Chair

Andrew Hogley welcomed those present to the meeting, thanked those who had taken the opportunity to wear their blazers, and nominated Richard Selby Foster, a member of the Trustees, to chair the meeting. RSFs nomination was approved by the meeting and RSF took the chair.

2. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the previous AGM (held 27 March 2024), which had been shared with the club on email along with the Notice of the AGM, were accepted by those present as a true record.

3. Moment of remembrance

A minutes silence was held to remember those club members who had passed since the last AGM and to be grateful for the contribution they had made to the club.

4. Trustee report

Andrew Hogley summarised the key points from the Trustees report which had been shared with the club on email along with the Notice of the AGM. Key points as below.

It is the view of the trustees that the club continues to meet its charitable aims of promoting rowing in Sheffield.

Andrew drew attention to the improved Culture regarding Health and Safety, that Stuart Mashford as H&S Officer is now sharing monthly briefings with the whole club to ensure that lessons are learnt. It was also noted that the improved lighting in the boat houses has made a significant impact in this regard. The incidents recorded over the last year were detailed in the Trustees report. Slips and falls around the landing area are a recurring issue and as such the Trustees stated that they are in favour of making investments to improve this area.

Andrew reminded the club of the Peter Todd Foundation noting that no applications had been received since its inception. Applications were encouraged.

Membership numbers across the three clubs have increased to 254 which is pleasing to see.

5. Finance Report

In Ian Ripley’s absence Andrew Hogley also provided a summary of the finance report (details of which were included in the Trustees report).

In the year 1 January to 31 December 2024 the club had total income of £53,248 and operating expenditure of £36,315. A further £15,190 was spent on capital expenditure. Income and expenditure were both around £5k higher in the year due to the theft of equipment and associated insurance claim / replacement costs. Total club funds increased by £1,743 from £74,956 at the start of the year to £76,699.

6. Captain’s report:

Tom Coles read out the captains report (which was included in the Trustees report) highlighting the clubs successes over the year and thanking those on the committee for their contribution.

7. Election of Committee positions

The following were re-elected unopposed to Committee positions for the next 12 months:

Captain Tom Coles
Chair Meri Middleton  Treasurer Ian Ripley  Fleet & facilities Donald McDougal  Membership Tom Phillips

Cat Webb was nominated for the position of Secretary by Cat McDougal and Seconded by Piers Turnbull. She was elected to the position unopposed. Meri Middleton was thanked for having taken on this role in addition to the Chair over the past year.

The meeting was informed that Toby Prodfoot had also expressed an interest in joining the committee if roles were available. The meeting endorsed Toby Proudfoot taking up the vacant position of Social Secretary.

8. Election of Trustee positions

As per the constitution one third of the trustees are required to stand down each year. Andrew Hogley and Drew McLaughlin both offered themselves for re-election and were endorsed by the meeting.

The Trustees in post at the end of the meeting were therefore: Richard Foster, Simon Coyne, Andrew Hogley, Drew McLaughlin and Janet Vickers.

The Chair of the meeting invited any other members of the club to put themselves forward to join the trustees should they wish.

9. Resolutions

Members were asked to vote on a proposed increase in private racking fees from £120 per annum to £150 per annum to be effective 1 Jan 2026.

The proposal was approved by the meeting.

10. Questions for the Officials and discussion

The chair invited comments from the floor and questions for officials. The following topics were discussed.

IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LANDING AREA

As stated previously in relation to H&S the Trustees stated that their priority for expenditure was to invest in the landing area. The meeting supported this as the priority for investment but asked that detailed plans could be shared with the wider club such that the proposals could be properly considered prior to any investment being made. The changes required will require planning permission to be obtained and approval from Yorkshire Water which owns the land

In the interim it was suggested that a working party should make remedial repairs to the path down to the landing stages to reduce the danger of slips, trips and falls in order to prevent both injury and damage to boats and equipment.

There was some discussion as to whether planning approval had been received when plans were previously discussed by the club. The Trustees present had not been involved with the plans at the time, and it was confirmed by Donald McDougal following the meeting that planning approvals had been received though these have now lapsed.

It was also raised during this discussion that the Water Authority still hadn’t dealt with the support issue in the smaller boat house.

ACTIONS:

The Trustees to work with the Committee to bring forward two or three potential options for improvement for discussion with the wider club.

In the interim a working party to be established to make remedial repairs to the path down to the landing stages.

CLOSER COLLABORATION BETWEEN CITY AND HALLAM

Anna Palmer and Ciaran Quinn from Hallam spoke in favour of closer collaboration between the Hallam and City clubs highlighting a number of potential benefits to both clubs such as the pooling of equipment and fleets. One tangible example was that the City club currently only has access to one heavyweight VII and that Hallam has two VIIIs which are underutilised.

Janet Vickers provided some further context on the history of the Hallam club over last 41 years and expressed her view that closer collaboration would be advantageous. It was also noted that the Covid years had been damaging for Hallam as a club and that Hallam members would benefit from rowing with more experienced City rowers whilst also being able to bring new skills to the club in terms of Sports Science and potentially being able to assist with the development of the junior squad.

Other sports teams at Hallam have similar relationships with Basketball and Ice Hockey teams in the city of Sheffield. City rowers could also potentially benefit from access to gym facilities, particularly for strength and conditioning.

Donald McDougal stated that it was great to see Hallam at the AGM and that he was sorry not to see any representation from the University of Sheffield club. Whilst he feels it is important for the three clubs to maintain their identities he pointed out that the intention always had been for the three clubs to work closely together and that there was nothing constitutionally that prevented this.

The Trustees present shared this view and stated that they were keen to support closer collaboration between all tree clubs.

ACTION:

Anna and Ciaran to be invited to a meeting with the Committee to explore how best to establish greater collaboration between the clubs. At least one of the Trustees to also attend this meeting in order to support this initiative.

THURSDAY NIGHT SESSIONS

Vicky McDougal distributed a short survey to those present at the meeting to gain feedback from the club on how best to use the Thursday night sessions effectively. There is a general feeling that these sessions need to be reinvigorated not just to support fitness and performance of the squads but also as an opportunity to improve the social nature of the club and reduce the fragmentation between the squads.

Anna and Ciaran stated that Hallam would also be keen to join in with the wider club on Thursday evening sessions.

ACTION:

Vicky McDougal to collate feedback and make a proposal to the committee.

MIKE BAXBY PERPETUAL PRIZE

Donald McDougal shared with the meeting that Meri Middleton had been in conversation with the late Mike Baxby’s mother in the run up to the South Yorkshire Head with regard to establishing a prize in his memory for the fastest open sculler. Donald stated that Meri had personally funded the prize this year and proposed that the club should collect sufficient monies to fund the prize into perpetuity. This motion was unanimously supported by those present at the meeting.

ACTION:

Committee to invite donations from members in order to establish the Mike Baxby Memorial Trophy for the fastest open sculler at the SYH..

USE OF ERGOS / KIT LOCKER

Tom Phillips enquired whether the ergos the club owns at Kit Locker were being used sufficiently and raised the possibility of these being rented to members for use at home. It was also noted that several of the ergos needed replacement parts such as new monitors. Related to this discussion it was mentioned that the potential opportunity to rent space in Highcliffe had not been deemed suitable.

ACTION:

Committee to look to repair broken machines and ensure we get best use of the clubs ergos.

HEALTH AND SAFETY / BOAT HANDLING

Gregor Duncan shared his concerns that the club culture in relation to Health and Safety and boat handling was still not where it should be. Donald McDougal reiterated point about boat handling and stated that he felt University does this better than City Club. It was noted that novices are being coached well in this regard and that it tends to be longer standing club members that are becoming complacent.

The comments were noted by the trustees, and it was asked that the committee look to take further steps to raise awareness amongst the membership. It was also noted that events are already being planned by Stuart Mashford who as stated in the Trustees report has significantly raised the profile of H&S over the past year. Trustees to support this initiative.

ACTION:

Committee to confirm date of planned safety social.

USE OF LAUNCH

Terrance Chipchase brought to the Trustees attention that the launch, which is a shared resource used by all three clubs, has on a number of occasions run out of petrol whilst on the water and had to be paddled back to shore. This should never happen and it is evidence that pre-use safety checks not therefore not being carried out on the launch. The trustees shared TCs concerns particularly as these incidents had not been reported as Health and Safety incidents which they clearly should have been. The Trustees agreed that pre use checks must be implemented and adhered to before every use and that an appropriate system should be in place as this seems to have lapsed.

Related to this matter other members present at the meeting noted that the Log Book for use of the launch is also not being consistently used. As a result there is no clear record of hours of use which is essential for ensuring that the engine is serviced appropriately. It was also brought to the trustees attention that the keys for the launch are being left in the ignition by some users. This also a concern as it undermines the principal that only trained users should have access to the launch.

ACTIONS:

Trustees to support the Committee in ensuring that a system of pre-use checks and Logbook are implemented and enforced and that only approved users can have access to the keys. Trustees also support those that breach the operating procedures for the launch being prevented from having access to the launch.

The Trustees also request that all members of the club bring any similar matters to their attention at the soonest opportunity so that appropriate measures can be taken.

CLUB SOCIALS AND COHESION

Cat McDougal noted that whilst several of the squads socialise regularly there is a general lack of cohesion or any social activities between squads. As such there is a danger of further fragmentation between the club and many members do not know who is in the wider club. Cat proposed doing a whole clubs social.

The trustees thank Cat for raising this and note that it was an issue that they had spoken about in their last meeting. They recognise the benefits of building cohesion in the club and that this should be a priority.

ACTION:

Toby Proudfoot in his new role as social secretary to develop a program of potential social events and for these to be as inclusive as possible for Juniors, Universities and the squads within the City club. All members to be encouraged to support these measures.

BOAT NAME

The chair invited those present to submit suggestions for the name of the recently acquired lightweight double. These would then be considered by the committee and the new name communicated to the club.

ACTION:

Committee to consider shortlist of names.

PRIORITY ACTIONS

Joint meeting between Trustees and Committee to discuss feedback from AGM and be clear about what powers are delegated by the Trustees to the Committee.

Meeting between Committee and Trustees to determine best way to move forward with plans for improving the landing area.

Committee supported by Trustees to work to pursue closer collaboration between Hallam and CSRC.

Date of safety social to be arranged

Rules and procedures for use of launch to be reviewed as a priority.

The meeting closed at 9:00pm.

	City of Sheffield Rowing Club CIO Charity Name	City of Sheffield Rowing Club CIO Charity Name	City of Sheffield Rowing Club CIO Charity Name	1182522 No (if any)	CC16a
	For the period from	Period start date 01.01.24	To	Period end date 31.12.24

Section A Receipts and payments
A1 Receipts	Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ 16,515 1,680 - 13,192 709 5,106 2,862 2,209 - 2,287 180 1,208 5,297 1,843 160 53,248 - - 53,248 2,554 - 5,214 4,846 2,606 1,465 1,220 1,895 197 5,083 5,473 - 911 2,563 643 395 1,250 36,315 15,190 15,190 51,505 1,743 - 74,956 76,699	Restricted funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Endowment funds to the nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	Total funds to the nearest £ 16,515 1,680 - 13,192 709 5,106 2,862 2,209 - 2,287 180 1,208 5,297 1,843 160 53,248	Last year to the nearest £
Trustees: Membership	16,515				21,214
Trustees: Rack Fees	1,680				1,740
Trustees: New Boat House & Grants	-				-
CSRC: Membership	13,192				11,114
CSRC: Misc incl. Just Giving	709				3,888
CSRC: Race fees	5,106				6,318
CSRC: Towingfees	2,862				2,415
CSRC: Trainingcamp	2,209				5,620
CSRC: SY Head	-				1,250
CSRC: Learn 2 Row	2,287				-
Social Calendar sales	180				362
Social: Events	1,208				803
Insurance claim	5,297				2,000
Sales of blazers	1,843				1,000
Yorks RowingCouncil: Grants	160				-
*Sub total*(Gross income for AR)	53,248				57,724 57724
					,
A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table).
	-			-	-
*Sub total*	-			-	-
*Total receipts* A3 Payments
					57,724

Trustees: Propertyinsurance	2,554				2,138
Trustees: New boathouse	-				1,440
Trustees: Facilities	5,214				3,609
Trustees: Replacementparts for riggers	4,846				-
CSRC: Boat insurance	2,606				2,528
CSRC: Maintenance	1,465				1,164
CSRC: British RowingFees	1,220				1,091
CSRC: Circuits	1,895				1,261
CSRC: Admin	197				305
CSRC: Race EntryFees	5,083				6,997
CSRC: Traileringfees	5,473				4,271
CSRC: Blazers	-				4,563
CSRC: Misc	911				497
CSRC: Trainingcamp	2,563				2,860
Social Events	643				1,236
Independent Examiner	395				395
Ground rent	1,250				1,250
**Sub total **	36,315				35,605

A4 Asset and investment purchases (see table)
, New Rowingequipment and solarpanels	15,190			15,190	5,437
**Sub total **	15,190			15,190	5,437
*Total payments* *Net of receipts/(payments)* A5 Transfers between funds A6 Cash funds last year end *Cash funds this year end*
					41,042

	1,743	-		1,743	16,682
	-	-		-
	74,956	-		74,956	58,274
	76,699	-		76,699	74,956

CCXX R1 accounts (SS)

14/02/2025

Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period

Categories Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B5 Liabilities B1 Cash funds	Co op Account 6588 1374 General Co op Account 6588 1361 Trustees Cash in hand Details *Total cash funds* (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details Details Fixtures and Fittings Independent Examiner Co op Account 6588 1387 Social Co op Account 6588 1293 Foundation Signature	Unrestricted funds Restricted funds to nearest £ to nearest £ 19,969 - 54,416 - 776 1,500 - 39 - 76,699 - OK OK Fund to which asset belongs Cost (optional) 69,857 - - Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) 9,929 - 0 - Print Name Richard Selby Foster Trustee	Endowment funds to nearest £
			-
			-

			-
			-
			-
			OK
			Current value (optional)
			-
			-
			When due (optional)



			Date of approval
		Richard Selby Foster
		Trustee

CCXX R2 accounts (SS)

14/02/2025