Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Richmond Canoe Club Ltd Held on 2 April 2016 at 81-83 Petersham Road, Richmond TW10 6UT

1. Attendance, apologies and appointment of proxies:

Those present:

Will Absom Hazel Greasby Zugia Mcilhone Peter Barnes Colin Greasby Deborah Mendes Craig Barrett Tony Gregson-Newman Elizabeth Pearce Nicola Biggs Tanya Herwanger Mark Pearce David Blackford Jorg Herwanger Louise Phillips Lizzie Broughton Brett Irvine Caroline Pietsch Neil Camp Kasia Jendrusinka Peter Quibell E R Chester Tim Killip Elisabeth Sangouard Roger Crawford Ingrid Klite Tom Sharpe Andrei Dzyma Malek Labbane Coralie Vial Nick Edmunds David Leech Thomas Walker Heather Elliott Roly Lucas Tony Waszkiewicz Mick Fegent Euan Mackenzie Sharon Waszkiewicz Alex Flockhart Kevin Marsh Mike Webb Klaudia Galucka Sean Martin Paul Wells Chris Gavin Jack Wilshal Simon Wood

Apologies had been received from: Mike Pigott, Neville Burton, Andrei Busuioc, Marcus Gohar, Marina Armstrong, John Racoveanu, Kevin de Klerk, Enrique Vallano

2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 21 March 2015: approval of the minutes Was proposed by Colin Greasby, seconded by Sharon Waszkiewicz and agreed.

3. Reports: Membership Report: Total membership as at 1 April was 327. Breakdown was as follows: seniors 160, juniors 42, students 11, partners 17, out of port 9, senior + 3, Hon Life 9, life 26, child of seniors 19, and social 30.

Treasurer’s Report and adoption of the Accounts for the year 2104/2015 Report appended. The Accounts had been circulated in advance of the meeting. Adoption of the Accounts was proposed by Simon Wood, seconded by Klaudia Galucka and agreed.

Coaching Secretary: Jemima reminded members to advise friends and contacts wanting to kayak that the Club runs novice courses which consist of 5 weekly sessions run on Saturday afternoons and Tuesday evenings (starting at 4.30pm). Novices are advised that the Club is run by volunteers and that we are always looking for help on the water as well as in the Galley. Sessions from 7 – 8 pm on Mondays are being planned and help is needed with timing and safety. Following a question it was confirmed that the 5K time trial is open to any member.

Commodore’s Report Report appended

4. Appointments Appointment of Auditor: The appointment of John Warren was proposed by Tom Sharpe, seconded by Hazel Greasby and agreed.

Appointment of Honorary members

The current holders of the following positions and their successors were nominated for reappointment as honorary members of Richmond Canoe Club until the 2017 AGM (without voting rights): Recreation officer of the PLA (Jon Beckett) MP for Richmond (Zac Goldsmith) Captains of Rowing Club (Mel Mercer and Paul Wood-Robinson) Group Scout leader – Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts (Karin Noble) Official in charge of Thames Young Mariners Chairman of Edge (Edge Progressive paddling – operating Bridge Canoe Club) Captain - Twickenham Sailing Club Chairman of Blade House Residents Committee – Matt Grimes

The following who have given long service to the club are nominated for reappointment as honorary memberships without voting rights: Recreation officer of the PLA (Jon Beckett) Peter Davey Wendy Dodson Ramsey Gohar Brian Greenaway Doug Parnham Trevor Wetherall Roxanne Dunne The following who have given long service to the club are nominated for reappointment as honorary members with full voting rights: Peter Barnes Hazel Greasby

Appointment of directors: Tom Sharpe proposed and Klaudia Galucka seconded the re-appointment of the following directors: Hazel Greasby, Sean Martin, Tony Waszkiewicz and Simon Wood. Agreed.

Election of Committee: The following appointments were agreed:

Commodore Tom Sharpe Vice Commodore Tony Waszkiewicz Secretary Mike Pigott Treasurer Hazel Greasby Rear Commodore Jorg Herwanger Membership Secretary Sean Martin Harbour Master Tom Walker House Steward Enrique Vallano Boathouse Secretary Peter Barnes Youth Development Officer Jeff Lindsay Coaching Representative (Novice) Jemima Johnstone Coaching Representative (Elite) Mick Fegent Racing Secretary Brett Irvine Marathon Secretary Will Abson Publicity Secretary Klaudia Galucka Social Secretary Laura Poblete

5. Adoption of Revised Articles of Association and Club Constitution

The revised Articles of Association and Club Constitution had been circulated in advance of the meeting and Tom thanked Tanya Herwanger for all her work on these. The following were further changes proposed to the versions circulated in advance of the meeting.

Articles of Association Section 22 Directors Remuneration This section describes how Directors can be remunerated for services they provide the club. Our directors do not take remuneration from the club, so it is proposed to replace this section with the following: “Directors are not entitled to any remuneration for their services to the Club as directors”

Articles of Association Section 25 and Constitution Section 3.5 Termination of Membership Proposed addition of the following point: “Members are not entitled to a full or part reimbursement of paid membership fees when their membership is withdrawn or terminated” Constitution Section 3.3.b.vi Out of Port Membership was not defined in the old Constitution so a new definition has been drafted. It is proposed that the following sentence is removed from the definition: “The applicable membership shall be 50 per cent of the Full Adult subscription.”

It was confirmed that once these amendments are adopted that the Club will be in compliance with current legislation. Information on the day to day running of the Club has been removed from the Articles and is included in the Club Constitution which means that changes can be made to the Constitution without reference to Companies House. The terms of membership have been clarified with full membership giving voting rights and associate membership none; out of port membership has also been clarified. Adoption of the amended Articles of Association and Club Constitution was proposed by Simon Wood, seconded by Colin Greasby and unanimously agreed.

6. Membership fees

The only changes this year are to align the fees with the definitions in the Constitution. The Constitution defines the fees for Senior Membership, Student Membership and Family Membership as being half of the equivalent full rate.

Membership Fee 2015/16 Fee 2016/17

Full Membership 145 145

Life Membership 1450 1450

Senior Membership 60 72.50 (65+) Student Membership 60 72.50

Junior Membership 60 60 (under 18) Family Membership 75 72.50 (Senior) Family Membership 30 30 (Junior) Out of Port 40 40 Membership Social Membership 30 30

Rack Fee (per Boat) 55 55

Adoption of these changes was proposed by Coralie Vial, seconded by Roly Lucas and agreed.

7. Other Business Security at the Club: There have been instances of items going missing from within the Club; recently this has died down but Tom asked for vigilance from all club members. There are new lockers downstairs, to be used for storing valuables; the key is to be returned after use. A proposal was made that all keys should be returned by midnight; the Club has a master key and has the right to open any lockers kept permanently locked. In addition the doors to the changing rooms are frequently propped open – they should be closed. If there is a problem with the door locks this should be reported to the House Steward (currently Enrique). The door to the carpark is new with a new keypad and that also should not be propped open. The code was given to those present.

Club Kit: Buoyancy aids and seats

It has been noticed that Club buoyancy aids, paddles and seats are being used in personal boats; these must be returned and are not to be stored in personal boats. If weights are used they are to be returned to their correct place in the gym; the gym is a shared facility. An embarrassing amount of worn clothes are regularly left in the changing rooms. Kasia Jenrusinka and Mike Pigott agreed to clear out such items frequently; they will be left initially in bin bags and then thrown away.

Parking at the Club: We have limited car parking under Blade House and although it is recognised that we use more parking space than we are entitled to, it is not acceptable to block access. No parking is allowed on the ramp, in fact parking on the bottom of the ramp means that cars cannot get in or out. Parking at the is currently not allowed and members were asked not to park there or anywhere else on other people’s property. There is parking in River Lane and the Committee was asked to look into the possibility of parking at the Poppy factory.

Safety on the water: i. Members have responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others. The river can be dangerous and using a buoyancy aid is an option. Coaches have discussed rules and if too many people are deemed to be at risk then these will be introduced. Juniors should not go out on their own unless they have permission in writing from their parents to do so. ii. Members were reminded to bear in mind other river users. Altercations with rowing boats were not acceptable. Although it was noted that members break the rules sometimes they were asked to steer clear of rowing boats, obey the rules of the river and keep right. Tom has met with the safety officer of the Rowing Club because the rowing launches do not obey the river rules. Tom is hoping to develop a canoeing version of the river rules, how to use the river safely. There is a need for flexibility – if coxless skulls are around canoeists need to shout and let them know that they are on the river. The BCU is looking for oversight of safety at races e.g. three people going on a safety management course. In response to a question no training is planned for rescue skills, but the coaches’ sub- committee could look into this.

Clubhouse repairs and use: It was noted that the fabric of the building has deteriorated and then been neglected; it now needs to be brought up to date.

The meeting then closed. Signed:

APPENDIX 1: Treasurer’s Report:

Treasurer’s Report for the year ending 31 October 2015

Accounts for the year ending October 2015 have been circulated to members in advance of this meeting, as requested at last year’s AGM.

Looking at the Balance Sheet on page 4, our cash at bank figure of £142,181 includes our savings account and a separate savings account for the Eric Allen legacy. During the year a further, and final, £20,490 was received in respect of this legacy. The Creditors figure is high due to the K4 boat which was on order but not paid for (the second one of these boats was paid for by the Eric Allen legacy and is reflected in that total shown).

Page 9 of the Accounts details our Income and Expenditure for the year. A decreased membership over the year is reflected in the reduced figure for Subs and Racks income; fortunately minimised by the increase in Sub and Rack fees. The Race/Regatta figure is a net figure and shows a loss. Some bills were still being received for the Hasler Final in the 2014/2015 financial year, with amounts not known, and so could not be included in the previous year’s creditors total. Additionally, the off-site races we have held incur additional costs. The Galley is showing an increased profit due to the sale of kit. Profit on Socials is again a net figure, with events such as the DW and End of Season parties, which are funded by the Club, being costed into this figure.

On the Expenditure side Heat and Light is well down, probably due to the bills that British Gas have re-issued, going back a couple of years, and that have yet to be investigated in depth. Printing, Stationery, Postage and Telephone - we have changed our broadband supplier and I have had a battle with BT , only last month being able to bank refunds totalling £340.

Last month we paid for the purchase of the small boathouse which we have been able to do without drawing any savings. The Local Authority is looking at the Discretionary Rate Relief received by all charities, including the Club. We currently receive 100% relief and I have completed the forms for this to continue, however the relief may be trimmed back and this will not be known until later this month.

The Club remains in a very healthy financial position.

Hazel Greasby Treasurer April 2016

APPENDIX 2: Commodore’s Report

Commodore’s Report 2016 – Tom Sharpe When I started thinking about what to say in this year’s commodore report I wasn’t sure what to say, but then when I came to start writing I kept remembering interesting things that have either happened at the club in the last 12 months, or will be happening in the next 12. So I’m sorry if this is a little long, but there really is plenty of news to celebrate and lots to look forward to. This has been my first year as commodore, and I have enjoyed getting involved and understanding how the club operates. I am pleased to see the club now recognised as one of the top racing clubs in the UK, and leaving behind the reputation of being a club where you go if you want to do the DW. Races and Performances Racing is the core activity of Richmond Canoe Club, and I am keen to see racing at all levels continue to develop as it has done in recent years. Having said that there is still a lot of space to grow our racing presence. The Hasler series of 2015 saw 152 club members competing and finishing 537 races, but with a membership of almost 400 there are clearly a lot of people not racing. My challenge to everyone this year is to get as many people racing as possible, either at a marathon race, a sprint regatta or another event such as the Liffey or Avon descent races. We’ve had some outstanding achievements in the last year at all standards of racing. Carlos Lopez, for example started last season with a race in Division 9 at Wey, and ended the year racing at the Hasler Final in Division 5. We also saw many promotions in the sprint division, including a particularly impressive performance from Joe Webb which saw him promoted to Boy’s A despite being two years younger than the country’s top juniors he is now racing. Also in sprint racing we saw the selection of Junior C2 Ben and Adrian to the European championships. This is the result of many dedicated years of coaching from our canoe guru Marcus Gohar. These boys still have another year together as juniors so will be hoping to improve further on their outstanding performance again this year. In other international races Lizzie once again delivered some outstanding performances, despite completing and winning the DW at the start of the season. Lizzie won another silver medal at the European Championships and finished just outside the medals at the World Championships with a 5th in the K1 and 6th in K2. We also saw international selections for some of our younger paddlers including Lily and Joe at the Olympic Hopes regatta and for Freya to the French National Marathon Championships. As well as winning domestic competitions like the Hasler Final and Interclub Sprint championships, Richmond is providing more and more paddlers for GB teams competing abroad. Back at home the 2016 season has already kicked off with a variety of races. Will organised another very successful Frank Luzmore that is now becoming a popular K2 race for the top paddlers in the UK. We had a large number of entries in the DW warm up races with 8 paddlers competing all four Waterside races. Our strong record in the Devizes to Westminster race continued again this year with four k2s containing Richmond paddlers completing the non-stop event, and one junior vet K2 and one K1 also completing the four day event. I think a special mention is required for Richard Hendron who, when Henry’s partner pulled out at the very last minute, stepped in and completed his 14th DW with almost no training whatsoever, a remarkable achievement. Races/Events this Year As we come out of the winter and into the race season again we need to look ahead at the races and events coming up this year. The sprint season kicks off next weekend at Nottingham, which probably means this pleasant weather we’ve been enjoying is coming to an end. We have won the Interclub Sprint Championships for the last two years and the April regatta is the start of our effort to defend that title. The September regatta is the interclub championships again this year and that is another event that is great to have a large club team at. Not just because it improves our chances of winning the trophy but because there is always a great team Richmond atmosphere at the event. We will also be holding the Richmond Sprint regatta at Littleton Lake on the 2nd May, volunteers and paddlers are very welcome to this event, which this year we will be organising in partnership with Addlestone Canoe Club. The Hasler season starts in three weeks at Wey. As a reminder the marathon racing rules this year require the new regulation number boards to be used in hasler races. Along with the other clubs in the London and South East region we have contributed to buying a set of pre-printed number boards, so the days of moving old pieces of gaffa tape to make your new race number are over! We were the top club in the region after last year’s Hasler season so it would be good to make a strong start to our 2016 season at Wey. Last year we lost the overall Hasler trophy to Chelmsford so a key target for us this year is to take that back. To race at the Hasler final you need to have completed three races during the year, so make sure you don’t miss out and are able to help the club achieve this target. Coaching About a year ago both Tim and Sue Middlehurst stopped coaching for various reasons, they had both put in an immense amount of time and effort into coaching juniors at the club and many of our current top juniors were introduced to the sport by one of the Middlehursts. Of course we miss their coaching, but it is good to see them enjoying some time to themselves. Since Tim stepped down from his role on the committee as Junior Development Officer Jeff Lindsay has taken on the responsibility for training young juniors. Jeff is supported by a number of other volunteers and the novice junior section continues to do very well. No doubt we will have future champions in this group already. For the adults and faster juniors the role of coaching secretary has been shared between Jemima and Paul Wells for the last three years. This partnership has worked well with Paul overseeing the elite paddlers and Jemima looking after the very successful adult novice courses. This year Paul is stepping down from the role and will be replaced by Mick Fegent. Mick has coached a number of groups in the last few years, and has now settled on the top group which he will continue to run while taking on overall responsibility for paddlers in divisions 1-6. The coaching team are working towards a more formal group structure based on a number of performance measurers. This is intended to make a suitable group available to all members, and promote progress for everyone up through the groups. I have noticed gaps in our coaching groups that mean there are several members of the club who train either on their own or in very small groups. We are battling the every present problem of having enough coaches to run these groups, but hopefully if we can identify groups that need a coach we will be in a better position to find the right people to do so. Recently we have had Roly Lucas and Nick Garner started coaching groups and they are developing well and look to become successful groups during the summer. Nick is also working on a way of arranging communications to club members based on which training group you fit into, so keep an eye out for emails encouraging you to get involved! Committee As ever the club is served by a dedicated and talented committee. This year we have four members stepping down from their roles: Simon has served as secretary for several years, but has now decided he needs to give more time to other commitments in his life. Simon has been fastidious in his role as secretary, and in particular did an excellent job at last year’s AGM where we saw a bumper turnout. His organisation meant it ran perfectly smoothly, so I would like to thank Simon for his effort for that too. Stefan and Allyn are also stepping down from their roles as House Steward and Rear Commodore. Stefan was already doing a large amount of work repairing and fixing issues around the club even before he took the role on the committee, but recently has moved to a different role at work which means he no longer has the time to carry on with the committee. Allyn did an excellent job early on in her role arranging a galley volunteer almost every week for most of last year but, like Stefan, has found recently that work commitments do not allow her the time for the club. Both of these roles are big commitments time wise (as I know having been rear commodore in my first year on the committee), therefore the House Steward role will now have a clear sub-committee to help. I am very grateful to Enrique who has offered to return to be the new House Steward, and to Tim Killip and Nick Cotton who have offered to be part of the sub-committee. There are several major jobs that are required around the club house to restore it to the quality it was in when redeveloped 10 years ago, so with these three experienced volunteers providing their time we should soon see some much needed improvements to the building. Finally, as mentioned earlier Paul is stepping down as coaching secretary. However, he continues to offer advice on the direction we should be heading with regards the structure of the training options and groups we provide as a club. Commodore’s Award Keeping with the theme of this report, competitive racing and hard training, my first Commodore’s award goes to someone who has been a member of the club for many years, first as a highly successful paddler and now as an experienced coach. Marcus Gohar has been a lifelong canoeist and is has been instrumental in ensuring the art of high kneeling in a skinny boat has not died out. This has resulted in easily the best group of canoe paddlers of any club in the country. Although he is employed as a coach by British Canoeing, Marcus’s also volunteers many hours of his own time (as do all of our coaches). Last season was particularly successful for Marcus with the selection of his athletes Ben and Adrian for the European Championships team. Marcus’s love for the sport and for this club is why he is receiving the Commodore’s award this year.