THORNTON LE DALE BOWLING CLUB
MINUTES OF THE 44th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Held at the bowls club Saturday 28[th] October 2023
Chris Gibbons welcomed everyone.
Present:-Peter Standring, Heather Standring, Chris Gibbons, Jayne Gibbons, Sue Myers, Diana Barker, Denise Milner, Steve Slade, Mike Connolly, Mike Sutton, Christine Atkinson, Elsie Gibson.
Apologies for Absence – R. Dean, M. Keen, S. Wakefield, T. Wakefield, V. Sinclair, S. Brown, S. Connolly, T. Straker.
Minutes of the 43rd Annual General Meeting
The minutes of the 43rd AGM were circulated. This was duly accepted as true and correct.
Matters arising: -
No matters arose.
Chairperson’s Address.
Welcome to the AGM and thank you for making the effort in support of the club. We intend to proceed as per the circulated Agenda and cover all of the 2023 items, then move on to voting for 2024 officers at the end, with AOB as our last item.
Treasurer’s Statement
I present this year’s accounts with these thoughts and recommendations.
Running costs:
This year account on the face of it show a small deficit of £173, which if pending payments and incomes are included is a deficit of £938.
Last year’s deficit was £1099.
Comparing the accounts there are no outstanding changes in expenses or incomes compared with last year. Whilst a legal fee was incurred this should be considered as a running cost of a very low property lease and not a capital cost.
It underlines the importance of the fees increase made last year to counter inflation and the loss of green fees, but we need to go much further to reduce our annual deficits going forward.
At the previous AGM it was agreed to increase fees annually but without a significant increase in members it will not be possible to reduce these deficits, unless other income can be achieved.
This is an existential threat to the club as we cannot continue with ongoing deficits of this size year on year. Whilst we have capital reserve as a cushion, this should not be used for running costs. Therefore;
I and the other Trustees are asking the AGM to approve an increase of members fees to £75. As the offer for social members has been less than we would like, we are to leave their fees unchanged at £45. We have planned to focus on measures to improve social bowling next year.
Visiting touring teams will be asked to pay £5 per person to use our green.
A £1 donation for teas will be requested. Alternatives to be considered:
I would reconsider bringing a proposal for a universal membership fee of £45, with green fees of £3 a home game. I believe stopping green fees has been a factor in not balancing the books and we are not seeing a significant membership increase. The green fee would be supported by electronic card payments in preference to cash.
Capital costs:
A new path has been a great development appreciated by all. Thanks to the grant writing efforts of Jayne and generosity of Woodsmith Foundation who gave the club almost the entire cost of the project.
Planned large projects:
Roof repair. Our budget of £12500, set a few years ago for club improvement, will leave a very small capital reserve of £2349.02. It is hoped that grants may reduce the need to use the full budget.
Other changes this year has been the need to open new bank accounts in the new identity of the club as a CIO. The Reserve account, now called Liquidity manager 35 day notice account, is paying a significant interest, although this is below inflation.
A copy of the accounts are attached.
Members expressed concern over the falling revenue and by a unanimous vote agreed to suspend the issue of the 2024 application forms until an alternative to the present revenue stream is approved. The incoming Trustees will meet on the 17[th] November to formulate a proposal.
Club captains season summary.
Another outdoor bowling year has come to an end, thank you to all our members for your continued support and commitment to the club.
This year has seen some changes; we have had our first year as a Registered Charitable Organisation. The committee have been getting to grips with the changes, in line with our Charitable Trust
status we now have Trustees responsible for the ultimate running of the club. At present these Trustees have comprised all members of the committee, who after a year have to stand down. Following the first year a Trustee can then stand for 3 years before re-election. Our aim is to have at least 3 Trustees plus a general committee working alongside them. This new organisational model means that the more traditional roles of Chairman, Club Captain and Vice Club Captain have been transferred to the Trustees and team captains.
This year we have had teams in four leagues;
Scarborough Open League
We had difficulties early in the season with sickness and player availability. We ended 5[th] place in the league, not as good as last year, but commendable considering the difficulties faced. Thanks to all players who took part, next season onwards and upwards!
Scarborough Veterans
Another successful year , finishing runners up to Sleights Red. The disappointment was short lived as we secured victory over Sleights Blue in the Plate Final!
Ryedale Veterans
Again, another great season for the team. After winning in the 2[nd] division we have proudly been promoted to the 1st Division for the first time.
Aussie Pairs
This year has been a fantastic season for the team who win the Division One Championship for the second year running and upgraded from the knockout plate to winning the Lees Shield in a nail biting finish against Ayton.
Thank you and well done to all team members.
Friendly Club Competitions
This season there were six friendly competitions, as usual a little last minute persuasion was needed to achieve the required number of players.
We retained the annual Mick Dawson Cup against Hutton Le Hole and were winners in four out of five of the other encounters. All clubs are keen to keep the fixtures in place next year plus requests from Strensall and Driffield Town.
Internal Club Competitions
This year we reduced the number of internal competitions to five as we have had difficulty with entrant numbers, these were;
The Aussie Pairs Rose Bowl
There were ten entrants to this;
The winners being Robert Dean and Tom Wakefield, runners up Shirley Wakefield and Chris Gibbons.
The Ladies Pairs
There were only four entrants to this so a one off game of 18 ends were played;
Winners Heather Standring and Shirley Wakefield Runners up Valerie Sinclair and Sue Myers.
The Presidents Cup
This is a singles competition played over the season, there were ten entrants;
Winner Shirley Wakefield Runner up Chris Gibbons.
The Hudson Trophy
This had to be cancelled due to lack of entrants.
The Geravis Cup
Ladies against gents, the last game of the season, had a healthy number of entrants, once again it was won by the gents! Next year ladies, next year!
Ladies Friendlies
Unfortunately these were not well attended by the ladies of our club due to sickness and player unavailability. These are really enjoyable games as we mix with other clubs and finish with a cream tea, so next year get your names down.
External competitions
Well done to all our members who took part in external competitions this season.
Congratulations to;
Tom Wakefield for getting to the semi finals of the Vivian Booth Singles
Shirley and Tom Wakefield Vivian Booth Pairs Winners Sandra Brown, Shirley Wakefield and Robert Dean for being runners up in the Fred Dews Triples.
To all the members who took part in the ladies and gents YBA qualifiers especially Jayne Gibbons who was runner up in the ladies Champ of Champs.
Also well done all members who entered Bowls England Nationals, Scarborough Open Week and any Whistle Stop entrants, great representatives for Thornton Le Dale Bowls Club!
Anybody who wishes to enter look out for the applications and if you’re unsure about any of the competitions please ask.
There were no visiting teams, Wymeswold Bowls Club wanted to arrange a date again this year but unfortunately no mutually available date could be found, hopefully next year this will be on the calendar!
Well done to all Team Captains and Vice Captains for your team organisation and support, it has not been an easy year for any of you with player sickness and unavailability.
Tom Wakefield is standing down form the Captaincy of the Scarborough Vets to concentrate on green keeping jobs, we’d like to thank him for his stewardship of the team and encourage
anybody who would like to take over as Captain next year to please come forward.
It is clear that the low membership numbers are affecting both our social game opportunities and fixed club competitions. To this end we are suggesting the following;
Aussie pairs, any pairs and presidents cup singles will be played on an ad hoc basis. Players can nominate themselves to play, teams will be drawn from a hat, games will be played at the teams discretion.
To help engage and encourage social play we plan to hold our social sessions on Tuesday afternoons at 2pm. Hopefully this will help with social game numbers as there are frequently players available from the Scarborough Veterans rota pool.
Low membership numbers also impact on our league games as shown with difficulties finding a full team if there is sickness or unavailability of players. the trustees have been looking at ways to promote the club and increase membership numbers, we held a bowls bash with the local HUB members which was well attended and we had positive feedback from, we will see if we get any new members from it next season?! We will also be holding a brainstorming meeting to work on ways to increase membership later in the year, if anyone has any ideas please let us know.
I would like to conclude with my personal thanks to all those who work tirelessly to keep the club running smoothly, so to all trustees, green keeping team members, league captains and vice captains, a huge Thank You!
Winter Well and see you next season
Greenkeepers report
Greenkeepers Report 2023.- Tom Wakefield There have been lots of favourable comments again from visiting teams on the performance of the green. Playing the same direction for most of the season has seemed to benefit our league teams, resulting in the most successful season to date. Early in the season the West side impact boards were secured and posts for hanging the pushers were installed to improve players safety and thanks to a successful
grant application, the new path has improved access. Due to the sprayer breaking down I have needed to resort to granular feeds, although the end of the hose sprayer seems to be useful. Autumn work has already started with “verticutting, feeding and leaf collecting” along with a lot of weed spraying; due to seeds from the farmer’s field blowing in. A major concern to be addressed before the new season is the deterioration of the impact boards on the club house side. Finally, a big thanks to everyone who has helped out over the past year.
Development projects.
We have received quotes for the replacement of our clubhouse roof. Unfortunately only one of some 10 builders that we contacted have presented a quote. This has been put forward to the Ryedale community grants administrators for consideration.
It was put to the members that we may not be granted the money but had to make a decision on the roof.
By a unanimous vote we agreed to proceed with the builder that quoted even if we did not receive partial funding from the community grant scheme.
We are informed by Ashley Burgess that they intend to lower the boundary hedge on the north side to 4Ft high. This will begin shortly and maybe need completing in the spring.
As explained by the treasurer, we now have a new 20 year lease. The terms of the lease stipulate a routine maintenance regime. In addition to the repair of the roof we are obliged to paint the buildings and fences on a regular basis. To this end we intend to hold the first of 2 painting parties. The first will be interior decoration the second will be after the roof has been fitted in the spring. Watch out for your invite.
Social events
It was felt that the annual dinner should be re-instated . To this end Jayne has approached the Forest and Vale and the Fox and Rabbit for menus and costs. We have a provisional booking at the Forest and Vale for lunch on 9[th] February 2024. Look out for your invites.
Presentation of 2023 awards Geravis Cup Men V Women :- Men.
Player of the year:-
Nominations are-
Jayne Gibbons, Shirley Wakefield, Peter Standring, Elsie Gibson, Sue Myers, Steve Slade. Mick & Sue Connolly. Winner:- Shirley Wakefield
Election of officers of the club.
The following nominations were duly nominated, seconded and received 14 days prior to the AGM and approved by show of hands.
Nominations for Trustees:-
Chris Gibbons
-
P. Standring.
-
D. Muncey.
-
S. Wakefield.
-
T. Wakefield.
All were elected by a majority vote.
The vote for general committee officers.
The following nominations were duly nominated, seconded and received 14 days prior to the AGM and approved by show of hands. No votes opposed the nominations.
Chris Gibbons
-
P. Standring.
-
H. Standring.
-
S. Wakefield.
-
H. Standring
-
T. Wakefield,
-
S. Myers.
-
J. Gibbons.
All were elected by a unanimous vote.
13. AOB
No other issues were raised.
The meeting Closed at 11.30am
Signed……………………………………Chris Gibbons Secretary.
Thornton Le Dale Bowls Club CIO
Income and Expenses Account 31/10/2022 to 30/09/2023
| Income | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | Expenses | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | |
| £ | £ | |||||
| MembershipSubscriptions | £1,710.00 | £1,805.00 | Petrol | £96.55 | £86.83 | |
| Gala event/Whistle stop | £549.08 | £678.90 | Fund raisingcosts**** | £257.96 | £283.95 | |
| TouringTeams | £464.50 | Insurance/Audit | £421.54 | £460.72 | ||
| Grants* | £100.00 | £5,000.00 | Equipmentpurchased | £54.49 | £162.83 | |
| Donations | £30.80 | £101.00 | Equipment maintenance | £158.00 | £270.67 | |
| Hudson Competition Fees | £22.00 | £25.00 | Ground maintenance* | £1,493.26 | £5,233.95 | |
| Raffles | £194.51 | £343.00 | Affliation fees | £280.00 | ||
| Other events** | £389.00 | £160.00 | Electricity | £329.76 | £309.17 | |
| Adverts | Water | £446.99 | £373.42 | |||
| Bank Interest*** | £14.48 | £163.25 | Rent | £50.00 | £50.00 | |
| SundryIncome | £19.50 | £5.00 | Teas | £10.27 | £42.87 | |
| Stickers/Chalk | £110.00 | £17.00 | Competition/League fees | £20.00 | £43.00 | |
| Shirts/Jackets income | £625.00 | £430.00 | Club Competition Shirts/Jacketspurchase | £1,450.00 | £495.00 | |
| Trophies & Engraving | £98.25 | |||||
| Training | £100.00 | |||||
| Sundries* | £61.32 | £1,080.80 | ||||
| Gifts | £0.00 | £8.69 | ||||
| *(Woodsmith Foundation) | ||||||
| ** (BonusBall/ Majong/Annual BBQ) |
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| ***(Reserve Acc Interest accum in Res bal) |
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| ****(Stickers,Chalk,Prize money,Food) | ||||||
| *(Legal fees for lease) | ||||||
| Surplus | ||||||
| Deficit | 173.75 £ |
|||||
| £4,228.87 | £8,728.15 | £5,328.39 | £8,901.90 | |||
| -173.75 | ||||||
| Balance Sheet as at 30/09/2023 | ||||||
| Accumulated Funds Brought Forward 31/10/2022 |
Accumulated Funds 30/09/2023 | |||||
| Accumluated funds | ||||||
| Current Account | £2,800.32 | Bankline Current Account | £2,677.34 | |||
| Reserve Account | £14,899.79 | Liquid Reserve Account | £14,849.02 | |||
| Cash with treasurer | £0.00 | Cash with treasurer | £0.00 | |||
| £17,700.11 | ||||||
| Surplus foryear | ||||||
| Deficit foryear | -£173.75 | |||||
| £17,526.36 | £17,526.36 | |||||
| Peter Standring Treasurer October 2023 |
Historic treasurers notes: £12,500 earmarked for building and ground improvements No conditions were attached to the £10,000 Covid grant The £200 Ryedale grant was applied to the cost of the water heater as specified in the conditions. |
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| Covid grant | ||||||
| ost of the water | ||||||
| Notes:Payments due to Origin Amenity Solutions of £486.23, Affiliation fees £184.00, Overpayment of membership fees £140. Income due for 1 Jacket £45 Bank Note The Bank account was changed when the club became a CIO. It was a lengthy process |
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to change and then switch the money piecemeal duplicate current and liquid reserve account were set up in an error