RNLI - Wotton-under-Edge & District Minutes of AGM held on 25-February-2014

Transcription

1 Page 1 of 6 RNLI - Wotton-under-Edge & District Minutes of AGM held on 25-February Those present John Barnett Chairman Andrew Harper Vice Chairman Gill Hemming Souvenir Sec. John Batho Pat Symonds Roy Symonds Apologies for absence received from: Paul Hemming Branch Sec. Romaire Maitland Joan Batho Geoff Hill Wendy Dean Gill Bailey David Bailey Dave Beer Richard Wright Frances Warren Minutes of Previous AGM The minutes of the AGM held on 5-March-2013 were agreed. Matters Arising None Chairman s Report John presented his chairman s report as follows: - Branch Activities - Looking Back (2013) Last year (our 21st) saw an increase in activity from the which had been a quiet year. Successes / highlights of the year (and some not quite so high) were: Guest Speaker Evening - our year started well with another Guest Speaker evening (in February). Our speaker was Captain John Harper, Master of the RRS Ernest Shackleton (support vessel to the British Antarctic Survey Team). The talk was well attended; 83 people came from places as far as Wells, Newent, Cirencester; all were treated to a very entertaining talk illustrated with slides showing the magnificent scenery and wild-life of the Antarctic, and also illustrating some of the issues of operating a ship in this environment. Our thanks go not only to Captain Harper (who charged no fee and declined any travel expenses), but also to the Cotswold Edge Golf Club (who again allowed us the use of their facilities free), and to the Cotswold Book Room and Westward Travel (for selling tickets). Open Garden - some time into the year, we were offered another open garden at Crowell Brook Mill - an unexpected bonus. This was held on a Sunday in August and again the weather was reasonably kind. (Such weather seems a very distant memory now, following that of the last two months!). The event was well attended and I believe all who came enjoyed the afternoon. It was certainly busy; I spent most of my time directing cars to make the maximum use of what proved to be limited parking space - it was a bit like playing Chinese Chequers on a large scale! My thanks go to Martin and Jane Keay for again offering us the chance to raise funds from the beautiful garden; also to the neighbour who allowed several visitors to park on his property and all those who provided the irresistible home-made cakes that were made available to our visitors. House-to-House Collections - We again collected extensively throughout the GL12 postal area plus North Nibley (in the fortnight immediately preceding Flag Day), and in Hawkesbury Upton (leading up to the Hawkesbury Show). Several of our regular collectors were not available, but despite this, the efforts of the 18 collectors again raised over 2600; indeed, the total was up on the previous year. I would like to record my thanks to all who contributed, but especially to all who helped with the collections. Street Collection - The street collection raised well down on last year, but the amount raised by collecting on the street in Wotton is so dependent on how many people are about on the appointed day. Open Garden (Cromhall) - Once again, Jill & Dave Bailey held their open garden event, donating the proceeds partly to the RNLI and partly to a local charity. I would like to take this opportunity to again thank

2 Page 2 of 6 Jill and Dave for their ongoing support; the accumulative donations that that they have raised for the RNLI from this annual event has now passed Souvenir Sales - as in previous years, we took the souvenir stall to various local events (mainly outdoors). These included the "usual suspects"(tortworth Vintage Steam and Transport Shows; Berkeley Show; Hawkesbury Horticultural Show; Kingswood Car Show; Cromhall Flower Show; Wotton Christmas Charities Fair), but also the Kingswood Church Fete, the KLB Summer Fayre, and an event in Chipping Sodbury Town Hall. It was not all sunshine - but the weather was far better than the previous year, and nothing was cancelled. My thanks go to all who helped run the stall; to those who offered us the opportunities, but most of all to Gill (and Paul) for again managing the logistics of ordering and looking after the souvenir stock. Coffee Morning (Kingswood) - A coffee morning - organised by Gill Hemming and friends - was again held in Kingswood in the period leading up towards Christmas. Branch Activities Looking Forward (2014) Guest Speaker Evening (Thursday 10th April) - Following on from last year's talk, we will "be returning" to the Antarctic - our speaker being Peter Milner (who has spent many of our winters "summering" in the Antarctica as a warden, expedition leader and photographer). Peter came to the talk by Captain Harper and offered to come and do a talk from the perspective of those ashore. As well as having led British Antarctic Survey Exhibitions (including over-wintering there), he has provided Antarctic survival training for the team. He is currently in the Antarctic, but will be returning in time for this talk Tesco Collection (Saturday 24th May) - Spring Bank Holiday collection at Tesco, Cam. Dursley Branch has asked if we can cover the Saturday and I have agreed. In past years we have collected from a 1-day collection there (usually with just a single collector at any one time) - so it is a good opportunity. Offers to help would be welcome. Flag Day - Flag Day will be Saturday 12th July and we will collect house-to house in the fortnight leading up to this. More volunteer collectors would be welcome! Souvenir Events - subject to availability of people to man the stand, we will again attend local shows to sell draw tickets / souvenirs and generally promote the RNLI and the activities of the Branch (see provisional events programme for further details). Adult Speaker Activities Following a reasonably active year in 2012, 2013 was much quieter; I gave only the one talk - to The Link Club Ladies Group, Stoke Gifford. This year (2014): I have already given one talk (to the Evergreen Senior Citizens, in Hawkesbury Upton; I have another scheduled in August (to the University of the Third Age, in Stroud): I am actively seeking others - and would welcome any leads or approaches. These talks provide good opportunities for promoting all aspects of the RNLI and the extent of our need for funding. I do not actually charge, but usually receive a donation and / or a collection (over 180 from the one talk given this year - where two people also took leaflets on leaving a legacy to the RNLI). Education Liaison Volunteer Activities The year was more active on the education volunteer front - where Fraser Gunn (based in Newent) and myself are now running a small team of 8 education volunteers (10 including ourselves) spread out from somewhere near Malvern (to the north) to Inglestone Common, and from the Forest of Dean (to the west) to Swindon (to the east). The aim is that we support them and develop them to be a mutually supporting team. Focusing on the local activities of this team: Barry Wright (living on Inglestone Common) went in to talk to the following (primarily on safety at the seaside): Our Lady of Lourdes School and the Park Primary School, (both in Kingswood, Bristol); Parkwall Primary School, Cadbury Heath; Holy Trinity Primary School, Bradley Stoke; Hawkesbury Upton CofE Primary School; Charfield Primary School; Chipping Sodbury Beavers; Thornbury Brownies. I myself went to talk to the following on a variety of topics - such as Grace Darling and lighthouses; the evolution of ships and lifeboats; RNLI activities (sometimes under a theme of:'those we look up to"): Parkwall Primary School, Cadbury Heath; Manor CofE Primary School, Coalpit Heath; Callowell County Primary School, Stroud; Selsey Scouts; Whiteshill Beavers and Cubs; Nailsworth Cubs and Scouts.

3 Page 3 of 6 The prime aims of these visits are to raise an awareness of the RNLI in children and young people and to educate them in how to stay safe at the beach (and by rivers, quarries, etc). During the house-to-house collections which followed fairly soon after Barry's visit to Charfield, one mother asked if I had done the talk; it seemed that her daughter could not stop talking about the RNLI and how to stay safe at the beach - success!! I have carried out one school visit so far this year, and have two more within the 7 days following the AGM. However, I am looking for other opportunities - not just for myself, but also for Barry and 2 other volunteers who live near Stroud. Any assistance in identifying leads or promoting the educational role to local schools and youth organisations would be very welcome. Thanks are due Finally, I should like to take the opportunity to thank all those who have contributed to a successful year, Especially: The officers and members of the committee - for their ongoing service and for turning up to the committee meetings - which are perhaps not riveting entertainment, but are very necessary for the planning and successful implementation of all our fund-raising. Gillian Hemming - for again looking after the souvenirs. Romaire Maitland - for hosting all of our committee meetings. Frances Warren (our Fundraising Manager) - for her ongoing support; Everyone else that has contributed to the fund-raising and promotional activities of the Branch. Branch website Last year we established our own Branch web-site; as yet this is a little embryonic, but it can be found at: Treasurer s Report Andrew presented his report as follows: - This year, the 21st year since the Branch was formed, turned out to be a better year than expected. I am pleased to inform you that the Branch raised a respectable 6, (including souvenirs sales) bringing the total amount raised by the Branch since it was formed to 116,855.36, an average of 5, a year. INCOME The total income (i.e. total funds raised before expenditure is taken away) for 2013 was 7,119.82, which was made up as shown in the pie chart below:

4 Page 4 of 6 The breakdown of these amounts is as follows: Subs & Donations Notable donations were: from Gill and Dave Bailey's Open Garden. This brings the total raised by Gill and Dave from opening their garden to a fantastic 3, since from Thornbury Sailing Club. Contribution boxes The 5 best performing boxes this year are shown below: Box Amount raised this year Amount raised in Total Steve's Shop, Charfield Black Horse, North Nibley Hawkesbury Stores Wotton building Supplies North Nibley Stores Unfortunately, the box at the Wickwar Brewery Shop went missing this year. We also received notification from Frances in January 2014 that a seller registered as from the Wotton under Edge area was offering RNLI collection boxes for sale on ebay. HQ was checking in to this and we offered to provide details of our box numbers for most of our collection boxes if required. Flag Day House to House Our best year since the Branch was formed. I would like to offer my thanks to the army of collectors who help us reach these amazing totals every year. Branch events Notable events during the year were: Talk by Cap't John Harper MN at Cotswold Edge Golf club in March. This raised a total of (64% of the yearly total). A number of people who attended the talk stated that this was the most interesting talk that we had arranged so far. The proceeds were higher than normal as Cap't Harper generously declined to charge for his talk and the Golf club once again kindly allowed us to use their facility free of charge resulting in the takings being 100% profit. Crowell Brook Open Garden in August. This raised through donations and book sales. The Branch would like to offer our thanks to Jane and Martin Keay for allowing us to open their beautiful garden. The weather gods smiled upon us as well as it was a lovely day! Sale of Raffle Tickets Ticket sales at: Berkeley show, Tortworth, Cromhall Flower show, Kingswood Show and via John at Renishaw. Education, Schools and Youth Groups This was for one talk to 649 Squadron ATC. Misc This was a small credit from HQ. No reason was given why this had been allocated to the Branch. Souvenirs We sold souvenirs to the value of 2, this year, which gave us 1, (59%) in profit for the Branch Accounts. EXPENDITURE Total expenditure for the year was This comprises just 4 expenses: for Berkeley show stand fee. /Although this fee increases every year, we continue to sell more souvenirs at this show than any other. Total sales this year came to , which gives a profit of , giving an overall profit on the day of after the stand fee was deducted.

5 Page 5 of for Kingswood Show stand fee for KLB summer Fair for Kingswood Show day These costs equate to just 2.1% of our income for the year so we continue to do a good job of controlling our costs. It is worth pointing out that the Branch's costs would be higher (and the amount we raise lower) if Committee members claimed their costs associated with fundraising (postage and travel expenses mainly). What would the amount the Branch has raised pay for: As you know, I do like to put the money we have raised for the RNLI into context as it helps us understand the value we bring to the lifeboats. So, what would 103, buy? It would pay for: 104 all weather crew kits 3D class inshore lifeboats. Just over a half of an Atlantic 85 lifeboat Nearly 260 lifeguards kits Nearly 158 Lifeguards Rescue boards Or run the RNLI for 7.05 hours (based on 2010 running costs) As a point of interest, HQ has recently published the Bank costs associated with the handling of Branch payments. Barclays (the bank we use) is by far the cheapest bank as they are also the RNLI's bankers and so offer lower charges. For example, Barclays charge 14p per paid in, whereas the other banks' charges range from 48p to 29p per This means the total bank charges associated with our Branch were just over for Finally, I confirm that the Branch Receipts and Payments Account has been duly completed, signed by John Barnett and myself and returned to Poole. Souvenir Secretary s Report Gill presented her report for souvenir sales was a good year for souvenirs with the total being (much the same as last year would have been if Berkeley hadn t been cancelled!). The sales have contributed a gross profit of at least (59%). The weather in the main was kind to us, at least until the end of the Kingswood and Cromhall shows, and then it poured! There was one new venue Chipping Sodbury Baptist Church held a charity Christmas card sale in October. It was a very small affair but we sold of Christmas goods and had a thoroughly pleasant morning chatting to people and generally showing the RNLI face. Hopefully there will be another in 2014, they will let us know. (The lady who organised it has a son who is on the St Agnes, Cornwall, lifeboat). Crowell Brook and KLB School Fayre were held this year (both after a break) one much more successful than the other. It would appear from the sales of Christmas cards that perhaps it is not going to be the main seller in the future, lots of people indicated that they were no longer sending as many cards as previously. The only event that bucked this trend was Berkeley but all the other regular events were down. Many thanks to all who helped at the souvenir events, without which we wouldn t be able to attend the many varied events. **(The discrepancy between the Souvenir Secretary s sales figure and that recorded by the Treasurer was rectified after the AGM by the Treasurer) Community Fundraising Managers Report Frances sent her report: In the South-West of England during 2013: A total of 1,450 people returned home safely thanks to the RNLI's lifeboat crews at the 35 Lifeboat Stations in this area. RNLI lifeguards were on duty in Burnham-on-Sea and Berrow beaches for the first time in The long hot summer of 2013 resulted in 58% of the year's rescues occurring in June, July & August. It was the lifeguard's busiest year. The busiest lifeboat crew in the South-West of England in 2013 was Plymouth who launched their two lifeboats 104 times and rescued 98 people.

6 Page 6 of 6 Machinery failure is the most common cause of callouts for our rescue boats Across the UK and Ireland 2013 saw RNLI lifeboats launch 8,304 times, rescuing 8,384 people. RNLI lifeguards responded to 19,594 incidents around the coast and rescued 1,567 people. For every hour the crew spend at sea, they spend another 3.5hrs in training exercise, a mark of their true commitment towards lifesaving. In community fundraising across the UK 13.4m was raised. This is down to the sheer determination and hard work of you as volunteers. We know it isn't easy and without the support of your local community this would be unachievable. On behalf of the RNLI I would like to say a huge thank you once again! Our fundraising teams at Exmouth, llfracombe, St Ives, Portishead and Weston-super-Mare are doing tremendously well with fundraising for their various appeals. The new Shannon Lifeboat is due to be on station at Exmouth around May/June this year, date to be confirmed. The RNLI face2face team had a very successful 2013, signing up 11,135 new supporters for our charity. If you are holding a large event in 2014 and you would like to discuss the face2face team attending please let me know. Don't forget, we have a dedicated support network in the RNLI for the work that you do out in the field, from Supporter Care to the local Support Team up in Dublin on or lreland@rnli.org.uk. Please keep me updated with your branch events & collections. Any event you wish to be publicised on the website please contact Dublin to do this. SOS day 31st January Good luck with all your SOS activities. Please can you let me know how much you raised from your collection or event? Online Banking - All branches should by now have completed the allocation of 2013 entries and submitted their yearend accounts. Do let me know if you need any support with this. Tesco National Collection - 23rd-25th May I will be contacting you shortly with the local Tesco's available to collect at. Please let me know which Tesco (s) your branch can cover and I will aim to fill the ones without collectors. Resources are also available to help with volunteer recruitment for the 3 days Dates for your diary April & October- Lifeboat Cluster Group Meetings - Spring meetings will soon be with us including; updates from the rest of the RNLI team, volunteer safety, updates on your questions and specific initiatives locally & networking with your neighbouring branches May Tesco National Collection Thank you to each and every one of you for all the time and effort you put into fundraising for the RNLI. I look forward to seeing you in 2014, either at a cluster group meeting, award ceremony or an event. Election of Committee It was proposed that existing officer positions of the committee be re-elected en-bloc. This was unanimously agreed. Committee is therefore: - Chairman John Barnett Vice Chairman Andrew Harper Treasurer Andrew Harper Secretary Paul Hemming Souvenir Secretary Gill Hemming Press Officers Geoff Hill & Paul Hemming Committee Romaire Maitland, Wendy Dean. This concluded the business of the AGM at 8.45pm.