Bogmoor Amateur Athletics Club

Minutes of the Committee Meeting held on Monday 24 May 2004 at 3 pm

1.  Present and Apologies.

Present:  John Brown (President), Marion Syme (Secretary), Peter McKendrick (Treasurer), Paul Paterson, Susan Blythe and Stuart Watson.

Apologies:  Lucy Atkins, Stephen Craig and Mark Greer.

2.  Minutes of the Last Committee Meeting and Matters Arising.

There were no matters arising from the previous minutes.   Peter McKendrick proposed that the minutes were accepted as a true record and this was seconded by Susan Blythe.

3.  Reports from the Committee.

3.1  President's Report.

John reported that the last period had proven to be a difficult time for those trying to finish their winter training.  This had been mainly due to particularly bad weather conditions during January and February.  He commended the athletes for their perseverance but had felt that alternative training facilities may need to be sought for next winter.  John also thanked the committee for their support over the last period.  In particular he mentioned the efforts of Marion Syme who had had a very busy winter but who had maintained her sense of humour throughout.

John commented that many new athletes had joined the club and that this was a particularly encouraging trend.  He encouraged everyone to continue the good work for the coming period.

3.2.  Secretary's Report.

Marion thanked John for his kind words and then reported on an extremely busy winter period.  The club had managed to acquire charitable status in January and this had taken a fair bit of time to organise.

She reported that since the last meeting, 12 new athletes had joined the club and that a further 6 had applied for membership.  Marion reported on the new membership card scheme and showed the committee the sample cards that had been produced.  These received general approval.

3.3  Treasurer's Report.

Peter made a brief report on the club's current financial state.  Brief details are as follows:

Memberships paid to date £330
Memberships still due £150
Cost of club equipment £425.60
Travel and petrol costs £95.25
Cash in Bank £2455.36

Peter encouraged those who still had not paid their memberships to do so as soon as possible.

4.  Business Agenda.

4.1  Competitions.

Susan reported on a very successful cross country series through the winter months.  Brian Gunn had won the men's cross country league for the second time in a row and Sheila North had improved her overall position from tenth to third.

The winter training had been extremely difficult and Susan echoed the President's remarks about finding new training facilities before next winter.

Only two track events had taken place outside so far but the results had not been encouraging.  Many of the athletes appeared unready for competition and the training will need to be given a new lease of life if the summer season was not going to be disastrous.  Anne McIntyre, who had been a strong contender for success in the high jump had broken her ankle and would be out for the summer.

4.2  Training Facilities.

Several ideas of alternative winter training facilities were proposed.  After much discussion, it was decided that John would investigate the city's central leisure complex with a view to perhaps using the track, swimming pool and multi gym facilities when the weather did not look promising.  He also agreed to try to negotiate a reduced entry fee for club members.

4.3  Club Championships.

Marion confirmed that the venue had been booked for the Club Championships in August.  The date is to be Saturday 7 August 2004 with the first event starting at 11 am.  Further details would be distributed nearer the event but a full programme of track and field is expected.

Peter reported that the usual local sponsor had kindly agreed to pay for the prizes and part of the cost of using the stadium.  A further £100 will be required but it is hoped that a well-supported raffle and tombola would cover this easily.

Stuart reported that he had not yet started looking for a venue for the evening function but was intending to do this next week.  John suggested that this should be done as a matter of urgency, considering last year's problems.

5.  Any Other Competent Business.

5.1  Club Tracksuits.  Peter announced that he was still awaiting the delivery of the second batch of the new club tracksuits.  The manufacturer had promised delivery by last week but this had not transpired.  He said that he would phone them again later that day.

5.2  Paul reported that Jane Russell had given birth to a baby boy who weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces.  Jane and baby James are both doing well and Jane hopes to be back to the club in around a month.

6.  Date of Next Meeting.

It was agreed to hold the next meeting slightly earlier than normal in order to discuss the final arrangements for the Club Championships.  The date is to be Monday 2 August 2004 at 3 pm at the normal venue.
