Business meeting

President Janice chaired her first business meeting as President today - online.

After we approved the minutes of the last meeting, Bob Booker presented his reports as Treasurer. We have a reasonable sum in Club General Funds at the end of July following the receipt of most members’ subscriptions and the payment of our RIBI and District levies. The balance in the Raffle Fund also increased after many members caught up with the payments for raffle tickets that they should have been paying while meetings are held online.

We were able to pay £2,452.89 to Families InFocus, Francis Whitbread’s chosen charity for his year as President. We already hold £565.00 in the President’s Charity Fund for this year as a result of the donations members have made out of the sums they have saved by not having to pay for Club lunches.

The Club Administration Committee reported that attendance at meetings during June was better than it had been last year, despite or because of the lockdown. For the time being meetings will continue online. There is a physical meeting scheduled for 22 October but this will be reviewed nearer the date. (The business meeting did agree that our meeting on 20 August should be a picnic at Hylands Park, weather permitting.)

The Membership Committee and the Public Image Committee are to be merged. The Chair of the Membership Committee, together with President Janice and her husband, did recently meet two potential new members, one of whom was previously a member of a Rotary Club in India.

The Foundation and International Committee had nothing to report. President Janice asked members to think of a fund-raising activity that could replace the annual Jazz Night the Club used to run.

Phil Goodman, the Chair of the Community and Vocational Committee, said it was unlikely that we would be able to organise a Senior Guests’ Trip to the Panto this year; it was doubtful that the Civic Theatre would put on a pantomime. However, it was hoped that we would be able to provide the Santa’s Grotto at the Frost Fair at Hylands House again.

Keith Otter, the Chair of the Youth Committee, said that this year he did not expect the Club to run any of the Rotary competitions requiring people to get together, although he was hoping to run a Special Young Chef competition for children with special needs in 2021. He would also try to generate interest in other Rotary competitions, such as Young Artist and Young Writer, and to find a candidate for a Young Citizens award.

We discussed whether, once the lockdown has eased sufficiently for us to hold regular physical meetings again, we should use as our venue the Chelmsford Rugby Club, the Ivy Hill Hotel or both. The Secretary agreed to canvass the members.