THE CARAVAN CLUB DEVON AND CORNWALL CENTRE Minutes of the 406th Committee Meeting on Monday 7 th April 2014 at Trethorne Leisure Park PRESENT: Chairman Mr Keith Kingston-Ford Vice-Chairman Mr Jason Avery Hon Secretary Mr John Matthews Hon Treasurer Mrs Denise Henderson Hon Rally Secretary Mr Paul Kingston-Ford COMMITTEE: Mr Martin King, Mrs Euphine Bromell, Mrs Michelle Stuttaford, Mr Terry Glanfield, Mr Rob Branton, Mr John Andrews, Mrs Lyn Matthews, Mr Richard Cadd, Mr Robert Gordon, Andrew Harris Chairman Keith Kingston-Ford welcomed committee members to the 406 th Committee Meeting, and asked for mobile phones to be turned off. Again he reiterated that we arrive as friends and leave as friends when the meeting has finished. 31.14 APOLOGIES There were no apologies necessary. 32.14 MINUTES OF THE 405 th MEETING These and Part 2 were approved and signed. 33.14 MATTERS ARISING FROM THOSE MINUTES 18.14 (03.14/33.14 Website) - Website still ongoing. Details of the Youth Section are now on the site. 18.14 (06.14 3. Party Tents) - Subject closed as party tents now sold. 18.14 (06.14 4. Caravan) -To be discussed later. 18.14 (06.14 5. Chairman s retiring gift) - On today s agenda. 18.14 (07.14 3. Paperwork) - EB has not yet been able to catch up with Angela at Beaulieu regarding the newsletters. 18.14 (13.14 6. AOB Youth Section) - Dealt with by. EB 19.14 (Correspondence 1.) - The letter received from the Youth Section Chairperson was answered by JM. 19.14 (Correspondence 2.) - Dealt with by JM. Up-to-date rules and regulations for running a rally still pending. 21.14 (2. Caravan) - KKF had spoken to Martin Eastley who was willing to lend us a caravan for the Driving and Reversing Rally. Although he has not seen the caravan, he offered to put it into a public sale if we wanted to do this. reported that we bought the KKF 1
caravan in 2011 for 1,050. The selling of the caravan was discussed with AH pointing out that he had recently sold a 2002/2003 caravan for only 199. EB asked if we should make a decision to go ahead with selling the caravan especially if a sale comes up between our meetings. 21.14 (3. Dinner and Dance Guide) -The amended guide by EB had been emailed to the committee which included the amalgamation of the Secretary s role and the Protocol for the seating at the dinner/dance. EB asked if the committee were happy to accept the amended guide, and this was approved by all committee members. It was felt that a version control of the document should put in place. EB 22.14 (1. Honorariums) - has sent John Laws C.C. the Centre s costings for this year and last year so that he was aware of our outgoing expenditure. He will be taking our paperwork to the Executive Club meeting, and we will await a reply from him in due course. EB had meanwhile been in conversation with M. Stringer who was under the impression that we are a wealthy club, but she informed him that this was not the case. 22.14 (2. Charity) - An explanation of how the Centre and Charity raffle is organised was put in the recent newsletter by JM. 23.14 (1. Rally book packing expenses) - had received expenses slips from some members of the committee. 23.14 (3. Insurance) - This is an ongoing subject which needs to be clarified. KKF 26.14 (Wessex) - Dealt with. 27.14 (Regional Council) - Dealt with. 28.14 (AOB) 1. A new flag has been purchased for the Centre by. 2. TG asked which lights have been disposed of. RC reported that they were the small spot lights. 5. The Easter newsletter was put on the website by MK. 6. The crib sheet for Flag Officer duties to be given to new committee member was dealt with by JM. 8. MK asked committee members to give him a write-up of their relevant roles on the committee. 9. All the guides for amendment had been sent round to the committee by JM. 34.14 CORRESPONDENCE 1. Tom Wilson who was the Chairman in 1983/84 informed us that he was now giving up caravanning due to ill-health. Several committee members remembered this gentleman. 2. JM had received an email from a past Chairman who was concerned that we may be disposing of the tea urns. Also a past committee member had verbally expressed concern about the disposal of the items in the container. At the moment nothing has been disposed of in the container, but we shall be keeping the tea urns. 3. JM had received an email from another past Chairman querying the cost of next year s Dinner/Dance. There had been a lot of gossip going around at this year s Dinner/Dance regarding this, and also why the Friday night had not been included, as members would now JM 2
have to make their own booking with the hotel for this evening. confirmed that everyone would be paying a 5 social charge, which is included into the cost shown in the rally book, and that non-members who attend will have to pay a surcharge which will be agreed upon nearer the time of the next Dinner/Dance. 4. JM reported that the Sun, Sea and Sand rally at Exmouth was now full. 5. An invitation had been received from the East Hampshire Centre inviting our Chairman to their 50 th celebrations to be held August Bank holiday 2015. EB pointed out that we cannot confirm this invitation until the Chairman for next year has been elected. 6. JM reported that the Youth Section meeting which had been arranged for the 30 th March was cancelled as only two members were able to attend. This was possibly due to it being Mothering Sunday. 7. JM showed the committee the letter which he had written to the Youth Section Chairperson in response to her letter of the 18 th February together with her reply to his letter. Regarding the chosen date of the rally, it was pointed out that they were originally given a date which did not run against another rally, but they wanted to change this date. J. Avery offered them other dates, and they chose the agreed date themselves. It now transpires that two members have now come off the committee. A Youth Chairperson s guide has been sent to the Chairperson as she had never been given this guide. EB pointed out that when a member comes off the Youth Section committee, they are usually presented with a gift of a pen. JM to deal with. JM 8. A letter had been received from Grenville Chamberlain, Chairman C.C. thanking the Centre, Officers and Committee for the enjoyable time he and his wife had at our Dinner Dance. 35.14 CIRCULARS None received. 36.14 CHAIRMAN S REPORT 1. Plaques - KKF confirmed that we will carry on at the moment with the present system. 2. Chairman s retiring gift - KKF asked for any further ideas on this subject. It was pointed out that in previous minutes (404 th 06.14.5) it was agreed that an amount of 100 maximum to include engraving be put towards a gift of the retiring Chairman s choice. This was confirmed by. JM mentioned he has one original shield left, and KKF confirmed he would like this as his retiring gift. 3. Memorabilia - This has been discussed at several meetings, and can be brought up again in about 18 months time when the approximately 77 items we have loaned to Beaulieu will need to be reviewed. JM had been passed a large box of rubber stamps from EB and asked if we needed to keep them. MK felt they could be useful for his Easter rally, and will arrange collection. The cups which have not been presented for several years i.e. those which were given for the wine and cake competitions will be kept as they could be used in the future. JM mentioned the items on our insurance, and KKF asked whether we should agree to include JM 3
37.14 38.14 39.14 40.14 41.14 an excess amount. For further discussion. 4. Dinner and Dance Guide - Amended guide approved and agreed by committee. 5. General Guides - Still outstanding as MK has not received all of them yet. EB agreed to produce one for the South West Regional representative. HON. SECRETARY S REPORT Apologies were given by JM regarding the mix-up of the committee meeting dates. HON. TREASURER S REPORT 1. Honorariums - This is still an ongoing subject. reported she had spoken with John Laws regarding how we interpret our grant with the items they have on their list, and it was agreed that we would send him our accounts of how we allocate the Centre grant. handed round to the committee a copy of the current accounts, and the amount raised for the charity will be shown much clearer than in previous accounts. reported that we have now received this year s grant allocation which is the same as last year. Much of this has already been spent, and she will be doing profit and loss comparisons on this year s and last year s rallies so that the committee can be kept up-to-date with the Centre s finances. EB requested a copy so she could take this to the South West Regional meeting. 2. Rally book - JM commented that at the moment our rally book is still being sponsored by Stowford, but this could change in the future. This year s and next year s sponsorship has been agreed, but their Board of Directors will be discussing future sponsorship after that. To be put on agenda for next meeting 3. Committee members expenses - pointed out the amount claimable if everyone on the committee claimed for their travelling expenses to the committee meetings. Because several members share one car, this has kept the expenses down. AH asked if we could find somewhere else cheaper to hold our meetings, but he was informed Trethorne is central to all the committee members. HON. RALLY SECRETARY S REPORT KKF reported that rallies Easter at Beverley, Crealy, Devon, and Easter Live are full. YOUTH SECTION The Youth Section rally was discussed with J. Avery reporting that their meeting for the 30 th March was cancelled. This may have been due to the fact that it was Mother s Day. Two members have come off the committee, and that a Chairman and Vice-Chairman will need to be found for next year. AH suggested that if members agree to go onto the Youth Section committee that we consult with the parents in that they are prepared to support their young people in this role. WESSEX REPORT MK reported that he attended a meeting a couple of weeks ago. Although the Wessex was KKF MK EB JM 4
ticking along not many ralliers have booked on it yet. The Chairman will be sent an email shortly regarding his responsibilities at the Wessex. MK had felt uncomfortable regarding the selling of the marquee after we had first approached the Wessex. Normally we make a donation to the Wessex raffle of 20 and requested this from the Treasurer although PKF felt we should scale this amount back. As there are 10 centres in the Wessex, this was agreed. MK felt that members will be disappointed if the Wessex does not go ahead in two years time. Other Centres have also been affected. A new idea at the Wessex involves a company offering to wash caravans as they come in and leave the site. Ralliers will be allocated slots so this would not block the entrance to the site. EB asked how many have booked in from the D&C centre. At the moment 14 caravans will be attending. MK also reported that our website now has a link to the Wessex. 42.14 REGIONAL COUNCIL REPORT The next meeting will shortly be held in Swindon. EB reported that last Saturday they had held an event at Taunton to meet the members. Separate tables displayed various subjects regarding caravanning, and around 92 people attended the event. Both Martin Stringer and Janet Moore from the C.C. were in attendance. Up to now only 1700 caravans had booked to attend The National which was low in comparison to previous years. 43.14 ANY OTHER BUSINESS 1. The National - KKF enquired as to how much we can spend on the entertainment at The National. This was put at 150 which covers the Chairman s reception, flagpole, etc. He also asked if we could purchase a bottle of whisky as a complimentary gift for the Wiltshire Centre. Agreed. 2. Container - TG had prepared a thorough inventory of what items were at present stored in the container and this had been circulated to the committee. He wished to know which items committee members were going to store at their property, and which items were to be destroyed. Items included the space heater, gas and electric urns, volley ball, netball and football kits, and other sports equipment, metal boules, connect 4 game, lawn darts and lawn skittles and several other games, cycling competition apparatus, two boxes of tea pots and crockery, plastic cups and mugs, spot lights, caravan electric cable, tie down straps and sledge hammer (to be kept with the 20 x 20 marquee), first aid kit (which needs checking), fuel container (to go with generator in the big marquee), etc. The committee members discussed between themselves which equipment they would store, and a list will be available to this effect. A suggestion was made that this be put on the website to let members know who to contact if they wished to make use of some of the items. However, it was felt that there should one main person contactable for all the items i.e.terry Glanfield. TG again asked if we need to keep the container as it is not used to its full capacity. RB said his employer is interested in the container although he has not yet seen it. reported that the container was purchased in 2012 at a cost of 2,520 including vat. RB felt that a sensible price of say 1,000 plus vat would be appropriate, and that buyer to collect. MS 3. Keys - The keys to the container were discussed. New keys for the marquee had been cut and only three committee members held them. A previous committee member had been frustrated that when he went to pick up the trailer his keys did not fit the locks. 4. Wheel clamp - TG pointed out that we require a wheel clamp for the 20 x 20 marquee. TG 5
asked for the tyre to be measured so that the correct one can be purchased. TG to organise. 5. CD Collection - RC read from his guide and querying manuals and a CD collection. 6. Plaques - JA reported that he has contacted another company who can produce plastic plaques and will inform the committee when he has further information and costings. RG enquired if anyone had any 2009/10 year plaques as these are still in demand from members. EB asked if we needed any plaques for The National such as thank you for helping plaques. We have spare plaques in stock of various colours. AH enquired if he needed visitor s plaques as he will be doing flag at the Easter at Beverley rally. In the past visitors have paid 1 for a plaque. He will need first meet and year plaques. He also raised the question that if he is unable to attend the Chairman s rally, could a handicraft item be entered into the competition. A member has to attend the rally to enter the competition. 6. General - MK suggested that an inventory of the keys in circulation be made and that these are signed for, and so that at the end of the year they are handed in and passed on to any new committee members. AH also agreed that an inventory of the equipment held by committee members is compiled, and be given to the Secretary. 7. Welcome to D&C Yellow Banner - EB said she has one banner, but there used to be two. Could committee members make enquiries as to where the other one was. These are usually erected at The Ladies, AGM and sometimes holiday rallies. She suggested that the Chairman of the day should keep it in their possession. KKF suggested that a note be put on the website asking as to the whereabouts of this flag. MK TG MK 8. Trailer - It was suggested that a letter be sent to the ex-committee member concerning the trailer situation. 9. Dinner/Dance Raffle - had been contacted by the Steward of the Dinner/Dance requesting that all the raffle proceeds should go to the Charity as this was mentioned on the back of the Menu. KKF confirmed that the Dinner/Dance, Chairman s and Ladies raffle monies are given to the charity and all the rest of the rally raffle monies goes to the Centre fund. After discussion it was proposed by MK and seconded by AH that the AGM, Ladies, Chairman s and Dinner/Dance raffle monies be given to the chosen Charity. Agreed unanimously. This will commence from the 1 st January 2014. EB pointed out that we are often given donations which will go directly to the Charity. 10. Marquee - Treasurer Denise Henderson asked the Committee if she could borrow the large Marquee for her daughter s wedding in May 2014 as the previous venue booked had been damaged by the recent storms. J. Avery pointed out she would need to take full account for this, and suggested that a donation for the use of the marquee be given to the Charity. She agreed with this request. Agreed by Committee. 11. Secretary - John Matthews announced that he would not be standing for re-election at the AGM and so a new Secretary would need to be found. 12. Generator - J. Avery asked that when the generator and marquee are returned after being used on a rally in Cornwall, that we check the working order of the generator, as it has come back from rallies damaged. TG 6
13. Chairman s Rally - KKF reported that at the moment he has 12 bookings for his rally and wanted to know if they had sponsorship forms. 44.14 ALLOCATION OF SILVER RALLY PLAQUES Hiking & Biking John Matthews Hon. Secretary Cambrose Fun for All Euphine Bromell Committee Helston Flora Day John Andrews Committee Spring time at Heligan Jason Avery Vice-Chairman Gala Dip n Trot Keith Kingston-Ford Chairman Chairman s Rally Jason Avery Vice-Chairman Witweek in the Warren? Pentewan Sands Andrew Harris Committee National Keith Kingston-Ford Chairman (send slips to Euphine Bromell now the Liaison Officer) Funday at Woodlands Andrew Harris Committee Coast Walk?Michelle Stuttaford Committee Youth Section Jason Avery Vice-Chairman Ladies Keith Kingston-Ford Chairman Return to the Forest Keith Kingston-Ford Chairman Lamb Scrumptious Denise Henderson Hon. Treasurer Driving & Reversing Andrew Harris Committee Mazey Day John Andrews Committee 45.14 NEXT MEETING MONDAY 16 TH JUNE 2014 AT 7 PM TRETHORNE The Chairman closed the meeting at 9.50 p.m. Signed by the Chairman. 7
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