Walsall Wood Camera Club
Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Meeting.
Held at the Brownhills Community Association on Tues 12th June 2018.
The meeting opened at 8:20 pm.
Present:
Committee members John Smith, Julie Pegg, Ian Tuckley, Steve Swain, Andy Francis, Derrick Forster, Paul Randall, Steph Forster, Plus 18 other members.
Apologies received from Sue Luteman, Dave Tucker, Angie Tucker, Brenda Burden, Glynis Weir, Judy Bailey, Dennis Moore, Geoff Judson-Smith, Chris Neal, Nicky Jones, Beth Jones
in favour.
The present committee, except the Programme Secretary Angie Tucker had
previously indicated their willingness to stand for a further year. It was suggested
that the present committee be re-elected en bloc.
Proposed by Dave Kitson, Seconded by Alan Wint. Voted unanimously
in favour with one abstention. So the Club Officers for 2018/19 will be:
Chairman - John Smith
Secretary – Derrick Forster
Treasurer – Julie Pegg
Competitions Secretary – Ian Tuckley/Steve Swain
Programme Secretary – Still to be filled (a small sub-committee could be formed)
Additional committee members are: Andy Francis, Paul Randall, Steph Forster, Roy Derry
(b) The committee made the following proposals in relation to the Competition rules:
"After completion of the season's Merit competitions, the committee will assess which members should be considered for transfer between groups.
Transfers will normally be made following discussion and agreement with the
individual members.
In exceptional circumstances, the committee may decide to direct that a member be transferred. In such cases the committee's decision will be final.
Each category of competition will be treated separately, so any individual member may be in different groups for different categories of competition.
Additional to the above rules, any member may seek to transfer him/herself between groups, at the discretion of the committee."
Proposed by Fran Hodgkinson, Seconded by Richmond Preece
Votes in favour 17, Against 0, Abstain 1
(c) A suggestion was made (Richmond Preece) that we could have a “best in show” decision on each competition night. This would mean gathering together the winning picture from each group, and asking the judge to choose the overall winner. However it was felt that there would not be enough time on the night to arrange this, and the possible benefits were not sufficient.
(d) A further suggestion was made (Trevor Fisher) that pictures in each competition night could be judged without segregating them into different groups. The judge would give each picture a mark out of 20. This means that the judge would approach each picture without any pre-conceived idea about the picture. Members would still be allocated to a group for the purpose of the club’s competition records, but the judge would not know which picture was in which group. The discussion which followed revealed that most people did not feel that any benefit would come from this arrangement, and that some disadvantages were mentioned by various members.
(e) Steve Swain asked if there might be support for a “Summer programme” of evenings out or talks indoors during the summer recess. He asked members to suggest possible events and offered to co-ordinate the suggestions and keep members informed by e-mail about the Summer programme.
(f) John Smith suggested that we change the name of the Club to reflect our connection with the Brownhills Community Association. The meeting agreed to change the name to “Walsall Wood and Brownhills Camera Club”.
(g) It was announced that the BCA were to have an Open Day on 30th June. John Smith had been asked if the Club would be able to provide an exhibition. He called for members to bring some prints to the next meeting.
(h) Derrick Forster proposed that the end - of - year date for accounting purposes be changed from 31st May to 30th April, to give extra time for the Treasurer to prepare accounts in readiness for the AGM, as had previously been suggested by Keith Walton. Seconded by Fran Hodgkinson. Voted unanimously in favour.
The meeting closed at 9:30 pm
Appendix Committee Reports
Secretary’s Report 2017-2018
My job mostly involves record-keeping and communicating.
The record-keeping part means
Communicating involves maintaining the notice board and sending out e-mails at various times Please keep an eye on the notice boards and also look out for any e-mails from the club to keep upto date.
You can also look at the club’s website for information, and I thank Andy for putting items that I send him onto the website.
I thank Steve as well for projecting things of interest on the screen on Club evenings.
During the season we have held 3 committee meetings. Topics that we discussed include:
Finally thanks to you all for supporting the club during the season. And I pay tribute to my fellow committee members for their patience and fortitude, and the positive spirit in which our meetings are conducted.
Programme Secretary’s Report
I hope that the members enjoined the program of events that I put together for this season.. I tried to keep the program interesting with a variety speakers and judges including ones new to the club, all while keeping the costs to a reasonable level. My knowledge of other judges and speakers has been a great help in knowing who to book and who to avoid and as a result I do not believe we had any “disasters” this season.
Next year’s program has been quite a difficult one as a considerable number of regional judges and lecturers, have retired from the circuit, or have limited the distance they are prepared to travel. This has meant that, to provide a varied and interesting program for next season, I have had to book a number of people from further afield which necessitates higher expenses. Along with a general increase in costs, this has resulted in the decision to increase the yearly subs.
Like last year, I have booked some new speakers and judges to the club, as well as some old favourites. As January and February can cause problems with travelling I have booked club members, local speakers and a travelling road show for these months to avoid being let down due to adverse weather conditions.
Due to increased commitments at home and the expansion of my pet business, I will not be re standing this year. As the whole program for 2018/2019 has been finalised, the person taking over will have an easy few months as all they will have to do is the weekly reminders. No doubt next year’s program will be with you shortly.
Angie
Competitions Secretary’s report
Merit Competitions:-
In the print competitions there was an average of 65 entries per round from 23 members over the 4 rounds.
In the projected image competitions there was an average of 46 entries per round from 28 members over the 4 rounds.
Entry levels were marginally lower than last season by 3 for prints and by 2 for projected images, so again entry levels have remained stable.
Image of the year:-
Prints There were 56 entries form 15 members
Projected Images There were 39 entries from 20 members.
Compared to last season the print entries were marginally higher by 2, and projected image entries were slightly lower by 2, so again entry levels have remained stable.
In all the competitions the higher level of print entries reflects the fact that there are 5 sections for the print competitions compared to only 3 for the projected image competitions.
Other competitions:-
Cosmic – 32 entries compared to 34 last season, so entries were again stable year on year.
Panel of three – This competition has 2 sections ie Beginners/Intermediate and Advanced. A total of 27 panels were submitted by 18 members, which was slightly up on the previous sesaon’s 25 entries.
NB No trophies are awarded for this competition.
Interclubs – 2 were held this season, one against Birmingham Northern which we narrowly lost, and one against Acton Trussell which we won.
This season also showed a reversal in the men members’ fortunesover last season, with 11 trophies going to the men as against 5 going to the ladies.
Treasurer’s report (Summary)
Julie reported a bank balance of £3352.88 with £244.10 cash in hand. Total £3596.68.
Total income for the year £4327.50 Expenditure £4418.42. This represents a loss of £90.92 for the year.
The detailed accounts sheet is presented separately. Misc. items include:
Chairman’s report
John wished to thank a number of members for their contributions:
Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Meeting.
Held at the Brownhills Community Association on Tues 12th June 2018.
The meeting opened at 8:20 pm.
Present:
Committee members John Smith, Julie Pegg, Ian Tuckley, Steve Swain, Andy Francis, Derrick Forster, Paul Randall, Steph Forster, Plus 18 other members.
Apologies received from Sue Luteman, Dave Tucker, Angie Tucker, Brenda Burden, Glynis Weir, Judy Bailey, Dennis Moore, Geoff Judson-Smith, Chris Neal, Nicky Jones, Beth Jones
- Minutes of the 41st AGM (previously circulated for members to read).
in favour.
- Matters Arising.
- Committee reports: See Appendix.
- Election of Club Officers:
The present committee, except the Programme Secretary Angie Tucker had
previously indicated their willingness to stand for a further year. It was suggested
that the present committee be re-elected en bloc.
Proposed by Dave Kitson, Seconded by Alan Wint. Voted unanimously
in favour with one abstention. So the Club Officers for 2018/19 will be:
Chairman - John Smith
Secretary – Derrick Forster
Treasurer – Julie Pegg
Competitions Secretary – Ian Tuckley/Steve Swain
Programme Secretary – Still to be filled (a small sub-committee could be formed)
Additional committee members are: Andy Francis, Paul Randall, Steph Forster, Roy Derry
- Any Other Business
(b) The committee made the following proposals in relation to the Competition rules:
- The rule that was formulated at the last AGM for Transfer between Groups should not be implemented.
- A new rule was proposed for Transfer between Groups as follows:
"After completion of the season's Merit competitions, the committee will assess which members should be considered for transfer between groups.
Transfers will normally be made following discussion and agreement with the
individual members.
In exceptional circumstances, the committee may decide to direct that a member be transferred. In such cases the committee's decision will be final.
Each category of competition will be treated separately, so any individual member may be in different groups for different categories of competition.
Additional to the above rules, any member may seek to transfer him/herself between groups, at the discretion of the committee."
Proposed by Fran Hodgkinson, Seconded by Richmond Preece
Votes in favour 17, Against 0, Abstain 1
(c) A suggestion was made (Richmond Preece) that we could have a “best in show” decision on each competition night. This would mean gathering together the winning picture from each group, and asking the judge to choose the overall winner. However it was felt that there would not be enough time on the night to arrange this, and the possible benefits were not sufficient.
(d) A further suggestion was made (Trevor Fisher) that pictures in each competition night could be judged without segregating them into different groups. The judge would give each picture a mark out of 20. This means that the judge would approach each picture without any pre-conceived idea about the picture. Members would still be allocated to a group for the purpose of the club’s competition records, but the judge would not know which picture was in which group. The discussion which followed revealed that most people did not feel that any benefit would come from this arrangement, and that some disadvantages were mentioned by various members.
(e) Steve Swain asked if there might be support for a “Summer programme” of evenings out or talks indoors during the summer recess. He asked members to suggest possible events and offered to co-ordinate the suggestions and keep members informed by e-mail about the Summer programme.
(f) John Smith suggested that we change the name of the Club to reflect our connection with the Brownhills Community Association. The meeting agreed to change the name to “Walsall Wood and Brownhills Camera Club”.
(g) It was announced that the BCA were to have an Open Day on 30th June. John Smith had been asked if the Club would be able to provide an exhibition. He called for members to bring some prints to the next meeting.
(h) Derrick Forster proposed that the end - of - year date for accounting purposes be changed from 31st May to 30th April, to give extra time for the Treasurer to prepare accounts in readiness for the AGM, as had previously been suggested by Keith Walton. Seconded by Fran Hodgkinson. Voted unanimously in favour.
The meeting closed at 9:30 pm
Appendix Committee Reports
Secretary’s Report 2017-2018
My job mostly involves record-keeping and communicating.
The record-keeping part means
- keeping a register of members’ contact details.
- I keep records of the committee meetings and the AGM.
- Keeping correspondence.
Communicating involves maintaining the notice board and sending out e-mails at various times Please keep an eye on the notice boards and also look out for any e-mails from the club to keep upto date.
You can also look at the club’s website for information, and I thank Andy for putting items that I send him onto the website.
I thank Steve as well for projecting things of interest on the screen on Club evenings.
During the season we have held 3 committee meetings. Topics that we discussed include:
- The programme
- Presentation evening
- Cosmic Set Subject Competition
- New equipment
- Data Protection policy
- Club competition rules
- Financial state of the Club (Julie gives update of the balance at every committee meeting).
Finally thanks to you all for supporting the club during the season. And I pay tribute to my fellow committee members for their patience and fortitude, and the positive spirit in which our meetings are conducted.
Programme Secretary’s Report
I hope that the members enjoined the program of events that I put together for this season.. I tried to keep the program interesting with a variety speakers and judges including ones new to the club, all while keeping the costs to a reasonable level. My knowledge of other judges and speakers has been a great help in knowing who to book and who to avoid and as a result I do not believe we had any “disasters” this season.
Next year’s program has been quite a difficult one as a considerable number of regional judges and lecturers, have retired from the circuit, or have limited the distance they are prepared to travel. This has meant that, to provide a varied and interesting program for next season, I have had to book a number of people from further afield which necessitates higher expenses. Along with a general increase in costs, this has resulted in the decision to increase the yearly subs.
Like last year, I have booked some new speakers and judges to the club, as well as some old favourites. As January and February can cause problems with travelling I have booked club members, local speakers and a travelling road show for these months to avoid being let down due to adverse weather conditions.
Due to increased commitments at home and the expansion of my pet business, I will not be re standing this year. As the whole program for 2018/2019 has been finalised, the person taking over will have an easy few months as all they will have to do is the weekly reminders. No doubt next year’s program will be with you shortly.
Angie
Competitions Secretary’s report
Merit Competitions:-
In the print competitions there was an average of 65 entries per round from 23 members over the 4 rounds.
In the projected image competitions there was an average of 46 entries per round from 28 members over the 4 rounds.
Entry levels were marginally lower than last season by 3 for prints and by 2 for projected images, so again entry levels have remained stable.
Image of the year:-
Prints There were 56 entries form 15 members
Projected Images There were 39 entries from 20 members.
Compared to last season the print entries were marginally higher by 2, and projected image entries were slightly lower by 2, so again entry levels have remained stable.
In all the competitions the higher level of print entries reflects the fact that there are 5 sections for the print competitions compared to only 3 for the projected image competitions.
Other competitions:-
Cosmic – 32 entries compared to 34 last season, so entries were again stable year on year.
Panel of three – This competition has 2 sections ie Beginners/Intermediate and Advanced. A total of 27 panels were submitted by 18 members, which was slightly up on the previous sesaon’s 25 entries.
NB No trophies are awarded for this competition.
Interclubs – 2 were held this season, one against Birmingham Northern which we narrowly lost, and one against Acton Trussell which we won.
This season also showed a reversal in the men members’ fortunesover last season, with 11 trophies going to the men as against 5 going to the ladies.
Treasurer’s report (Summary)
Julie reported a bank balance of £3352.88 with £244.10 cash in hand. Total £3596.68.
Total income for the year £4327.50 Expenditure £4418.42. This represents a loss of £90.92 for the year.
The detailed accounts sheet is presented separately. Misc. items include:
- Laptop and Insurance
- Photocopying
- Models
- Trophies
- Donation
- Keys cut
- Batteries
- Wine
- Flowers
Chairman’s report
John wished to thank a number of members for their contributions:
- Derrick Forster as Secretary and for doing the workshops for new members.
- Treasurer Julie Pegg
- Ian Tuckley as Internal Competitions Secretary for prints
- Steve Swain as PDI secretary
- Julie Pegg as Treasurer
- Paul Randall as raffle man.
- Andy Francis for sorting out all the technology based equipment
- Fran Hodgkinson and Brenda Burden for arranging the Fish and Chip night
- Fran Hodgkinson for “behind the scenes” help
- Angie Tucker as Programme Secretary
- Dave Tucker for doing workshops
- Roy Derry for help on club evenings
- Roger Dutton for doing a workshop and a lecture
- The Tea Ladies, Steph, Gill and also Paul with additional help when needed from Glyn, Ann, Judy and Sandra
- All members for helping with chairs, equipment etc on club nights
- Steve Swain, Andy Francis, Fran Hodgkinson and the Chairman himself for time and effort to be spent during the summer, fitting the projector to the roof supports.
- John also praised the younger members, Christie Burton, Guyvor Weals, also Sindy Weals for the progress they had made this season and the quality of work which they had brought to the club.