Minutes of Rotary Club of Gloucester’s Council meeting on Monday, July 4th 2016
Club number 19313 | Charity number 274097
1. PRESENT
Martin Henshaw (president), Ian Stuart, John Smith, Peter Nesbitt, Sue Smith, Jeremy Keck, David Seed and John Lovell
2. APOLOGIES
Jan Layton-Smith, John Weygang and Chris Chatterton.
3. MINUTES
Minutes of the May and June meetings were signed without amendment
4. MATTERS ARISING
None
5. PRESIDENT’S REPORT
President Martin said the District Governor would be coming to the lunchtime meeting on July 15th when Martin would promote his project of working with the homeless and vulnerable which included installing shower facilities at the City Mission in Great Western Road.
6. IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT
Past President Ian, who has been charged by Martin to oversee centenary events, said two other Rotary clubs in the city (so far) had shown an interest in marking our centenary. He would be inviting representatives to a planning meeting. However the involvement of other clubs might mean existing ideas for marking 100 years of Rotary in Gloucester might be challenged. This was accepted in order to promote participation.
7. PRESIDENT ELECT’S REPORT
It was agreed that Sue as President Elect would co-ordinate the club’s involvement in the district conference in April.
8. VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT
No report
9. SECRETARY’S REPORT
Nothing to report
10. TREASURER’S REPORT
Outgoing treasurer (and now current president) Martin said that in the 2015-2016 presidential year the club had distributed £32,163 in grants. There would be a carry forward of £13,224 which included £5,000 earmarked for the Rotary Commuunity Awards. In addition there was £11,008 ring fenced for identified projects (the largest of which was £5,000 for the Colin Eynon Memorial project).
11. COMMITTEE REPORTS
MEMBERSHIP
Peter Nesbitt reported:-
- The new members – John Stubbings had been allocated to the International Committee, Frank Lloyd Murphy to Community and Youth and Chris Rawlins to Sports and Social.
- Analysis of attendance figures for the period to 31st of May had been published and updates would be forthcoming half yearly.
- The club directory was being updated and simplified for distribution to members only.
- There were two new members in the pipeline.
- His committee had identified Brockworth Business Park as a potential source for new members – individual, corporate and Friends memberships. Plans were in hand to identify large employers with a view to mail shots and personal visits from committee members.
- The Friends’ document which had now been accepted by both council and his committee should be circulated to all members who would be encouraged to propose ‘Friends’ in accordance with the document’s guidelines. Peter also suggested time should be made available in the club programme to discuss this further.
- Club statistics would continue to be analysed and his committee would consider how best these might be presented to the club.
- Regalia – Angela Seddon, working through the membership committee was now in charge of all club badges, medals, ribbons etc.
FUNDRAISING
No report
FELLOWSHIP AND HOUSE
No report
INTERNATIONAL/FOUNDATION
Chairman John Smith presented an International Committee budget of £5,500 for the coming year of which £4,500 was to support the club’s ongoing aquabox project. He thanked Rotarian Ken Watson for his sterling efforts with the aquaboxes and said that more club members were now involved in helping Ken.
The provisional budget also included £250 to support another Syrian refugee family and £750 had been allocated to fund a District Matching grant application should a suitable project arise. Failing such a project John said the money might be used to fund a project with the homeless and vulnerable.
John said he would be preparing a list of international projects in which the club had been involved since 1994. The total to date was 1,211,922 US dollars – an amazing achievement.
John said that he was waiting details from Peter Drysdale in Fiji of a project in Colin Eynon’s memory. The club had already allocated £5,000 for this project and the Rotary club of Gloucester Quays a further £1,000. Further offers of support might be forthcoming following the four countries Rotary meeting in Barcelona and a tentative enquiry from Australia.
COMMUNITY/YOUTH
David Seed said that he had had positive feedback from club members following the Rotary Community Awards Scheme presentation. However on the day there were a few tweaks regarding timings, food and drinks for the recipients which he felt needed addressing. In addition there needed to be a better mix of Rotarians and recipients. On the credit side both he and Jan Layton-Smith had thanked the staff for their fantastic service. He had also received a letter from the C.O. of the ATC offering their help for street/store/Tree of Light collections later this year.
David presented a committee budget for the current presidential year of £14,650 (excluding £5,000 carried forward from this year for the Rotary Community Awards). This was accepted by the president and council.
SPORTS/SOCIAL
- It was agreed that the committee consider ways in which our two new honorary members, Dame Janet Trotter and Sarah Bathurst, might help the club, given that both had shown an interest in active participation.
- The Senior Citizens’ Party will take place on April 23rd and a New Year dinner/dance has been planned for Saturday, January 8th.
- In view of members’ interest in attending a medieval banquet at the Cathedral on Friday, September 30th President Martin suggested that an evening gin tasting event for the club be moved back a week to Thursday, September 22nd. Sue agreed to ask Angela, who has made the arrngements for the gin tasting, to see if this was feasible.
- Angela Seddon had agreed to head up this committee from July 2017.
- Sue said that members of her committee were planning an evening for new Rotarians, their families, sponsors and friends although no date, as yet, has been arranged.
COMMUNICATIONS
New treasurer Jeremy Keck said that he had met with Clive Hannis who is to head up communications this year and that Clive was now the new webmaster.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS
- President Martin said that on behalf of the club he had agreed we would reimburse a car parker who had been fined for illegal parking at our direction at Imperial. The secretary reported that he had spoken with Lise Noakes and had sent her the relevant paperwork and that Lise would be following this up after her holidays possibly with a site meeting to ensure such problems did not arise again in the new rugby club season.
- President Martin appealed for a concerted club response to car parking in the coming season and would ask fundraising chairman Amanda Chamberlayne if it might be possible to find two Rotarians willing to be in charge at Imperial and Winfield.
Members are reminded that there is no council meeting in August. The next meeting will be on Monday, September 5th – same venue at 6pm.