Minutes of HCC Virtual Committee Meeting held online at 7.30pm on Monday 22nd March 2021

Committee Present: Paul Morgan (PM), Chairman Mike Dallaway (MD), Equipment Officer
Andy Grifitth (AG) Communications Officer Alison Hardy (AH), Secretary Ben Hardy (BH), Development Officer
Lesley March (LM), Finance Officer Neil Smith (NS), Trips and Events Officer
Apologies: Andy Mecrow (AM) Welfare Officer Liz Owen (LO), Membership Secretary
Others Present: Jonathon Pope Tony Kerr
Richard Matthews Chris Tooze

Minutes: These having been previously circulated and were accepted as a true record.

 Chairman (PM):

  • Welcome to new Committee Members – Andy Griffith and Mike Dallaway
  • Welcome to newly seconded members – Tony Kerr, Jonathan Pope and Chris Tooze
  • Dave Clarke has decided not to be seconded but will continue to support the club when needed.
  • Vice Chair – Andy Griffith.

 Club Admin (AH):

  • AGM – voting circulated to AGM attendees and both motions relating to Family Membership and Trip Fee Introduction were carried. Action: AG to post an announcement without comment option on to Members Facebook Group and LO to email the result to those who attended the AGM.
  • EM Meeting Minutes
    • anyone can attend, AH will share details of next date if anyone would like to attend.
    • Various courses being offered at Holme Pierrepont by British Canoeing in April e.g. FSRT £55 and SUP training.
    • Access to water secured at Barrow on Soar as British Canoeing purchased the field “Broadway Meadows”. Either £15 unlimited use as Friend of Broadway Meadows or £2 per launch to be paid via online payment or Andy Oughton of the PaddlePlus Club. Wild camping is available but no facilities currently. Song of the Paddle Group tend to use it.
    • Virtual Paddle Event proposed.
  • Handovers – DC had webinar handover and training for AG also attended by LO/BH/AH on HCC website/Stripe/Bookwhen.
  • Post AGM Committee changes –
    • Keys – PM has additional sets of keys so BH and MD can have a set. LO offered to post hers back if required. Action: PM to redistribute keys and ask DC for his keys
    • Passwords – AG to liaise with BH about moving the contents of the google drive then restricting access. Also need to consider changing the password for Bookwhen and the website. Action: AG/BH

Finance (LM):

  • Bank Balance – balance £5,476.95, as at 22/03/21
  • Accounts Audit – the current auditor no longer wants to do the annual accounts for HCC so we need to find a replacement. This service is needed as we have had grants that require the accounts to be audited, this has been provided over the last four years for a good price. LM asked someone else who wanted £850/year to audit plus extra for “set up” fees which LM says would not be required. Action: AG to put a message on FB to see if anyone knows someone who may be willing.

 Equipment (MD):

  • Equipment store – MD intends to visit the lake in advance of the restart, including BA checks beforehand. Action: MD
  • Mini Working Party – MD not for BAs etc. Andy G is local too and willing to help.
  • Insurance – NS in touch with insurance as due in May plus additional items (boat and coracle) to be added to the digital kit list. NS to change postal address to c/o MD’s home address. Action: MD to provide address for NS to pass on to the insurance company.
  • Equipment List and Boat Photos – MD requested a copy of the kit list and photos from NS. Action: AG to provide USB stick to NS so phots and kit list can be moved to google drive.

Events and Trips (NS):

  • Trips and Events –
    • Juniors Paddle – proposed for Easter Saturday, possibly the to arrange Barrow Loop from Broadway Meadows. He asked for helpers via the Coaches and Leaders Facebook group – Paul Hunter and John Dow volunteered to help but do not have the experience to date so not able to assist at present. They are not currently on list of Leaders/Assistants. MD and BH offered to assist.
    • Other trips – can go further afield from 17/05/21 so maybe Tame Otter (Mike D offered to organise), Leamington and Avon (Dave Clarke offered) or Leicestershire such as Enderby to Aylestone.
    • Paddlesport Leader Course (mixed craft) – Ideally encourage more people to do this training and assessment for sheltered, ungraded water if they have the necessary experience. MD hopes to attend this soon with TNR based at Mill End Mill Llangollen. MD shared details with the members as others may wish to do it too. Prerequisites (checked by BH after the meeting) are an appropriate First Aid qualification, safeguarding and 16 years (or above) also need to be Explore Award Level and understand how to rescue so FSRT is preferred. Some interest but no one has committed.
    • Question – How do you become an Assistant Leader? Dale Clarke has previously created a document outlining factors such as Experience, FSRT, DBS First Aid, DBS (possibly standard not enhanced check).
      • Jonathon Pope has a DBS from another organization and FSRT
      • Chris Tooze has DBS “update subscription” for another organization but paid extra so it is available for others to view plus current 2 day St Johns First Aid
      • Tony Kerr has First Aid and Safe Guarding which he needs to add to BC portal
      • Action: AH to ask Andy Mecrow what DBS level is needed.
    • Trip Risk Assessments – Risk assessments from Dale Clarke for flat water and moving water have not yet been shared. Action: AH to ask DC.

 Club Development (BH):

  • HCC Courses Update (FSRT and Paddlesport Instructor) – local Instructor Dave Beecroft advises British Canoeing are offering 4/6 FSRT 6/12 Paddlesport Instructor so far…… Action: BH to liaise with LM and D Beecroft about the Paddlesport Quals AH to advise Stanton Lakes. Action: BH to copy information to LM regarding payment of the coaches for these courses.
  • FSRT arranged for 01/05 and 02/05/21 at Stanton Lake – Cost £40. NS interested to do FRST again. Richard Matthews keen to do if places still available. AH may be too if unable to attend BC course on 05/04/21. If we cannot fill the spaces for the courses then we could open it up to other clubs, maybe charging slightly more.
  • BC Bursary courses – Details of BC subsidised FSRT and Paddlesport Instructor had been circulated to members. Alice Smith, Gemma Pollock and Alison Hardy hoping to attend April/May 2021.
  • Resumption of paddling – BU have released their guidance
    • Virtual Coaches Meeting – date to be arranged and circulated Action: BH
    • Lake visit – Thursday 8th April Committee and Coaches to meet at the Lake to prepare for resuming club sessions, maybe from 15th Action: AH to contact the Lake to check access arrangements on proposed dates.
    • Lake sessions – What to offer? First week traditionally a Social paddle rather than Start, Discover and Explore courses which may begin from 22/04/21. Likely to be groups of 6 as before depending on BC guidance. Action: BH to circulate a google form to coaches and helpers for their availability and to HCC’s Facebook Pages to test interest in courses to be offered. Action: Bookwhen to be used for places to manage booking numbers for the sessions.
  • Club’s Coaches Page – bit out of date, does not currently include Tony Kerr. Action: AH to share the Proforma with AG and BH for circulation to all Coaches and Leaders to be able to provide or update their details. AG can then update the website.

 Membership (LO reported after the meeting):

  • Paid Membership renewals – Static at 133 members.
  • A Loyalty Bonus of 3 months for Free on renewal – offered to those who took out membership for 2020. Some have declined the offer and have asked that the money be put into Club funds instead.
  • Happy to vote to support majority vote for co-opted Members and for Vice Chair.

 Communications (AG)

  • Website
    • Membership Pack disabled at LO’s request by AG and converted to an editable format for LO to update. Action: LO to update Membership Pack for 2021 for AG to upload again.
    • Risk assessments and COVID related documentation needs updating and uploaded to website. Action: AH offered to review the previous RA in line with recent BC guidelines prior to paddling resuming at the Lake.
  • Google drive – as previously mentioned AG and BH to liaise regarding moving documents to a new Google Drive with new permissions hierarchy. Also AG to upload the kit list and photos from NS. Action: AG
  • Bookwhen and £2 trip fee – following on from AGM, to determine how trip fees can this be identified and then moved into a separate account to subsidies Leader Training. Action: AG and LM

Any Other Business:

  • Grant Application – Long term access to the lake may be needed if the current grant application progresses and has been in discussion about this possibility. One grant option is a 40/40/20 split where we find 40%, the grant covers 40% and we then a further 20% to be funded from grant partners.
  • Additional Container arrives Thursday for storage at the farm behind the lake (where Stanton Lake’s owner lives) storage £80/6 months or £160/year. No news of moving cost. Can access whilst stored there by arrangement t urn right out of Stoney Cove and then right at the corner, farm is at the end of the lane.
  • Trip fees £2 per trip – Andy G to draft a post announcement on Facebook. Ask LO to email this too.
  • Stand up Paddleboard for non-members – Stanton Lakes have again asked PM about offering these, potentially on a Saturday.
  • HCC Taster sessions – could offer these to paid up members then maybe extend Taster sessions to non-members, once we have got some activities for members sorted. Action: to revisit at future meeting.

 Next meeting and Location:     Date of next Committee Meeting Monday 12th April 2021, online from 7.30pm – rescheduled post meeting until 19th April 7.30pm.
1st April Virtual Coaches and Leaders Meeting
8th April Walk Through at the Lake – by invitation