MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
27th May , 2009 AT 6.00 p.m.
In the United Church, Dorchester.
Officers present: Annabel Broome (Chair), Margaret Barker (Secretary/Finance Officer), Other Trustees present: Nigel Tooth, Ellie Stephens, Mark Stevens
In addition 32 other Friends of the Hub, volunteers, staff and other interested people, were present.
Apologies were received from Jane Culliford (Vice Chairman),Vic Myers (Trustee), Penny Fennell (Trustee), Robin Bunce, Ann MacDonald (Asst. Manager), Mollie Rennie, Tina Davidson, Rev Chris Briggs, Rosie (DSUF), Adrian Downton, Malcolm Hall, Andy Peel.
The meeting was opened by the Rev Nigel Tooth.
Minutes of last AGM.
The minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 4th June 2008, were approved.
Chairman’s Report
Annabel reported that this had been a busy and difficult year for us all. There had been:
- High activity with about 30 people moving into accommodation
- Getting on a firmer financial footing
- Increasing our staffing to help set up an advice service Weymouth, and the promise of a much needed new mental health service
- Trying to serve the Travellers, who do not mix well with more vulnerable clients, by opening one afternoon a week, just for them, alongside the County Council’s Gipsy and Traveller worker. This was used very little, and has just been discontinued
She drew attention to the Portacabin which has recently appeared at the front of the Hub, to provide more consulting space, for the nurses and the other services who visit regularly.
She referred to last year’s AGM when the aim was to:
- Build up a Hub service in Weymouth
- Search for a suitable Housing Association to take over the operation of Hub with the professionalism that a modern service needs. As part-time amateurs, the trustees simply cannot sustain the current level of commitment, or satisfy the demands of today’s legislation and controls.
BCHA is now the preferred Housing Association partner, which has similar values and approach, some local services and a successful 40 year track record with this client group. They are committed to extending the range of services available for our service users.
At the pre-meeting of Friends of the Hub, members agreed that BCHA take on our service.
Members also agreed that we convert our charitable constitution to Friends of the Hub (Weymouth and Dorchester). This group will maintain community engagement, fund-raise and maintain local volunteers in both places. A group of Trustees will be elected from that membership to manage the charity, and BCHA will put Hub representation on their relevant committees, to ensure good liaison.
Weymouth – about 60 Hub users have been re-settled over the last two years, and a majority in Weymouth. They have a much greater need for support in their tenuous efforts to deal with their personal, social and addiction problems than the statutory authorities currently provide and we try to plug that gap. We are getting closer to finding suitable premises, after many false starts, and another Hub will soon be opening in Weymouth for advice and support but not as a drop-in centre, which is already there in Soul Food.
Annabel concluded by saying that we are pleased this year to be handing over to BCHA a service of which Dorchester can be proud and to know that it will shortly be extended to Weymouth and can continue to develop to the benefit of its users.
Report of the Treasurer.
Margaret Barker presented the accounts for 2008/9 and briefly took the meeting through them. She explained that, during the course of the year a professional book-keeper was employed to keep the accounts and she thanked Nigel Singleton, Accountant, for his generous help in advising the Hub and in preparing the formal accounts from the book-keeper’s data. Thanks too were expressed to Alan Lee for examining them. There were no questions on the accounts and they were accepted by the meeting.
Report of the Manager
Annabel explained that Bob Matthews is leaving and a small presentation was made to him from the trustees.
Bob then gave a verbal report on the year. He mentioned the 28 people who have been housed – 14 into private sector accommodation, much of that in Weymouth, 6 to registered social landlords (housing association accommodation) and 8 to supported accommodation, including to several BCHA units. He talked about the recent introduction of adult education sessions at the Hub, following which volunteers have then accompanied interested service users to IT sessions at an adult education base. This has already enabled some service users on the Local Authority Housing Register to access the choice-based lettings scheme themselves through the Hub’s computer.
The new services to be provided by the PCT – having a designated mental health worker and having monthly visits from a mobile dental unit – is very welcome and much-needed.
He recommended the developments that BCHA can potentially open up for the service users and wished everyone involved well.
Election of Officers
All trustees and officers have agreed to stand again except for Vic Myer’s wish to stand down as minute secretary. Annabel thanked Vic for his work in that role. Their appointment en bloc was proposed by John Weir, seconded by Kath Joslin and carried unanimously.
Open Session
The Chairman invited comments from the floor. It was requested that in future the agenda and papers for the AGM should be circulated in advance so that Friends can attend properly prepared.
Freda Mulvaney from Weymouth spoke about the long history of trying to introduce a service there and about the temporary night shelter that the Council had to open in the Elim Church this winter for two spells of a week and of 4 days, entirely staffed by volunteers. She thanked the Hub Trustees for their support and hopes that now we will go forward together in Weymouth.
The meeting closed at 6.50 p.m.