1 - ATTENDANCE
Marc Shipley, Mandy Forster, Kevin Forster, Tracey Coats, Connor Snaith, Russell Hughes, Ian Davies, Mark Flynn
2 - APOLOGIES
Mick Barnes, Anita Hammond
3 - MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING
• Minutes of the Meeting 11th March 2024 agreed.
4 - MATTERS ARISING/ACTION POINTS
4.1 - Action Point Update:
• 4.3 (11/3/24) Mandy – completed. Written response sent to Mark Fox relating to his club improvement suggestions.
4.2 - Dashboard
• Marc reported that £1,488.75 has been transferred to the Treasurer for court bookings and £144.40 for new memberships.
o Membership 177
o Squash account remains healthy
• Committee discussed the possibility of using Standing Orders for new members and renewals but although feasible it would result in extra administrative work for Marc and Kevin.
• ACTION Marc – to look into this suggestion further.
4.3 - Squash club maintenance/improvement
• Mandy advised the Committee that Mark Fox’s suggestion to put solar lights along the Club driveway has also been proposed by Gary Butler. Matter to be raised again with the Executive Committee tonight (9th April).
• Ian raised the issue of the window in the Men’s changing room that can only be opened in dry weather. This is because the outside cladding is rotten and opening the window in wet weather results in rain running into the Ladies changing room.
• Kevin reported that the builder who inspected the Club recently unfortunately failed to turn up for the second appointment. ACTION Kevin – chase up builder via Mark Bulmer.
• Ian suggested using the damp meter again.
• Connor reported he has been approached about having a sauna installed. The Committee discussed this at length and although it was thought a good idea, for practical reasons it will not be pursued. Lack of space; potential fire hazard; and running and maintenance costs being the main reasons.
- Proposal by Ian to have a supply of Cilit Bang and cleaning brush to use as necessary in the Men’s showers. ACTION Ian – to buy materials.
• Cleaning - adequate.
4.4 - Club Executive Committee Feedback
• Club Current Account £18k and Reserve Account £20k. Bar and Squash payments to be added, but accounts are healthier at this point in 2024 than 2023.
• Outgoings include payments for furniture; glass washer; VAT bill; Energy bills.
• April wage increases will result in Bar price increases as an extra £7k is required to break even.
• New card machine is being looked at.
• Cricket – Marlon, the new cricket coach is fitting in well.
• No new Social members.
• Red Sky is donating a defibrillator box for the current defibrillator in the squash corridor to be moved outside. The donation is in exchange for 1 years advertising.
5 - AOB
• Ian – Asked for the matter of the untidy state of the kitchen to be brought to the attention of the Executive Committee with a view to the removal of non-kitchen items.
• Ian – Reported the current cooker is no longer adequate for use and asked for the matter of a replacement to be raised with the Executive Committee.
• Tracey – Proposed that the ceilings in the corridor behind courts 3 and 4 should also be replaced and new LED lighting be installed. Committee agreed. ACTION Marc - To contact Fulwell Ceilings and arrange fitting date.
• Mark F – Asked if any further defibrillator training is to be scheduled. Committee agreed another session would be useful. ACTION Mark – To investigate training via his employer. ACTION Mandy – To ask Hannah Forster (Registered Nurse) if she is willing and able to do another training session at the club.
• Russell – Reported that the gas pipe in the main squash corridor is loose. ACTION Kevin – Will undertake repair.
• Kevin – Advised the Committee that suggestions have been made to drop the costs of the Championship and also to not seed players. He explained that the current £8 entry fee helps cover the costs of the courts for the tournament, the trophies awarded to the Cup, Plate, and Over-65’s winners and runners-up, and for the balls provided for the final matches. Kevin also showed how the competition and finals could potentially look like if players were not seeded in future. The Committee agreed to discuss the matter at length prior to the 2025 Championship.
• Marc – Reported to the Committee that he had received some information from England Squash about incentivising squash members. However, he is awaiting more details and will report at a later date.
Date of Next Meeting – Monday 13th May 2024 7.15pm
