News - September 2020 (part 2)

Our 2020 AGM was due around the end of October (the 2019 AGM was held on 5th November) however we are unable to hold a full AGM under the present covid restrictions.

Our constitution allows for a maximum of 15 months between AGMs before we have to report back to the Charity Commission so we have until 5th February 2021 as a deadline.

Membership renewal was due at the end of April so effectively we don't have any paid up members right now!

Of course, we can extend existing membership (currently 38) as long as we want however your committee has decided that membership fees will be due when the lease for the School House is signed or when our Greystone's Workshop fully re-opens, whichever is the sooner.

Taking on the new workshop at the School House will entail additional operating costs that we are not currently faced with including water, electricity, general maintenance, insurance etc

(Greystone's workshop is free to us other than the £1 attendance fee which is paid to the HCA and which goes towards the upkeep of Greystone's house).

We are unable to accurately calculate the running costs for the School House so based on an initial estimate, the committee has determined that membership fees for 2020-2021 will be £20.00 and the £1 per day attendance fee will also apply to the School House workshop although in this case, the £1 will be retained by CMS and set against our operating costs.

With say 40 members, membership will return £800 and 20 visits to the workshop per week over 50 weeks will generate a further £1000

(20 visits per week seems reasonable once we get the workshop set up as we were not far away from that level of attendance at Greystones)

In future years, it will be possible to revise membership and attendance fees (up or down) in line with actual operating costs.

As well as incurring additional expenditure and operating costs, taking on the School House workshop will mean a much greater workload for the existing (4) committee members and Trustees

We will therefore be looking for more of our members to step up and take on roles within the committee or to stand as Trustees.

Roles could include being involved with fundraising, workshop facilities, safeguarding, Health & Safety, community projects, building maintenance etc etc

If you feel that you could contribute in a role as a committee member or would like to stand as a Trustee of CMS, please let me or one of our other Trustees know.

Your Trustees who currently also fill all of the committee roles are:

Bob Mackinnon: Chair and Treasurer

John Pegram: Secretary and Membership

Chris Waddilove

Barry Atkinson