The AGM for 2013 took place at the Village Hall on Tuesday 4th June.

The following is the collected reports of the various sections, beginning with the minutes of the meeting of 2012
and ending with an account of the AGM Forum 2013.

Chairman :: Treasurer :: Planning :: OIAW/Website :: Hall :: Entertainment :: Environment

WVCA AGM 2012

Wallington Village Community Association

Minutes Of The 20th Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 12 June 2012

Present: E Burley (Chair); A Bloxham (Secretary); C Weeks (Treasurer); C Scott (Environment/Hall); M Close (Planning/Entertainment/OIAW & Web Site); D Walton (SDA), Cllr P Whittle and 67 members.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 7.30pm.

Apologies: T Reeve, C Morgan, R Cox, S Scott, Cllr K Trott, L Buckley, P Bush

Minutes of 2011 AGM: Proposed M Blyth and seconded J Haynes that the minutes should be adopted. Carried.

There were no matters arising from those minutes.

Summary of Reports: Written reports from Chairman, Treasurer, Planning, OIAW Editorial Board, Hall, Entertainment and Environment had been submitted to the meeting and were summarised for the benefit of members present.

The meeting recorded its thanks to all involved in the organisation of the village Jubilee events..

There were no other matters arising from the reports and it was proposed by J Haynes and seconded by M Blyth that the reports should be adopted. Carried.

Election of Officers and Committee Members: It was proposed by B Collins and  seconded by M Reeve and unanimously agreed by members that the following should be elected as Officers and members of the Executive Committee for the year 2012/2013:-

Officers Name Proposed Seconded
Chairman James Clark S Luckett A Bloxham
Secretary Alan Bloxham M Close D Walton
Treasurer Clare Weeks E Burley A Bloxham
Committee
David Walton W Banks J Bank
Robert Cox A Bloxham C Scott
Charlie Scott A Bloxham C Weeks
Chris Morgan C Scott E Burley
Madeline Close R Downing M Downing
Eve Burley J Favill B Favill
Mary Holliday-Bishop M v.d. Heijden J Hall
David Kett D Lockyer O Ellis
Sue Morse A G  Bloxham A C Bloxham

Cllr Katrina Trott has been re-appointed as the representative of Fareham Borough Council with Cllr Paul Whittle as her deputy.

Tributes were paid to the outgoing Chairman, Eve Burley and to Wendy Reilly for their work on behalf of WVCA.

Annual General Meeting 2013: The meeting will be held on Tuesday 4 June 2013 at 7.30pm.

There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.15pm.

2012/13 reports:

Chairman's Report

My first year as Chairman of the WVCA seems to have gone by in a blur, and having now found my feet I'm happy, subject to election/selection at this AGM, to stay on for a second year. I've enjoyed my first year, and whilst the number of emails arriving in my inbox has increased greatly the role does give a great overview of events and happenings in and around the Village.

The year got of to a bad start with the cancellation of the fete in July, which was a great disappointment. Much work goes into the organising of this event and to have what in effect is a year's work wiped out in a few days must be heart breaking. However, the committee has reformed, dusted themselves down and started the work all over again and I wish them better luck with the weather this year.

A lot of varied and interesting things happen in the village through the year, and I would urge Villagers to keep an eye on the website and notice boards for information. In addition we are hoping to construct a database of email addresses this coming year in order to disseminate information more effectively.

The work of the WVCA is done within sub committees as well as Executive Committee meetings. We have a number of volunteers helping on these committees that aren't members of the Executive and I pass on my thanks to them here. If any villager thinks they may have something to offer by way of expertise or experience please do let us know. I would also like to pass on my thanks to all Executive members and street reps who give up their time to make our Village a pleasant place to live. Separate reports detailing the work of the sub committees throughout the year are included in this AGM pack.

I look forward to working again with the Executive this year and welcome new faces but mostly the Old Guard. I would urge anyone who is unsure whether volunteering to help with the Association is for them to come forward and give it a go, it really can be quite rewarding.

James Clark
Chairman
Treasurer's Report

1. Gross receipts

The financial statements for this year show gross receipts for the year of £2,152 compared to £7,080 last year.  The figure has decreased because there has been an increase on spending on the hall this year in order to meet one of the WVCA's main objectives – to ensure the hall is maintained to an "as new" condition.  The details of this enhancement expenditure can be seen in the notes to the accounts on page 3 and amounts to just over £9,000.

2. Income

Overall income for the year was £56,101 increasing by £6,952 compared to the 2012 figure.

a.        The hall continues to be our main source of income and the income has increased by £6,723.

b.        The refund of the bench receipt was in relation to an order that was placed in 2012 that was never received.  In line with charity commission guidelines this is shown as a receipt with the expenditure relating to the second order included in the environmental projects expenditure line.  The comparative figures are in relation to the environmental project of last year of the rebuilding of the wall.

c.        The fete income was down compared to the previous year due to the daytime activities being cancelled due to the inclement weather.  Thankfully, Music on the Meadows did take place and therefore a net income of nearly £700 was added to reserves.

d.        Interest and dividends received have increased since last year due to further investments being made in fixed rate long-term accounts at the end of last year.

3. Payments

Overall payments for the year have increased by £11,880 over the 2012 figure to a total of £42,070.

a.        As stated above, hall costs have increased as there was a conscious decision by the hall sub-committee to make replacements and improvements to increase marketability.

b.        Environmental project costs have increased due to the purchase of a kit to enable the spraying of Japanese Knot Weed as well as legal fees incurred in re-writing the agreement with the land owners of the Watermeadow to ensure access for holding the village fete.

c.        Watermeadow costs have increased significantly compared to last year as the contractor used to cut and bail the meadow could not offset any allowance for the revenue he would make for the straw this year because it was too wet.

4. Cash reserves

At 31 March 2013, monies held in bank accounts, fixed interest accounts and cash amounted to £87,616.  A further £96,064 is held in investments.  Investments have increased due to an increase in the value of the investment of £13,837 due to the change in the value of the shares held within the portfolio.  Overall total monetary assets available to the Association are £183,680, an increase of £15,989 on last year.

5. Treasurer's summary

  • As hall income amounts to such a large percentage of total income, the reserves held to cover any lost revenue currently stands at £85,000, being increased by £5,000 this year in line with the Reserves Policy.  It is hoped that this will be sufficient to help with rebuild costs as well as enable the Association to continue with its other activities for more than two years.
  • The water meadow reserve has again been increased by £1,200 this year in line with the Reserves Policy to £21,403.  These funds are set aside by the trustees to ensure funds are available to cover any costs that might be incurred in protecting the meadow.
  • Most of the funds available to the Association are unrestricted reserves so a total of £176,185 can be re-designated at the agreement of the trustees to cover any requirement the WVCA may have.
  • The WVCA continues to be in an enviable position with regard to the level of reserves it holds and is, due to a conservative and careful approach over many years, well placed to cope with any unforeseen costs or loss of income.

Clare Weeks
To see the Accounts click here (opens as a pdf)

Planning Report

I have attended the local CATS meetings and reported to the Executive. We were offered special monitoring equipment free of charge if anyone would be willing to check speed limits within the village. Volunteers are needed for this.

The SITA UK liaison panel has been reinstated and it is planned that regular meetings will be held. Further to a recent planning application to extend their working hours Sita have undertaken a noise impact assessment. WVCA have expressed the view that this is inadequate and should be extended.

Eve Burley

Once in a While and Website Report AGM 2013

Observant readers will have noticed that the number of colour pages in the magazine has increased somewhat over the last year.  Since the spring 2012 edition there have been four colour sides in each issue whereas it used to be only the summer editions that had additional colour sides for Fete pictures.   To cover the Jubilee celebrations the summer edition carried two more picture sides.  The effect of more colour has attracted favourable comments but it has also attracted extra costs, of course.  As far as possible we have tried to economise elsewhere in the production.

Advertising does offset printing costs to a modest extent – usually this runs at a figure in excess of £500 each year.  Peter Buckley looks after this part of the production and writes to existing and potential advertisers every February.  He would be the first to say that, on the basis of previous attempts to drum up custom, local businesses are not exactly falling over themselves to sign up despite the fairly modest rates we charge!  We have had a loyal group of advertisers for quite a few years but revenues will fall off this year because some have now discontinued.  There is a happy balance to be struck, of course, since most members would probably not wish to see too many adverts.  But it is right, surely, to work with local businesses and some traditionally offer preferential rates for villagers.

The cost of the three issues of the magazine in 2012 was £3204, quite an increase on the previous year although it should be noted that inserts, where included, always add to the basic cost.  A total of 1320 magazines were produced giving a notional cost of £2.43 per copy.  Last year the cover price was £1.82 per copy.

Thanks are due to Keith Barton for preparing the publishing file from the material prior to passing it to Farley's Printers.  Farley's have served WVCA faithfully for many years now and their help and advice in layout has been invaluable.  Additional costs are always incurred, of course, for any final production/correction work (e.g. on front covers or graphics) that has to be carried out by them.  Sometimes this has been unavoidable where the alternative would have been unacceptable delays in distribution but cost is clearly a concern – even though this last year was somewhat exceptional because of the Jubilee content.  A re-evaluation of our working methods has long been on the cards and Keith's decision to take a break from the OIAW (as reported in the recent issue) has reinforced the view that it is necessary.  The intention is that during this year with the use of new Desktop Publishing Software (Open Source software) and by beefing up collaborative effort in the Editorial Team the level of pre-production input required from Farley's should be greatly reduced.

No major changes in format are currently planned for this year although some new features will hopefully appear. Whatever happens we shall continue with the aim of keeping a good balance of entertainment and information in the content.

The Website:

The website continues to provide an important platform for WVCA as it does for any organisation.  It is being maintained and it is still developing.  The user portals enable up-to-date information to be placed in relevant sections of the site by authorised individuals without having to go through our Web Master.  The original three portals – General News, Social News and Environment News – have been supplemented by a new Chapter available to give unfolding information about the annual Fete.  The hoped for addition of an Archive section to provide an historical resource is still pending but changes in the production method of the OIAW may enable progress in this direction – e.g. by uploading of selected magazine content.

As with the OIAW we are always happy to hear suggestions for content or improvements.

Arthur Hackney, Madeline Close, Peter Buckley and David Kett

Hall Sub Committee

Aim: To maintain the Hall in "as new" condition, market it to full potential and control carbon footprint.

Hall Manager, John Wilcox continues to maintain the Hall to high standards of maintenance throughout. He is ably supported by Barbara and Diane who achieve the highest standards of cleaning throughout the building, often working unsociable hours. Thanks to Jenny Jervis and her willing team of volunteers who continue to give of their time to beautifully maintain the gardens in a very attractive way.

The Hall Committee consists of Chris Morgan (Chair) James Clark and Bob Cox.

The use of the Hall continues to increase with income for the year to April 2013 a very healthy 24% above the previous year.

In June 2012 the end garden (Broadcut) was tidied, levelled and finished with tree bark, low maintenance shrubs were planted and are now established.

Also in June 2012 the blinds were replaced in the upper hall and toilets.

In July 2012 a Hall User Guide was produced, located near the front door.

In January 2013 Air Conditioning/Heating fitted to Upper Hall.

In February 2013 a ceiling mounted projector was installed in the Main Hall, ideal for presentations and showing films.

Plans for this year include:

a.       Repainting the interior.

b.       Careful consideration is being given to installing solar panels to the two side roofing areas, NOT THE MAIN ROOF, we do not want to compromise the appearance.

c.       Replacing carpeting, entrance and passageway.

d.       Possibility of providing a fold away baby changing table in the disabled toilet.

e.       Possibility of using an Internet provider to link in with Hall Information and availability of rooms/hall hire.

Chris Morgan

Entertainment Report

The aim of the Entertainment Sub-committee is to organise a variety of social events in Village Hall throughout the year.  Thanks to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee there were many more events in June 2012.  The Entertainment Sub-committee was responsible for organising the Diamond Jubilee Social Evening and the WVCA Arts Exhibition.  The wealth of artistic talent and number of professional artists, who live and work in Wallington is amazing.  The arts exhibition was a very successful event, which the committee feel could be held every two years.

Over the last two years the village BBQ held in August has grown into a huge all day event.  The Entertainment Sub-committee was responsible for booking the children's entertainer and making a financial contribution to towards the cost of live music.

It is difficult to know what will appeal, sell out or wash out or which events will rely on support from outside the village for them to be viable.  For example we thought the tea dance in September would have attracted interest from older Wallington residents and would have pulled in the ‘Strictly Coming Dancing' fans but we were wrong.  Due to lack of support we cancelled this event.

Those who saw Soul Suspect perform in Wallington enjoyed the music but we didn't sell as many tickets as we hoped to.  The viability of this evening depended on tickets sold to friends outside the village.

Judging from the popularity of the James Bond anniversary, Wallington residents enjoy any excuse to get dressed up for a dinner dance.  The event was a sell-out despite the ticket price of £25, though this did include a three-course meal, music by a quartet and a martini (shaken not stirred) on arrival.  Special thanks to Phil and Moira Durant for all their hard work for making this evening such a great success.

Our December offering was the tried and tested traditional Wallington fare.  Special thanks to Wendy Reilly, who not only prepared all the food for the Children's Christmas Party but was also Santa's helper.  Forrest Forge Christmas production ‘Midnight is a Place' was a sell-out and it stayed dry for Carols round the Village.  The Forrest Forge Theatre Company is very popular within the village and over the years has provided great entertainment.  Our choice is to book Forrest Forge or not and we have no influence over what they choose to perform.  Plans are well underway for this Christmas – Forrest Forge is booked as is the Mr Tall for the Children's Party.

Our first event of 2013 was a race night.  As it was many years since the WVCA had held such an event this proved popular, as did the Wine Tasting in March.  Cuff Billet made a return visit to the village in April this year.  Unlike previous visits this wasn't a sell-out, which was surprising.

By the time you read this report there will have been another murder mystery night set in a Fish and Chips shop.

Your suggestions for possible future events and feedback about past events, are always welcomed by the Entertainment Sub-committee.  Thanks to Mary Holiday-Bishop, Phil and Moira Durant, Sue Morse and Sophia Pankhania.

Madeline Close

Environment Report

I would like to thank everyone who attended the monthly environmental work party events.

The past year's work has been very successful. Activities included the completion of the South Wallington project, the erection of the commemorative tree seat in Waterside Gardens, riverbank clearing and coppicing of the hazel stools, litter picking, river clearance and removal of invasive weeds from the river and its banks.

We also continue to receive a great deal of support from youngsters from Catch 22.

Part of the South Wallington project included the earth flood defence bund that was built 2 years ago, but it is worth mentioning how successfully it was in the past winters high river levels.

The commemorative seat is now complete. It is hoped that the seat will be looked after and maintained by local residents. There is also a set of cushions available.

The opening ceremony and fixing of the plaque has been deferred until July.

The riverbank clearing was very successful with more work achieved that in the previous two years.

This year there is a dramatic reduction in the amount of Himalayan balsam in the river, which is evidence of the success of the volunteers work on this.

The Knotweed eradication program is ongoing and the treated stands have shown about a 90% success rate, which is considerably higher than expected given the accessibility and location. The program is expected to be finished by this time next year.

The events take place usually every month on the 3rd Sunday from 10am until 12 midday, and great deal of work has been achieved over the past year by those who attend, but more volunteers to turn up and help are always needed.

Charlie Scott

OPEN FORUM

Post – AGM Tuesday 4th June 2013

David Walton updated the meeting on the upcoming 20mph speed limit trial, Wallington flood defences and Welborne:-

20mph Speed Limit

Traffic Regulation Orders have been posted and locations and numbers of signs and roundels agreed. There will be signs at the three entrances to the village and roundels will be painted on all roads leading from the main roads of Wallington Shore Road and North Wallington. The trial is expected to start within the next couple of months.

Wallington Flood Defences

The Environment Agency has published an update about what they are doing to manage flood risk in Wallington. Funding has been secured to enable them to look in more detail at what further measures could be realistically implemented to manage the flood risk from both river and sea. They will be looking at how the options could be funded and will be working with other risk management authorities, the community and other stakeholders to identify possible funding sources. The EA are keen to involve the community and discussions will be held with representatives and updates provided via newsletters and public consultation.

Welborne

The preferred option for the development of the new town (Option 3) will see 6,500 houses with supporting infrastructure mainly to the west of the Wickham Road, the development of Junction 10 to facilitate traffic movement in the area and no industrial units at Junction 11.  Relatively speaking Wallington has fared much better than its neighbours at Knowle, Funtley and Wickham but is still likely to suffer badly from traffic congestion as a result of so-called "highway improvements" which may, in fact, be nothing more than additional bus lanes.

One potential benefit to Wallington is that, in the course of planning, excessive motorway noise, which has plagued Wallington since the M27 was built, has been identified in the area between Junction 11 and Funtley and is likely to be addressed.

David Walton was thanked for his outstanding work in championing the cause of the local communities during the planning and consultation period that is ongoing.

The Chairman invited the audience to raise any items they wished for discussion.

Items raised included: -

Flooding at the bottom of Drift Road. (ACTION: Walk Round – SM)

Replacement of the uncomfortable chairs in the village hall. (Action: CM)

Sound proofing of the village hall ceiling. (ACTION: CM)

Removal of the "Flood" sign from outside Delme Drive. (Walk Round – SM)

Road slipping in to the river in North Wallington. (Walk Round – SM)

A repeat of the "Cold Caller" article in the OIAW (ACTION: JH/AH)

The date of the 2013/14 AGM will be 3rd June 2014

The Chair closed the meeting at 9.15pm