Galloway Woodturners
Annual General Meeting
7pm on Tuesday 8th December 2020
Via Zoom
- Members present
26 members were present online.
With apologies from 3 members.
- Minute of previous AGM
Accepted by members as read.
- Matters arising
There were no matters arising.
- Officers Report
Chairman Treasurer
Galloway Woodturners Chairman’s Annual Report 2020
October 2020
Plainly this year has been exceptional for us, with everything going well from last year’s AGM, our members providing the monthly meeting demonstrations, processing wood, raising funds and supporting each other at turning Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Straight after Christmas we became aware of a new virus from China that was threatening our own nation’s health.
In March there was a national lock down and government restrictions prevented us from staying open. Sadly this was shortly before a weekend visit from Gary Low for an all-day demonstration and an all-day Masterclass.
Since then we have been unable to have the three other professional turners, Chris Pouncey, Les Thorne, or Richard Finlay visit either due to government restrictions on travel and social interaction. This has meant that none of the professional turners in the UK were able to fulfil their diary commitments, and all clubs had to close their doors. As we usually break even financially when professionals visit us there was little, if any, monetary loss to us, but an immense loss of learning and entertainment from these excellent visitors. It has also changed the way in which professional demonstrators work and will change they we interact with them for quite some time.
Although Roger has done a fine job arranging our programme of demonstrators for 2021 it remains to be seen how Covid-19 will affect our ability to have them in Castle Douglas.
The club remains closed to ordinary meetings but I have arranged for Turning Tuesdays and Turning Thursdays (formerly Wednesdays) to reopen, and partly complete the beginner’s course I had started in February, under very strict conditions. The workshop can be made safe for up to six people at a time, and government restrictions currently permit this. I came in during the lock down to install paper towel dispensers, better hand washing protocols and signs making the procedure clear. Bill and Jimmy have taken on the responsibility of managing the numbers attending and ensuring the members comply with safe practices, and we are all grateful to these dedicated members.
Our landlord has very generously returned the rent for that first quarter of lockdown and that has greatly eased our financial position. Our committee and treasurer have always managed the finances well and therefore we were able to withstand the strain imposed upon us through the lockdown and lack of income from the various sources; however we can only survive for a limited time on our reserves. Every organisation should have enough reserves to operate for a short period in case of exceptional circumstances, but not excessive reserves which are lying idle, as this money is entrusted by our members for the benefit of the whole membership, and not to make the club ‘cash rich’. Our committee have got the balance right, enabling us to keep going during the lockdown, and now into the second wave. 2021 will be much tighter, but we will still be there for you. More on this later.
Our AGM was due in October and the committee and I have decided to hold an ordinary meeting via the internet, with the AGM in December or January. The annual subscription is also due at the AGM meeting but I have decided that, with the treasurer’s agreement, we defer that payment, with membership being extended for free until 1st January and then existing members being given a substantial discount for 2021 membership. Hopefully government restrictions will be eased by then and new members will pay the standard annual membership, with no increase this coming year.
I am aware that several of our members have concerns about returning to club meetings; even the smaller weekly workshops and we need to keep them engaged and supported until such times as they feel safe to return.
In an attempt to keep some continuity and a degree of normality we have been continuing with the monthly club competition, and as close to normal as possible, in that on club nights rather than come to the workshop and place your entry on the table at 7pm as the meeting starts I have asked you to submit two photos of your entry. At 8pm, when we normally have our coffee break I will have uploaded all the images to the web site and the membership can have their coffee at home, vote for their preferred options, and at 9pm as the meeting normally winds up I post the winner having counted the submitted votes. The standard of entries has remained high and despite lower numbers of people voting we have managed to keep the competition going and will be able to award the trophies again for the year 2019-2020, in the knowledge that the award is of the same worth as any other year.
At the AGM we normally also invite new member to step up to the committee and give existing members the opportunity to step down. After several years of sterling service Judith Simpson will be stepping down as membership secretary so we will be looking for a replacement, David Simpson is also wishing to withdraw from the committee after many years of excellent service, and a replacement for him is also sought. The position of Chairman should also be considered each year and I too would be happy for someone more competent to replace me. As this Chairman’s annual report goes out in October 2020 it gives you all sufficient time to consider your own positions and to nominate members for the committee to lead us out of these difficult times in 2021.
Names should be submitted to me 14 days before the AGM.
All clubs, such as ours, depends on the membership guiding the committee and chairman as to the direction the club wishes to go, and I thank everyone over the past year for their suggestions, practical assistance and financial support. 2021 will be, by necessity, very different and I would ask you all to assist the whole membership by supporting each other and the club in any way you feel able to see us through the next 12 months until we can meet again in larger numbers in the workshop.
It has been a pleasure to be your chairman this past two years and hope to continue to serve the membership in some capacity in the future.
Rolf Buwert 2020 Chairman.
Treasurer Report
I’m sure that everyone is really looking forward to normality, to the return of club nights and the chance to catch up and see each other in person. Because Rolf may be too modest to thank himself, I’m going to do it here…thank you Rolf for your efforts to keep us all safe and to keep the club ticking over during lockdown, keep in touch with us all, and organizing our start up again under the new booking system.
Financially we are fortunate to be in a good, healthy position, with enough funds to carry us forward until, presuming a solution such as an effective vaccine being rolled out next year at some point, we can pick up where we left off. The bank balance at 31st August was £8809.87.
Because the club has really only been in operation for half a year, the committee thought we should reduce this year’s membership subscription to £17.50.
This year our income was boosted by £2235.15 from the Coop. Our membership subscriptions have also increased, to £2090. Special thanks to the Harrogate bus (which we are missing sorely this year) for a donation of £146 last year, special thanks to Hugh Parker who raised around £450 with the footie cards, and thanks again to Rolf whose courses raised £950. As always, thank you to Jimmy for organizing and running the shop with such good cheer; the shop stock at the close of the year was all bought and paid for, and shop takings plus donations to the raffle and workshop are a very respectable £943.83.
Last thanks are really due to everyone, because everyone contributes through membership, and through the simple things – buying tea, biscuits and raffle tickets. It all adds up.
You’ll notice that our expenditure is down considerably on demonstrations and master classes, and understandably so. Hopefully this will change soon! Our expenditure on rent is also down, because Keith Irving kindly returned our April rent cheque. Thank you Keith.
We have bought things for the club including the Beall Wood buff etc, the Rick Dobney multi axis jig, a new cordless drill, wee things like padlocks and some more ‘stuff’ to do with dust extraction. Money spent on the club came to £612.14.
If you have any questions, you can either raise them at the AGM Zoom or email me, c.carson@hotmail.co.uk.
Thanks to all, and all the best for 2021, when hopefully we will meet again for what will be a really exciting club night.
- Election of committee
Chairman – Rolf Buwert was re-elected
Treasurer – Christine Carson
Secretary – Sarah Burns
Competition secretary – Mick Scholfield
Membership secretaries – James Brown & Sarah Burns
Bill McCoskry, James Brown, Bryan Jardine.
David Simpson stepping down from committee and Judith Simpson stepping down from membership secretary.
Stephen Eccles voted on as new member of the committee.
- Any other business
Membership fees for 20/21 was set at £17.50 due to the impact of Covid-19.
Gift to be bought for landlord as he kindly returned our rent payment during Covid-19 lockdown.
Request from member that the treasurer report be available three weeks prior to AGM meeting.