Minutes of the
Annual General Meeting of
Alphamstone Village Hall
Held (by conference call)
On Saturday 7th November 2020 at 9 a.m
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Apologies for Absence: Ben Twinn
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Helen Bradshaw (HB), Desmond Bridge (DB) Sue Gardiner (SG), Martin Gilbert (MG), Rosemary Ingram (RI), Lynne Potter (LP), Laura Richardson (LR)
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Approval and signing of Minutes of AGM held on 27th June 2019. The minutes were approved by all present and signed by DB.
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Chairman’s Report
2019 seems to me, and probably to others, somewhat otherworldly now, making my Chairman’s statement appear rather outdated. Luckily, Village Hall matters move at quite a leisurely pace as befits our tranquil rural life here in Alphamstone.
Our year up to March, was uneventful, in that we were not impacted by any unseen building problems or acts of God, but was eventful when it comes to the Hall’s core business of being an available hub for the good of the parish.
The hall was put to great use for the very successful Fête, was the venue for the bi-weekly Pop-up Café, the monthly Social Club, the Pumpkin Patch, the Christmas Fair and the Harvest Supper. On top of this the Hall was let out for regular Pilates and Yoga sessions as well as some private functions. All these take a lot of hard work and we, as a Committee, owe enormous thanks to a lot of people, but there are some who stand out, head and shoulders above the rest. The Varcoes and the Rangers for the work they put into the Social Club get my Alphamstone Palm d’Or for services to film, but nobody can dispute that their efforts pale into insignificance when compared to the evergreen Queens of Alphamstone, Mary Parker and Deirdre Hume, who continue to do what they have been doing for decades, on behalf of everyone in the village. To pick up on the buzzword of the moment, their contribution to the wellbeing of so many, is incalculable.
During the 2019-20 year we, as a Committee, continued to fulfil our duties, making sure that we complied with the regulations imposed on us by the Charities Commission, and kept in place our policies relating to Health and Safety, Safeguarding and Fire regulations. The regular services were completed on the alarm, the fire extinguishers and the heating system.
We were able to continue re-equipping the kitchen and added to our supply of folding tables.
As Chairman I would also like to thank my fellow Committee members. Our meetings were, thankfully, held in good spirit and I feel that when decisions were needed we made the right ones.
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Treasurer’s Report
Summary
Another good year with an increase of funds of £3,738, slightly less than the increase last year (£5,804).
Income
Income was down by £2,229, due mainly to a larger than usual gift aid in the previous financial year but still strong. Hall hire was boosted by 3 hires from elections.
Costs
Costs were very similar to prior years at £3,735.
Hall improvements included a new theatre quality curtain rail, some changes to kitchen cupboards to fit the donated dishwasher and the purchase of some glasses.
Bank Account
Bank account balance at year end (31/3/2020) was £15,881
Whilst not falling in the year 2019/2020 a Grant of £10,000.00 had been received from the Council
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Secretary’s Report
From the date of the last AGM, 27.6.2019 AVH Trustees held 2 Meetings with the following key points
The first meeting of the new Committee was held on 6th August 2019. At that meeting Desmond Bridge was voted Chairman, Martin Gilbert Treasurer and Helen Bradshaw Secretary.
Insurance for the Hall, use of the Hall and Trustee Indemnity was renewed
Membership of the Rural Community Council of Essex was renewed
A further meeting was held on 22nd October. The meeting planned for 7th April 2020 was cancelled due to Covid Lockdown
The AGM due in May, or as soon as possible thereafter, was postponed in the hope that an open meeting could be held in the Village Hall as is usual. When it became clear this was unlikely to be achieved the use of the Conference Call process was agreed.
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Any Other BusinessNone was raised
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Question and Answer SessionNone were raised
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Election of TrusteesDB advised that Paul Bolton and Helen Bradshaw were standing down as Trustees. He thanked them for their work on the Committee. He added that the Trust was still covered, as required by the Trust scheme, by representatives from both Alphamstone and Lamarsh Parish Council and Alphamstone Parochial Church Council. MG proposed that existing Trustees be relected and SG seconded that proposal. DB said that LR had agreed to join the AVH Committee and welcomed having someone younger on board. DB proposed LR for the Committee and MG seconded the proposal.
Meeting Closed