Recruitment of working groups on the future of the clubroom and length of tenure of committee members

Message from our Vice President Lin Warriss, dated 14 Jan 2022

An outcome of our AGM was the need to establish working groups to look at the future of the clubroom and tenure of committee posts.  We are now seeking volunteers for the groups, the briefs for which are below.

We are aiming for small groups (single figures) covering cross sections of the membership, with at least some people with topical knowledge.  Groups would initially be convened by a committee member who would look for mutually convenient meeting times but the group could then appoint their own chair and note taker.

We cannot quantify the time demands, but you need to factor in availability for meetings and research tasks, over the next five months or so.  Findings and recommendations to be made to the committee no later than June 2022.

  1. The future of the clubroom. This group will build upon the work already done by the committee to establish whether the club room continues to be an asset to the club and to produce information for circulation prior to an all-member vote.  The vote will be held before our next AGM so that any necessary amendments to the constitution may be passed. Consideration should be given to:-
  • What might be done to maximise the use and user friendliness of the current clubroom to avoid abandoning a unique asset without due consideration
  • Cost effective alternative venues for current and future club activities. (e.g. meetings / socials / training on wall)
  • Provision of cost effective, suitable and accessible storage of our library and equipment.

 

  1. The length of tenure of committee members. This group will look at the current constitution as it pertains to the committee and produce proposed amendments for consideration at the next AGM.  Length of tenure is the main focus but a couple of anomalies have been identified which would benefit from clarification as part of the process.

The current rules limit the tenure of the President and Vice President to 2 years but do not cover any other roles.

Consideration should be given to:-

  • Established good practice, whether from the BMC or other clubs of a similar size and remit.
  • Encouraging fresh ideas versus losing existing expertise.
  • Practicalities such as changing banking authorities every time the treasurer and other signatories are changed.

If you would like to join one of the groups, please email Lin Warriss (Vice President) on linwarriss@aol.com stating which group you would like to join and whether you feel you have any particular knowledge which might support the group.  This should be done before Friday 28th January so that the committee can discuss group membership at our February meeting.

Follow up from Lin, dated 21 Jan 2022

Hello again

I am not getting a huge response to the call for participants in our working groups and those I have had are from current or ex committee members.
The group looking at tenure of committee members could work with the existing volunteers although input from the members of the future would be helpful.  How long do you think is reasonable for someone to serve before coming up for re-election?  Should we be able to remove committee members mid term?  Lots of questions require an answer. Can you help?
The club room group needs more members and we really do need people who have little or no experience of using the facility.  All the current volunteers are old enough to remember the glory days when a lot of members met every Thursday and many of our current friendships were formed.  This does not make for an objective view of current benefits.  Assuming that we wish to continue with a programme of social events we need a fresh look at what is on offer from our club room versus what is available elsewhere. This requires people with opinions on where they like to meet and what facilities are required.  For those who do not know the clubroom and the treasures it holds a visit can be arranged.  Bearing in mind that we also need to consider the lease, the costs and the state of the building anyone who has some grasp of legal or financial matters or knowledge of construction would be useful but all you really need is to be a club member who wants a bit more than our outdoor programme.
If people would like more information before volunteering please get in touch.
Lin Warriss
linwarriss@aol.com

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