Glossop Guild  for  enquiring minds

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Draft minutes of the Annual General Meeting and members evening held on 30th April 2018 at 7.30pm at Glossop Cricket and Bowling Club

Present: 47 members, committee members and guests.

Apologies: 13 members, noted in the file,

Chairman’s introduction: Mike Webb welcomed everyone to the meeting

Minutes of the 2017 AGM: Copies of these were available and agreed as a correct record. Proposed: Mark Henderson; seconded Mike Cavanagh. There were no matters arising that were not included in the agenda.

Chairman’s report: 2017/2018 was a good year for the Guild with a high number of enrolments and a wide range of quality courses in a good mix of formats. Thanks again to Dave Swindells, who devised the 2017/2018 programme before he moved to Leeds. Thanks to John we extended our publicity on the website and posters and an advertisement in the Glossop Chronicle. We offered a greater number of one-off evenings, especially on themes of local interest. These had high attendances, appealing both to new members and visitors. For longer courses we operate an email reminder system.

The Guild is in a good financial position. The new payment arrangements worked well: we now have nearly 100 members, the majority paying by Standing Order. We do not seem to have lost members through the increase in the membership fee. We have not increased course fees to members and are in a position to offer the 2 social evenings in April and December free of charge.

Accommodation availability is still tight, and we have the majority of courses at Bradbury House, with day schools at the Masonic Hall. Thanks to John’s expertise, we now have a sound system which is compatible with the hearing loops at Bradbury House and with individual hearing aids. It also means tutors can use clip-on microphones- much easier than hand-held ones.

Last year we increased fees for visitors. This does not seem to have affected enrolments.

Mike reported the sad news that Mick Moran had died unexpectedly in early April. Mick was one of our most popular tutors with a strong following among members. He had an illustrious academic career but also had an enviable ability to bring clarity to complex issues and to provoke critical thought. He will be very much missed.

Chris Binns’s widow has produced a booklet for Guild members celebrating Chris’s life. Please contact Diana if you would like a copy.

Treasurer’s report: Jane provided copies of her report showing that the Guild’s financial position was good and had allowed for the purchase of the PA system, for an overdue increase in tutor fees and for a trial advertisement in the Glossop Chronicle. Income had increased by 51% from £9420 to £14,274. In answer to a question, Jane explained the statement on unpaid cheques: they are in the process of clearing and not bad debts. The formal accounts showed a net surplus for the year of £1595 (compared with £980 in 2016/2017). The surplus to be carried forward is £5275.

Jane pointed out that our membership year begins on May 1st and that fees are now due for the new year. She thanked all who pay by Standing Order and encouraged others to do so.

It was agreed that the accounts should be accepted. Proposed: Bob Callow, seconded: Mike Cavanagh.

Committee roles and nominations:

The Chairman expressed his appreciation for the hard work carried out by committee members, all of whom are volunteers. He outlined the various committee roles and encouraged other members to join the committee.

Nominations were received as follows:

Name:                                      Nominated by:                        Seconded by:

Diana Cavanagh                      Judi Friend                           John Friend

John Coupe                             Mark Adlard                                Val Noble

Rose Kendrick                         Kath Gawthrope                     Joyce Watson

Graham Lee                            Joan Rutherford                     Angela Dale

Jane Murray                             Monica Powell                        Joan Slattery

Bill Murray                               Christine Cook                            Les Cook

Chriss Webb                          Glenis Lee                                  Pat Coupe

Mike Webb                             John Friend                             Judi Friend

Richard Leyshon                    Rose Kendrick                     Diana Cavanagh

The nominations were read out and agreed unanimously by members.

Any Other Business: There was none

The AGM concluded at 7,55pm

 

Members evening:

There was a break for refreshments and then an enjoyable talk on “Literary connections with the Peak district” by Terry Goble, who is also offering a course on this topic in the summer programme. The Chairman thanked him for his presentation.

Finally there was a presentation by Graham Lee and several tutors of the summer programme and a preview of the autumn programme.

The Chairman thanked members for their attendance.