AGM NOTES
2023 AGM Minutes can be found by clicking here.
2022 AGM Minutes can be found by clicking here.
2021 AGM Minutes can be found by clicking here.
2019
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BEVERLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR
Minutes of Annual General Meeting Held at Toll Gavel Methodist Church, Toll Gavel, Beverley
29 July 2019.
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Apologies
John Sharp, Trevor Buttery, Peter Stevens, John Cross, Bill Webster
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Minutes of the last AGM (2018) and Matters Arising
The minutes of the previous AGM on 30 July 2018 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman. No matters were raised.
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Chairman’s Opening Remarks
Terry made some opening remarks and thanked the Committee and members for their support over the two years of his Chairmanship. Terry also thanked Elizabeth, Nigel and Amy for their excellent contributions over the last 12 months. Terry referred to the details contained in the notes which he had circulated previously.
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Officer Reports
Musical Director.
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The Musical Director welcomed all new Choir members and said that it must be quite daunting for them and thanked them for learning the songs quickly by using the individual part CD’s prepared by Nigel. The Musical Director also thanked the Chairman and Committee for their continued support. She stated that the Choir continued to improve the quality of their performances and following the concert at Hull Minster the previous Saturday had received a glowing compliment on our performance from a renowned local musician Wendy Waldish.
Elizabeth congratulated Amy Butler who she said had done a great job in the relatively short time she had been with us. The Musical Director also thanked Nigel for his continuing support.
Elizabeth concluded by saying that she would continue to challenge us with new songs and new languages so that we continued to improve and move forward.
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Public Relations Officer
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Steve Horner advised that we currently have 89 Patrons and that we were having a little difficulty receiving annual fees from some of them. He thanked Bill Webster, Barry Gibson and Nigel for all their support and also Terry for handling the radio interviews.
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Honorary Librarian.
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The Honorary Librarian stated that if anyone had any problems with their music, they should see him at the beginning of rehearsals as he is always here early
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Honorary Secretary.
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The Honorary Secretary thanked the Chairman and the Committee for their support and assistance over the last year. He stated that we continue to look for new Patrons to swell Choir funds and asked members to encourage any potential new patrons to join us.
.
He also commented that we have been privileged to have Elizabeth as our MD, most ably supported by Nigel and most recently, Amy who has settled in tremendously well and is a real asset to the Choir. They are a great team and have made our rehearsals and performances most enjoyable.
.
He thanked Nigel for continuing to produce the Part CD’s and suggested that we would all find them invaluable if we listened to them!!!
.
He stated that we have continued to perform really well at concerts and received many favourable comments from our audiences but added that there is always room for improvement and practice makes Perfect.
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He thanked Peter Goonan for continuing to keep our website interesting and current and confirmed that it is an excellent showcase for the Choir. All members were encouraged to use the site, particularly the Members area which contains important information.
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He noted that attendance at Concerts is definitely improving. The system where Section Representatives get members to commit to concerts seems to be working well. He asked members to continue to commit to events as early as they could and do their very best to attend all concerts to which they have committed. He suggested that the Committee would continue to keep this under review.
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He stated that many thanks must go to Tom Danter for undertaking the role of MC at our concerts following the illness to Mark Williams. Mark had done a fantastic job for many years and it was great to see Mark back at the Choir. He went on to say that Tom has also taken on the Choir Marshall role which is another difficult task trying to get everyone on and off stage in an orderly manner.
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A number of recruitment drives had been organised and been very successful in engaging new Choir members all of whom had been made most welcome. He suggested that we need to continue to recruit more new members to ensure our continued success.
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Finally he stated that he had already thanked the Chairman and Committee for their support over the last year but would also like to thank numerous Chairmen and Committee members whom he had had the pleasure to work alongside over the last 10 years or so. He added that we need more members who are willing to take on the roles within the Choir which make being a member of our Choir so enjoyable. He encouraged all members to get involved.
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He stated that he had decided to hand over to a new Honorary Secretary and hoped that his successor would experience as much pleasure from the role as he had.
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Honorary Treasurer’s Report
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A copy of the Honorary Treasurer’s Report for the period ending 30 June circulated to all members present and the Honorary Treasurer advised the Meeting on the key points contained therein. There was some discussion regarding the Balance Sheet and this was clarified by the Honorary Treasurer.
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The accounts had been audited by Barry Cave and were agreed as a true record.
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Many thanks to Barry for his support over a number of years but it was necessary to appoint a new independent examiner of accounts for next year. It was agreed that the Committee would consider this at the earliest opportunity.
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Annual Appraisal of Member Subscriptions
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Following the decision of the Committee it was proposed by the Honorary Treasurer and seconded by Chris Szafran that Annual Membership Subscriptions would be raised by the sum of £5.00 to £100.00 this year. This was Unanimously Agreed. (Reappraisal of MD/MA fees was not addressed as the fees had been adjusted earlier in the year on Amy’s arrival to MD – £60, MA – £55 for each concert or rehearsal)
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Adoption of Reports
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It was proposed by Dave Rutter and seconded by John Capel that the Officer reports be adopted and this was Unanimously Agreed.
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At this point in the meeting the current Chairman handed over to the new Chairman Mr David Cross.
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The outgoing Chairman presented the outgoing President Kate Andrews with a bouquet of flowers and thanked her for all her commitment, hard work and enthusiasm and Kate explained what a terrific time she had had over the last two years. She thanked everyone for their valued support and handed the Chain of Office to Paul Camm. Paul said he had enjoyed his time as Vice President working alongside Kate, and was looking forward to the next two years.
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The new Vice President Rona Dickenson was also present and explained her musical background and explained how much she was looking forward to her future involvement with the Choir and working alongside Paul, who handed over to Rona the VP badge of office.
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Election of Officers
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The Chairman advised the Meeting that there were some changes required to the Officers for the coming year, due to the retirement of the Honorary Treasurer and the Honorary Secretary.
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Appointments:
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Hon Treasurer – Tom Danter – Resigned – Chairman proposed Mr Philip MacMullen – Seconded by T Danter – Unanimously Agreed
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Hon Librarian – Richard Sholtysek – Unanimously agreed
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Hon Secretary – Malcolm Mathias – Resigned – Chairman proposed Mr Steven Horner – Seconded Charles Laing – Unanimously Agreed.
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New Appointments
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Public Relations Officer/Patrons Coordinator – Chairman proposed Mr Julian Musik – Seconded Ken Doran – Unanimously Agreed
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Website Administrator – Mr Peter Goonan – Unanimously Agreed
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Recruitment Officer – Chairman proposed Mr David Williamson Seconded Malcolm Whitfield – Unanimously Agreed
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Welfare Officer – Chairman proposed Terry Lynn – Seconded Chris Szafran – Unanimously Agreed.
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Appointment of Committee Members (Section Representatives)
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Mr Dave Rutter (Bass Representative), Mr Ken Doran (Baritone Representative) and Mr Jon Capel ( Second Tenor Representative) were all willing to stand for a further year.
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Due to the current Section Representative for the First Tenors (Mark Williams) now singing with the Baritone Section, it was necessary to elect a new First Tenor Representative. The Chairman proposed Mr David Williamson and following an en bloc proposal from Alan Lee, all four Section Representatives were appointed
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Appointment of Vice Chairman
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The Chairman advised that this had been considered by Committee and that Andrew Noon had agreed to take up the post of Vice Chairman.
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Election of Independent Examiner of Accounts
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It was agreed that the Committee should consider this at the earliest opportunity. Many thanks to Barry Cave who had undertaken this role for the last 6 years.
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Amendments to the Constitution
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Peter Goonan outlined the proposed amendments to the Choir Constitution which were available to members on the website. The proposals were Unanimously Agreed.
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Any Other Business.
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No other business had been previously submitted
The Meeting concluded at 19.54
2018
BEVERLEY MALE VOICE CHOIR
Minutes of Annual General Meeting Held at Toll Gavel Methodist Church, Toll Gavel, Beverley
30 July 2018.
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1. Apologies
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Colin Stowe, Derek Robinson, John Cooke.
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2. Minutes of the last AGM (2017) and Matters Arising
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The minutes of the previous AGM on 31 July 2017 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman. No matters were raised.
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3. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
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Terry made some opening remarks and thanked the Committee and members for their support over the first year of his Chairmanship. Terry also thanked Elizabeth, Nigel and Emily for their excellent contributions over the last 12 months and emphasised his sadness at Emily leaving her role as our piano accompanist. She had become an important part of the Choir in the short time she had been with us. He wished her every success in her new role and hoped that she would keep in touch with us.
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4. Officer Reports
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Musical Director.
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The Musical Director welcomed all new Choir members and said that it must be quite daunting for them and thanked them for learning the songs quickly by using the individual part CDs prepared by Nigel. The Musical Director also stated that she was very sorry to lose Emily who had gelled so well with everyone in the Choir and wished her well for the future. The Musical Director also thanked the Chairman and Committee for their continued support and advised that a new piano accompanist would be appointed following discussions with 2 candidates. She hoped to be able to update the Choir within the next week.
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Honorary Secretary.
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The Hon. Secretary thanked the Chairman and the Committee for their support and assistance over the last year. He also thanked Steve Horner for his assistance with Patrons and latterly Public Relations as well as organising the concert with Honley. He stated that we continue to look for new Patrons to swell Choir funds and encouraged choir members to do so.
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He reiterated that once again we have been privileged to have Elizabeth as our MD, most ably supported by Nigel and Emily who had stepped into Pat’s shoes so very well. They have been a great team and have made our rehearsals and performances most enjoyable. Malcolm then stated that Emily had been a tremendous asset to the Choir but sadly we were losing her. He said that we all wished her every success in what was sure to be a brilliant career in the music industry.
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Nigel continued to produce the Part CDs which we all find invaluable when we listen to them!!! Rehearsals continue to be most enjoyable. Thank you.
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He noted that we had continued to perform really well at concerts and received many favourable comments from our audiences.
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We had some problems with our website earlier in the year, but thanks to Peter, our website Guru, it was sorted out and up and running again quite quickly. The Website is an excellent showcase for the Choir and many thanks to Peter for all the work he has put into the site and for all he does keeping it up to date and posting information for all of us. All members were encouraged to use the site, particularly the Members area which contains crucial information.
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Attendance at Concerts had improved. The system where Section Representatives get members to commit to concerts seemed to be working although we were still seeing members failing to turn up when they said they would as well as some members turning up who said they wouldn’t!!!
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He encouraged members to commit as early as they could and to do their very best to attend all concerts to which they had committed. He thanked everyone for their cooperation with this as it was really helpful to Liz, Nigel and Tom in organising the four sections of the Choir. He added that this arrangement would be kept under review.
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Honorary Librarian.
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The Honorary Librarian stated that if anyone had any problems with their music, they should see him at the beginning of rehearsals as he is always here early.
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Public Relations Officer
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Peter Goonan thanked everyone for their assistance, particularly Bill Webster and Barry Gibson.
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Honorary Treasurer’s Report
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A copy of the Honorary Treasurers Report for the period ending 30 June circulated to all members present and the Honorary Treasurer advised the Meeting on the key points contained therein.
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The accounts had been audited and were agreed as a true record. Barry Cave had agreed to audit the accounts again next year. Many thanks to Barry for his support It was proposed by the Honorary Treasurer and seconded by Charles Laing that Annual Membership Subscriptions would be raised to £95.00 this year (from £85) as agreed at the last AGM.
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Adoption of Reports
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It was proposed by Dave Rutter and seconded by John Capel that the Officer reports be adopted and this was unanimously agreed.
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5. Election of Officers
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The Chairman advised the Meeting that all existing Officers had agreed to continue in office for the following year.
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Appointments:
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Hon Treasurer – Tom Danter – unanimously agreed
Hon Librarian – Richard Sholtysek – unanimously agreed
Hon Secretary – Malcolm Mathias – unanimously agreed
Assistant Honorary Secretary – Steve Horner – unanimously agreed
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Appointment of Committee Members (Section Representatives)
All officers agreed to continue in post.
All Committee Members were Unanimously Agreed.
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6. Election of Independent Examiner of Accounts
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It was agreed that Barry Cave should be asked to undertake this task again. He had fulfilled this role for the last 5 years.
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7. Any Other Business.
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No other business had been previously submitted
The Meeting concluded at 19.25.
2017
Minutes of Annual General Meeting held at Toll Gavel Methodist Church, Toll Gavel, Beverley, 31 July 2017.
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1. Apologies
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Ken Doran, Steve Horner, Charles Laing, Jon Capel.
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2. Minutes of the last AGM (2016) and Matters Arising
The minutes of the previous AGM on 25 July 2016 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman. No matters were raised.
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3. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
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The Chairman had already issued an email to all members detailing his thoughts following the two years of his Chairmanship, thanks for support and hard work and best wishes for the future.
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Following a brief reference to his email the Chairmanship was handed over to Terry Lynn.
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Terry made some opening remarks and thanked Peter for his excellent chairmanship over the last two years and stated that he had done much, over and above the usual tasks associated with the role of Chairman, for which he and the Choir were most grateful.
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Terry then presented Peter with a small gift on behalf of the Choir in recognition of all his hard work.
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4. Officer Reports
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Musical Director.
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The Musical Director thanked the Choir for another successful year in which we continued to get better at singing without copy. This trend would continue, with new members who required sight of music initially standing in the back row during performances.
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The MD said that she was sad to lose Pat as our Piano Accompanist as they had developed a very special relationship over the years. Although the MD had been concerned about losing Pat, Emily had come along and taken over admirably. She thanked Emily for getting everything up to Concert Level in such a short space of time. Very well done, Emily!!!
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The MD reminded members that the Honorary Secretary needed to be advised regarding the details of Guests performing at our concerts so that the appropriate arrangements can be put in place in a timely manner.
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Honorary Secretary.
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The Hon. Secretary thanked the Chairman and the Committee for their support and assistance over the last year. He also thanked Steve Horner for coming back on board to assist. Harry Burton had continued to do a great job as our Public Relations Officer until illness caused him to resign. He wished Harry all the very best and a speedy return to the Choir. Peter Goonan had stepped into the role and carried on the great work in Harry’s absence.
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He reminded members that we are always looking for new Patrons to swell Choir funds so if they knew anyone who would like to become a Choir Patron, would they please encourage them to do so and ask them to contact Steve Horner or me.
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He stated that we have, once again, been privileged to have Elizabeth as our MD, most ably supported by Pat and for the last month Emily. He could not say anything about Pat that hadn’t already been said. She was a great asset to the Choir and alongside Liz and Nigel made our rehearsals and performances most enjoyable. He stated that Pat was always going to be a very hard act to follow and there was much consternation about how we were going to replace her. Then we were joined by Emily, a young lady with immense musical talent, enthusiasm and youth. He recognised that she has already shown what a tremendous asset she was and hoped she would be with us for many years.
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Nigel was continuing to produce the Parts CDs, which we would all find invaluable if we listened to them!!! Rehearsals continue to be most enjoyable.
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He referred to the many great concerts we had had during the year. We had performed really well and received many favourable comments from our audiences. There is of course always room for improvement and practice makes perfect.
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Last year had seen the development of our website which is now an excellent showcase for the Choir. Many thanks must go to Peter Goonan for all the work he has put into the site and for all he has done keeping it up to date and posting information for all of us. We continue to encourage all members to use the site, particularly the Members area which contains crucial information.
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He was pleased to announce that attendance at Concerts is improving. The system where Section Representatives get members to commit to concerts seems to be working much better although we are still seeing members failing to turn up when they said they would as well as some members turning up who said they wouldn’t!!!
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Please continue to commit as early as you can and do your very best to attend all concerts to which you have committed. Thank you for your cooperation with this, it is really helpful to Liz and Nigel and Tom We will continue to keep this under review.
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Honorary Librarian.
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The Honorary Librarian had nothing to report.
Public Relations Officer
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Peter Goonan reported briefly on what had been happening in the absence of Harry.
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Honorary Treasurers Report
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A copy of the Honorary Treasurers Report for the period ending 30 June 2017 was circulated to all members present and the Honorary Treasurer advised the Meeting on the key points contained therein.
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The accounts had been audited and were agreed as a true record. Barry Cave had agreed to audit the accounts again next year. Many thanks to Barry for his support.
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Member Subscriptions would remain at £85.00 for the coming year but would go to £95.00 next year. Further agreed fees’ adjustments were:
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Musical Director’s fee increased to £50.
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Musical Accompanist fee increased to £45.
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Assistant Musical Director stipend increased to £500pa.
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Concert fee increased to £250 in line with that for weddings. An additional £25 fee will be levied when venues require us to erect and display the choir banner.
The Honorary Treasurer also thanked Ian Christie for his support and assistance.
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5. Election of Officers
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The Chairman advised the Meeting that all existing Officers had agreed to continue in office for the following year.
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It was proposed at the meeting that Christopher Szafran be appointed as Assistant Librarian and this was unanimously agreed.
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Appointments:
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Hon Treasurer – Tom Danter – unanimously agreed.
Hon Librarian – Richard Shotyesek – unanimously agreed.
Hon Secretary – Malcolm Mathias – unanimously agreed.
David Cross – Vice Chairman – unanimously agreed.
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Peter Goonan agreed to continue to fill the role of Website Administrator until further notice, with David Cross taking responsibility for updating the “Forthcoming Events” page of the Members’ Section only. No vote was taken as this appointment will be thrown open to others during the coming year.
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Appointment of Committee Members (Section Representatives)
All officers agreed to continue in post.
All Committee Members were Unanimously Agreed.
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6. Amendments to the Constitution
Proposed changes to the Constitution had been detailed on the Members Section of the Website
The proposed changes were unanimously agreed and will come into immediate effect. These proposals included the re designation of the posts of AMD, MA and Librarian as co-opted members and that of Website Administrator as a full committee member.
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7. Election of Independent Examiner of Accounts
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It was agreed that Barry Cave should be asked to undertake this task again. He had fulfilled this role for the last 5 years.
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8. Any Other Business.
No other business had been previously submitted
There being no other business, the Meeting concluded at 19.47
2016
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Minutes of Annual General Meeting held at Toll Gavel Methodist Church, Toll Gavel, Beverley, 25 July 2016.
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Apologies
Mel Watson, Derek Mainwaring, Roy Kay, Martin Mellowdew, Charles Laing, Alan Lee
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Minutes of the last AGM (2015) and Matters Arising
The minutes of the previous AGM on 27 July 2015 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman. No matters were raised.
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Chairman’s Opening Remarks
The Chairman stated that he had thoroughly enjoyed his first year in the post and thanked the Committee, Musical Director, Assistant Musical Director, Accompanist and appointed officers, (especially Tom Danter in his role as Treasurer and his recruitment initiative) for their input, support and assistance over that time. He also thanked the Vice Chairman, Terry Lynn for his assistance and support. He stated that he felt the choir had developed considerably over the year and had gained 10 new members. The feedback from concert audiences continued to be very positive. He thanked the President and Vice President for their support and thanked the President for his recent donation to the Choir.
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The Chairman also recognised the hard work contributed by the “unsung heroes”, including Mike Offen for the work he does opening and closing and preparing the church for rehearsals and concerts etc.
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Chris and Wilf for the donations they have made to the Choir from paid “performances” they have given outside the Choir activities, and Chris for also looking after the podium.
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Barry Gibson for his contributions to sound and lighting.
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Nick Anderson, Hugh Walton and Bill Wilcox for the funds raised through numerous events.
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Many thanks to all!!
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On a less positive note, attendance at performances remains a matter of concern. Members were asked to keep an eye on the section plans and report any changes to the Chairman as soon as possible.
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However, singing without reference to music copy has resulted in improved performance at concerts.
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Officer Reports
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Honorary Secretary.
The Honorary Secretary thanked the Chairman and the Committee for their support and assistance over the last year. Thanks very much to Harry Burton for his valuable PR work and dealing so ably with our Patrons.
,
He said that once again we had been privileged to have Elizabeth as our MD, most ably supported by Pat our outstanding accompanist and Nigel our excellent Assistant MD. Nigel’s practice CD’s continued to be most helpful.
,
He thought that once again we had developed and improved significantly over the last 12 months and were now able to perform all concert numbers without referring to the music. It had been noted that singing without copy enabled us to perform with confidence, creating excellent sound quality and as Peter said we have again received many favourable comments from our audiences over the year.
,
We are continuing to sing at numerous weddings which contribute to choir funds and are joyous occasions to attend.
,
Many thanks to our Chairman for all the work he has put into our new website.
,
All members were encouraged to utilise the Members area.
,
Finally he thanked all members of the Committee for their ongoing support.
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Honorary Librarian.
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The Honorary Librarian had nothing to report
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Musical Director.
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The Assistant Musical Director thanked the Choir for another successful year in which we continued to get better at singing without copy. This trend would continue with new members, who required sight of music, initially standing in the back row during performances.
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It was great to have Pat back and he hoped she appreciated how much we appreciate her hard work and dedication to the Choir.
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He thanked those who had been involved in arranging and organising concerts and trips.
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However, the Armed Forces Day Concert was a very low point in the calendar due to the inadequate PA system and a low turn-out. In future it was hoped we would not get involved in outdoor performances or overload the choir with too many performances.
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He thanked the members for learning the words and music because that was making us a better choir, a better team and resulted in a more rewarding experience for our audiences.
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Public Relations Officer and Patrons Coordinator
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The PRO explained the work he had over the last year. There had been a small reduction in the number of Patrons but many of them are very active supporters.
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Our sponsors are Beverley Town Council, East Yorkshire Motor Services and Beverley Lions Club. Many thanks to them. We will being looking to regain sponsorship from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council during the next financial year. All members were encouraged to seek financial support from new sponsors.
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The Chairman expressed his thanks to the PRO for his hard work and this was unanimously supported by members.
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Honorary Treasurers Report
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A copy of the Honorary Treasurers Report for the period ending 30 June 2016 was circulated to all members present and the Honorary Treasurer advised the Meeting on the key points contained therein.
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The accounts had been audited and were agreed as a true record.
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The Chairman introduced the financial proposals which had been considered at the last Committee meeting:-
It was proposed by Dave Rutter and seconded by David Wilmott and unanimously agreed, that there be no increase in choir member subscriptions this year
It was unanimously agreed that payments to the MD, Ass MD and Accompanist be increased as follows:-
MD/Ass MD increase from £40.00 to £45.00 per attendance
Accompanist increase from £35.00 to £40.00 per attendance
Fees charged for attendance at Weddings be Raised from £200.00 to £250.00
Patrons fees be raised from £10.00 to £15.00
Ken Doran suggested putting aside money for renewal of blazers and trousers and it was agreed that a sub-committee be set up to look into this issue and make recommendations to the next AGM
Peter Newall proposed and Colin Clayton seconded that the financial proposals and all Officer Reports be approved and this was unanimously agreed.
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Election of Officers
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The Chairman advised the Meeting that all existing Officers with the exception of the Honorary Librarian had agreed to continue in office for the following year. Richard Sholtysek had agreed to take over from John Cooke. The Chairman thanked John for his many years hard work as Librarian and this was endorsed by all choir members.
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Appointments:
Hon Treasurer – Tom Danter – unanimously agreed
Hon Librarian – Richard Sholtysek – unanimously agreed
Hon Secretary – Malcolm Mathias – unanimously agreed
These were Unanimously Agreed.
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Appointment of Committee Members (Section Representatives)
All officers agreed to continue in post.
Proposed by Colin Clayton and seconded by Chris Szafron
All Committee Members were Unanimously Agreed.
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Appointment of Assistant Honorary Secretary
It was unanimously agreed that Steve Horner be appointed to the new post of Assistant Honorary Secretary
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Amendments to the Constitution
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Detailed discussion regarding the recommendation from the Committee meeting on 30 June 2016 that changes be made to the awarding of Honorary Membership to persons who have made a special contribution to the choir. Following discussion, it was agreed that the proposed amendment be not approved and therefore that the Constitution not be amended.
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Election of Independent Examiner of Accounts
It was agreed that Barry Cave should be asked to undertake this task again. He had fulfilled this role for the last 5 years
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Ratify Appointments made by Committee.
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At the Committee meeting on 30 June 2106, the Chairman had proposed that a new post of Website Administrator be created to ensure that the website is kept up to date once his period of office runs out.
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It was proposed by Jon Capel and seconded by John Cross that this appointment be made and this was Unanimously Agreed.
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Presentation to John Cooke
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The vice Chairman presented John Cooke with a gift by way of thanks for all his hard work for the Choir in the role of Honorary Librarian over many years.
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Any Other Business.No other business had been previously submitted
There being no other business, the Meeting concluded at 8.15 pm
2015
.
Minutes of Annual General Meeting held at Toll Gavel Methodist Church, Toll Gavel, Beverley, 27 July 2015.
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Prior to the formal business of the meeting, the Chairman asked for a minutes silence to remember past Choir members who had sadly passed away during the last 12 months, Dick Purr and Gordon King.
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1. Apologies
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Malcolm Wiles, Mel Watson, John Cooke
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2. Minutes of the last AGM (2014) and Matters Arising
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The minutes of the previous AGM on 28 July 2014 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
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3. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
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The Chairman stated that he had thoroughly enjoyed his two years in the post and thanked the Committee, Musical Director, Assistant Musical Director, Accompanist and appointed officers for their input, support and assistance over that time. He also thanked the Vice Chairman, Peter Goonan for his assistance and support. He stated that he felt the choir had developed considerably over the year and the feedback from concert audiences continued to be very positive. The President’s Charity, Dove House Hospice had benefitted from the proceeds of 2 concerts. The incoming Chairman had chosen the Royal National Lifeboat Institution as his Charity for the following year.
The Chairman also advised the meeting that the new Website was now up and running and encouraged members to make full use of it, particularly the members section.
He stated that there had been many changes over the last four years including financial matters, the new website and the move towards the choir singing without copy. He felt that further changes were needed including the need for more concerts, particularly in the early part of the year and more new members were required. He encouraged members to try to recruit new singers to the choir, particularly younger men!
The Chairman then invited the new Chairman to take over the meeting.
Peter Goonan took the Chair and congratulated Bernard on his very successful Chairmanship over the last two years. The Chairman reiterated what Bernard had said about new members and more concerts being required and encouraged members to approach local churches and organisations to hold fund raising events involving the choir.
He also stated that he was keen to improve communication with and amongst members through the website and via e mail.
He wanted to arrange a pre Prelude to Christmas Concert again this year and advised that we needed a school choir to sing at the Prelude to Christmas.
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2. Officer Reports
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Honorary Secretary.
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The Honorary Secretary thanked the Chairman and the Committee for their support and assistance over the last year. Thanks very much to Harry Burton for his valuable PR work and for taking over and dealing so ably with our Patrons.
He said that once again we had been privileged to have Elizabeth as our MD, most ably supported by Pat our outstanding accompanist and Nigel our excellent Assistant MD. Nigel’s practice CD’s continued to be most helpful.
He thought that once again we had developed and improved significantly over the last 12 months and were now able to perform all concert numbers without referring to the music. It had been noted that singing without copy enabled us to perform with confidence, creating excellent sound quality and we have again received many favourable comments from our audiences over the year.
We are continuing to sing at numerous weddings which contribute to choir funds and are joyous occasions to attend.
This year saw the renewal of our website which is an excellent “showcase” for
the Choir. Many thanks to our new Chairman for all the work he has put
into this project. All members were encouraged to utilise the Members area.
We have also reviewed the Choir’s Constitution which has been revised and
agreed. Following consultation with Members the new Constitution was placed
on the new website.
Attendance at Concerts continues to be a matter of some concern with numbers continuing to dwindle as concert dates approach. Whilst illness and holidays obviously can have an impact, the Committee feels that a greater level of commitment is required from members. We will continue to keep this under review.
We also need to perform more concerts and he reiterated the request from the Chairman for each member to contact their local church and organisations to encourage them to hold a choir concert.
Finally he thanked all members of the Committee for their ongoing support.
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Honorary Librarian.
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The Honorary Librarian had nothing to report.
.
Musical Director.
.
The Musical Director thanked the Choir for another successful year in which we continued to get better at singing without copy. This trend would continue with new members, who required sight of music, initially standing in the back row during performances. She recognised that Pat continued to do a magnificent job as did Nigel particularly in providing his excellent practice CD’s.
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She added that we needed some new members, particularly in the bass and first tenor sections and that it was good to sing with other choirs as it allowed us to compare our performance with others.
.
Public Relations Officer and Patrons Coordinator
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The PRO explained the work he had over the last year. We now have 86 Patrons, 52 of whom are contactable by e mail and also have a new sponsor, East Yorkshire Motor Services
The Chairman expressed his thanks to the PRO for his hard work and this was unanimously supported by members.
.
Honorary Treasurers Report
.
A copy of the Honorary Treasurers Report for the period ending 30 June 2015 was circulated to all members present and the Honorary Treasurer advised the Meeting on the key points contained therein.
The accounts had been audited and were agreed as a true record.
The Chairman introduced the financial proposals which had been considered at the last Committee meeting:-
It was agreed, with one abstention that choir member subscriptions be increased by £10.00 a year to £85.00 per annum. .
It was unanimously agreed that payments to the MD, Ass MD and Accompanist be increased as follows:-
MD/Ass MD increase from £38.00 to £40.00 per attendance
Accompanist increase from £33.00 to £35.00
The Committee had agreed increase the payment to the Ass MD from £200.00 to £250.00. David Wilmott proposed that this be increased to £400.00 and this was seconded by Colin Clayton. This proposal was unanimously agreed.
Colin Taylor proposed and Jon Capel seconded that all Officer Reports be approved and this was unanimously agreed.
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3. Election of Officers
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The Chairman advised the Meeting that all existing Officers with the exception of the Honorary Treasurer had agreed to continue in office for the following year. Tom Danter had agreed to take over from Ian Christie. The Chairman thanked Ian for his many years hard work and this was endorsed by all choir members.
Appointments:
Hon Treasurer – Tom Danter – unanimously agreed
Hon Librarian – John Cooke – unanimously agreed
Hon Secretary – Malcolm Mathias – unanimously agreed
These were Unanimously Agreed.
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4. Appointment of Committee Members
.
All officers with the exception of Peter Newall as Second Tenor Representative agreed to continue in post. There were 2 nominations to fill this vacancy, Jon Capel and Colin Clayton. Colin was willing for Jon to undertake the role. Jon Capel was proposed as the new Second Tenor representative
All Committee Members were Unanimously Agreed.
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5. Election of Independent Examiner of Accounts
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It was agreed that Barry Cave should be asked to undertake this task again. He had fulfilled this role for the last 4 years.
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6. Ratify Appointments made by Committee.
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The Chairman advised that the terms of office of the Chairman and President should continue to run concurrently with the new President continuing to be elected at the Patrons Evening every other year. This was Unanimously Agreed.
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7. Any Other Business.
.
No other business had been previously submitted
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There being no other business, the Meeting concluded at 8.10 pm
2014
.
Minutes of Annual General Meeting held at
Toll Gavel Methodist Church, Toll Gavel,
On 28 July 2014.
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Prior to the formal business of the meeting, the Chairman asked for a minutes silence to remember past Choir members who had sadly passed away during the last 12 months, namely, Roy Baskerville, Idris Samual, Reg Osgerby and John Parry.
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1. Apologies
Roy Kaye, Nigel Clarke, Wilf Cooper, Derek Mainwaring.
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2. Minutes of the last AGM (2013) and Matters Arising. The minutes of the previous AGM on 29 July 2013 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chairman.
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3. Chairman’s Opening Remarks
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The Chairman stated that he had thoroughly enjoyed his first year in the post and thanked the Committee, Musical Director, Assistant Musical Director, Accompanist and appointed officers for their input, support and assistance over that time. He also thanked the Vice Chairman, Peter Goonan for his assistance and support. He stated that he felt the choir had developed considerably over the year and the feedback from concert audiences continued to be very positive.
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The Chairman’s Charity, The Teenage Cancer Trust had benefitted from the proceeds of 2 concerts. The President had chosen Dove House Hospice as her Charity for the following year. The Chairman also advised the meeting that the Website was being updated and enhanced to include a members section and editing rights.
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He then asked for more volunteers to assist with the work of the Choir, particularly with concert management of including responsibility for delivery of equipment etc.
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The Chairman concluded by stating that the Choir was improving all the time and that he was looking forward to his next year of office.
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2. Officer Reports
.
Honorary Secretary.
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The Honorary Secretary thanked the Chairman and the Committee for their support and assistance over the last year. Thanks very much to Harry Burton for his valuable PR work and Steve Horner for dealing so ably with our Patrons and keeping in contact with them.
.
He said that we had been privileged to have Elizabeth as our MD, most ably supported by Pat our outstanding accompanist and Nigel our Assistant MD.
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He thought that once again we had developed and improved significantly over the last 12 months and were now able to perform many numbers without referring to the music. It had been noted that singing without copy enabled us to perform with confidence, creating excellent sound quality and we have again received many favourable comments from our audiences over the year.
,
As far as concerts are concerned, the Prelude to Christmas was excellent once again. The Concert at South Cave for South Cave and Wolds Rotary Club was very good (thanks to Peter Goonan for his kind hospitality after the show!).
.
Bubwith was a particularly small and intimate venue, the Patrons evening was very successful and the joint concert with Romsey Male Voice Choir was also a success. This raised a significant amount of money for the Chairman’s charity, which was great!!! The “Afterglo” was also most enjoyable.
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The Social Evening masterminded by Peter Goonan was another highlight, as was the concert at Goole. Many thanks to Huw Walton for his excellent after concert hospitality.
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We are continuing to sing at numerous weddings which contribute to choir funds and are joyous occasions to attend.
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We have a number of events to look forward to, including two more weddings, the Annual Dinner at the Lairgate Hotel and the return visit to Millhouse Green. The Leeds City Hall Concert with the Russian White Army Band will be another highlight.
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Attendance at Concerts continues to be a matter of some concern with numbers continuing to dwindle as concert dates approach. Whilst illness and holidays obviously can have an impact, the Committee feels that a greater level of commitment is required from members. We will continue to keep this under review.
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We also need to perform more concerts and he reiterated the request from the Vice Chairman for each member to contact their local church and encourage them to hold a choir concert.
Finally he thanked all members of the Committee for their ongoing support.
.
Honorary Librarian.
.
The Honorary Librarian had nothing to report
Musical Director.
.
The Musical Director thanked the Choir for another successful year in which we continued to get better at singing without copy. This trend would continue with new members, who required sight of music, initially standing in the back row during performances. She recognised that Pat continued to do a magnificent job as did Nigel particularly in providing his excellent practice CDs.
.
She added that we needed some new members, particularly in the bass and first tenor sections and that it was good to sing with other choirs as it allowed us to compare our performance with others.
.
Public Relations Officer
.
The PRO explained the work he had over the last year.
.
Ian Christie proposed a vote of thanks to the PRO for his hard work and this was unanimously supported by members.
.
3. Honorary Treasurers Report.
.
A copy of the Honorary Treasurers Report for the period ending 30 June 2014 was circulated to all members present and the Honorary Treasurer advised the Meeting on the key points contained therein.
.
The accounts had been audited and were agreed as a true record.
.
It was unanimously agreed that choir member subscriptions remain the same as the previous year i.e. £75.00 per annum.
.
It was unanimously agreed that payments to the MD, Ass MD and Accompanist be increased as follows:-
.
MD/Ass MD increase from £35.00 to £38.00 per attendance.
.
Accompanist increase from £30.00 to £33.00
Also agreed to make a payment to the Ass MD of £200.00.
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It was proposed by Gordon King, seconded by Eric Godson and unanimously agreed that Choir concert fees should increase from £150.00 to £200.00 per concert and that a fee for attendance at weddings will be £150.00 generally.
.
Peter Newall proposed and Frank Burton seconded that all Officer Reports be approved and this was unanimously agreed.
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