TODWICK VILLAGE HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
6.30 PM, MONDAY 9th FEBRUARY 2009

Present:

• Mr Brian White (Chair, Trustee & Parish Council)
• Mr John Palmer (Vice Chair, Trustee & Parish Council)
• Mrs Jean Leah (Secretary & Trustee)
• Mr Norman Anderson (Treasurer, Trustee & NHD Watch)
• Mr John Gabbitas (5th Trustee)
• Mrs Liz Wainwright (Cricket Club)
• Mrs Brenda Waller (Line Dancing)
• Mr Alan Tizard (Bowls Club)
• Mr Tony Rusling (Historical Society)
• Mrs Chris White (Toddler Group/GG Rainbows)
• Mrs Margaret Ware (Ramblers)
• Mr Bryan Ferris (Golf Society)
• Mrs A Davey (WI)

Apologies for Absence:

• Mrs Mari Gabbitas (Craft Group)
• Mrs Mary Pavey (WI)
• Mrs Pat Gollaglee (Over 60s)

Brian White opened the meeting and welcomed all present.

01/09 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING

• Regarding minute 52/08 Tony Rusling said although the minutes read that the Historic Society did not have a projector PAT tested, what should have been recorded is that any speaker attending Historical Society meetings who brought equipment which was not PAT tested were asked to plug it into a garden trip switch to ensure safety.
• The above apart, the minutes of meeting held on 8th December 2008 were accepted and signed by the Chair.

02/09 MATTERS ARISING FROM THE MINUTES

02.1 Fridge/Water Bottles in Fridge - The Chair reported that the fridge was continuing to frost up and the bottles of water providing bulk for the fridge had been frozen too. It was thought that the problem could be the thermostat and unfortunately the guarantee had expired. In the first instance the fridge would be tested and if appropriate an attempt made to repair the thermostat. Action: Chair & 5th Trustee

02.2 Nappy Receptacle Purchase - Chris White said she had been unable to locate a receptacle larger than the one already used and therefore would continue using it for the time being. Item discharged.

02.3 Update on Tenderers for 2nd Downstairs Disabled Toilet - The Chair informed members that as a result of submitting the required 3 quotes to TPC, they (TPC) had agreed that the lowest tender (£4,145 +VAT) by GFP Construction be appointed to carry out the work which included a second baby station. The Chair had made contact with Tim Pepper and a site visit will be made in the near future. Minimum disruption to VH users will be incurred for the duration of the project which the Chair will oversee. Action: Chair

02.4 Removal of Notice on Kitchen Water Boiler - This was still outstanding. Action: 5th Trustee

02.5 Tariffs for 2009 - The Chair informed members that following discussion at the last meeting any decision on raising tariffs would be waived for the time being. Item discharged.

02.6 Leaking Gutter - It was reported that contact had been made that day with the contractor concerned who was intending carrying out the work by the end of the week. Vice Chair to oversee. Action: Vice Chair

02.7 Cover for meter recess - Hall 1 Storage Room - This was now complete. Item discharged.

02.8 Purchase of Additional Small Tables - John Gabbitas reported that the new tables had arrived that day, however, they were slightly larger than the original small tables owned (they are the same as those in the upstairs meeting room). Item discharged.

03/09 NEW CORRESPONDENCE

• Renewal certificate for Rural Action Yorkshire (formerly YRCC) has arrived and is now displayed in the locked notice board in the VH foyer.

04/09 TREASURER'S REPORT

• Current financial position:-
  • Current Account £5,592.61
  • Reserve Account £3,587.45
  • Cash £1.50
• The above figures took into account all bills that had been presented and a transfer of £500 from the current account into the reserve account for depreciation purposes.
• The Treasurer reported that he had monitored water consumption since the last meeting and will continue to do so on a regular basis. Although a further adjustment had been necessary to the upstairs toilets, other than that it appeared the situation had stabilised. Item discharged.

05/09 SECRETARY'S REPORT

• The Secretary reported:-
  • European Parliamentary Region Election - Notification had been received from RMBC that the Village Hall will be required on Thursday 4th June for use as a Polling Station. The only booking in the diary for that date was the evening WI meeting. The Secretary confirmed to the WI representative present that although the VH was being used for polling purposes, it was still in order to utilise Hall 2, which was available and she had taken the liberty of booking on their behalf.
  • Village Hall Website - The Secretary reminded members of the earlier decision to have this as a standing item at each VHMC. She also reminded members of the facility for each user group to use the website as a means of advertising their meetings and asked that all members look at the website and forward to her or John Palmer text and/or photographs of any entries they wished to have added. Action: All Members. In addition, the Chair reminded members of the previously discussed fund-raising opportunity that having a website now gives us if we use a particular search engine. He agreed to update the website with relevant details which he encouraged all members to look at/use. Action: Chair
  • Application for a Grant from Coalfields Regeneration Trust - The Secretary stated that the previously mentioned meeting had been re-scheduled at the request of CRT and was now due to take place on 13.02.09. Action: Secretary
  • Advance Notification of Funding Available to Rotherham Community Groups - The Secretary informed members she had discovered that funding to Rotherham Community Groups of £2,000 (per community group) was to become available from the Home Office via South Yorkshire Police Authority in partnership with Rotherham. Successful applications had to address areas of concern identified by people who are in fear of crime and anti-social behaviour. It was thought that applications had to be submitted not later than the first week in March and short presentations would need to be made by those short-listed late March. She said as soon as she had more details she would circulate these to all members so that individual user groups could consider whether they wished to apply. Action: Secretary / All Members

06/09 HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES

• John Gabbitas reported on the following:
  • Monitoring of the accident booklet continued to be undertaken on a regular basis and he reminded all members of the need to fill in as appropriate. Action: All Members
  • The overall VH building risk assessment was now due for update. Action: 5th Trustee/Treasurer
  • Generic risk assessments for user groups were "living documents" and as such if activities changed or the RA needed updating in any way he needed to be notified. Likewise those user groups who have still not completed a general RA should liaise with him. Action: All Members / 5th Trustee
  • The previously agreed re-arranged fire drills to be undertaken by the Craft and Over 60s Groups were still outstanding. Action: John Gabbitas/Craft Group/Over 60s
  • Regarding PAT testing, John Gabbitas informed members whilst equipment which did not involve having "an earth" meant it could be tested in-house, in relation to some of the VH's larger equipment (eg vacuum cleaner/computers/floor cleaner) this now had to be undertaken by a "competent individual". To fully comply we therefore needed to either (a) ensure that a VH representative undergoes training at a cost of circa £200 and then hire the necessary testing equipment which is in the region of £42 per day or (b) obtain quotes and employ the services of a professional company to undertake the work on our behalf. One option was to employ a contractor to undertake all necessary village testing (ie the Village Hall and Pavilions). Bryan Ferris stated he had a contact who could possibly assist us in taking the issue forward and he undertook to make enquiries and report back. Action: Bryan Ferris

07/09 NEW ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION

• Loss of VH Activities - It was reported that following loss of revenue recently as a result of several activities either coming to a natural end or activities terminating, it was important that the VHMC worked hard to try and generate income by other means.
• Table-Top "Car Boot" Sale - Members discussed the pros and cons of holding table-top "car boot" type sales in the Village Hall. It was appreciated that if a public sale was to be advertised this may need RMBC approval and there could be parking difficulties if well attended. Accordingly, it was agreed that if such an event was progressed it would perhaps best be run and advertised within the village only. No-one from the VHMC volunteered to help co-ordinate this therefore it fell to the Trustees to take the issue away and consider how it could be progressed. Action: Trustees
• E-bay Project - The Chairman reminded members how the Kiveton project is currently being run and which is proving to be very successful. The Trustees were keen to trial this project in Todwick but it needed volunteers to assist. Bryan Ferris said this may be something he would assist with if appropriate training was given. Action: Trustees
• Collapsible Staging - The Trustees highlighted that another means of bringing in potential hirers might be if the Village Hall had the use of portable staging which seemed to be very profitable and successful for surrounding Village Halls. Again members discussed the pros and cons of having collapsible staging which included such issues as where it would be stored, whether it would be better to buy or hire it etc. In an effort to gauge potential use, it was agreed this could be something that was included on the next VH "flyer" so as to seek views. Action: Trustees
• Village Hall Cleanliness - The Secretary reported that feedback had been given to the Caretaker on the instances highlighted at the previous meeting. Whilst every effort was being made to ensure that the Village Hall was kept pristine at all times, as groups/private hires come and go, particularly during the winter months which results in additional footprints etc, it was not an easy task. The Chair emphasised that the Village Hall was now a large building to keep clean and if there were instances of something requiring attention we needed to work together and help each other which in turn would assist the Caretaker and ensure that the Village Hall is kept to the required standard.
• Toddlers Tables and Chairs - Chris White said that whilst she had no objection to other users/private hire bookings using their small tables and chairs, recently there had been occasions when they had been left in an unclean state, with chewing gum stuck to them, and they had been returned in an untidy state in the designated storage area. Chris had prepared a polite notice and it was agreed this would be distributed at the time bookings were taken. Action: Secretary
• VH Constitution - The Secretary reported that as the VH Constitution had never been up-dated since it was established in 1969, it was now in need of revision. Accordingly she and the Chair were currently working through the document but at some stage it was likely that legal advice and discussion with the Charity Commission will need to be undertaken. She undertook to keep members informed of developments. Action: Secretary/Chair
• VH Private Hires - Requirement for a Bond - The Chair reminded members of the current arrangements - ie there is no Bond requirement for children's parties up to the age of 12, teenage parties are not allowed, and adult parties require a bond of £150. He sought views of the VHMC as to whether a Bond for adult parties should/should not continue. Whilst several views were expressed including - taking a Bond in cash on the day, taking a cheque and only cashing it if there was no relevant guarantee cheque card number, taking a cheque and tearing it up after the event - no firm decisions were made and it was agreed to discuss the issue again at the next meeting. Action: Secretary

08/09 MARKETING / NEW GROUPS / ACTIVITIES

• The following was updated on:
  • Barbara Coe-Colley had delayed the start date of her floral design classes that were now intending running from 2nd March 2009 at a cost of £36.00 for five sessions.
  • Cinema sessions - John Palmer informed members that we now had possession of a projector and it was intended to do a trial run in the near future. Action: Vice Chair
  • Joint Village/Church Halls Liaison - The Chair reminded members of the forthcoming joint pie and pie quiz night which was to be held in the Church Hall on Saturday 7th March. Tickets, which were now available from the Secretary, cost £3.50 per person and the Chair asked members for their support in attending. Action: All Members
  • The Chair informed members that consideration was being given to another "flyer" being circulated across the village. He asked members to consider if they had any items for inclusion and if so they should be submitted to the Secretary within the next two weeks. Action: All Members

09/09 ANY OTHER BUSINESS

09.1 VHMC Start Time - A suggestion to drop the start time of VHMC meetings back to 7 pm was discussed. It was agreed that the start time should remain at 6.30 pm that would enable the Line Dance representative to attend at least the first hour of each VHMC meeting.

09.2 Bar Facilities - Chris White informed members that she had the details of someone who was able to bring bar facilities into the Village Hall at a cost of £75 which included the necessary paperwork to get a TENs licence from RMBC.

09.3 Advertising Notices - John Gabbitas reported that he had now completed a notice advertising parties (which included the fact that there was no Bond for children's parties) and had delivered a sufficient quantity to the local school for distribution to all school children.

09.4 VH Heating - Alan Tizard reported that when the Bowling Club had hired the Hall recently for a one-off meeting, the heating had not been turned on. The Over 60s also reported that the heating had not been on at their last meeting as a result of the thermostat having been turned down. The Over 60s also reported that their tables had not been put out either. The Trustees agreed to feed this information back to the Caretaker. Action: Trustees

09.5 Storage of Small Tables - Alan Tizard reported that the small tables had been inappropriately stored on the bowling mat resulting in the tables slipping which could have caused someone to have an accident. A discussion ensued and it was agreed that a frame would be made to sit over the bowling mat but not weighted on the mat to enable adequate storage for both items. Action: Trustees

09.6 Downstairs Toilet - Chris White queried whether the downstairs toilet handle was broken. John Gabbitas informed the meeting that it was not broken. If the handle was pushed and released it worked okay but if the handle was pushed and held down it did not work properly. Obviously the handle needed to be DDA compliant and meet the needs of the infirm and young children. As such when the site visit for the installation of the second downstairs toilet took place with the approved builder, the Chair undertook to discuss and determine if there was a different mechanism that could be fitted. Action: Chair

09.7 Ramblers - Tony Rusling stated that the published information relating to Ramblers was shown as meetings being held monthly. The meetings were actually bi-monthly and were held November/January/March. He asked if the website and activities sheet could be amended accordingly. Action: Secretary

There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.30 pm.

The next Village Hall Management Committee
will be held in the Village Hall
at 6.30 pm, Monday 20th April 2009