The Master, Canon Barry Fry, supported by the Honorary General Secretary Robert Cater, the Honorary General Treasurer Michael Bubb and Minute Secretary Francis Mitchell, opened the meeting at 10. 16 a.m. with a prayer. He welcomed everybody, especially those attending for the first time.
The others attending were:
Andrew Banks, Andrew Byford, Gail Cater also for Winchester District Secretary, Chris Caryer for Andover District Secretary, Val Cleaver, Andrew Craddock, John Croft for Winchester District Rep, John Davey, Mark Esbester, Ann Fraser, June Mitchell for IOW District Rep, Brian Oakes, Marion Ponsford A&P Assistant Sec. for A&P District Secretary, Tony Smith, Jack Walters, Phil Watts, Mike Winterbourne, Margaret Wolverson.
Ben Constant, Gilian Davis, David Forder, Christine Hill, Alan Hoar, Wendy Ling, Maureen Kelly, Barbara Townsend, Martin Waldron, David Weir, Valerie Williams,
Sonia Doe of Fawley, Harold Milford of Southwick.
Minutes of the meeting held on 2 March 2002 were accepted and signed by the Master as a true record.
Tony Smith reported that Rev. David Cawley had revisited the Channel Islands to take more photographs and another revision of the text was expected early next year.
Matthew Higby had been approached for Elm for the headstock. Graham Grant had offered to construct the frame for the half cwt Warner bell to be used for demonstration and teaching purposes.
The Guild did not enter a team this year due to other commitments.
Bob Cater reported little response from the Districts on how to celebrate this event.
Suggestions from the meeting were:
Ring 125 Peals or Quarters during the year, compositions of 5125 changes are requested;
A possible reissue of the Centenary record, Ian McCallion has the tracks;
A joint celebration with The Guildford Diocesan Guild;
A tower project be adopted by the Guild as an anniversary project;
Services at one or both Cathedrals.
Guild officers are requested to think about these and any other suggestions.
The Hon Gen Sec will ask Districts to consider this at their Annual District Meetings.
Following June Mitchell’s resignation from the BRF Fundraising committee, Bob Cater had contacted Peter and Wendy Claridge. Neither was willing to take on the role of Convenor and in fact wished to come off the committee, though they offered to help with fund raising ventures in the future.
In the absence of a committee, an important need is for someone to organise the ordering and distribution of Guild garments. Districts will be asked to assist in this search. June Mitchell offered to resume this role if absolutely no-one else could be found, preferably resident on the mainland.
Jack Walters had made several attempts to contact the new Chairman and staff at the Ringing World about obtaining annual copies of The Ringing World on CD-ROM. He had eventually received the reply that nothing is happening on this at present.
There was none reported from the Districts.
Tony Smith will be sending the Tower forms to the Districts shortly. He commended the Portsmouth District’s example of distributing them to Tower Secretaries with a stamped envelope addressed to himself for direct return to the Report Editor.
He requested that reports prepared electronically be transmitted to him in electronic form to save retyping and asked for District Treasurers to be encouraged to return the member lists as soon as possible after the last District meeting of the year.
Andy Byford’s report had been circulated with the Agenda. It was accepted with a minor correction.
Margaret Wolverson’s report had been circulated with the Agenda. It was accepted with “mainland” replaced by “UK” in recognition of the Mid week meetings annual visit to the Isle of Wight.
The Social Committee accounts were deferred to the next Exec meeting.
The following bids were approved:
| i. | Librarian & Archivist | £75 | ||
| ii. | Report Editor | £50 (Last year’s budget was not used) | ||
| iii. | Education Committee | £50 (The committee did aim to be self financing) | ||
| iv. | Striking Competitions Committee | £20 | ||
| v. | BSC | zero budget requested. | ||
| vi. | BRF FRC | £20 (to permit possible resumption of committee activity) | ||
| vii. | PR Committee | £230 |
Mark Esbester outlined an urgent grant application for repairs to the five at St Nicholas Leckford. The work entailed tightening of the frame and fittings, the repair or replacement of the tenor pulley block, painting the iron & steelwork, refurbishment of all the clapper assemblies and cleaning out the bell chamber. The work is to be carried out by Nicholson Engineering and the total cost is £2820. The trustees recommended a grant of £350 from the BRF, which was accepted by the Executive.
The trustees had discussed the bell stock survey, begun by the BSC in 1997. By 1999 around 50 completed forms had been returned. Completion of this survey of the bells and fittings around the Guild would be most useful in future planning; one of the duties of the trustees in view of the charitable status of the BRF is to try to ensure that sufficient funds are available for future restoration and repair work.
The trustees, in liaison with the BSC, were therefore looking for one or more volunteers to take on the task of completing the survey. It was recognised that this would take some time; further forms will need to be sent to towers from which a reply has not yet been received and some help in the completion of the forms might be required in some cases. Perhaps this could be completed in our 125th year?
Mike Bubb had prepared a paper issued with the Agenda together with advice from The Central Council and information on the reform of the Charity Commission.
Financial benefits could be up to £1,800 pa, if all members cooperate with the need for more detailed membership records, though a lower benefit was estimated. A rule change would be needed covering disposal of assets if the Guild were wound up.
Trading aspects should not be a problem as trading in the Guild would be below the £5,000 limit. Feedback from the Treasurer of the Gloucester & Bristol Association, which was registered as a Charity, indicated no extra problems, once it had all settled down to Business As Usual. It was confirmed that the change was irreversible, “Once a Charity, always a Charity”.
A small group was set up to define possible structure changes which would be needed if the Guild was to register as a Charity, comprising Mike Bubb, Bob Cater, Tony Smith, Mark Esbester and selected experts as required.
In recent years several Peals had been referred to the AGM for acceptance as being rung for the Guild, as they did not conform to the rules for tower elections. Tony Smith had prepared a paper on possible clarifications of the rules, which had been circulated with the Agenda.
The meeting agreed that Tony Smith should draft changes to the Guild rules as outlined in his paper to avoid unintentional breaches of the rules, and possible undesirable exploitation of weaknesses in the current rules.
Publicity has been received for this at Lincoln Showground near Grantham. Districts are encouraged to arrange coach trips to this worthwhile and ever growing event.
Although the PRC is willing to take the Guild Display Stand again, this had not been requested by the Central Council as it had in 2001 and was not thought financially worthwhile for the Guild to display it so far away. The PRC were advised to target local events instead. Francis Mitchell is taking bookings for the Stand in 2003 (01489 893408). Phil Watts agreed to try and obtain the posters on CD for future use by the PRC.
The Dinner is at Winchester Cathedral Refectory again in 2003. It was pointed out that in 2004 there may be a different date as part of the Guild’s 125th Anniversary celebrations, and in 2005 the Guild Dinner would be held as part of the Channel Islands Festival, on a date to be advised by the Channel Islands District (before the next Exec meeting please).
The 6 and 8 bell Tower competitions will be held on 17 May 2003. The Inter District competition will again be held on the morning of the AGM day, 5 July 2003 on The Isle of Wight.
This is being organised by the Isle of Wight District for Saturday 5 July 2003. June Mitchell offered to remind the District Secretary that AGM details would soon be required.
Mike Winterbourne thanked all current and future helpers. The Education dates for 2003 have been widely circulated already:
| 1 March | Basingstoke | |
| 29 March | Bishop’s Waltham | |
| 25 Oct | Andover | |
| 15 Nov | Hawkley |
The Guild will be hosting this 10 Bell competition next year on 13 Sept. at East Meon. Andy Byford will make the local arrangements assisted by other Guild officers.
These were agreed as Saturday 8 March 2003 and 22 November 2003 at St Barnabas Church Hall, at 10.15 a.m.
The Master, Canon Barry Fry congratulated Barry Downer of Isle of Wight District on his ordination as Deacon.
Bob Cater has not yet received a reply to his post-AGM letter to the Winchester Diocesan Secretary regarding De minimus Faculty provisions.
Mike Winterbourne, Ringing World Director, presented Gail Cater with an enlarged copy of the photo of the final Sparsholt Course, including Gail and Bob, from the front page of the Ringing World. Bob Cater pointed out that the Guild BRF and towers used by the Sparsholt Course had benefited by approx. £1,000 a year.
Chris Caryer commented on the poor attendance at the AGM in Basingstoke and the evening social event, which was disappointing for the District officers and members who had organised it. During a lively discussion, various views were expressed:
There was a general decrease in attendance at all sorts of meetings, not just ringing;
The changed decision making process in the Guild now put more emphasis on the Districts, some of which were thriving with more active members than some other Guilds;
A quicker turnover in District officials means there is a need for more guidance on how the Guild works and what is required from each post. Francis Mitchell volunteered the PRC to review a previous Newsletter article on Guild Resources to see if it could be updated and made available on the Guild website.
There being no further business, the Master closed the meeting with a prayer at 12.10 p.m. and invited those present to ring on the new light six at St Barnabas, which had been installed and dedicated since the last Exec meeting.