MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE PLYMOUTH AND DISTRICT TABLE TENNIS HELD AT THE LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS ON FRIDAY 26TH JULY 2024 AT 7.03PM.
There were 28 members in attendance.
The President, Laurie Harrison opened the meeting and welcomed those present. He said that he was honoured to continue to serve as President.
He mentioned those members that had passed away since the last AGM and that he had been able to attend some of the Funerals as the representative of the Club. His report included his congratulations to Russ Keith for arranging an open Taster session at the HQ to invite new players.
The President thanked the Officers and Executive Committee for their hard work, and in-particular to those that help to maintain the Headquarters and Russ Keith for maintaining the website and undertaking the challenging duties as Match Secretary.
He thanked Bryn Ford and SWS Shopfitting for their continued support and sponsorship, together with other sponsors of individual teams and Clubs. He concluded by inviting those present to name members that had forwarded their apologies.
Apologies: Shirley Luckhurst, Martin Wilcox, Rob Batten. Richard Smaridge
Minutes of the last AGM held on 7th July 2023
Les Cole read out the minutes which were formally adopted as a true record and signed by the President.
Secretary’s Report:
The Chairman, Pete Nicholson stated that due to the absence of both a General Secretary and Assistant Secretary there was no report for this year. He said that he himself does what he can, but the Club needs volunteers for both posts. With regards to the Secretary’s role, Glyn Price may be able to assist at some point in the future.
Treasurer’s Report:
Pete Nicholson, in his role as Treasurer read out a detailed report of the club’s finances for the 2023-2024 season. He said that the accounts had been audited and are available should any member wish to have sight of them.
(Income and Expenditure information is not for display purposes)
It was proposed by Trevor Mole and seconded by Nick May that the annual Club fees be increased as per the Treasurer’s recommendation. This was unanimously agreed. There being no questions to the Treasurer, the report was accepted.
Alteration to Rules:
Pete Nicholson addressed the meeting on the proposed New Constitution. He stated that the existing Constitution was out of date and that there had been little change to its contents since the 1940s. He said that he and Les Cole had re-written this document having regard to both Table Tennis England and Community Amateur Sports Club guidance /regulations. He went on to say that the proposed new Constitution had been presented and agreed by the Executive Committee and is now forwarded to members for approval.
It was proposed by Alan Davis and seconded by Laura Bone that the New Constitution document be formally adopted and this was unanimously agreed by those present.
The proposed Rule Change to Rule 1, para [e], [f] and [g] were read out and again unanimously agreed.
Election of Executive/Non executive Officers:
The President read out the names of the existing Executive/Non- Executive Officers which were unanimously re-appointed. The role of Secretary and Assistant Secretary at this point remains vacant. The existing Trustees for the HQ remain unaltered.
Election of the Independent Financial Advisor:
It was proposed by Laura Bone and seconded by Trevor Mole that Mrs Jean Morgan be re-elected. It was unanimously agreed that Mrs Jean Morgan be re-elected.
Allocation of Teams/Structure of the League:
The Match Secretary, Russ Keith presented to the meeting the format for the forthcoming season, which will again be four Divisions over three parts of the Season. The ranking of the teams to Divisions had been recommended by the League Sub-Committee consisting of himself, Trevor Mole and Mike Briggs and agreed by the Executive. He provided details of changes to various teams and gave examples of how these rankings had been arrived at and their effect on for the forthcoming season.
Russ stated that for the League to run effectively, timing was essence and that matches needed to be played within the specific periods. Concern was expressed from the Floor that it was not always easy to get a reserve when players were not available. Russ reminded members that subject to the Match Secretary’s approval, teams can still borrow players to complete fixtures. He also stated that that the two- week postponement period will be reintroduced for the forthcoming season to help to avoid adjudications and to assist the completion of each stage during the season. At the end of the season, teams entering the League will be reassessed and re-ranked like past seasons.
After further discussion it was proposed by Ann Warren and seconded by Glyn Price that allocation of teams for the 2024/2025 as laid out by the Match Secretary be formally adopted. This was unanimously agreed.
Before moving to the next point of the Agenda, the President advised the Floor that next season becomes a new season.
Matters for Discussion:
Pete opened the final part of the Meeting by advising members that as the new Constitution Document had been passed, the rules of the Club in the handbook will need to be updated. This task will be undertaken by himself and Les Cole.
Pete then mentioned that some inaccurate and inappropriate comments had been placed on the League What’s App Group. He made it clear that if needed he would shut down that facility if it was not used for the purpose that it was intended to assist League business. Should members have any issues or complaints, then there are procedures in place to address these and that officers of the Club including himself are easily contactable.
Russ then presented to the members a detailed account of the duties of the Executive Committee. This included, Management of the Cub, HQ Maintenance, accurately maintaining the Club’s finances including payment of Utility bills and Insurance. He mentioned the numerous Health and Safety checks that needed to be done that are linked to the Headquarters. He went on to talk about the attendance at the Plymouth Table Tennis Partnership meetings, updating TTE records, running practice sessions, attending Schools to promote new membership, arranging open days and running sessions for Sport In Mind sessions to assist those suffering from mental health problems. He concluded by stating that the Club needs to update the following policies: Code of Conduct, Equality Policy, GDPR Privacy policy and the Safeguarding policy.
A floor discussion followed, highlighting the need for Volunteers. In addition, matches could be played earlier than 7.30pm. However, all members should be mindful of other teams and their requirements. The Citizen Aid APP was suggested as a useful tool for First Aiders and that in addition to the Defibrillator and First Aid Kit we now have a Bleed Kit at the HQ.
Development Officer’s Report [including Sport In Mind]
Martin Hynes, the Development Officer gave a detailed report on projects/initiatives over the last 12 months. The Sport In Mind Charity continues on a Thursday at the HQ between 1.30 and 2.30pm. He stated that this support is aimed at males aged over 17 years with mental health issues. Although Martin has taken the lead with this project, he is assisted by Russ Keith and Tony Powlesland. He said that the Club receives £(not for display purposes) per session from the Charity which is used to cover the coaches’ expenses. He went on to say that he has leaflets providing more information should any member be interested. He felt it unlikely that the Club will gain new league players resulting from this initiative.
Martin then produced the P&DTTC promotional leaflet which promotes our League and was developed by Russ Keith. He said that these leaflets have achieved hits on the Club’s website. He encouraged those present to take a few of these leaflets to help friends/work colleagues play competitive Table Tennis.
Martin mentioned the Open Day which Russ Keith organised and although it was advertised through several mediums, only seven members of the public attended. He then mentioned the six- week Coaching course delivered by himself at Devonport High School for Boys. Sessions were on a Thursday between 3.30 and 5.00pm and lasted for six weeks. There were 14 students who attended and the coaching was generally well received. He highlighted that additional students from DHS and other Schools are already fully involved with the successful Joola Pathway Development Centre at Eggbuckland run by Paul Whiting.
Martin concluded that the Club’s biggest challenge is that of encouraging more people to become active in competitive Table Tennis. He said that the youth are fully engaged via the Schools and the Eggbuckland Centre. He asked members to let him know if they were aware of any community [either based at a village hall or work place] that would be interested in coaching support with a view to playing in the League.
English League Club
Pete Nicholson thanked Joola Plymouth for continuing to represent the P&DTTC in the English League Cup.
They achieved the following positions:
Boy’s 7TH, Men’s 5th and Ladies 2nd
Any Other Business
It was noted that fees collected by the club include the Table Tennis England Fees.
The average playing age had reduced from 59 years 6 months to 57 years 6 months due to the entry of four Junior players from Joola, under the team heading of SWS D and sponsored by Bryn Ford.
The presentation of Trophies were then awarded to the winners of Division 1, Division 2, Division 3, and Division 4
No further business the President closed the meeting at 8.27pm
THE MINUTES WERE APPROVED AND SIGNED