BCC AGM Minutes 13/11/03

Annual General Meeting 2003

Present: - P. Wilson, B. Bond, K. Taylor, P. Taylor, S. Mitchell, K. Nuttall, Ray & Jean Haffener and S. Purser.

Apologies for absence: - C. Bosomworth and W. Brown.

Chairman opens the meeting.
Minutes of last annual meeting taken as read.

Matters arising: -
We continue to have the arrangement with the Worsthorne FC and the landowner for using the clubroom and tower

Secretaries Report

Membership numbers are down this year. Current membership is fragmented we have more members from outside the Burnley area. Subsequently meetings at the clubroom on Thursday night are poorly attended. With the tackle moving to Earby arrangements for tackle borrowing and trip planning have become difficult to arrange. The club-caving programme subsequently has not run to plan.

Public liability insurance is currently being changed. We have had cover through the BCRA but this New Year we will have to use the new arrangement with the British Caving Association. The cost of the new scheme is yet to be announced. I suggest that the club separate the cost of the insurance from the club membership and set the subscription for members independent of the insurance premium. Members will make there own arrangement. The committee members will need to be covered.

The club is still a club member of the BCRA and the CNCC. this may change when the new British Caving Association is created. This will unify the caving bodies. Bernie Bond has attended the CNCC meetings this year, I attended the AGM.

This year we ran three caving trips for SHOUT / SPLASH and had good support from the club members.

Committee meetings have been run on an irregular basis this year for variest reasons. This has made running the club very difficult.

Tacklemasters Report

Chris was absent but Keith Taylor made a report on his behalf. The tackle situation is now ok after the removal from Colne to Earby. The club Oldham lamps are in need of battery cell replacement.

Editors Report.

Report as requested below.

The Roy Swindlehirst archive is a fascinating resource I was lucky enough to see some of it before his death. It would be nice to have a special section on the website devoted to it named something like the Roy Swindlehirst collection - any thoughts? I'm reluctant to commit myself to any extra work due to other commitments and after the fiasco of the Fifty Years publication but a special newsletter with excerpts of the Roy Swindlehirst collection would be a good idea.

Whilst on about the Fifty Years publication I gave Simon a CD ROM with the Fifty Years publication on it with a view to publication any progress or understandably has it been shelved (I'm fully aware of the logistic difficulties having struggled with it myself!).

I hope the newsletter (Autumn 2003) I sent by e-mail got printed and distributed have heard nothing back since I sent it.

Am more than willing to continue to stand as editor of the website next year. The newsletter editorship is slightly more troublesome due to the logistic difficulties of living so far away. In principal am willing to continue providing that two matters are acceptable. The first submitting copy by e-mail as for Autumn 2003 will be OK, that of course means someone else (maybe Simon) prints it and distributes it to the membership. The second is that I'm kept in touch by e-mail or whatever, I've received little contact from anyone at BCC since moving down here and the newsletter content needs input from the members to continue. I do need some content for the next newsletter as I've very little material left, living down here means that members will have to keep me informed of what's going on up there by means of trip reports, committee meeting reports and by sending articles for the newsletter.

Accounts for the newsletter are available though I've spent little BCC this year I currently have Ł3.08 of BCC funds. Have lost contact with Shaun by e-mail everything I've sent to his Hotmail e-mail address is returned as address unknown does he have a current working e-mail address?

The website continues to generate some interest with people and advertisers contacting me regularly. Will continue to send details up North when I get positive contacts. The BBC rang me up at home regarding a TV documentary about caving with BCC involvement but the project fizzled out at an early stage because they didn't get back to me. A lot of media opportunities do fizzle out like this, media types do this a lot - enthuse greatly, promise the earth then move on quickly to other projects (I have some experience with Origami media work).

On a more personal note we have all settled down here am currently working hard at Nottingham City Hospital and for a nursing agency. Have not caved at all since leaving Colne but hope to in the future. Missing everyone up at BCC have some contacts with local clubs and cavers down here but have not actually met any caver types down here yet.

Best wishes to all,
Wayne.

Treasurers Report.

Financial report for Burnley Caving Club presented by the Treasurer Shaun Purser

Librarian report.

B.Bond has passed on the Leck fell surveys from the John Mcneil collection. Library cataloguing almost completes. Surveys are now sorted in catalogue order. We continue to receive publications from BCRA and Descent. We have a large library and it does not get a lot of use from members although we do get quite a few inquiries from the club Web site. Raymond and Jean Haffner passed on to the library collection Roy Swindlehurst, s Black & White display photos, press cuttings from the early 1950s and caving publications. Kevin plans to display the collection at a local library in the new future. In the coming New Year I am going to look at the possibility of purchasing back copies of journals etc.

CNCC report.

B.Bond has now been attending the CNCC for 35 years. He attended the three meetings this year. He reported that access for Stump Cross Caverns has yet to be agreed with the new owners. The entrance to Kingsdale Master cave is to be repaired. The entrance to Cherry Tree Hole has been stabilised by members of the Craven Potholing club.

Other business:- The Trevor Rambadt seat garden area which had been maintained by Mr. & Mrs Smith have now moved from the Horton area. Dave Woods who now resides in the area has offered to take over. Dave was a club member in the 1970,s.

Thanks to the Peter Bayes family for the storage and helpfulness. Local Parish council have been informed of the new arrangements.

Election of the committee.

Chairman: Simon Mitchell.

Secretary: Peter Wilson.

Tacklemaster: Chris Bosomworth.

Web Editor: Wayne Brown.

Editorial Team: B.Bond, S. Mitchell and C. Bosomworth.

Lampmaster: Keith Taylor.

Any Other Business.

Lamps K.N. proposed that we purchase new cells for the existing Oldham lamps. For use by prospective members.

Membership / New members. S.M. stated that we need a more positive drive to get new members into the club. Regular monthly training / novice meets, joining pack information, advertisements in the local press, Displays and open nights.

Committee meetings date to be fixed on a monthly basis with members at a time and Date to suit.

Club room repairs decorating and connection of the WC to be put into action.

Bernie Bond proposed that Fritz Wolfman be considered for honouray membership. This was agreed by the meeting. Bernie will contact Fritz.

Meeting closed 9.30pm.

BCC AGM Minutes 13/11/03

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