A.G.M. AGENDA 27th/28th October 2018
Venue: Online
Committee: Martin Turner, Bob Hallam, Jan Thomas, Richard Whitby, Hilary Whitby, Maureen Wood
- To approve Minutes of the AGM 2017. Proposer Martin Turner Seconder Jan Thomas
- To approve the Commodore’s Report ProposerHilary Whitby Seconder Jan Thomas
- To accept Treasurer’s Report Proposer Mike Wood Seconder Bob Hallam
- To elect Jan Bird to the Committee Proposer Martin Turner Seconder Mo Wood
- To approve donation of £100 to Cotswolds Boatmobility ProposerMo Wood Seconder Hilary Whitby
- A.O.B.
Attachments:
- Commodore’s Report (Martin Turner)
- Treasure’s report (Richard Whitby)
- Account summary (Richard Whitby)
- Membership Secretary’s Report (Hilary Whitby)
Minutes of the Cotswolds Canal Cruising Club AGM
Held online from 27th/28thOctober 2018
Members taking part :
27 members participated in the poll out of a possible 49 now on Mobilize, although not everyone chose to vote on all agenda items. The minutes of last year’s meeting and treasurer’s reports were available to read on the club website well in advance and can be seen below.
- The minutes of the meeting held online between 7th-10th October 2017 were approved by 27 votes. (Proposed by Martin Turner, seconded by Jan Thomas )
- The Commodore’s Report was approved by 23 votes. (Proposed by Hilary Whitby, seconded by Jan Thomas)
- The Treasurer’s report was accepted by 24 votes. (Proposed by Mike Wood, seconded by Bob Hallam)
- Jan Bird was elected to the committee by 23 votes. (Proposed by Martin Turner, seconded by Mo Wood)
- A donation of £100 to Cotswolds Boatmobility was approved by 24 votes. (Proposed by Mo Wood, seconded by Hilary Whitby)
AOB
- A vote of thanks to Bob Hallam for his time on the Committee and as Cruise co-ordinator was joined by 23 people.
- A vote of thanks to Martin Turner for his four years a Commodore was joined by 23 people.
There being no other business, nor matters arising, the meeting concludedat 4p.m. on Sunday October 28th . Many thanks again to Ged Layfield for your support in setting it up.
Mo Wood,
Club Secretary.
Cotswolds Canal Cruising Club Reports
Treasurers Report April 2017-18
The club continues to function in a profitable manner. The subs level for this accounting year was £10 per couple. Next accounting year was at a rate of £12 so an increase in income will see a further increase in the bank balance; although it was done in anticipation of further donations etc so the resulting increase in balance will no doubt be required.
As can be seen from the accounts we are “worth” about £450. However included in this figure is stock £164, mostly burgees. These have to be purchased in bulk and we now have a good stock which will be used up slowly; I cannot see having to invest in any more for two or three years yet.
Burgee stock is valued at cost; we make a very moderate profit on the sale of each one- this year we have rounded the sale price up to make things easier and we now make about £1 on each sale.
We had 54 paid up members compared with 48 in 2017, and although we have lost a few this current year we have also picked up some new ones so much the same I would imagine going forward.
We have continued our donation to Cotswold Boatmobility
The accounts have stabilised from the situation of changing the accounting year and this coming year will be similar I think.
As last year our outgoings are mainly AWCC and a very moderate charge for the website; thanks must go once again to Robin and Ged Layfield for providing and maintaining this at virtually zero cost.
I do not propose to recommend any increase in subscriptions for next year.
We again need to canvass the membership to decide what our strategy for future donations (if any) should be.
Ric Whitby
Hon Treasurer
COTSWOLDS CANAL CRUISING CLUB TREASURER’S REPORTS
| INCOME and EXPENDITURE | ||||
| Year to 05 April | 2018 | 2017 | 2018 Notes | |
| Income | ||||
| Subscriptions | 270.00 | 240.00 | ||
| Interest | 0.00 | |||
| Sundry Income | 30.00 | 0.00 | Gloucester income paid to MT from GS | |
| Raffle Income | 0.00 | |||
| Burgee Sales | 65.76 | 75.00 | ||
| 365.76 | 315.00 | |||
| Expenditure | ||||
| AWCC Subscriptions | 60.00 | 65.80 | ||
| Burgee Purchase | 114.60 | 176.60 | ||
| Cotswold Mob Donation | 100.00 | 100.00 | ||
| Website Fees | 10.49 | |||
| Tel/Post | 9.90 | |||
| AWCC Cards | 14.55 | |||
| Venue Hire | 24.00 | 45.00 | Stafford Boat Club | |
| 323.64 | 397.30 | |||
| Stock
Opening |
58.24 | 9.90 | ||
| Closing | 164.60 | 58.24 | Burgees+ AWCC Cards | |
| Increase/(Decrease) | 106.36 | 48.34 | ||
| NET PROFIT/(LOSS) | 148.48 | (33.96) | ||
| BALANCE SHEET | ||||
| Year to 5th April – | 2018 | 2017 | ||
| Creditors | 0.00 | |||
| Cash in Hand | 36.00 | 26.00 | ||
| Stock of Burgees + Cards | 164.60 | 58.24 | ||
| Debtors | 0.00 | |||
| Bank Balance | 248.38 | 216.26 | ||
| 448.98 | 300.50 | |||
| CAPITAL ACCOUNT | ||||
| Opening Balance | 300.50 | 334.46 | ||
| Profit /Loss for Year | 148.48 | (33.96) | ||
| BALANCE | 448.98 | 300.50 | ||
Membership secretary’s report 29.09.18
At the end of the 2017/18 membership year, we had 54 paying members plus one honorary member. This cruising year has seen a slight decrease so as of 1st Sept 2018 we have 49 paying members plus one honorary member. It was decided by the committee that Ged Layfield should become an honorary member as, although he and Marilyn no longer have a boat, Ged still puts in a lot of work administering the website and the Mobilize system
Some members resigned as of April 2018 and several others didn’t renew their membership so all have been removed from the mailing list.
On the positive side, we have recruited 4 new members this summer, 3 introduced by existing members and 1 from the publicity received from the Wash crossing.
It’s important that we recruit new members in order to at least replace those who, for whatever reason, no longer wish to remain members of our club but at the same time, keeping to a friendly and manageable size.
Club members are free to invite fellow boaters to join our club. We have no formal vetting process but rather leave it to the discretion of our members to invite like- minded boaters, with an interest in undertaking more challenging or out of the ordinary cruises. The application to join the club can be found on the website, so please direct prospective members to the site /join-us/ .
As I’m sure everyone is aware, the new GDPR regulations came into force at the end of May 2018 and this has entailed more paperwork I’m afraid. We have had to ask for permission to use your data to share with the AWCC (so that you can access the member’s area of the AWCC website) and to input into the Mobilize system (so you can all communicate and take part in the online AGM). Hopefully we won’t have to repeat this next year! Obviously, if your contact details change, please let me know so we can update the system.
Hilary Whitby
Membership Secretary
The Cotswolds Canal Cruising Club Secretary’s Report 2018
The Cotswolds Canal Cruising Club was formed by a small group of people who had a common interest in the restoration of the Cotswolds Canal, which when complete will link the River Severn at Saul Junction to the Thames at Lechlade. They also had a common interest in cruising to places that possibly the mainstream boating clubs might not visit.
Our current membership is 48, representing for the most part, those with boats, but some with shares and some with no boat who sometimes hire to join parts of our cruises.
About 30 of us met for a social and pre-planning meeting in November 2017 at Stafford Boat Club, enjoying a fish and chip lunch and a “bring and share” dessert. Afterwards presentations were given on plans for crossing The Wash and investigating the East Anglian waterways, as well as a shorter cruise up the Caldon, Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals for those unable or not keen to attempt the former.
Commodore’s Report
Northern Summer Cruise Relocated!
As I am sure most you are aware the Northern summer cruise (an alternative to The Wash) that we planned for this year (2018) had to be cancelled due to a variety of reasons, most notably the multitude of stoppages either because of water shortages or vital engineering works and unforeseen commitments reducing our numbers.
It was a great shame as an excellent cruise was planned with several events built in. As it turned out, if we had been able to reach some of our cruising destinations, we would have been stranded for weeks or months due to the several breaches and closures on our planned route. The Caldon, Bugsworth Basin, Marple Flight, Huddersfield Canal and the Leeds and Liverpool all became victims of lengthy stoppages. It strikes me that something is wrong with the network; it cannot all be down to the weather!
Out of the disaster came a plan. Four C’s members do not give up! Rich and Sally of Nb Indecision and Sue and myself of Nb Doinmein decided to go to the Stratford upon Avon River Festival It is one of the best festivals on the network full of life with lots happening: excellent music, lots of boats and many features of interest. Off we went after notifying other members, some of whom arrived at Stratford. We put up the gazebo and welcomed Geoff and Beryl of Nb Minimum Momentum, plus Wendy and Andy of Evesham ex of Nb Toulouse. We had a lovely day together and celebrated Andy’s birthday; those who went to the Chesterfield last year will remember Andy’s 65th – well its now 66! Andy and Wendy are now cruising the world, wonderful news.
We all went to see Romeo and Juliet at the theatre for a very memorable evening. The weather if you remember, was very hot. It was decided that it was too hot to do lots of locks so we stayed on the Avon which this year looked its best. A very lazy couple of weeks followed a week in Stratford. Excellent mooring spots were found, pubs investigated and a generally excellent cruising experience was had by those there.
Later we had spoken to Jayne & Mike of Nb Dawn Owl and Bruce and Margaret on Nb Lucky B and agreed to meet at Stourport. An excellent evening was had at a pub by the canal where all four boats tales were exchanged. Beer was drunk (maybe some of the members too!) It turned out to be another excellent Four Cs evening.
Then it was off to Droitwich (where Martin fell off the boat – nothing to do with the night before! We ultimately moored beside “Andy’s Post” ( Andy arranged for this to be erected and raised money for what is a unique carving of the canals) then off we went down the Worcester and Birmingham to Worcester (where Martin managed to knock himself out on a low beam!) before going home. For those unaware of “Andy’s Post” below is the press release and pictures explaining what that is all about:
Way back in 2009/10, Cllr Andrew Dyke and Cllr Mrs Wendy Dyke, then Chairman and Consort of Wychavon District Council, asked Droitwich Canals Trust if they could raise some money for the trust, as one of their charities that year. Keen narrowboat enthusiasts with their own boat, Lord Toulouse, Cllr Dyke suggested signage would be appropriate and useful. Various designs and ideas were considered and eventually a signpost was chosen. Tom Harvey, an expert in large scale wood carving was commissioned to produce some designs with the assistance of Lynn Stevens, Wychavon District Council parks officer. Made from oak, hand carved and situated in Vines Park, Droitwich, the signpost stands over 3 metres high. The sign is as much a work of art as it is informative. The signpost points to the furthest places attainable on the inland waterways system in each direction, north, south, east and west. Boards mark the waterways distance in miles, number of locks, bridges and tunnels a narrowboat would encounter along the way from Droitwich. Unveiling the sign on December 4th, Cllr Dyke said ”I could not be more delighted, I know visitors to the area will stop and read the information and appreciate the artistry for many years to come” adding ”over the years Wendy and I have visited all of the places mentioned on our wonderful waterway system”.
All in all, we had a Summer cruise after all, whilst other intrepid club members were off doing The Wash.
Six boats were involved at some time or other and many friends were met at Stratford and other places and out of a potential disaster we managed to achieve what turned out to be one of the best cruises we have had.
Martin Turner
This Year’s Big Adventure – Crossing the Wash
This year’s cruise has seen 7 boats make their way from home moorings, all over the country down the Trent and along the Fossdyke /River Witham to Boston. From there we set out across the Wash, ably guided by Darryl, our pilot. It was really important that the tides and weather were in our favour.
We set out from Boston on a calm misty morning, but the sun soon broke through as we entered the Wash. Heading out into the middle, we couldn’t see any land! As the tide fell we beached on a sandbank and enjoyed a stroll about plus a little light refreshment.
The boats re-floated with the incoming tide and we were off again…..but the wind got up and we had to drop anchor to wait for an incoming ship! We rocked and rolled and were beginning to feel a bit seasick when we got the call to set off again. Back in calmer waters we made our way to Wisbech and celebratory champagne.
From there we travelled to Peterborough and on to the Middle levels, visiting Whittlesey, March, Upwell and then out onto the river Great Ouse via Salters Lode and Denver Sluice. We’ve explored The Rivers Wissey and Little Ouse (or Brandon Creek) – Brandon is the most easterly point of the linked canal system in England – visited Ely, St Ives and St Neots before arriving at the Bedford River Festival in sweltering conditions. It was estimated that there were 300,000 visitors. Many of them passed our boats, asked about our journey as we had been widely featured on TV in news coverage of the festival as the “Mad Narrowboaters.
After the Bedford Festival we had to make the whole trip back again! Would this be a suitable point to plug the case for the Bedford to Milton Keynes Link? A waterway long proposed that would make a fantastic “ring”, avoiding “there and back” trips and no doubt encouraging lots of paying tourists and visiting boat traffic and to all points along it.
We then had to make our way back via the Northampton Arm and onto the Grand Union, some of us having a long trek back to Gloucester/ Cheshire and all points in between having travelled at least 500 miles, some more. We truly are the club that cruises!
Maureen Wood, Club Secretary
(with thanks to Martin Turner and Hilary Whitby for their contributions)
(This report can be seen in full including pictures on the “Club cruises” page)