Oct 20 - Hawkesbury Upton Village Hall - Hire for Weddings, Parties, Stage for Live music

 

Present – Chris Rispin    Sue Hope    Bill Cullen     Neil Fozard   Louise Roberts    Phil Dennett  

Jane Stanbridge     Fiona Steeds    Angelo Sauro

 

Apologies – Kate Bashford    Mandy Clark   Steve Magrath    Amy Barnfield

 

The minutes were agreed as a true record.

 

The latest government advice is unchanged for the South Gloucestershire area.  However we were advised on Sunday that someone who had been in the Hall on Thursday had tested positive for Covid 19.  We have contacted Public Health England who have assured us that we have followed the correct procedures and do not need to take any further action.   There are reportedly a few cases in the village so we need to stay vigilant.  Joan Boulton who runs a Yoga class has asked if she can use the Hall as the Methodist Hall is currently closed.  She will do the appropriate risk assessment if a suitable slot is available.  Evergreens will not return to the Hall before March at the earliest.

 

Still awaiting repairs to be done including paint which has flaked off the swings. Karen Bexter is contacting the contractor.  We are still holding £400 back until these issues are resolved. It was decided to stop disinfecting equipment over the winter as it will not be effective when the weather is damp.  Notices to be put on Facebook and Parish Mag advising people of this. Handgel will still be available.

 

Bill had shared the finance report in advance of the meeting. He thanked Angelo for purchasing excess stock. Sue asked about the £774 spend on Showers and Angelo explained that this work on the tanks would avoid stagnant water accumulating and should reduce the likelihood of a big bill from EWS in future.  A shower pump had also been fitted.  Chris to advise cleaners to run the showers for 20 minutes once a week.  Bill has had a quote from Utility Aid (a charity which helps other charities like ours reduce utility bills) of £67 per year for electricity from SSE.  Angelo said we could keep the phone/broadband with Utility Warehouse and offered to go back to them for a new electricity quote. Bill will ask Utility Aid for more time to consider their proposal.  Sue asked about green energy going forward but given our current financial position we can only look at this if 100% grants are available.

We have been running at a loss since 2017 and the Covid situation has exacerbated this, although the £10,000 grant has helped substantially.  Jane is also applying for a £3000 grant but we need to look at how we go forward.  Chris has prepared a paper for presentation to the Parish Council, following discussions with Chris Harding, detailing the financial and practical reality of running the Hall.  Ideally if Parish Council could assist financially and we could have a part time Caretaker this would allow for the basic costs to be covered, whilst charges remain competitive and the Hall can properly serve the Community.  The trend for arranging large parties in the Hall had decreased prior to current restrictions and the reason for this is not known, although some have complained it is too expensive, even though our rates are very competitive. It was thought we could do some market research on what sort of commitment the village would give to fundraising events, although currently the timing is not right.

Various thoughts were given to what sort of events could be resurrected; Louise suggested an outdoor cinema evening; Angelo thought we could reduce Hall hire costs over the summer months to see if we can raise more funds on the bar, which is the real way to earn income. However, even if we can arrange more events the cost of the major maintenance projects we need to undertake will not be covered in a sustainable way.  Sue mentioned that there are likely to be some CIL funds available for the village, some of which may help the Hall.

Angelo wondered if the precept could be increased to help the Hall but Sue did not think the Parish Council would be prepared to significantly increase this.  Angelo is setting up Smile.Amazon which gives us 0.5% of purchases when people register.  We also still have Easyfundraising.  Jane to put a note on Facebook asking people to support this.

Sue suggested more detailed accounts were required to be submitted to the PC with details of what fundraising efforts could be made to cover the base costs.

Chris will work on a paper that could be submitted to the PC.

 

There was nothing to report.

 

Chris had given notice of his intention to resign as Chair of the Committee in February earlier.  Kate will continue as Vice Chair but cannot commit to the role as Chair. We also need a new Licensee. Jane to put adverts in the Parish Mag and Facebook.  We need to try and get younger people from the village involved.    Bill thought we should plan ahead for a new Secretary and Treasurer to be ready to take over.  It was suggested that we ask for nominations and approaching people personally might be more productive. Jane to liaise with Chris for the chair job description and Angelo for the Licensee.

 

Chris to organise a working party.  Angelo is sorting out the safeguarding arrangements for CCTV footage.  John Day to fix the Skatepark equipment.  Chris has turned the heating down for times when the Hall is not occupied.  The Hall must be ventilated during Badminton sessions.

 

Health and safety considerations – no issues reported by users.

Louise reported that the Wildlife Garden has its own Instagram page. Glady Dix has put in a bird feeder and enjoys sitting in the area.

Neil mentioned an enquiry to run a catering operation from our kitchen.  However Chris said that we cannot meet their requirements for kitchen equipment and the hours they need to be there (clash with Pre-school).

 

The meeting was closed at 9.25pm.

 

Date of next meeting is Monday 9^th November 2020