Constable Burton Reading Room Committee Minutes

Meeting held in the Reading Room on Friday 22nd April 2022 at 7pm

1. Chairmans warm welcome to all present
2.  Minutes of AGM meeting held on 22^nd March 2022 read and accepted as a true recording of the proceedings. Proposed by Jeff Lane and seconded by Charles Wyvill
3. Matters Arising
   1. Letter received from Resident. Chairman commented that he would be investigating issues raised and will report back to committee in due course
4. Financial Report by Hilly Dobson.
   1. Bank and Petty Cash. The acting Treasurer informed the meeting that the:
      1. Community Bank balance was £14, 555.85 
      2. Petty cash was £225.49 and banked on 19.04.22 was £282
          
         This evening Hilly Dobson will pass the treasurer responsibilities to Allan Percy, care of his wife Barbara who was in attendance at the meeting. Many thanks to Allan or taking on the role. A further meeting has been scheduled with both the Acting and new Treasurer with the Bank to complete formalities 
         
         Charles Wyvill asked for the details of the second balance and was informed that it was £465.21
      3. Easter Event. 
         9 children enjoyed a couple of hours spent together with families engaging in an Easter Egg Hunt and Egg Rolling Competition. Masks were given for taking part as were small prizes for all. Feedback was good, all ‘Happy Bunnies’
         
         An Easter Afternoon Tea was also held which was well attended and well received. Deputy Chair was thanked for her great idea for the enhancement of revenue from the Easter Raffle which raised £55 and these costs covered any expenses incurred. A big ‘Thank You’ was extended to all residents who gave donations or their time to support the events
5. Grant Applications
   
   The Chairman updated the meeting on the status of our current grant applications
   1. advised that we had received approval for a Jubillee Grant of £2000 which would become available upon receipt of invoices
   2. advised that we were applying for a further grant to cover the cost of the new Reading Room entrance door and internal decorations. Further information will be provided at agenda item 7
6.  Ukraine Appeal 
   
   The Chairman updated everyone on the current situation with regard to Ukraine fund raising, and thanked everyone involved for all their hard work and donations to make sure such an important Appeal was successful. The Chair then read out a letter received from Rishi Sunak, Member of Parliament for Richmond, which was directed to Hilly Dobson on behalf of the committee. Mr Sunak expressed his delight and gratitude that such a small community had managed to generate such a good sum of money for such an important appeal. He expressed his hopes that all future initiatives to support the appeal would be equally impressive. See attached letter
7. Current Projects Update
   The Chair read out the update on the Renovation Project by the Special Project Manager (George Tomlin). This report covered main hall redecoration and the replacement of the front door. An option appraisal was discussed and decisions will be made in due course, after further confirmation regarding the grant application. 
8. Proposed Projects
   1.   Car Park Entrance. 
      The entrance gully is too high, and will require removing and skimming to prevent damage to vehicles in the future. Tarmac will also need to be added to finish the work.  The Highways Department have attended site and have agreed to the work, subsequently confirmed via email. Estimated costs for the work required were also  provided by the Highways Officer. Charles Wyvill and the Chairman have agreed to meet and discuss further the estate may be able to assist in this work. 
   2. Going Green. 
      Niesha Snarr discussed a proposal regarding whether there may be interest within the committee regarding pursuing potential funding for community Electric Vehicle charging points within the village.  A short proposal paper is attached. The whole committee was unanimous in support of the initiative and for a small subgroup to obtain further information regarding feasibility. Charles Wyvill (Patron) commented that this could potentially be of great value to the whole community
      Niesha Snarr also raised the issue of the committee working to (where possible) reduce the amount of paper used within the group and therefore our carbon footprint. Going forward we will try to stop duplicating printed versions of documents and use both a mix of technology and paper (for those who are not technically minded).
9. Queens Jubilee Celebrations
   1. Party. It was agreed that a steering committee would be set up to plan the logistics and help drive the success of the event. Six volunteers from the meeting will make up the group. Date was agreed as Sunday 5^th June to coincide with the national celebrations. This will be an afternoon event. A marquee has been purchased for the occasion. The event will be open to anyone who wants to attend.  
   2. Big Breakfast Event. Chairperson volunteered to cook for a breakfast event to be held on Saturday 4^th June in the morning. 

**Further details for both events to follow and to subsequently be promoted locally

Any Other Business

Car Park Sign. Volunteer agreed to paint signage

Reading Room Flagpoles. These had become damaged due to adverse weather and volunteers were requested to repair and reinstate these. Simon Lemm volunteered to lead on this.

Garden Plots availability. Niesha Snarr raised the point that any village asset that was used by an individual should include an expectation and explicit agreement of a shared benefit to the whole community. Dawn and Simon Lemm have applied for rent and usage of the garden plots and Dawn confirmed her intentions that they would be running some communal garden projects an example given was to grow flowers to enhance the green and around the reading room. There was agreement from all in attendance that Dawns suggestions would be of great value to the community. A formal agreement will need to be arranged to that affect.

Niesha Snarr suggested that as the Committee Chair had changed and there had been new people moved into the community that it would be a good opportunity to send out a letter to all. This would hopefully help engage them in work or events planned and ensure we do everything possible to promote inclusivity and attendance at future meetings (for those able).  

Tony Duff kindly offered his support to the Chairman, stating that if we require help from the local council it may be helpful if we approached him first as he may be able to assist through his network of contacts. The Chairman thanked him for this offer and stated it would no doubt be very helpful going forward.

Jeff Lane raised the issue of the childrens’ play area. The Chairman updated attendees on progress and confirmed that the work would not be completed until after the Jubilee event. It was also highlighted however that the new picnic benches were already in place and were already being appreciated by the community and visitors to the village. The Chairman went on to explain that where applications to the Local Council were concerned, he may only be able to give a basic update and not more specific details. Whilst he felt there was a synergy between both his Local Parish Council and Reading Room Committee Chairman roles, there was obviously confidentiality issues regarding both roles to respect.

Meeting closed at 8.20pm 

Date and Time of Next Meeting. 

This is to be confirmed and publicised shortly.

Barry Snarr (24^th April 2022)
Chairman
Reading Room Committee
Mobile: 07730986863

Attached Letter: From Rishi Sunak

Attached Document: A Going Green Proposal