Community Association Committee
Annual General Meeting

Minutes of meeting - 18th June, 2003 at 7.30pm

Welcome
Deputising for Caroline Anderson, who was away on a business course, Kirsty Donnelly welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Attendees and Apologies
Apologies for non-attendance were accepted on behalf of Caroline Anderson, John Reid, Liz Canning, Sian Burton, Eila Roberts and Fiona Marks.

Acceptance of Previous Minutes
After discussion the Minutes of the Previous Association Meeting were adopted on the motion of Ann Marie Cockburn and seconded by Stephen Renton.

Annual Report from the Chair
Kirsty read Caroline's comprehensive report for the year to the meeting. In it Caroline outlined the success the Association had shown in the last year. Congratulations were due to the many user groups now using the Centre. She also thanked the office-bearers for their hard work over the past three years. Kirsty, in her capacity as Letting Secretary and Project Leader for the refurbishment of the Kitchen, was also thanked for her extremely hard work on the Association's behalf. This year's successful Gala was mainly due to the excellent organisation and hard work of Ann Marie; Caroline on behalf of the Association thanked her for this tremendous contribution.

The low notes in the year were highlighted by those acts of vandalism in the village, which tended to dishearten those whose motivation was to improve the facilities to the community. Inadequate levels of policing were also an area for concern.

In closing, Caroline said she had really enjoyed being part of such 'a dynamic, well intentioned group' and she was confident that the Association would go from strength to strength, meeting the needs of the community.

The Secretary, on behalf of Caroline presented Ann Marie, Kirsty and Finlay with gifts in token of thanks for their support during her tenure in the Chair. George mentioned he was also the recipient of a similar gift from Caroline.

Gala Report
Ann Marie, in her report, thanked all those who had helped in any capacity, over the three day event. The meeting discussed the Gala at length and unanimously voted it the best ever. The Gala Convener said she felt that the way forward was to form a sub-committee for the Gala. The meeting agreed that this committee be formed as soon as possible. Ann Marie said she was very encouraged by the level of support from local businesses. Both Kirsty and Ann Marie thought we should perhaps think of moving the Gala date back a week to avoid clashing again with the Largs Agricultural Show which would be held again next year on the second Saturday of June. After discussion the meeting agreed that next year's Gala would be held on the weekend of the 19th of June.

Secretary's Report
George said he was greatly encouraged by the increased interest from the local business sector of the community. There had also been an increase in support from the local residents. This had been evident in the re-vamping of the kitchen and the clean-up of the centre. There also had been an upsurge in volunteers to help during the Gala. The publicity appealing for volunteers to assist in the various projects was given excellent coverage by Phyllis MacLeod in both the Village News and the local press. The Association's thanks are extended to all who helped in the various projects during the past year.

Ardgowan Football Development are to be congratulated on their continued success. Iain and John have also brought a new dimension to the committee by their contribution, which is much appreciated.

The switching on of the Christmas Lights and the refreshments in the centre afterwards, with the contributions of the Alpha Group that evening, seemed to send the large turnout home filled with both Community and Christmas spirit. Perhaps the mulled wine helped to produce the many smiling faces.

This year's Gala hit a new high for the Association. This was mainly because of the hard work and excellent organisation by Ann Marie. The general opinion was that the Gala was the best ever.

On the down side, the centre was still having problems with disruptive behaviour towards user groups in the evening. Also call-outs have increased in the last year, due mainly to the alarm malfunctioning and the fire door not being properly closed.

The secretary closed his report by thanking Kirsty, the Letting Secretary, for her hard work during the past year.

Treasurer's Report
In his report, Finlay announced that it was his intention to retire from office at the next Annual General Meeting. Lorraine, who handles the invoicing, also stated that she would be standing down. They both felt after three years that it was important that someone new should be given the opportunity to experience the job. The Treasurer also stated that hopefully the new system of accounting that he was introducing would make it easier for the next Treasurer.

The Independent Review of the accounts for the year to 31st March, 2003, will be presented at the September 3rd meeting of the Association, to which any interested members of the general public are cordially invited.

Financial Statements for the year ending 31/3/2003 were distributed to the meeting. Finlay went through each sheet of the Statement giving a detailed explanation of the accounts in general.

The Treasurer also reported that, although the Gala figures had still to be finalised it looked as if financially the Gala would show a surplus of some kind. This was mainly due to the Council Grant we had received and also the excellent sponsorship from the local business sector.

Finlay highlighted the annual running costs of the Centre, and explained that it was the Nursery lets that were making the running of the Centre viable. He also said he was concerned at the increase in the Electricity Bills.

Letting Report
Kirsty reported that there were still plenty of lets coming in, mainly for the bouncy castle. She also reported that the Alpha Group were interested in running a class on Wednesday nights. This was however for a limited period. This may mean that for a couple of months the Committee may have to meet in the back room. Iain Buchan enquired if it would be possible to have a more stable wall erected between the two rear rooms. This would enable the football section to hang their goals on the wall, creating more space. Kirsty wanted to know when the bouncy castle would be going for its service. George said he had been in touch with the company and they had yet to get back to him with a date. He thought that it would be sometime in July.

User Groups Reports
Kirsty read out a written report from Liz Canning, who was unable to be present because of work commitments. These gave an update on the two youth groups - the 10-14 group on Thursday evenings and 14-19 held on Monday evenings.

Alison Battley gave the meeting a report on the Guides activities, also mentioning that they had been quite successful in their Gala activities.

Stephen Renton reported that the Bible Club was still running fine. The numbers fluctuated from time to time. The average attendance was usually around 20. He was having a bouncy castle night for the club next Monday evening.

Election of Office-bearers
With the retiral from office by Caroline, the Association needed a new Chair person. George Anderson proposed Kirsty Donnelly this nomination was seconded by Finlay McFee. The Treasurer was re-elected on the motion of Alison Battley and seconded by Kirsty Donnelly. The Secretary was re-elected on the motion of Kirsty Donnelly and seconded by Iain Buchan. The position of vice-Chair was filled by Iain Buchan on the nomination of George Anderson and seconded by Ann Marie Cockburn.

Any other business
Phyllis MacLeod raised the subject of the Community ladders. She said she had had an enquiry regarding the hiring of these. After discussion Phyllis said she would tell the interested party where they could be uplifted and when they were finished with them, they could return them to her house.

Date of next meeting
After discussion the date of the next meeting was set for Wednesday, 3rd September, at 7.30p.m.

George Anderson, Secretary