Old Buckenham Village Hall AGM

Report of the meeting
The following notes have been written by the blog editor from the minutes of the meeting.
Eleven members of the public were present at the meeting on Wednesday 1 April as well as committee members. Richard Crawley and Chris Dalton had sent apologies for not being able to attend.
In her chairperson’s report, Lynn Milner started by thanking all who have worked tirelessly over the year to make sure Old Buckenham has a healthy, thriving village hail.
Pledges made last year have been completed including an on-line booking system, building of financial reserves for future building improvements, an improvement in car park usage with an income stream to maintain and repair it, completion of the audio visual project, installation and general use of broadband for all hall users, the continued programme of entertainments such as cinema, bingo, quizzes, village fête and concerts, etc.
There is a database for forthcoming events and activities, information for future events can now be emailed and placed on Facebook.
The hall is in receipt of a grant of money from the Parish Council to help improve the hall fabric by providing thermal insulation thus reducing running costs. Further grant success from the local Council will allow the purchasing of computers for the use of residents, further details will be announced later. There is also a grant for the provision of seating on the front terrace and some landscaping which will provide an additional area for people to meet and relax.
For the future the hall is faced with two key projects; finance for a prompt car park re-surfacing plus further improvements to the fabric of the buildings such as thermal efficiency, decoration and repair.
Thanks are due to the friends, hall users and residents of Old Buckenham, without whom, the hall not be in the position as is in today.
The treasurer's report was presented by Graham Dye. The balance in the general fund at the end of 2014 was £8,645 with a further £11,185 in the major works reserve fund. In the public discussion the car park income was questioned. Steve Milner explained the permit scheme the parents are buying (at 40p per day) for using the village hall car park. Sixty permits have been issued and the money is ring-fenced for car park repairs. The Pre-school leader said the pre-school have difficulties in paying for parking as they themselves are a charity. A member of the public stated that in the archives of Village Hall minutes it allegedly states that the Pre-school was granted free parking in the village hall. Linda Foulger will investigate and report back to committee.
A member of the public commented that the fete takings were disappointing. The committee said there had been positive feedback but another member of the public thought that the increased price of tables, etc, did not encourage participation. This year's fete is on Saturday 4 July and will have an American theme.
In reply to the question of whether the recycling revenue will decrease in future, Graham Dye said he thought this was to be expected. Asked if the bottles from the local pubs can be recycled for Village Hall funds - bottles can still be collected from the pubs, despite new arrangements where glass and paper can be placed in black bins. Collections from the container in the village hall car park continue to raise revenue for hall.
Secretary Linda Foulger told the meeting she had contacted all local schools and user groups asking for representation on the Village Hall Management Committee. In response to an advertisement in the Old Buckenham newsletter, Roisin Howard volunteered to join the committee.
Details were given of the WI Centenary celebrations to be held in the hall on Saturday 25 April with archive material and entertainment. A live screening from the Royal Albert Hall of the national WI AGM is being organised for Thursday 4 June, all are invited. Steve Milner told the meeting of the cinema evenings shown at the Village Hail. The Italian evening was particularly enjoyable. The new electronic equipment that has been installed has been very successful. The possibility of showing classic films, children films and matinees performances would be investigated.
Alison Frank asked the meeting if they had any other fund-raising ideas. Antiques and collectors fairs, craft fairs and farmer's markets were discussed. Lynn Milner told the meeting that future events will include the ‘Chicory Tip’ pop group, Gilbert and Sullivan opera and a magic show.
The Old Buckenham Players representative had spoken about dates clashing with school events. It was pointed out that the Old Buckenham newsletter has lists of future dates as well as the village website so future planning should be easier.
Lynn Milner, Mike Craven-Romain and Roisin Howard were elected unopposed as committee members. Lesley Coates and Claire Hancy representing Buckenham Pre-school volunteered to join the committee. Ron Brewer asked if the Village Hall Management Committee would allow their contact details to be published in the newsletter. Members agreed to have their email addresses included. Jill Emms asked if the minutes of Management Committee monthly meetings could be published in the village newsletter.
Eileen Oliver asked about hire fees for the Senior Citizens annual lunch. This, and general hall hire fees, will be discussed fully at the committee meeting on Wednesday 8 April and Eileen Oliver advised of the outcome. Jill Emms asked for the website to be updated and Steve Milner will correct this.
It was asked if the heating could be turned on more than 15 minutes before hall use to allow the hall to heat up. Mike Craven-Romain does this 30 minutes before a hall booking. The timings of hall use was questioned and the meeting was informed that all users should leave hall at their allotted times as stated in hire terms.
The availability of basic cleaning materials for hall users was queried and Jill Emms told the meeting that there was a cupboard in the foyer which could be used to store small amounts of cleaning/toilet supplies. This will implemented.
The date of the next village hall AGM will be Wednesday 6 April 2016.