News-Letter 2002-3
Firstly, May I, and on behalf of the Committee, welcome you into the new Season with Mouldon Hill A/C. If you were a Member last Season and have since renewed for 2002/3, then we would like to thank you for your continued Membership, help and support in the aid of improving the Club.
However, if this is your first Season with Mouldon Hill A/C then we would like to welcome you and thank you for joining, with the hope that you have many pleasurable fishing days at Mouldon Hill Lake and on the River Cole (BCA Water).
Slowly moving onto the Newsletter, you will notice, that I have put it all into ‘chapter form’. This being with the hope, that I don’t miss anything out and is as informative as possible.
Club Booklet / Permit and Logo
If you joined the club in previous seasons, you will notice that I’ve finally managed to get rid of all that loose ‘A4 size paper’ I use to send out for membership info-, and replaced it with a pocket-sized booklet. Hopefully it’s to everyone’s liking and is readable! If you have any more ideas to improve it further for next season, please let me know.
One important point to remember, is the booklet is for information purposes only and that, it is your ‘Photo Permit Card’ that permits your ‘Fishing Rights’, which must be carried with you at all times whilst fishing.
Now we have a ‘Club Logo’, we are currently seeking quotes from firms, to have ‘T-Shirts’, ‘Caps’ and ‘Jackets’ etc, made up with the ‘Club Logo’ embroidered onto them. Hopefully this will not only help advertise the club, but also bring additional funds in.
Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2001/2
We had a good turnout at the AGM on Sunday 28th April 2002, which lasted well over two hours long. There was a lot to talk about, which took us right back to when the club first started in May 1999 and everything that had gone on in the previous Seasons.
As a lot of this is going to be covered within this Newsletter, I have only listed the more important issues below:
1. Members were informed that Swindon Borough Council (SBC) raised the Clubs ‘Annual Lease Fee’ by 5.8% for Season 1st April 2002 to 31st March 2003. Due to this increase and to aid the Clubs financial position to help to improve the Club further. It was decided to;
2. Increase Membership Fees for Season 2002/3 as follows:
Senior Renewals £8.00 and Senior New Members £13.00, both increased by £3 from last Season. Junior Membership stayed the same at only £1.00 and also Day Tickets stayed the same at £3.50 for Seniors and £1.75 for Juniors & O.A.P’s. All Members present, ‘Agreed’.
3. In addition to the ‘Membership Fee increase’ it was also decided to alter the Clubs Fishing Season, which originally ran from 16th June to 15th June the following year. This has now been changed to run from 1st April to 31st March each year. By having done this, it will now bring the Club inline with SBC’s Tax Year and will simplify the Club Accounts for when we have to pay the Lease Fees/Insurance Fees and handing over an Annual Balance Sheet to the Council once a year. All Members present, ‘Agreed’.
4. The Membership limit was also increased from 130 to 200. Due to Insurance purposes, this is the Clubs limit it can go to, unless Insurance Fees are increased! By increasing the limit to this figure, it is hoped it will now ease the waiting list for Members who wish to join the Club. All Members present, ‘Agreed’.
5. Since the ‘Swindon Angling Festival’ that has now finished and due to it not taking place last year. It was requested by SBC, at the ‘Swindon Fisheries Management Group’ (SFMG) meeting, that all Swindon Angling Clubs within the SFMG had to pay an additional £80.00 on top of their Clubs Annual Lease Fees for Season 2001/2.
If you are new to the angling scene or have not heard of the Swindon Angling Festival or the SFMG – To inform you in brief; The SFMG is a group meeting held once a month between delegate Members of all the Angling Clubs ‘SBC Leased Waters’ to help resolve problems and improve the Clubs on hopefully mutual and equal terms, also with the aid of a Council member being present each month, that myself and Mark Hawkins (our Club Chairman) attend.
A few years ago, the delegates of the SFMG started up the ‘Swindon Angling Festival’ to be run once a year, whereby the Angling Clubs would enter a team into a series of matches on each of the Clubs Waters. From the running of this event, a percentage of the proceeds would go to the Council. And in return each year the event was held, SBC would give each Club a reducement of the Club ‘Lease Fees’ for that year.
Hence the reason, why our Club had to pay an additional £80 on the ‘Lease Fee’ for the end of last Season, because the Festival wasn’t run!
By reading this, you may well have guessed? It may also mean our Club Lease Fees will continue to be increased by this figure each year, on top of the usual Annual increase that SBC introduce on an annual basis anyway. That could mean a possible increase of upto 8.0% unless the SFMG can come up with another idea like the ‘Swindon Angling Festival’...
6. Finally on the AGM, two new Members joined the Club Committee, named Mike Hawker and Martin Mayall. So far, their help has been invaluable to the Club and our thanks from the Committee goes to them for their help so far, in helping to improve the Club further. Which now brings me onto the vacancies.
7. We currently require three more Members to join the Committee (one filling the position of Match Secretary) to bring the number upto twelve. So, if your interested in playing a major role as a Committee Member in helping to develop the Club further, then please give me a ring. We meet once a month on a Sunday evening at 7.30pm at the ‘Ferndale Workman’s Club’, Gorse Hill. Book Club Association (BCA) A/C
During last Season Club Member Mick Flynn approached the Committee with an invitement for our Club to join in some form of amalgamation, with an Angling Club he and nineteen other Members run, called ‘Book Club Associates A/C’, (BCA). BCA currently have a private lease of the River Cole just outside of Highworth where they also hold Club Matches.
After much discussion, it was decided that, both Clubs could operate a straightforward ‘Ticket Exchange System’. Whereby, Members of either Club would only need to produce their Club Cards to fish either of the Club Venues. In addition, all Members could participate on either Clubs Matches (subject to pegging limits!).
Since our Clubs involvement with BCA has worked very well, the same arrangements have been carried over into Season 2002/3. But please remember, that whilst you can fish Mouldon Hill Lake all year round, there is a ‘Close Season’ on the River Cole and you can only fish it from 16th June to 14th March the following year.
Regards, Kevin Maddison (Club Secretary)
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