EAST WILLIAMSTON COMMUNITY AND HALL ASSOCIATION
Charity No. 1168964
Meeting of Trustees held on Monday 06 December 2021 in the Community Hall
MINUTES
Present:
Doug McIntosh (chair), Tony Ensom (secretary), Gwyneth Beynon, Sian Beynon, Tracy Beynon, Amanda Cresswell, Jill Ensom, Chris Gilley, Mark Taylor, Jill Thomas and Cliff Williams.
Apologies:
Ian Wilkinson and Kathy Talbot
Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on 01 November 2021, which had been circulated previously, were approved and signed by Doug.
Treasurer’s Report:
Kathy had circulated the following report before the meeting:
Our current bank balance in total is £19,534, still split between HSBC and CAF. We have instructed HSBC to transfer all the standing orders and direct debits to the new CAF account. However, so far they have failed to do this and until the transfer is complete, to ensure we pay our bills, I have left some £8,594 in the HSBC account. Nothing is straight forward or quick with banks sadly.
We have an Ocon account to pay for two new fire extinguishers and an annual maintenance charge of £169.20. With agreement of the Trustees I will action this to be paid this week. We can make the payment by bank transfer and as it requires two signatures and Tony Ensom and I will work together to make the payment. The other signatories on the account can be added to the system – can Doug, Sian and or Ian let me know if they want to be added – you need a reasonable internet connection.
The trustees agreed to payment.
I have been regularly in touch with Ocon to set up a credit account – which we now have. As a result I've become prime contact! So I have received a quote for remedial work on the emergency exits etc. for £392 following their recent inspection. The charge is for 4 emergency running man arrow lights, 2 emergency bulkheads and 4 hours labour.
The trustees agreed to accept the quotation.
I believe you will discuss this under Hall/Future safety inspections etc. and a regular contact on these issues agreed. I have files relating to safety as they affect our insurance needs. I'm happy to pass these on but would also suggest we keep a simple concertina file in the Hall holding originals or copies of certificates, contact details, insurance policies, PCC licences etc. for everyone to access if necessary.
We are very much a cash business, even with a card machine for the bar etc., so I will continue to regularly make deposits into our account – luckily this can be done at the local Post Office. Our 'Petty Cash' currently stands at £341, but hopefully as we are now clear of too many Covid rules, I will put this in the bank. It is good to see that both the Quiz and the bar at the quiz are financially successful.
Electricity – always a challenge to contact utilities companies! The hiatus in energy prices has hit us as we negotiate a new contract. We are currently with SSE and the contract ends on 31st January 2022. We had to notify them by 1st January of any change or confirm renewal. I have contacted all the suppliers to business and EDF are the cheapest. However, this means an uplift in our energy charge per unit from 14.63p to 23.4p – quick a leap. We should be very grateful we have the panels of the roof and efficient heating.
The trustees agreed to a new contract with EDF.
Following the installation of the new oil tank we had a small credit balance of £113.04 with Oil4Wales. As we will not need oil until the New Year they have agreed to reimburse this.
Jubilee Park & Nature Trail:
Doug reported that regular maintenance was continuing but work was dependant on the weather. 20 signs for the “Green Wellies Trails” are due to be delivered shortly. The play area is now complete although there have been minor problems.
The mini-tractor is near the end of its life and an application for a grant towards its replacement has been made by EWCC. A letter of support by the Association had been sent by the secretary.
Community Hall:
Doug had circulated an email prior to the meeting seeking a volunteer to take responsibility for managing safety issues in the hall including maintenance and testing of the electrical and heating installations, fire alarms, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers. Gwyneth and Tracy agreed to jointly take on this role.
Prior to the meeting Gwyneth had circulated a quotation from Flooring Solutions and Maintenance Ltd for refurbishing the Granwood floor in the main hall and entrance lobby in the sum of £3,170.00. She had attempted to obtain alternative quotations without success. After a great deal of discussion it was agreed to go ahead with the work, probably during the February schools half-term holiday. Gwyneth agreed to contact FSM Ltd and liaise with them regarding the date.
With regard to dampness at low level in the men’s’ toilet Tracy had contacted a builder who suggested that it was not coming from the duct behind the w.c. and that a plastic trim between the duct and the floor would solve the problem. Mark suggested that the duct casing may need to be replaced and agreed to look into this.
Outstanding maintenance items are:
Hall Bookings:
Sian reported as follows:
Quiz Nights:
Tracy reported that volunteer quizmasters were booked up to June 2022.
Website and Facebook:
Tracy reported that in the last 90 days there had been 286 unique visits to the website with the Jubilee Park and history pages being the most popular. Also in the last 28 days the two most popular posts on Facebook were the Christmas Quiz seen by 259 people and Kathy’s photos of autumn in the Park seen by 114 people.
Tracy also reported that our subscription to Weebly for hosting and providing the website will run out shortly. It was agreed to renew our subscription for 2 years’ service at a cost of £190.00 (£168.00 for the site and £22.00 for the domain name).
Any Other Business:
At Gwyneth’s suggestion, it was agreed to offer a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie to all attending the Christmas Quiz.
Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be on Monday 10 January 2022 at 7.00 pm.
Doug McIntosh (chair), Tony Ensom (secretary), Gwyneth Beynon, Sian Beynon, Tracy Beynon, Amanda Cresswell, Jill Ensom, Chris Gilley, Mark Taylor, Jill Thomas and Cliff Williams.
Apologies:
Ian Wilkinson and Kathy Talbot
Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on 01 November 2021, which had been circulated previously, were approved and signed by Doug.
Treasurer’s Report:
Kathy had circulated the following report before the meeting:
Our current bank balance in total is £19,534, still split between HSBC and CAF. We have instructed HSBC to transfer all the standing orders and direct debits to the new CAF account. However, so far they have failed to do this and until the transfer is complete, to ensure we pay our bills, I have left some £8,594 in the HSBC account. Nothing is straight forward or quick with banks sadly.
We have an Ocon account to pay for two new fire extinguishers and an annual maintenance charge of £169.20. With agreement of the Trustees I will action this to be paid this week. We can make the payment by bank transfer and as it requires two signatures and Tony Ensom and I will work together to make the payment. The other signatories on the account can be added to the system – can Doug, Sian and or Ian let me know if they want to be added – you need a reasonable internet connection.
The trustees agreed to payment.
I have been regularly in touch with Ocon to set up a credit account – which we now have. As a result I've become prime contact! So I have received a quote for remedial work on the emergency exits etc. for £392 following their recent inspection. The charge is for 4 emergency running man arrow lights, 2 emergency bulkheads and 4 hours labour.
The trustees agreed to accept the quotation.
I believe you will discuss this under Hall/Future safety inspections etc. and a regular contact on these issues agreed. I have files relating to safety as they affect our insurance needs. I'm happy to pass these on but would also suggest we keep a simple concertina file in the Hall holding originals or copies of certificates, contact details, insurance policies, PCC licences etc. for everyone to access if necessary.
We are very much a cash business, even with a card machine for the bar etc., so I will continue to regularly make deposits into our account – luckily this can be done at the local Post Office. Our 'Petty Cash' currently stands at £341, but hopefully as we are now clear of too many Covid rules, I will put this in the bank. It is good to see that both the Quiz and the bar at the quiz are financially successful.
Electricity – always a challenge to contact utilities companies! The hiatus in energy prices has hit us as we negotiate a new contract. We are currently with SSE and the contract ends on 31st January 2022. We had to notify them by 1st January of any change or confirm renewal. I have contacted all the suppliers to business and EDF are the cheapest. However, this means an uplift in our energy charge per unit from 14.63p to 23.4p – quick a leap. We should be very grateful we have the panels of the roof and efficient heating.
The trustees agreed to a new contract with EDF.
Following the installation of the new oil tank we had a small credit balance of £113.04 with Oil4Wales. As we will not need oil until the New Year they have agreed to reimburse this.
Jubilee Park & Nature Trail:
Doug reported that regular maintenance was continuing but work was dependant on the weather. 20 signs for the “Green Wellies Trails” are due to be delivered shortly. The play area is now complete although there have been minor problems.
The mini-tractor is near the end of its life and an application for a grant towards its replacement has been made by EWCC. A letter of support by the Association had been sent by the secretary.
Community Hall:
Doug had circulated an email prior to the meeting seeking a volunteer to take responsibility for managing safety issues in the hall including maintenance and testing of the electrical and heating installations, fire alarms, emergency lighting and fire extinguishers. Gwyneth and Tracy agreed to jointly take on this role.
Prior to the meeting Gwyneth had circulated a quotation from Flooring Solutions and Maintenance Ltd for refurbishing the Granwood floor in the main hall and entrance lobby in the sum of £3,170.00. She had attempted to obtain alternative quotations without success. After a great deal of discussion it was agreed to go ahead with the work, probably during the February schools half-term holiday. Gwyneth agreed to contact FSM Ltd and liaise with them regarding the date.
With regard to dampness at low level in the men’s’ toilet Tracy had contacted a builder who suggested that it was not coming from the duct behind the w.c. and that a plastic trim between the duct and the floor would solve the problem. Mark suggested that the duct casing may need to be replaced and agreed to look into this.
Outstanding maintenance items are:
- Repairs to the fence at the rear of the hall,
- Replacing the defunct flushing system to the urinal in the men’s toilet,
- Replacing the chippings in front of the hall (to be left until the spring),
- Re-fixing the insulation on the underside of the roof.
Hall Bookings:
Sian reported as follows:
- The Monday Playgroup has very good attendance,
- Soccatots has cancelled bookings in December and may not return in January due to waning interest.
Quiz Nights:
Tracy reported that volunteer quizmasters were booked up to June 2022.
Website and Facebook:
Tracy reported that in the last 90 days there had been 286 unique visits to the website with the Jubilee Park and history pages being the most popular. Also in the last 28 days the two most popular posts on Facebook were the Christmas Quiz seen by 259 people and Kathy’s photos of autumn in the Park seen by 114 people.
Tracy also reported that our subscription to Weebly for hosting and providing the website will run out shortly. It was agreed to renew our subscription for 2 years’ service at a cost of £190.00 (£168.00 for the site and £22.00 for the domain name).
Any Other Business:
At Gwyneth’s suggestion, it was agreed to offer a glass of mulled wine and a mince pie to all attending the Christmas Quiz.
Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be on Monday 10 January 2022 at 7.00 pm.