The AGM took place in the Wickham Institute on Tuesday 13th May 2014 at 7.30 pm.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT TO THE AGM OF THE WICKHAM INSTITUTE, 13TH MAY, 2014
I would like to welcome the Trustees and members of the public tonight and thank you for attending and for your support over the years.
I will briefly summarise what has been achieved over the last year in terms of improvements. We have finished the legal work required to extend the lease for a further 50 years, for which much thanks to John and Trevor. This has been quite an onerous and complicated matter and we are glad that we can now relax on that score. We have been fortunate enough to receive generous grants from the Parish Council to enable us to finish the fencing at the back of the hall and to install a new fence with gate at the front. Our thanks to them and also to Helen who has become our unofficial gardener and has done a wonderful job on the appearance of the area and continues to add plants – some of which have been generously donated by others. We are anxious to add to this with the addition of a picnic type table with fixed seats. This will be discussed at our committee meeting later tonight, but if anyone has one of these which they wish to dispose of…or know of one…please let us know.
We have also carried out some external repair work to the building including some re-rendering, repairs to porch woodwork. I fear there is more to do in terms of external and internal decoration, but more of that anon.
We have held several fundraising events: the Spring Supper, the Pantomime, a very successful Quiz Night and also supplying the catering for one of the days of the Flower Festival. Our weekly Coffee Shop goes from strength to strength, attended by many young mothers in the area and also by many of we more mature types. I am incredibly grateful to the wonderful Pat who organises the rotas, bakes so many cakes and is a fairy godmother to us all. Please accept our thanks. This is such a popular event – I receive many compliments on the warm and friendly atmosphere which brings so many people together in this small village with few other activities available.
This year we have decided that the Spring Supper is not feasible, due to clashing dates for the organisers. We hope to continue the tradition next year. Meanwhile I hope you will all be able to support my Garden Opening on June 15th, the proceeds from which will be going to the hall and should, in some measure, make up for the lack of Spring Supper funds. Other suggestions for fundraising would be gratefully received by the Management Committee at any time.
We are very grateful to the Fete and Flower Show Committee for their generous financial support once again. This has been granted in order to help us to fund a total refurbishment of the Institute kitchen, as mentioned in my report last year. We are awaiting quotes from two local builders and when we have received them we shall submit our application for Lottery Funding, which should cover a certain amount of the costs involved, but not all. It is possible that by the time of the next AGM this will finally have been carried out.
We are still desperately seeking new users for the building. Despite there now being two Tai Chi groups who use the building on a slightly ad hoc basis, and a regular Pilates class we have lost the Sing for Joy group, which was our best hirer. Other users are only occasional and we are very keen to increase our regular weekly users in order to be on a more even keel vis a vis our income. The school used the hall for their annual production last summer and I understand that this will be happening again this year. We have come to special arrangements with the school in order to make this possible for them as they are equally strapped for cash.
Finally, I should like to thank the Management Committee for all their work, their attendance at meetings over the year and their help and support at our fundraising events. I should also like to thank Di, our caretaker, for her wonderful work in keeping this hall so beautifully clean, and also Ann who acts as Bookings Secretary so efficiently.
