{"id":4272,"date":"2025-02-24T11:54:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T11:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tudorsquares.org.uk\/?page_id=4272"},"modified":"2025-06-30T11:51:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T10:51:14","slug":"agm-2025-minutes-and-notes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tudorsquares.org.uk\/?page_id=4272","title":{"rendered":"AGM 2025 Minutes and Notes"},"content":{"rendered":"

TUDOR SQUARES AGM February 6<\/b>th<\/b><\/span> 2025<\/b><\/h3>\n
Those Present:<\/b><\/h6>\n
Committee:<\/b><\/h6>\n
Paul Godley Chairperson,<\/h6>\n
Paul \u2018Mac\u2019 Mackness \u2013 ViceChairperson,<\/h6>\n
Linda Tomkinson \u2013 PRO,<\/h6>\n
Tracy & Colin Hawkins \u2013 Treasurers,<\/h6>\n
Terry Thirlwell \u2013 Webmaster (Zoom),<\/h6>\n
Debbie Peel \u2013 Callers\u2019 Rep.,<\/h6>\n
Lynn Bedford \u2013 Secretary (Zoom),<\/h6>\n
Nick Bedford \u2013 A-Section Rep (Zoom).<\/h6>\n
Non-Committee:<\/b><\/h6>\n
John Griffen, Pat Griffen, Les Evans, Pamela Larkin, Carol Hinken, Patrick Dunphy, Veronica Dyckhoff, Liz Eastham, Janet Godley, Neville Dyckhoff, Stella Greenwood, David Greenwood, Elena Hadaway, Rita Elliott, Karen Galley, Ann O\u2019Malley, Giovanna Stevenson, Gunthilde Pathan, David Eastham, Becky Peel (Zoom), Susie & Simon Kelly \u00a0Janet & David Hewitt (Zoom), Jenny & Terry Thirlwell (Zoom) and Cathy Walwyn (Zoom).<\/h6>\n
Apologies were received from Linda & Chris Gill, Ann & Grant.<\/h6>\n
Introduction:<\/h6>\n
Paul welcomed all attendees to the meeting and apologised for the lack of an agenda. The outline agenda will be: Treasurers\u2019 Report, A-Section Report, Mainstream and Plus Report and finally Any Other Business.<\/h6>\n
Paul read out an email from Ann in which she explained that Grant had been unwell and had not yet fully recovered. Ann also thanked Paul and the rest of the Tudor Squares Committee for all their hard work in keeping the club running and thriving.<\/h6>\n
Finances:<\/h6>\n
Colin gave an outline of the club\u2019s finances for the preceding year, specifying that the figures were for the year ending on 31st<\/span> December 2024. The club ended the year with more money in the bank than at the end of the previous year. In 2024, the club had an operating surplus of over \u00a3448 compared to a deficit of \u00a3487 in the previous year. The club\u2019s income increased in 2024,accompanied by a drop in expenditure. Colin then went through the figures in some detail which are reproduced at the end of this document. Tracy filled in more detail of how the club made a surplus over the year, citing increased attendance, the gaining of three new members and a significant reduction in hall fees for Mainstream and Plus. Full details are available in the Treasurers\u2019 Report at the end of this document.<\/h6>\n
Tracy explained in more detail the reasons for the increase in bank charges.<\/h6>\n
This was because of the removal of a \u2018Treasurer\u2019s Account\u2019 (no fees for non-profit organisations with an income of less than \u00a310,000 per annum) and its replacement with a \u2018Community Account\u2019 which incurs a fee of \u00a351 per annum. There is no way of avoiding this fee as we are not a charity and Lloyds, our current bank, appears to be the least expensive. Given the current state of the accounts, the treasurers concluded that there would be no need to increase either the dancers\u2019 fees or annual subscriptions this year.<\/h6>\n
Colin concluded by saying that the Christmas Charity Donations (totalling \u00a3201) had been handed over to the fundraisers at Rennie Grove who were very pleased. A certificate detailing the donation will be sought and handed over to Terry for inclusion in the club web pages.<\/h6>\n
A-Section:<\/h6>\n
Nick gave an outline of the A-Section report previously submitted to the committee and reproduced below:<\/h6>\n
The Past Twelve Months:<\/h6>\n
The section met on roughly thirty Friday evenings during 2024. We danced mainly to Trudy and Simon Fielding, with Kevin Lovell filling in the gaps whenever he was able. The attendance has varied between eleven and twenty-nine dancers with an average of just under nineteen. This has allowed the section to make a small surplus over the year (around \u00a3360) in spite of increased caller and hall fees, which is good news. The section now dances at A2 level for the vast majority of the time, but with some A1 tips for the benefit of a number of members making a welcome return to the meetings following illness.<\/h6>\n
Looking Ahead to 2025:<\/h6>\n
As things stand, the section is scheduled to meet on thirty-one occasions during 2025. In an attempt to fill in some of the gaps, and to provide more opportunity for practice, I have investigated the possibility of dancing to recordings. Some potentially suitable A1 and A2 material has been made available through the British Association. I have also collected quite a few recordings through the generosity of other clubs around the country. While I have the necessary hardware to run sessions using recorded music and calling, it remains to be seen if I have the necessary skill. With the assistance of some willing \u2018volunteers\u2019 from the section, I hope to run a trial session before too long.<\/h6>\n
Responding to requests by a number of A-Section members, I am going to suggest that we reintroduce the Square Rotation program at our Friday Evening sessions. The section had been using the program before the Covid-19 pandemic, but we came across some issues when alternating between A1 and A2 tips. However, the program has undergone a number of revisions and improvements over the past few years. These improvements, in addition to the current predominance of A2 tips, should give a much better dancer experience. I will canvas the opinions of the A-Section members in due course and, subject to sufficient support, set up the means to give the software another try.<\/h6>\n
As was the case last year, Paul Godley has arranged an A1\/A2 dance with Terry Chapman calling. This will be held at the Warners End Community Centre on Saturday March 1st 2026. <\/span>\u00a0If this year\u2019s dance turns out to be anything like last year\u2019s dance, it will certainly be something to look forward to.<\/h6>\n
Nick Bedford \u2013 04\/02\/2025.<\/h6>\n
Linda thanked Nick for his hard work to keep the A-Section running and Paul echoed the sentiment. Nick thanked them for their comments, adding that most dancers had been more diligent on filling in the attendance sheet and the few who weren\u2019t as consistent were still being chased.<\/h6>\n
Plus and Mainstream:<\/b><\/h6>\n
Paul said that the main change to the sections had been the ability to dance in the committee room when there were fewer dancers present, thus saving \u00a325 per night. There was some confusion for a while about the hourly\/evening rate for the hall on the Plus evenings. However, with the change of booking from 19:15 to 21:45 (previously 20:00 to 22:00) it now costs \u00a325 per evening plus \u00a340 for the caller. The cost of the hall for Mainstream is at least \u00a320 per night. Paul has negotiated a sliding scale of payment to the hall, which means a loss if there are fewer than twelve dancers. However, if there are fourteen dancers or more, we make a \u00a35 profit with the hall fee increasing by \u00a35 per dancer thereafter. Paul added that the club has sufficient funds to cope with any small losses due to low numbers. He also said that the issue was more about the dancers enjoying themselves than the club making a profit. With regard to attendance, the average Plus figure since August has been 9.8 dancers per evening and 11.5 for Mainstream. Paul said that while these figures are manageable, it\u2019s still tight and he encouraged everyone to respond to the WhatsApp poll. If the numbers who responded were insufficient, the meetings would have to be cancelled. Paul had no desire to bully people on that point as he felt that there had been enough of that in the past. The message is simple enough, please respond if you\u2019re coming to a meeting or it risks the meeting being cancelled.<\/h6>\n
Chairperson: <\/b><\/h6>\n
Paul stated that it had been quite a difficult time since he took over as chairperson. Some significant changes had been made, such as introducing the WhatsApp poll, which were thought to be in the best interests of the Mainstream and Plus sections. Judging from the feedback and the numbers attending the dances, Paul believes it\u2019s been worth it and that the club is now in a happier place than it was before. Several dancers have returned after long absences, which is lovely. The fees paid to the callers have been increased (now \u00a340 per night), but Paul said that this was really only a token that barely covers their costs for transport and equipment.<\/h6>\n
Club membership has increased by two to sixty-five from last year to this. Fifty-five members have paid their membership fees thus far. Paul has had enquiries from three ladies asking about joining the club and hopes to arrange for them all to come to a taster session on the same evening.<\/h6>\n
Paul thanked Rita for all that she does to help with the Mainstream sessions, such as looking after the attendance, taking the fees and banking the takings. He also thanked David (Eastham) for looking after the WhatsApp poll for the Plus section. Paul would have liked to thank someone for doing the same task at Mainstream, but no one has yet come forward. For the time being, Debbie is looking after that job. Paul thanked all of the callers (Debbie, Becky, Trudy, Simon and Kevin) for keeping us entertained and challenged throughout the year. He also thanked Lynn & Nick for looking after the A-Section and Secretarial work and Linda for raising the profile of the club. Several articles have gone out recently and the posters Linda produced have had an effect. Sadly, one of the new dancers did not stay long with the club and took a more experienced dancer with them when they left.<\/h6>\n
Paul thanked Terry for all that he does on the club website as well as Ann and Grant for leading the walks. Paul\u2019s final thanks went to Janet, without whom he\u00a0 wouldn\u2019t have been able to do anything, really.\u201d It was hoped that this year\u2019s club walk would be starting from Chipperfield on May 10th<\/span> in the hope of seeing the bluebells. However, the only response Paul has had so far was from dancers who will be unable to take part on that date due to Kevin\u2019s Nordic Square Dance Cruise. Something different will need to be arranged if we are to avoid a clash.<\/h6>\n
In terms of the committee, Paul said that all the members had agreed to serve for another year on condition that Paul remained as chairperson. Paul was initially prepared to remain as chairperson in name only, as he and Janet have overriding commitments, primarily moving house. However, Paul has now realised that he is no longer able to meet all of these commitments, so he will remain nominally as chairperson until March 31st <\/span>or until someone else takes over the post.<\/h6>\n

AoB:<\/b><\/h3>\n
There were few questions from the floor under AoB. They are not noted here as they were largely inaudible on the Zoom recording.<\/h6>\n
Finally, Mac expressed his thanks to Paul on behalf of everyone for his efforts as chairperson, a sentiment echoed by the other committee members, the floor in general and those taking part via Zoom.<\/h6>\n
There being no other business, Paul declared the meeting closed so that the dancing could resume for the final half hour of the evening.<\/h6>\n

Post Meeting Note:<\/h3>\n

The Tudor Squares \u00a0AGM was held on Thursday 6th February 2025 at Highfield Community Centre.<\/span><\/h5>\n
At the AGM, Paul Godley announced that he would be standing down as Chairman, and thanked all the committee for their help in the last 12 months.<\/span><\/h5>\n
After the AGM, Paul has been contacted by David Eastham who has agreed to become the new Tudor Squares Chairman.<\/span><\/h5>\n
Here is note from David,<\/h5>\n
Hello all
\nI\u2019ve just agreed to take on the role of Chair I thought I should introduce myself.<\/h5>\n
I\u2019ve been concerned about how square dancing has been progressing throughout the country with many clubs closing; I don\u2019t want to see Tudor doing that.\u00a0 When I joined quite a few years ago we had over 100 members and ran Main, Plus, A & C.\u00a0 We\u2019re now down to A being the biggest group with only just enough Main & Plus to run 1 square with a few left over.<\/h5>\n
Look forward to seeing you all<\/h5>\n
Minutes by Lynn & Nick Bedford, 17\/02\/2025.<\/h6>\n

Tudor Squares – Treasurers Report covering the 2024 financial Year<\/h3>\n

(01 January to 31 December 2024)<\/p>\n

Headline Figures Previous Year<\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/b><\/span>Total funds for the Club: \u00a35333 \u00a34884<\/p>\n

2. <\/b><\/span>Total Income: \u00a38173 \u00a37627<\/p>\n

3. <\/b><\/span>Total Expenditure: \u00a37724 \u00a38114<\/p>\n

Income less Expenditure:<\/p>\n

\u00a3390 \u00a3487<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Income<\/p>\n

Fees: \u00a37385 \u00a37184<\/p>\n

Subs: \u00a3320 \u00a3305<\/p>\n

Raffle \u00a3102 \u00a3138<\/p>\n

5. Expenditure<\/p>\n

Hall Reg: \u00a32746 \u00a33511<\/p>\n

Caller Reg: \u00a33885 \u00a33300<\/p>\n

Hall Special: \u00a3224 \u00a3327<\/p>\n

Marketing & Insurance \u00a375 \u00a378<\/p>\n

Caller\/Refresh Special \u00a3338 \u00a3658<\/p>\n

Misc \u00a3403 \u00a3210<\/p>\n

Sections<\/p>\n

6. Income and expenditure surplus or deficit<\/span> figures per section (excluding Club) are below:<\/p>\n

Mainstream \u00a312 \u00a3613<\/span><\/p>\n

Plus: <\/span>\u00a359 \u00a320<\/p>\n

A-Group: \u00a3359 \u00a34.50<\/span><\/p>\n

Comments<\/p>\n

There were higher costs in 2024. Caller fees were increased to \u00a340 per session in the last quarter of<\/p>\n

the year. Gadebridge hall raised their weekly hire fees.<\/p>\n

However, the Club still managed to increase total funds in 2024 by \u00a3488. The key<\/p>\n

reasons for this increase are:<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Dance attendances continued to increase with 40 additional dancers in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>The A dance in July made a surplus.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>The Club gained three additional members raising a further \u00a315.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Mainstream and Plus sections enjoyed reduced hall costs thanks to Paul\u2019s efforts. This was<\/p>\n

especially beneficial to Plus, enabling them to continue without incurring a large deficit.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Section leaders continued to be vigilant in cancelling dance sessions where predicted<\/p>\n

attendance was low, which resulted in fewer sessions running at a loss.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>In 2023 all three sections incurred a deficit totalling \u00a3638. In 2024 only two sections incurred<\/p>\n

a deficit, but the surplus from A resulted in an overall surplus totalling \u00a3288.<\/p>\n

The Future<\/strong><\/p>\n

We already know there will be greater demands on expenditure in 2025 due to:-<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Increased hall hire charges at Highfield from 1 Jan.<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Bank charges are being introduced from 1 Jan (\u00a351.00 per annum)<\/p>\n

\u2022 <\/span>Gadebridge hall hire charges may also increase in April.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/p>\n

Despite the higher demand on expenditure in 2025, we do not anticipate the need to increase<\/p>\n

annual subscriptions or the weekly dance attendance fees at this stage.<\/p>\n

Tracy Hawkins<\/p>\n

Colin Hawkins<\/p>\n

Totals By Section Financial Year From 01\/01\/2024 To 31\/12\/2024<\/b><\/p>\n

Full Year Accounts as at 31 December 2024<\/b><\/p>\n

INCOME<\/b><\/p>\n

Total this<\/p>\n

Section Club Beginners Mainstream Plus A Group C Group <\/b>Year Last Year Difference<\/p>\n

Fees<\/p>\n

Subs<\/p>\n

Raffle<\/p>\n

Donations<\/p>\n

Misc.<\/p>\n

\u00a3564.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a32,645.00 \u00a31,440.00 \u00a32,735.50 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a37,384.50 \u00a37,184.00 \u00a3200.50<\/p>\n

\u00a3320.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a3320.00 \u00a3305.00 \u00a315.00<\/p>\n

\u00a3102.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a3102.00 \u00a3138.00 -\u00a336.00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a3356.20 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a310.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a3366.20 \u00a3366.20<\/p>\n

Total<\/b> \u00a31,342.20 \u00a30.00 \u00a32,645.00 \u00a31,450.00 \u00a32,735.50 \u00a30.00 \u00a38,172.70 \u00a37,627.00 \u00a3545.70<\/p>\n

EXPENDITURE<\/b><\/p>\n

Total this<\/p>\n

Section Club Beginners Mainstream Plus A Group C Group <\/b>Year Last Year Difference<\/p>\n

Hall Reg<\/p>\n

Caller reg<\/p>\n

Refresh. Regular<\/p>\n

Marketing<\/p>\n

Insurance<\/p>\n

Hall<\/p>\n

Special Caller Refres.<\/p>\n

Special<\/p>\n

Donations<\/p>\n

Misc.<\/p>\n

\u00a365.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a31,110.00 \u00a3359.00 \u00a31,212.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a32,746.00 \u00a33,511.00 -\u00a3765.00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a395.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a31,510.00 \u00a31,150.00 \u00a31,130.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a33,885.00 \u00a33,300.00 \u00a3585.00<\/p>\n

\u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a333.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a320.76 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a353.76 \u00a353.76<\/p>\n

\u00a360.72 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a34.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a364.72 \u00a377.97 -\u00a313.25<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a310.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a310.00 \u00a310.00<\/p>\n

\u00a3224.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a3224.00 \u00a3327.00 -\u00a3103.00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a3338.00 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a3338.00 \u00a3658.00 -\u00a3320.00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00 \u00a30.00<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a3388.50 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a314.20 \u00a30.00<\/span> \u00a3402.70 \u00a3209.83 \u00a3192.87<\/p>\n

Total<\/b> \u00a31,181.22 \u00a30.00 \u00a32,657.00 \u00a31,509.00 \u00a32,376.96 \u00a30.00 \u00a37,724.18 \u00a38,083.80 -\u00a3359.62<\/span><\/p>\n

Section<\/b> Club<\/b> Beginners<\/b> Mainstream<\/b> Plus<\/b> A Group<\/b> C Group<\/b> Year Last Year Difference<\/p>\n

Net<\/b><\/span> \u00a3160.98 \u00a30.00 -\u00a312.00<\/span> -\u00a359.00<\/span> \u00a3358.54 \u00a30.00 Total this<\/p>\n

-\u00a3456.80<\/span> \u00a3448.52 \u00a3905.32<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

TUDOR SQUARES AGM February 6th 2025 Those Present: Committee: Paul Godley Chairperson, Paul \u2018Mac\u2019 Mackness \u2013 ViceChairperson, Linda Tomkinson \u2013 PRO, Tracy & Colin Hawkins \u2013 Treasurers, Terry Thirlwell \u2013 Webmaster (Zoom), Debbie Peel \u2013 Callers\u2019 Rep., Lynn Bedford \u2013 Secretary (Zoom), Nick Bedford \u2013 A-Section Rep (Zoom). Non-Committee: John Griffen, Pat Griffen, Les Evans, … Continue reading “AGM 2025 Minutes and Notes”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4272","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t