AGM Minutes, Tuesday 9th February 2010

Chair: Mr Dave Farrow

Secretary: Mr Tim Middleton

• Apologies for absence

  • Jonathan Fife
  • Toby Speight
  • David Pettit
  • Caroline Hepburn

• Report by the President

  • The club is still running.
  • The club has enough money.
  • Not many Freshers this year and numbers are slightly down but trips are still full.
  • Planned change to finances (see Motion).
  • This is a long table. Simon Taylor is a long way away.

• Accounts

  • Loss of £1000 as expected.
  • The biggest loss was the Anniversary Trip due to the transport.
  • Trips make a consistent loss of £100 as planned.
  • Made £500 less from membership this year than last year.
  • Also had a much bigger Societies Syndicate grant.
  • For the first time this year we had £300 sponsorship from the BMC which funded an instructor to come on a trip. This was generally thought successful and ought to be repeated.
  • £150 spent on new equipment.
  • The Ceilidh raised £65 for Mountain Rescue which hasn't yet been paid from the account.
  • There is a £15.50 discrepancy between the spreadsheet and accounts book.
  • Ian: Is it right to refund formals when people don't come?
  • Oliver S: For Hughes Hall someone fell ill and at Johns things were disorganised because we didn't know the price.
  • In general agreed that unless a replacement was found or good reason why not then no refunds should be given.
  • Simon T: You have to apply to the Societies Syndicate a year in advance and they base what they give you on the number of members you had in the previous year so we are likely to get around £500 less this year.
  • Ian: We deliberately made a loss last year because there was too much money in the account. The incoming committee need to be careful to balance the books.
  • Oliver S: £200 for paying drivers will need to be put down on next year's accounts.
  • Vote to approve accounts: 24 in favour, 0 against.

• Andy Gibson Training Fund

  • The Andy Gibson Fund is still being advertised but people are only really applying for it in the summer term.
  • There have been a few rule changes this year and they now only give one Alpine grant per year. Hopefully the rules are also now clearer.
  • The Gibsons have donated another £1000 into the fund again recently.
  • The rules for the grant are on the website.
  • Simon W: Could they consider retrospective applications in the first few works of the next term?
  • Dave: It would require the fund committee to make the change.
  • Ian: Could the instructor on a trip be funded from Andy Gibson if the BMC stop giving us the grant?
  • Dave: It is possible to make a group application to the fund. It could come under this.

• Questions to the Committee

  • Simon T: What percentage of people who come on day trips only come on day trips?
  • Dave: 52%....[not actually calculated!]
  • Ian: A sentence should be added to trip emails saying that trips will still go whatever the weather.
  • Simon W: Should we get rid of the Lent term day trip?
  • Dave: Day trips aren't in the constitution. It's up to the committee.

• Motion

  • New motion proposed to allow committee to have freedom to change pricing and structure of membership to make clearer and fairer.
  • Previous committees have never changed things significantly anyway.
  • There will be a clause preventing retrospective changes so current members will not be affected.
  • It would make more sense for membership fees to cover the BMC affiliation costs and the Societies Syndicate grant to cover the deficit in trip costs.
  • Dave: Proposed new structure of initial membership of £15 and £9 to renew each year.
  • Ian: What if Societies Syndicate don't approve?
  • Simon T: Unlikely, they have lots of money.
  • Paul: We currently waste their money by affiliating course members to the BMC when they no longer come on trips. So we'll save them money!
  • Jo: What is the advantage of a higher initial cost?
  • Dave: Societies Syndicate will be sceptical of the money they give if we make large cuts in membership costs.
  • Dave: There will be a transient period as this new structure is brought through.
  • Ian: Should mandate new committee to give notice of changes.
  • Vote to approve motion: 25 in favour, 0 against.

• Election of Officers

  • President: Jo-26, RON-0
  • Meets Secretary: Tom-16, Joe-11, RON-0
  • Social Secretary: Jane and Bethan-27, RON-1
  • Safety Officer: Julie-6, Kirsty-3, Joe-18, RON-0
  • Junior Treasurer: Matthew-26, RON-0
  • Membership Secretary: Kirsty-23, Rob-4, RON-0

• AOB

  • Ian: Mandate new committee to give at least two weeks notice of any proposed changes to the club membership. This should be sent round the main email list.
  • This was approved unanimously.

• Cheese and Wine

  • It is indeed surprisingly hard to eat three cream crackers in a minute.
  • Next year a box of wine should be purchased.