The AGM for 2015 took place at the Village Hall on Tuesday 9th June.

The following is the collected reports of the various sections, beginning with the minutes of the meeting of 2014 and ending with an account of the AGM Forum 2015.

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

WVCA AGM 2014

Wallington Village Community Association

Minutes Of The 22nd Annual General Meeting

Tuesday 3rd June 2014

Present: J Clark (Chair); A Bloxham (Secretary); C Weeks (Treasurer);  C Scott (Environment); E Burley (Planning); S Morse (Entertainment) A Hackney (OIAW & Web Site); D Walton (Projects), M Close (Entertainments), D Kett (Press Officer & Asst Treasurer), S Pankhania (Hall & Entertainments), Cllr K Trott and 50 members.

The Chairman opened the meeting at 7.30pm.

Apologies: T Reeve, Cllr P Whittle, F West, C Morgan, J Sullivan, R Boswell, J Harvey and S Kett.

Minutes of 2013 AGM: Proposed A Humphrey and seconded S Scott 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 Lindsey Elliott, the Independent Examiner, for her work on the WVCA accounts.

Tributes were paid to John and Barbara Wilcox for their years of dedicated service in managing the village hall.

The Hall Committee was asked to consider widening the ledge in the serving hatch.

The Environmental sub-committee decried the increasing numbers of cases of villagers people dumping their garden waste around the village and asked for increased vigilance and support in stamping out this unsociable (and illegal) practice.

There were no other matters arising from the reports and it was proposed by K Trott and seconded by T Clark that the reports should be adopted. Carried.

Election of Officers and Committee Members: It was proposed by H Tod and seconded by K Trott and unanimously agreed by members that the following should be elected as Officers and members of the Executive Committee for the year 2014/2015: -

OFFICERS

NAME

PROPOSED

SECONDED

Chairman

James Clark

M v d Heijden

A Bloxham

Secretary

Alan Bloxham

C Weeks

J Clark

Treasurer

Clare Weeks

A Hackney

M Weeks

COMMITTEE

Charlie Scott

W Davidson

R Boswell

Chris Morgan

A Marney

B Millichip

Eve Burley

J Favill

B Favill

David Kett

R Hooper

O Ellis

Sue Morse

H Jackson

S Jackson

Sophia Pankhania

J Doherty

N Pankhania

Nikki Getty

S Hodnett

S Kett

Jon Sullivan

L Knapman

M Chivers

David Walton, Madeline Close and Bob Cox had decided not to stand for re-election and the Chairman thanked them for their respective contributions to the work of the WVCA.

Annual General Meeting 2015: The meeting will be held on Tuesday 9th June 2015 at 7.30pm.

There being no other business the Chairman closed the meeting at 8.00pm.

CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

The WVCA Executive committee continues to work hard on behalf of the residents of Wallington. Much of the work is done by sub Committees manned by Executive members and non executive volunteers, if you think you may have something to contribute to their work please do get in touch. My thanks go out to everyone who helps in whatever capacity without whom the organisation cannot survive.

This year we welcomed our new hall manager and he is doing sterling work running the hall for the benefit of the Village and maximising the revenue on which we rely. I can honestly say that sitting on the hall subcommittee can at times be very entertaining and exhausting at the same time, my thanks go to Geoff and Pauline for their hard work over the last year.

Other reports in this pamphlet will detail some of the work that has been undertaken this year from environmental work, village pantomimes and work with various agencies to improve the area in which we all live. All of this work is a core element of what the WVCA stands for and without volunteers coming forward to assist some of this will inevitably have to be side lined in favour of the more pressing work. As well as some hard work it is also very enjoyable, so if you think you may have something to offer, again, please do get in touch.

The major disappointment this year has been the independent planning inspector's approval of the plans for the new development of Welborne. David Walton has worked amazingly hard on resisting these plans and it is a blow that, despite this, the process will soon start in earnest to press forward with the development, and the potential detriment to the areas infrastructure this will bring.

Finally I am happy to say, as you will see separately, that our finances are in good health and have been managed very professional by Clare Weeks for the last six years. Clare has decided to stand down from this role this year and I'm delighted we have found, after much searching, a replacement for her. I would like to thank Clare on behalf of all the Committee and members of the WVCA for her work during this time.

James Clark
Chairman

TREASURER'S REPORT 2014/15

1. Gross expenditure

The financial statements for this year show gross expenditure for the year of £663 compared to gross receipts of £3,997 last year.  The figure has been affected by the expenditure on the hall in the last year.  This expenditure has been undertaken in order to help keep the hall in an "as new" condition in line with our charitable objectives.

2. Income

Overall income for the year was £59,616 increasing by £3,346 compared to the 2014 figure.

 

  • The hall continues to be our main source of income, increasing by £2,450.
  • The fete income was up slightly compared to the previous year.
  • Interest and dividends received have increased compared last year due to more dividends being received.  The interest amounts are very consistent as £65,000 of our investments are held in long term fixed rate investment accounts.

 

3. Payments

Overall payments for the year have increased by £8,006 over the 2014 figure to a total of £60,279.

 

  • Hall costs have increased as there was a conscious decision by the hall sub-committee to make replacements and improvements to keep the hall in an "as new" condition.  Details of the major items of expenditure are given in the notes to the accounts on page 3.
  • The other costs have stayed relatively consistent with the previous year.

 

4. Cash reserves

 

  • At 31 March 2015, monies held in bank accounts, fixed interest accounts and cash amounted to £90,950.
  • A further £112,370 is held in investments.  Investments have increased by £3,997 due to the change in the value of the shares held within the portfolio.  Overall total monetary assets available to the Association are £203,320, an increase of £3,335 on last year.

 

5. Treasurer's summary – allocation of reserves

 

  • Hall rebuild fund:
    As hall income amounts to such a large percentage of total income, the reserves held to cover any lost revenue currently stands at £95,000, being increased by £5,000 this year in line with the Reserves Policy.  This has been set aside to help with rebuild costs of a new hall including covering the costs of any improvements the association can make to a new hall in light of technological advances. It will also be sufficient to enable the Association to continue with its other activities for more than two years without having the income from hiring the hall.
  • Hall maintenance fund:
    The hall maintenance reserves have been set aside in order to cover any larger items of expenditure that would be required to keep the existing hall in an "as new" condition.  This could include expenditure on a new wooden floor for the main hall.
  • Water Meadow fund:
    The water meadow reserve has again been increased by £1,200 this year in line with the Reserves Policy to £23,803.  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.   This could include legal costs incurred in fighting a potential development of the meadow.
  • Although much of the funds have been designated for particular purposes by the trustees, most of the funds available to the Association are unrestricted reserves so a total of £195,825 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

PLANNING REPORT

The aim of WVCA is to monitor planning applications and to oppose any that might threaten the character of the village. There has been little activity over the past year (except Welborne which has been dealt with elsewhere) but WVCA did register an objection to the extension of working hours for the SITA Recycling Unit in Standard Way. The application, despite our objections, was allowed by Hants County Council.

 

WVCA will continue to be vigilant.

Eve Burley

 

ONCE IN A WHILE AND WEBSITE REPORT

The cost of the three issues of the magazine in 2014 was £3150, slightly up on last year where the figure was £2972.  However at Christmas we returned to an old tradition of 100% distribution within the village and as a result the total number of copies produced for the year was 1430 magazines as against 1310 the previous year.  The notional cost per copy fell from £2.29 to £2.20.   Apart from a slight effect of economies of scale the reduction in cost may be due to less ‘sitting in' with our friends at Farley's printers being required at the pre-production stage.  This is my modest way of saying that I think I have got better at using the Desktop Publishing software that produces the files that are delivered to them!

This Once in a While year has been the second one in which the said ‘open-source' package (Scribus) has been used in the pre-printing stage of the magazine.   I mentioned it last year as being a part of the re-evaluation of our working methods and said that the long-term aim was to build up capability of its use within the Executive Committee once some basic training had been given.  The intention was to be able to delegate some of the ‘copy' effort.   That training was delivered last year and it should provide a benefit in the future, not just for the magazine but also for other WVCA leaflets and publications e.g. the Fete booklet.

Advertising helps to offset printing costs and Peter Buckley continues to look after that part of the OIAW process by writing to existing advertisers every February inviting them to part with and send him their money.  As reported last year interest from regular advertisers has been tailing off but one or two new ones have started to take up slots, albeit small ones.  The rates we charge advertisers are modest but the figures are looked at each year to make sure that they are reasonably commercial.  As usual we imagine that most members would not wish to see too many adverts anyway and would rather have those offering genuine local service.

I acknowledge, with gratitude, the editing assistance provided by David Kett during the year.  As a lecturer to journalists he has been not only a source of extra effort but (I have to confess) of valuable technical enlightenment!  It has been, for me, further proof of the truth of the saying, "We don't know what we don't know".

During the course of this year we have been asked to relay information from the Environment Agency and it is it is likely that update bulletins from them may become an occasional feature in future issues. No general changes in format are currently planned for this year and the central aim remains to keep a good balance of entertainment and information within the pages.  As always we are happy to hear suggestions for content or improvements.

Finally we thank the regular correspondents who faithfully submit their various reports and for those who send in interesting articles unexpectedly or outstanding photographs for publication. Fresh material and pictures are always welcome.  Thanks are also due to the Street Reps for their service in delivering the magazines.

The Website:

The mainframe of the website is looked after by Mark Hobbs and he continues to deal speedily with updates and provides help when needed.  The four user portals News, Social, Environment News and Fete enable information to be uploaded quickly by authorised individuals.  During the year three more members of the Executive Committee were schooled in their use and it is hoped that the contents of the various sections will grow as a result.  It is probably true to say that the potential of the website is nowhere near stretched and that the developing Communications Sub Committee may make a useful contribution in that direction.

Arthur Hackney, David Kett and Peter Buckley

HALL SUB-COMMITTEE REPORT

We aim to maintain the Hall in ‘as new' condition.

In the past year we have:

a.      Repainted the interior.

b.      Replaced the carpets.

c.      Provided a commercial dishwasher.

d.      Provided a Defibrillator

Hire charges have been held at last year's prices.

We are very fortunate to have Geoff Knipe as our Hall Manager, who started in September 2014 and is well supported by his partner Pauline who takes care of the important administration for the Hallmaster Booking System. Thanks to them both for their hard work and determination to manage our Hall so well.

Thanks also to Jenny Jervis and her helpers who do such a good job on the flower borders.

Plans for the future.

a.      To replace the floor in the Main Hall (Aug 2016)

b.      Outside maintenance on woodwork.

The Hallmaster Booking System can be found on our WVCA site. Click on Village Hall, scroll down to the click here (green) and you can view bookings. Click here to visit the booking site

Chris Morgan, James Clark, Sophia Pankhania.

ENVIRONMENTAL REPORT

The past year has had good and bad times for the Environmental Group.

The traditional project such as river clearance and coppicing of the hazel etc. on the river bank has been successful, however coppicing was brought to an abrupt halt following the actions of the highways contractors overzealous flailing both of the entire river bank section from the White Horse pub to standard way reducing most trees that were to be coppiced to a height of about 3 feet.

Fareham Borough Council have confirmed that the flailing should never have been done in the brutal way that it happened, and no blame should be attached to them.

Without coppicing the life of the Hazels etc. will be greatly reduced resulting in less rootstock holding the riverbank together leading to bank erosion. The intent is to restart early in September by tidying the damaged areas and then return to a regular schedule of work.

As always, practical support for environmental activities is not great so come September when work on the bank restarts if you can spare any time to help it will be appreciated.

Charlie Scott
On behalf of the Environmental Subcommittee.

COMMUNICATIONS WORKING GROUP UPDATE

The group was set up to look into the various communications matters for the Executive Committee.

We have discussed setting up a Facebook page for Wallington Village Hall for visitors to upload pictures and comments.
This project has been temporarily postponed pending further research.

Prepared new email addresses to present a more professional look to our communications such as the Hall Manager and WVCA Secretary.

It is planned to have a new additional notice board at the new bund extension opposite Lowlands when or after the work has been scheduled.

Revise the street rep Welcome Pack.

Discussed the possibility of segregating the MailChimp database to allow for more refined receipt of relevant communications by individuals who subscribe.

Consider a revision of the Village Forum format for winter 2015.

Jon Sullivan

OPEN FORUM

Post AGM Tuesday 9 June 2015

The Chairman welcomed Margaret Tait to the Executive Committee and thanked Peter Trott for stepping into the role of Treasurer, without which the WVCA would not have been able to operate.

David Walton updated the meeting on the Welborne situation following the disappointing decision of the Inspector and the formal decision of FBC to press ahead with the development. [NB: Please see the Welborne page on the website for the Press Release which had been included in the AGM booklet issued]

He also updated the meeting on the latest information on the building of the Flood Defence Hump in Wallington Shore Road. It is expected that work will start within the next month and that the road will be closed for 2/3 days.

The papers for the meeting included an update from the Environment Agency setting out the background and progress in attempting to develop, with the local community and the Eastern Solent Coastal Partnership, an approach for managing flood risk in Wallington. Please click here to view the Environment Agency update.

The meeting passed a vote of thanks to David Walton for his efforts in representing Wallington and leading the local community groups in their efforts so far in opposing the Welborne development and mitigating its effect on the local area.

A number of issues were raised which will be raised at the Walk Round later this month. Appendix C attached gives details of the items to be raised at the Walk Round and includes those raised on the evening of the AGM (items 16-21). The results of the Walk Round will be reported back to the Executive Committee. (ACTION: SM)

The Executive Committee was asked to make its communications more "user-friendly" for older people who had no access to computers. It was also asked to give some thought to advertising more widely upcoming village events. (ACTION: COMMUNICATIONS GROUP)

Cllr Trott informed the meeting of the excellent response from FBC to her request for the drains to be cleared in Wallington Shore Road along the Wallington wall where the car park. Police bollards were put in place overnight and the drains cleared the next day.

Members were told of a robbery in the village and reminded to be vigilant even when at home by locking doors and window.

Cllr Trott reported that she had received a request for efforts to be made to provide a play area in Wallington. No land seemed to be available but she asked for anybody who had any ideas for a suitable spot to get in touch with her.

Annual General Meeting 2016: The meeting will be held on Tuesday 7th June 2016 at 7.30pm.

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