Minutes of 2015 Annual General Meeting

Norfolk Punt Club

New Victory Hall Neatishead 21 November 2015

Present: Fil Daniels Commodore (Chair) 42 members of the NPC

1. Apologies Apologies were received from: Colin and Liz Chettleburgh Karen and Alex Heaton Robin and Liz Clayton Helen and Chris Lamb Emma Daniels Kath and Ian Mason Caroline and Nick Dixey Antony and Jane Owen Charlotte Drew Ruth and James Owen Anne and John Friend David and Morag Skinner Mike Griffin Chris Williams

2. Minutes of 2014 AGM and Matters arising The minutes of the 2014 AGM were accepted subject to amendment of the date and place of meeting to read New Victory Hall, Neatishead November 2014. There were no matters arising.

3. The Commodore’s Report Fil Daniels presented her report to the meeting.

4. The Hon. Secretary’s Report No report was available for the meeting.

5. The Hon. Treasurer’s Report The accounts were presented by the Treasurer, Paul Wilcox. Thanks to Chris Williams for reviewing the club accounts again this year The principal points arising were:  Surplus for the year post depreciation of £115, down from £758 in 2014. Surplus pre depreciation was £2,983, £629 lower than last year.  Income (not including the 2014 Sport England Grant) was £1,215 lower than 2014 with subscription income (£565) and teas (£316) the main areas where income decreased in the year. Lower income was partially offset by lower expenses (£585) with property repairs and insurance the main savings.  Assets purchased in the year were £6,980.48. The roof repairs on the huts was stated after insurance claim of £2,150.  The bank balance is £31,016, down £3,649.83 from 2014. This is after spending £6,890.48 on assets so cash inflow from the Club’s normal operations was £3,240.65  The dinghies purchased by Sport England Grant in 2014 are being depreciated over 7 years with depreciation on these being charged to the restricted fund.  There was a question outstanding from the 2014 AGM on what the purpose of the £744 creditor referenced as “Wayford Park” in 2014. This was clarified as being the yearly charge for emptying the toilet tanks. The adoption of the accounts was proposed by A Drew and seconded by N Khambatta.

6. The Season’s Results Will Daniels presented the season’s race results and trophy winners.

7. Election of Flag Officers The following individuals were nominated: Commodore: Matthew Scott Vice Commodore: Tim Edmunds Rear Commodore: Andrew Wilton Hon. Secretary: James Arthur Hon. Treasurer: Paul Wilcox Hon. Auditor: Chris Williams Election of the Flag Officers was proposed by Fil Daniels and seconded by Mark Luckhurst.

8. Election of Committee Members The following were available for re-election: Fil Daniels (ex-officio), Caroline Dixey, Alastair Drew, Mark Elson, Val Khambatta, Ruth Owen, Carol Watson New members were nominated: Colin Chettleburgh and Alex Craker Horton. Election of these Committee Members was proposed by Carol Watson and seconded by Alan Davis.

9. Election of Representatives The following were nominated to represent the NPC to external bodies: RYA: Mark Elson Barton Broad Liaison Committee: Tim Edmunds Norfolk and Suffolk Boating Association:Tim Edmunds The election of these representatives was proposed by Val Khambatta and seconded by Alan Davis.

10. Survey of Members Matthew Scott and Alastair Drew summarised the results of the recent survey of members. 90 responses had been received which was considered a good representation of the members views. Areas where improvements would be most appreciated had been clearly identified (toilets, the kontiki and improved seating) together with a willingness to increase subscriptions to fund these. There was also strong support for increasing the number of active members. The Committee will look at specific areas for improvement and to prepare a coherent plan for implementation. It is the intention to present these plans at the Fitting Out Supper in April 2016. Points arising in the ensuing discussion included:  A discussion on whether steps could be taken to improve the life of the pontoons: Simon Daniels explained that the club was limited by environmental regulation but it was a subject to which considerable attention had been paid.  The wish to increase the number of active members was noted as a matter for future discussion.  The availability of grants for renewing equipment and facilities: Val Khambatta explained that these were limited. The prize draw for a polo shirt for participants in the survey was won by Chris Williams.

11. Any Other Business Val Khambatta asked that members of the NPC would consider volunteering to help the Nancy Oldfield Trust with sailing instruction and driving motor boats. The Trust is directed towards assisting disabled and disadvantaged individuals and groups.

James Arthur Hon Secretary 26 November 2015 APPENDIX The Report of the Commodore 2015 Commodore’s Report 2015

We have come to the end of another sailing season, our boats are out of the water and the rafts now at the Staithe. The broad is deserted except for the occasional boat and the wildlife.

The season had a wet first Sunday with no racing for the first series, the people involved in the two- handed training and the OOD’s drank chocolate in the tea hut, however in true Punt fashion several folk arrived in time for tea!

One of the highlights of the year was the Three Rivers Race which our team sailed in memory of Mark Sawyer and handed over an amazing £4646.89 to Cancer Research. Simon & I enjoyed assisting at Acle Bridge and cheering our members as they came through.

Go Wild at Barton, Push the Boat out and the open events were well attended and the visitors enjoyed sailing on our broad thanks to the club members who volunteered to help in any way. Social Saturdays have continued to be popular with several people trying sailing different boats. Some new members have been recruited as a result.

Junior Week and the Oppy weekend were a great success. I was impressed with how the participants coped with the windy conditions when I attended the regatta on the Friday. Everyone seemed to have learnt a great amount. I would like to thank Val Khambatta and her team of instructors who ensured that the youngsters had a lot of fun.

Cox’s Boatyard have built 4 new flat rafts and the Kontiki and OOD Box are now on better rafts. The old rafts have been removed from the boatyard. Those that attended the working party at Towing in worked hard to make all this happen. More of the plans for the future when we discuss the recent survey later.

The last event of my year as commodore is the Annual Dinner & Prize-giving that will be held at Brasted’s again on 16th January 2016 I hope to see lots of you there.

I would like to thank the Fag Officers and the committee for their commitment and support during the year with special thanks to Nick Dixey who is retiring as Hon Secretary, Heather Roberts is standing down from the committee but who will still produce the handbook assisted by Ruth Owen and Kim Dring is also retiring from the committee, she will continue to be in charge of the Club merchandise.

I am grateful to you all for your support during the year. I would specially like to thank Ian Mason who has been instrumental in the club producing the regatta results over many years and developing the programme which we use. Ian will hand over this role but I hope that he will still be available for consultation to help us to continue to produce the results quickly and efficiently.

Thank You