Minutes of the Lydford Sports Field AGM
held in the Nicholls Hall on
Wednesday, 4th February 2004 at 7.00 pm
Present:
Mr Michael Crocker (Acting Chairman)
Mrs Sue Powne (Acting Secretary)
About thirty Lydford villagers
The Chair started the meeting by welcoming all those present, and reading out the letter of resignation dated 2.2.04 from the former Chairman, Mr Cyril Friend. As a result Mr Crocker acted as chairman in his capacity as Vice Chairman.
1. Apologies for Absence
Received from Mr Ted Boswell
2. Reading of the AGM Minutes of 2003.
These were read out by the Secretary. It was agreed they were a true and accurate record of the 2003 AGM and signed accordingly by the Chair. Matters arising from the minutes included dog fouling and it was agreed this item should be discussed under "any other business" as discussion might be lengthy. The question of the water easement was raised and it was explained that Mr Ted Potter had asked for a water easement and currently the legal side of his application was being dealt with. This matter was to be raised at the next committee meeting.
3. Election of Committee Members.
The Secretary informed the meeting there were 14 candidates for election, where upon four candidates asked to have their names withdrawn, leaving ten. As only ten committee members were required it was agreed an election was no longer required. The members of the Lydford Sports Field committee for 2004 are:
Geoffrey BAKER
Ted BOSWELL
Lorraine ELLICOTT
Colin FRIEND
Sue HOLLAND
Dick LEITCH
Keith MARTIN
Nicola McMULLEN
Stephen POWNE
Sue POWNEThe officers will be elected by the committee at their first meeting.
4. Chairman's Report.
The Chair gave a brief resume of the activities of the Committee over the last year. He reported that during the course of the year the secretary (Mrs Pat Martyn) had resigned and he thanked her for her hard work and service to the Committee over the past fourteen years. He also thanked the former Chairman (Mr Cyril Friend) who had been chairman and treasurer for fifty four years, and stated that without the help and support of these two committee members the Lydford Sports Field would not be available for the village to use today. The Chair went on to say that concern had been raised following the 2003 AGM because of the dwindling monies in the account due to increased costs in the form of insurance, rates etc and a determined effort had been made during the year to raise finances. Fund raising had started with a lottery grid and jumble sale, and this year would include a February disco, June summer ball, July summer fair. He also reported that plans were afoot to refurbish/replace the pavilion which is currently in a sorry state.
5. Presentation of Accounts and Treasurer's Report
The former treasurer (Mr Cyril Friend) had kindly supplied the year end accounts which were presented to the meeting. It was pointed out it had been the intention that the money taken at the grid draw should have been paid into the new pavilion fund and not the General Sports Field Fund, which would leave a total of £235 in the New Pavilion Fund. Money received over the year for the General Sports Field Fund was £240, but expenses were £491.82 giving a total of £552.88 remaining in the account. The meeting accepted the accounts.
6. Result of Election
As there as no election, there were no results.
7. Any Other Business
The matter of dog fouling on the Sports Field was raised under this item. It became apparent that several members of the public at the meeting were regularly taking their children to the Sports Field and exercising their dogs at the same time. They were responsibly tidying up after their dogs and felt they should be entitled to use the amenity in this way. There were those who took the opposite view that dogs and sporting facilities do not mix. The ensuing discussion brought a consensus of opinion that the issue of dog fouling had been going on for years and had never really been resolved even with a complete dog ban. There was a majority in favour of responsible dog owners using the field to exercise their dogs, but remove any dog mess, and irresponsible owners would be noted and there would be a "name and shame" campaign to attempt to get these owners to be less antisocial. It was agreed an article should go into the parish magazine, and that maybe an eco "doggy loo" bin would encourage owners if they felt they could not take their dog's mess home in a plastic bag.
The question of the ownership of the pavilion was raised. According to the minute book, it was minuted in May of 1990 that "the pavilion was owned by the Sports Field". Some members felt that as planning applications had been made by the Cricket Club over the years this meant the Cricket Club must be the owner. There would appear to be no legal documents supporting the ownership by the Cricket Club. It was stated that in law, the owner of the land was the owner of the buildings upon it, and the land was owned by the Sports Field.
The question of what was going to happen to the pavilion was raised. The secretary reported that the committee was looking into replacing the existing building and upgrading the facilities within. It was currently looking into the possibility of a rebuild with a steel framed block built building and was actively looking at costings and grant applications. It was accepted this was a big project, but enthusiasm was high, and just as Nicholls Hall had been considerably improved, it was possible to improve the pavilion. The matter of insufficient car parking was raised following the "enhancement" of the triangle. After discussion it was agreed this matter would be put on the agenda for the next committee meeting.
There being no other business the Chair declared the meeting closed at 7.50 pm