Caversham Working Men’s Social Club
Minutes of the 113th Annual General Meeting on 25th May 2022
The President opened the Meeting at 8pm, with 38 members attended.
Top Table: Mark Ferriss, Steve Dargie, Maurice Hawkins, Dave Alder, Col Main
President asked the Members to stand as a mark of respect for the passing of:
Edward Ayres – Roy Wheeler - Gordon Svenson – David Dowden – Jesse Burnell – Eric Tipper – Andy Brown
Apologies for Absence: Ron Doe – Glen Rothwell – Dave Brown – Arnold Lambert
Mins of last Meeting, 2021. These were read & passed by a show of hands, and there were no matters arising.
Proposed: M Howarth
Seconded: R Hine
Presentation of the Balance Sheets by Treasurer: Mark Ferriss
Treasurers Report 31st December 2021 Accounts
Please see Appendix D for full report.
· Recovery due to COVID started slowly but did improve as the year went on with sales in Nov/Dec around 78% of the same period in 2019.
· Turnover for the year improved to £124,167, yielding a gross profit of £68,681 and a gross margin of 55.31% compared to 42.87% 2020 and 50.50% 2019. £15,000 of the increased margin related to the temporary VAT saving where the government reduced Vat from 20% to 5% from May to December 2021. Without this gross margin would be 43% this is due to the sharp increase in costs affecting the industry. The club has had to counter this by implementing price increases in December.
· The club received further government support in 2021 of £31,599, other income was modest at £13,876 (£56k 2019) as the club waived membership fees for the existing members from 2020 and games machines income was low at only £7,037.
· Gross income amounted to £114,156 compared to £79,458 in 2020 but £179k 2019.
· Despite cost control efforts Expenditure increased back to 2019 levels at £146,864, mostly due to the raft of increased costs across the board. The resulting loss for the year amounted to £32,708.
· The bank and cash assets fell by £22,740, fixed assets depreciated by £6,484, stock increased by £6,992, the remaining £10,476 being the net increase in net creditors.
· The club still maintains a strong balance sheet with £131,736 net assets.
· The trading of the club has continued to improve into 2022 as the club returns to the pre covid levels of trade. Price increases have offset some of the cost increases but the club still needs to maintain high levels of footfall to achieve breakeven levels.
Proposed: G Cleal
Seconded: B Kukstas
There were questions from the floor. Please see Appendix A for full details.
The President commented that the committee is working extremely effectively, sharing the work load well, and should be commended for their reaction to changes required.
President’s Comments Steve Dargie
· The last 2 years have been tough.
· However, we still have an incredibly healthy bank balance
· Our large balance is a more cause for concern as we are a non-profit organisation which has caused us to being investigated for possible corporation tax.
· We are still having a steady influx of new members.
· The last five or six months shows everybody on the committee, bar staff, secretary are giving you 150%. Special thanks to those involved.
· The President had no cause for concerns on the viability of the club.
Chairman’s Comments Maurice Hawkins
· Thanks to the Committee for continuing to do an excellent job organising functions, running functions and generally making sure we are the well-run club that we are. They are a pleasure to work with and their exceptional effort should be commended.
· More events were organised then in the last couple of years, it was good to see the Goodwood trip back on the agenda.
· It is noted that we do have a large membership but we do not always see the footfall from them. Which is a shame.
· We still have all the usual sports and card activities, and now have an extra darts night on Thursdays which is a real financial input to the club.
· Special thanks to Dave Colohan for keeping the ticker tape message board up to date with challenging out of date software.
· Thank you to all of the Members, the ones that are here and the ones that aren't.
· It was with great affection that the Chairman proposed Bill Kukstas as an Honorary Club member for his many years of service to the club. This was unanimously agreed.
Secretary Comments. Dave Alder
Please see Appendix B for full report.
Thanks to Steve D and Maurice H, Mark F, and everyone on the committee for their support on a number of issues throughout the last 8 months
Special thank you to Dutchy for all that he has done for the club, who will be standing down from the committee
Special thanks to Col M, for his tireless work behind the scenes as Assistant Secretary.
Huge thanks to the bar staff for their continued hard work and their dedication to the club and its members – They are of course the front-line workers who continue to serve the members with a warm and welcoming approach
Thanks also to Bill Kukstas for his continuing advice.
Dave A informed the membership on the reasons to change brewery's from Green King to Carlsberg/Marstons and updated the membership on the initial delivery issues.
Dave A informed the membership on the increase in footfall and the increase in functions that provided a financial benefit to the club.
Dave A informed the membership on the continuous, cleanliness of the club, improvements to the club and its facilities, improved communication with the members – zero tolerance on the use of unwanted bad language, racism, sexist inuendo’s and the using of drugs.
Dave A requested a round of applause for all staff and volunteers who make the club a special place to visit.
Dave A summed up by agreeing with Mark F on the continued healthy club finances, strong membership, strong bar staff, strong committee. Plus, a president, a chairman, a treasurer, with strong beliefs and views that steady the ship and keep it on course.
Dave A declared the mantra, use it or lose it. With the membership’s continued support, the club with remain strong and independent.
Assistant Secretary’s Comments: Col Main
Please see Appendix C for full report.
· Membership, currently have 662 members, with 53 waiting.
· Joining process enhanced to allow for multiple intakes per month.
· Communication improved via a blog to allow those 120 members without email to access club communications.
· The publishing of Committee Meeting minutes is under investigation with a view to publishing non sensitive information.
Election of Officers
The following officers were elected unanimously:
- President: Steve Dargie
Seconded: Guy Cleall
- Vice President: Keith Breadmore
Seconded: C Payne
- Trustees: B. Matthew, P. Kay, A. Lambert
Proposed: M Hawkins
Seconded: Guy Cleall
Election of Auditors: The Treasurer proposed that we continue to use Vale and West – this was voted unanimously.
Proposed: Col Main
Seconded: Mark Ferriss
Election of Committee
There were 6 vacancies available on the general committee. 8 applied, a ballot was taken, and the following members were voted on:
- Two year positions:
- Richard HINE.
- Adrian GARDINER,
- Steve JAMES,
- Andy THUMWOOD,
- John NUTT
- Steve HORWOOD
- Unsuccessful were
- Rob Key
- Andy Svenson
AOB –
Q: Are the number of people at events monitored and do we do Fire Risk Assessment and drills?
A: The numbers are not actually counted but an overview is taken at the event. A Fire Risk Assessment is done regularly. We are also planning further training for staff.
Meeting Ends: 9.22pm
Appendix A: Questions to the Treasurer
Q: Why did we have £12,000 worth of stock in December, I.e. 6 weeks worth of stock.
A: The stock was valued at value, and was not really £12,000 as some had been sold which accounts for the approx. £8000 in the safe. It was a timing issue on the accounts. The £8000 would not normally be held in the safe but as it was Christmas and the banks closed we could not deposit.
Q: I assume that the losses of the stock on the accounts were base stock losses in the previous year from write off?
A: Yes
Q: How much of the grants were for furlough, and how much was Council grant?
A: The grant from the Council was in around £10,000. Furlough was the balance.
Q2: Would it be better to show these separately on the accounts to avoid questions?
A: Acknowledged.
Q: Why were members subscriptions so different in 2020/2021?
A: Fees were waived for 2021. Those fees shown were only for new members.
Q: Why are we cancelling the BT sports tv when it would be cheaper to cancel Sky?
A: BT does not show much sport and is poorly attended, Sky has more football matches and lots of other sports. Note: we received 5 months off Sky.
Q: Why were the electricity bills still high even though the club was closed?
A: We still had to come in and turn lights on and work behind the scenes. It is expected that the next bill will be in the region of £20,000 due to price increases.
Q: Have we investigated solar panels?
A: Yes. Unfortunately, the sun does not hit our roof enough.
Q: If the finances are good then why do we close early on Sunday nights?
A: The footfall is erratic and at this time does not make sense to open those hours as generally it’s a big loss. The committee is always tweaking opening times and options to make us as cost efficient as possible.
Appendix B: Secretary’s Full Report
Thank you for coming
First of all
My thanks to
Steve Dargie and Maurice Hawkins for their support on a number of issues throughout the last 8 months
Mark Ferriss for continuing to answer his phone when I need guidance or understanding of various issues – I now have him on speed dial
Everyone on the committee for their continued support – I believe that Dutchy will not be standing for re-election due to personal changes – so a special thankyou to him for all that he has done for the club.
Special thanks to Colin, for his tireless work behind the scenes – he has made a number of changes concerning the membership – these changes have been for the greater good of the club and have been well received by everyone – Colin will elaborate on that a little later on
My thanks to the bar staff for their continued hard work and their dedication to the club and its members – They are of course the front-line workers who continue to serve the members with a warm and welcoming approach
Thanks also to Bill Kukstas for his continued involvement and support for this club – his ideology and open mindedness is to be admired, always thinking of ways to attract the members into the club, not just to improve the takings behind the bar, but to give a little something back to the members
At the last AGM I said we would have to make some changes and decisions that not everyone would be happy about, as I turns out, I was right, what I didn’t realize was, that I would be the one to be unhappy about a decision that the committee and I made, to reduce the cost of purchasing our beer supplies, switching from Greene King to Marston’s was, in my mind, a no brainer decision, savings on the cost of supplies was the major factor in doing so, as of January this year, our new supplier, Marston’s, made their first delivery, some of the order was not supplied, this has continued to be the trend, meaning the transition has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride, and continues to be just that, although I have to be honest and say, I do see the finishing line at the end of the ride.
In 2021 Carlsberg and Marston’s agreed to join together to create one company. The amalgamation of these breweries began in December 2021, around the time we decided to go with Marston’s,
The amalgamation has been somewhat of a hiatus. Deliveries have been shambolic at times, and if I’d had any hair, I would have torn it out. This has meant that, a number of members have complained that a shortage of some beers has been entirely unacceptable, and rightly so, however, I have worked and continue to work tirelessly with the brewery representative to improve on the delivery of our beer, leading to vast improvements, but still not perfect in any way, and I ask that you be patient for a little longer because I know, that the brewery has made these improvements and continue to do so.
The number of members coming into the club since our last AGM in September, has shown a significant increase, with many events returning, such as, Bar Billiards – Darts – Crib – Quiz nights – Fish & Chip nights – Music nights – Goodwood back on the agenda - the increasing number of members using the snooker room, and of course, the amount of Saturday night functions from the private sector, all of these events in one way or another has improved our ability to sustain the running of the club, and long may it continue.
We are always looking to improve on the overall experience of being a member of this club.
Social committee events – the continuation of members night every Friday – the cleanliness of the club – improvements to the club and its facilities – improved communication with the members – zero tolerance on the use of unwanted bad language, racism, sexist inuendo’s and the using of drugs, all these factors have led to a friendly and pleasant experience for our members, it also means, that the membership has been sustained at a good level, and may even grow over the course of 2022
I am happy with the way the club is being run, and with the people who run it, this includes those who are not able to become members, or to even be recognized for their incredible work that you, the members never get to hear about, one of my goals for this year, is to see that those heroines get the recognition they deserve, and although most of you hear don’t know who they are, they still deserve a round of applause from those present.
So where does this all leave us as a club – well, as Mark has said, we are financially sound – we have a strong base for membership – we have a committee, dedicated to the future success of this club – bar staff who are second to none – a president, a chairman, a treasurer, with strong beliefs and views that steady the ship and keep it on coarse, Two secretaries with strong work ethics and a commitment to see the job through – we have a membership, who support the club fully. Last year I said every club has a mantra above its door – use it or lose it – it seems that you have chosen to use it - and with your continued support, the club with remain strong and independent from outside sources.
Returns to the pre covid levels of trade. Price increases have offset some of the cost increases but the club still needs to maintain high levels of footfall to achieve breakeven levels.
Appendix C: Assistant Secretary’s Full Report
· Membership
We currently have 662 members.
We have 53 people who have applied to join and been accepted but have not yet arranged their intake meeting.
The new applicant process has been enhanced to allow for 3 intake meetings per month. All intake meeting dates for the year are set and available for all members
· Communication
It had been mentioned last year that our communication via emails was missing approximately 120 members per year due to bad emails are members without emails.
This has been addressed by the creation of a new internet club communication web service, referred to as a Blog. This service has all of our web site information plus all of the emails that have been sent to members.
It has been suggested by some of the members to publish the committee meeting minutes to allow the membership to know the details of the committee meetings. Due to some sensitive discussion around personal and private issues the committee cannot publish all that is discussed at the meetings. However, the committee have agreed to publish a redacted set of minutes that we hope will address the request. Details such as social, sports, building and member requests will be made available.
Appendix D: Treasurers Report 31st December 2021 Accounts Full Report
The Covid-19 Pandemic continued to have marked effect on the hospitality industry well in to the 2021 year. The club was only able to open its doors again to its members in May, a closure of 14 months. Recovery started slowly but did improve as the year went on with sales in Nov/Dec around 78% of the same period in 2019.
Turnover for the year improved to £124,167, yielding a gross profit of £68,681 and a gross margin of 55.31% compared to 42.87% 2020 and 50.50% 2019. £15,000 of the increased margin related to the temporary VAT saving where the government reduced Vat from 20% to 5% from May to December 2021. Without this gross margin would be 43% this is due to the sharp increase in costs affecting the industry. The club has had to counter this by implementing price increases in December.
The club received further government support in 2021 of £31,599, other income was modest at £13,876 (£56k 2019) as the club waived membership fees for the existing members from 2020 and games machines income was low at only £7,037.
Gross income amounted to £114,156 compared to £79,458 in 2020 but £179k 2019.
Despite cost control efforts Expenditure increased back to 2019 levels at £146,864, mostly due to the raft of increased costs across the board. The resulting loss for the year amounted to £32,708.
The bank and cash assets fell by £22,740, fixed assets depreciated by £6,484, stock increased by £6,992, the remaining £10,476 being the net increase in net creditors.
The club still maintains a strong balance sheet with £131,736 net assets.
The trading of the club has continued to improve into 2022 as the club returns to the pre covid levels of trade. Price increases have offset some of the cost increases but the club still needs to maintain high levels of footfall to achieve breakeven levels.
Proposed: G Cleal
Seconded: B Kukstas
There were questions from the floor. Please see Appendix A for full details.
The President commented that the committee is working extremely effectively, sharing the work load well, and should be commended for their reaction to changes required.
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