NAILSWORTH YOUTH & COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE 

Minutes of Annual General Meeting held on  Wednesday 20th November 2024 at 7-00pm

Upstairs Meeting Room, Nailsworth Subscription Rooms, GL6 0HH

Present: Jonathan Duckworth (JD) Chair, Tracy Shipp (TS) Treasurer, Les Haines (LH) Secretary, Fern Bratby (FB), Mark Peer (MP), Iain McIvor (IM), Fred Ashworth (FA), Dave Parker (DP),Claudia Weston (CW), Pam Brown (PB), Cliff Jordan (CJ), Cllr. Luke Stewart (LS), Deirdre Lister, Gavin Pond, Derek Pitt, Mark Smeaton, David Range. 

Apologies: Andy Hammond (and see Item 7 below)

1.   Welcome: Chair welcomed all to the 2024 AGM.                       

2.   Minutes of Previous Annual General Meeting 22^nd November 2023: The Minutes of last year’s AGM    

had been circulated soon after that meeting and approved by the trustees at their meeting on 31^st January.

3.  Matters Arising: There were no matters arising. 

4.   Chair’s Report - Jonathan Duckworth:

Introduction

This year has been more of a consolidation year, after the completion of larger projects last year. The new windows in the main building and the solar panels have each, in their way, changed and improved our building. They contribute by looking after the fabric of our building and also by reducing the ongoing costs of running the charity.   

 We have seen a change of government and if there is to be belt-tightening as a result of the Budget, we are well placed to weather it.

 Income has held up and costs are under control. This means that, in the absence of significant projects, we have a healthy surplus. It is perhaps something that the trustee body can do over the next year - look at opportunities and ways to use that surplus to further the charity's aims in the town.  

We were rightly concerned about the proposals for Martyn's Law and how it might affect us. This is the law that will require premises to look at their exposure to terrorist attack and how they would deal with such a thing. We would have found complying with this to be quite onerous and were not looking forward to it with any enthusiasm. We responded to a consultation and particularly pointed out that for smaller venues the proposals were inordinately burdensome. It does look like comments have been taken on board and we understand revised proposals will mean that we are too small to be covered under the new law. 

Trustees

We have continued with a committed team of skilled Trustees, to ensure that NYCE is meeting its Charitable Objects. 

 As Trustees we work to meet our charitable object, which is “the provision of facilities for education, in particular, but not exclusively, for young people resident in Nailsworth and the surrounding area through their leisure time activities”. The team has again worked successfully on governance, promotion and improvements.

Acting as unsalaried volunteers, Trustees exercise their legal responsibilities by reporting our activities and financial position to the Charity Commission and in carrying out their functions have devoted 100’s of hours of voluntary service this year. The Business Plan is monitored and reported on every 6 months.

With Deirdre stepping down last year, Tracy Shipp has taken over the reins of Treasurer.  

It has been a while since we had a change in the Trustee representation from the Town Council. The previous one is now chair, as you can see. The new council elected in May this year gave us an opportunity to have a new representative. We welcome our new Trustee Representative from the Town Council, Cllr Luke Stewart. We hope you enjoy your time on our trustee body.

Andy Hammond, who has enthusiastically represented the Phoenix Table Tennis Club is standing down, so we hope that Cliff will be able to take this role. Thank You, Andy. 

A big thank you to all Trustees; your enthusiasm and commitment is hugely important in making the Sub Rooms the success it is. 

Activities and works - in no particular order!

Billy Bragg gig. What a great event this was, with the PI Guitars success of a guitar completed in 12 hours, and a superb performance from Billy Bragg. This was a great showcase for the PI Guitars project. 

We’ve seen finishing the returns on the main hall windows. 

There was a project to sand and seal the main hall floor, and apply new court lines to the floor. 

Our solar panels have been followed by solar panels for the workshops and they have also installed an external dust extractor.

The area from the lane to the tennis courts had been resurfaced with aggregate, but the surface was not weathering well. Further treatment of finer aggregate has been applied and that seems to have resolved the problem.

Tracy, Fred and Les supervised the trade stand at the annual Town Meeting, and there was a steady flow of people wishing to find out more about NYCE.

We received a report on the monkey puzzle tree. In a nutshell, the tree is fine, although it is ageing (with an advised future life of c30 years). It is recommended that we review it every two years.

We hosted a Nailsworth Town Council Liaison tour. The Mayor, Cllr Peter Bodkin, and Cllr Luke Stewart were given a tour of the building with explanation about the building, charity and users.

There have been working parties to keep the grounds and gardens in a tidy condition, and again thank you to all those involved.  

Thank you to everyone involved with this charity, the building and its activities. You all work hard to secure and enhance a wonderful community asset for Nailsworth.

5.   Statement of Accounts & Treasurer’s Report -Tracy Shipp:

5.1 2023/24 Accounts – the accounts have been circulated to trustees and show that income in the last year totalled £25,390 (2023: £22,234.6). In the current year we have spent £1,1971.25 on repairs to the building (2023: £42,962.86) 

There is a surplus of £44,062.62 (2023:£35,381.32) in the bank account at the time of writing this report. Detailed profit and loss accounts have also been circulated for the financial year to date and any further information can be given on request.

Again, thanks to all our partners including Phoenix Table-tennis, Community Workshops, Nailsworth Tennis Club, Circus Skills (School of Larks), Choir, Croc ‘n Roll, Tai Chi and Badminton.   

6.   Reports by Main User Groups: 

6.1 Tennis Club – Mark Peer, Chairman:

These last 12 months have been successful for the tennis club. The new surface on the two main courts continues to play well and is also enjoyed by visiting teams, two of which, Painswick and Redmarley, have visited with committee members to try out the surface for re-surfacing options for their own courts.  

Both main courts had an annual maintenance in April – sand replacement and moss kill treatment. We are actively looking to replace our floodlights with LED’s which will be far less expensive to run than the halogen ones we have now. LED lamps are gradually coming down in price and new lamp designs are being produced. There is very little grant support around at this time so any upgrade to the lights will have to come from club funds or possibly loans. Our target for lighting upgrade is Spring 2025. Our next project after replacing the lights will be replacement of the perimeter fencing, some areas are breaking down and will need to be replaced in the not too distant future.

Our six adult teams had a great summer season in the county leagues, all three Men’s teams and our Ladies A won promotion. Ladies B finished in a comfortable mid-table position and our Ladies C although finishing bottom of their league, enjoyed their first season of competitive tennis, the majority of the squad not having previously played match tennis.

New coach, Shingi, has built up well-attended adult and junior sessions – four adult sessions on a Monday and three junior sessions on a Friday with 34 juniors attending over that three-session period. Demand is strong for more coaching and in the New Year there will be a further session on Saturday mornings.

Pickleball on the smaller 3^rd court has declined over latter weeks, due mainly to several injuries and the poor weather. In the summer months it was popular and we are holding a ‘pickleball open day’ in March next year.

The service road area repair by the south side gates to the courts is a huge improvement; the surface is holding up well and the large area of muddy puddles has been eliminated, certainly much appreciated by members walking in that way and no doubt the local residents who use the road.  

6.2 School of Larks – Claudia Weston, Leader:         

This has been a good year overall for School of Larks, especially since last summer 2023 when we were experiencing some financial difficulties. 

It is exactly a year since one of the directors left. It has been a very positive journey of change. There has been a little more work to do for the remaining staff, but the workplace has blossomed into a friendly and nurturing environment. We have also initiated more live performances in the form of showcases where our more advanced students and some of our teachers have performed. The last showcase raised £450 for Doctors without Borders charity.

We have been doing regular after school circus clubs with local schools funded by Stroud Town Council; we have continued work with GARAS, The Nelson Trust and Allsorts. We’ve just applied for funding to deliver circus skills workshop courses in nursing homes for the elderly residents as some very positive benefits have been shown by other circus skill schools offering similar programmes.

Last weekend we were very involved in the Festival of Wonder in St Laurence’s Church in Stroud, performing a show and Claudia led a 3.5 hour workshop which culminated in 24 young people (many who had never done any circus) delivering a 15-minute performance.

Our regular classes are picking up numbers-wise and the two Thursday classes, which were floundering and were looking like they might have to be cancelled, are now running healthily.

Lastly, we are running one of our Christmas HAF (Holiday Activity and Food - aimed at children who get free school meals) sessions in this venue. Oh, and this Sunday we have Poppy Plowman coming to do three tightrope master-class workshops with us. 

6.3 Community Workshops – Pam Brown, Administrator: 

The last year has been much the same as previous years with the teaching groups and opportunities – Men’s Shed, Pi Guitars, Cotswold Chine, Home Education, Production Workshop and an open teaching session for all – with numbers staying good.

We have also had many weekend courses to make bows, craft knives, automita and stained glass.

This year we felt that after 15 years we needed a new website and commissioned Mark Epton to refresh and renew the one he had made for us all those years ago.

Last Christmas saw us attend three Christmas markets where we sold the products made in the workshop and spread the word about the Community Workshops. This is a vital part of the production workshop as it helps students feel good about what they have made, seeing they are valuable to others.

Pi Guitars has had some new volunteers to join them and continues to make beautiful guitars. There was a great celebration in February when they undertook to make a guitar in 12 hours and then hold a concert in the hall at the end with Billy Bragg using the guitar for a whole concert. The evening started with four different guitarists playing Pi guitars and ended with the two hour concert by Billy. The whole experience was memorable and the evening concert attracted an audience of 150 who gave wonderful feedback. 

They are still developing new models and now have a bass and an Acusta Pi to add to the selection. We went to two guitar shows, one in London and one in Bristol and many of the volunteers came with us. We also donated a guitar to the Changing Tunes project based in Eastwood Park Women’s Prison.

We also use the theme of guitars for the Chine’s Teens in the Shed year and they took one they made to a small music charity in Bristol. They all went to Bristol to give the guitar over – a great way for them to see the value of their work and see that part of the process to the end.

We continue to offer the chance for couples to make each other wedding rings and have been a part of two couples’ journeys this year.

I’m very happy to report that this year we put solar panels up for the workshop and are reaping the benefits of cheaper electricity as a result. We were lucky enough to have half of the costs paid by a grant from Stroud District Council making the installation even more cost-effective to us. 

Finally, we have had a couple of gigs in the workshop where we open to the community in a different way. The last gig a few weeks ago was the residents of Church Street outing. All in all, a great year for the Workshops.  

6.4 Phoenix Table-tennis – Cliff Jordan, Leader:

This has been a great year for the Club and notable achievements include:

• there are now 8 Stroud League teams (up from 6 last year) and they started a totally junior team in the League and they are currently sitting mid-table
• the club’s emphasis on coaching has made it one of the ‘leading lights’ in the South-west region for table tennis development via our league teams
• coaching opportunities have been extended into Sir William Romney, Deer Park and Malmesbury Secondary Schools and next year they add Westonbirt to that list with Sir Thomas Keble in the pipeline
• a Veteran’s team competes in the National league and have secured promotion from Div 4 to 3
• 4 of the 8 Stroud League teams are in Div 1
• Bat and Chat continues to thrive on Wednesday mornings – social interaction, chat, play and a ‘cuppa’ – anyone is invited to come along and get involved; they are literally ‘in a league of their own’. 

7.   Election of Trustees/ Co-opted Persons 2024/25: 

   7.1 Andy Hammond has today announced that he wishes to retire as a trustee forthwith. 

   Action: Secretary to write to him to thank him for all his hard work in rejuvenating the table tennis legacy 

   at the Subscription Rooms through the formation of the Phoenix club in 2010 which since then has had 

   remarkable success. (Actioned by LH on 21st November);

    7.2 All other trustees wish to serve for another year. Chair also welcomed Councillor Luke Stewart to the 

    team as the representative of Nailsworth Town Council. No other nominations for the role of trustee had 

    emerged. Trustees would welcome up to two co-opted supporters to help to manage the building. 

    Action: The Secretary will notify the Charity Commission of the two trustee changes.

8.  Election of Officers: 

8.1 The three serving Officers of the charity were happy to serve a further term and there were no other nominations for those positions. Therefore the list of Trustees and Officers for 2025 is a follows: 

    

Jonathan Duckworth	Chair
Tracy Shipp	Treasurer
Les Haines	Secretary
Fred Ashworth	Trustee
Fern Bratby	Trustee
Pam Brown	Trustee / Community Workshops
Cliff Jordan	Trustee / Phoenix Table-tennis
Iain McIvor	Trustee
Dave Parker	Trustee
Mark Peer	Trustee / Nailsworth Tennis Club
Claudia Weston	Trustee / School of Larks
Cllr. Luke Stewart	Trustee / Nailsworth Town Council
Vacancies x 2	Co-opted supporters

    

This amended list of trustees will be published on the Charity’s website and a notice will be displayed in the hall for the information of users and the general public.  

 9.  Any Questions / Comments:

9.1 Les Haines said it was appropriate to recognise and record the good work that Pam Brown consistently does in acting as the first point of contact for enquiries about booking space in the building and for her ready availability in dealing with issues and acting in liaison with trustees for swift actions to deal with any problems on site. The other trustees agreed with this sentiment and thanked Pam for all her efforts on behalf of the NYCE charity.

9.2  There being no further business, Chair brought the AGM to a close for the service of refreshments.

 

 Minutes of NYCE Committee Meeting held on Wednesday 9^th July 2025 

 at 7.00pm in Upper Meeting Room, Subscription Rooms 

 

Present: Jonathan Duckworth (JD), Chair; Tracy Shipp (TS), Treasurer; Les Haines (LH), Minutes; Fern Bratby (FB); Fred Ashworth (FA); Dave Parker (DP); Pam Brown (PB); Mark Peer (MP); Cliff Jordan (CJ); Iain McIvor (IM); Mark Smeaton (MS) 

Apologies: Claudia Weston (CW); Cllr Luke Stewart (LS)

In attendance for Item 8 only: John Meletiou, Linda Meletiou

              Welcome: Chair welcomed everyone to the fourth meeting of 2025 

1. Minutes of Committee Meeting 14^th May 2025:

1.1 These having been circulated by email by LH on 16^th May were approved by Committee and signed by JD; to be added to our website.

1. Matters arising:

        2.1  (Item 2.1) Website development progress. JD and MS have conferred and made good

        progress regarding fresh ideas, style and content. As an example some excellent aerial photos were 

        shown to the committee. 

        Action: They will continue the work and additionally LH will provide some suitable content about 

         the legal / administrative side of the charity’s work for inclusion. Ongoing.   

        2.2  (Item 3.2 ii)  Report from the sub-group looking at alternative heating systems:

        DP summarised the work of the group since the last committee meeting thus:

        “There have been three meetings with external parties to explore the possibilities for alternative 

        forms of heating at the Subscription Rooms, namely:

• Peter Toth of PBT Installations Ltd (a supplier)
• Richard Erskine of Nailsworth Climate Action Network (CAN), an expert non-professional on heat pumps
• Neil Truphet, Amberley Church, Project Manager for all their recent major works including the newish community shop 

 All of them explained how heat pumps could be used successfully to provide heating but it was equally clear that additional forms of heating would be needed to cater for the varying needs of our different user groups (i.e. energetic sports–based versus more sedentary activities). The cost would be upwards of £16,000.

All three ‘advisers’ commented that our gas costs are ‘surprisingly low’ and two out of three suggested that we should retain our existing system.

Therefore, although we remain keen to reduce our carbon footprint and increase our green credentials at the present time there would appear to be no justification for the substantial capital outlay on heat pumps”. 

Committee supported the outcome about heat pumps; IM then brought further information forward about the cost benefits of an alternative system namely infra-red heating which produces localised more focussed heat. He has recent business experience of this method and would share this information firstly with the sub group for their consideration. 

Meeting continued the discussion about maximising the effectiveness of the solar installation by having a second battery fitted. DP reminded the meeting that we get 8p per kwh for each unit exported against a unit charge of 25p/26p. Our system installer was unable to give an exact cost / benefit analysis of a second battery. The cost would be £2,200 fitted.     

Actions: (i) As a first step IM to give details on infra-heating to the sub-group made up of JD, DP, LS and LH for their further research. Ongoing.   (ii) DP will write to Richard Erskine to thank him for his time and the advice given.

(iii) the meeting decided that we should go ahead in procuring a second battery to be fitted by our usual supplier. (DP will progress this procurement) 

        2.3  (Item 5.2) Clearing of shrubbery adjacent to tennis courts on east side. 

        Action: At the meeting MP and IM agreed that cutting back would be carried out using the services of 

        Steve McIver and others. 

        2.4  (Item 9.1) Update on the Acorn School request for room hire: 

        Action: PB said that since the last meeting committee members had been informed by email that an 

        opportunity had arisen to give Acorn some further space in the bookings schedule which did not impact 

        negatively on other users. A contract had been drawn up and was now in the hands of Acorn for them 

        to make a decision about taking up the offer. A change of senior leadership has slowed down progress 

        and we may not hear any more from them until September. PB remains the primary contact. 

           2.5  (Item 9.3) Information-sharing about setting up a new savings account:

        Committee members had researched and noted that there were a number of savings accounts 

        on the market offering in the region of 3.5% - 4% annual return. We are looking for a home, initially, 

        for £26,000 (the previously agreed contingency fund amount) without any withdrawal penalties. 

        Action: TS said we already have a dormant second account with Lloyds which she will look into. 

        It will be helpful to avoid the rigmarole of setting up a new account with a different provider requiring 

        new signatories etc. TS to progress and to report back.       

        2.6  (Item 9.4) Progress regarding Wifi set-up. PB and DP said that after a flurry of activity 

        immediately after  the last meeting demands from users for better wi-fi had receded. IM said that he 

        thought the current price for broadband should not exceed £30 per month. He also said that full fibre is 

        on its way to Nailsworth town centre. 

       Action: It was agreed to explore the issue further by CJ carrying out reception testing in the parts of 

        the building where better connectivity is required.  

1. Finance:

     3.1  TS reported that our current financial position was a balance of £50,992.73 with no      

     outstanding debts 

     3.2  Annual Accounts: a Profit and Loss Report for April 2024 to May 2025 had been circulated 

      by TS prior to the meeting which shows an operational surplus for the year of £7K+.

     TS has been liaising with our book-keeper DL about completion of NYCE’s Annual Accounts for 

     2024/25 and some progress has been made. 

     JD suggested that it would be useful to have reports to show  trends in our income / expenditure 

      ‘journey’. The Quickbooks accounting system is quite capable of producing reports to answer 

      such queries.  

      Actions: (ii) TS to continue to liaise with DL to enable the committee to receive the Accounts for 

      approval at the September meeting.

      (ii) JD to confer with TS to set the parameters for any further management reports.

     3.3  Utilities: (i) water (ii) gas (iii) electricity and solar energy;

     No negative issues to report.  

        Action: DP has recently produced and circulated a report showing energy costs for the first 6 

        months of 2025 plus a few days of July:- Electricity @ £364.89; Electricity exported @ £114.97; 

        Gas @ £680.98 (report also attached to these minutes as  Appendix A). 

1. Building:

        4.1  Replacement windows on lower ground floor. PB reported that she has managed to get an 

        estimate from Brian Griffiths, Windows Ltd, for £8,000 (no VAT charge) to install two windows at the 

       front and a window between the workshops and outer courtyard. The work can be scheduled for 

       about four weeks’ time which will fit into the workshops’ holiday closure period.  

        Action: Committee agreed to proceed with the work using that company. (PB and FB to manage 

        the process). 

        4.2  DP reported that he had installed a metal cigarette butt receptacle to the left of the side 

        entrance door for those few users who can’t kick the habit. The bucket has since been removed 

       from sight!  He has also fitted a hook and eye to hold the door. DP was thanked for his efforts.

        4.3  One other issue was brought to notice i.e. one of the three reinforced glass panes in the 

        upper meeting room overlooking the hall has been cracked (not known when or how this 

        occurred as no one has admitted doing it). 

        Action: This could be a job for Brian Griffiths to measure up when he comes on site next (FB / 

        PB to ask him for a quote for the work?)

        4.4 CJ said that some users were unable to open the windows to ventilate the main hall in this hot 

        weather because they are just out of reach. 

        Action: A step stool would be the answer. PB and CJ to source one (done).  

1  Grounds:

       5.1  Gardening / clearing tasks - LH said that one work party was carried out on 16th June; 

       additionally PB said that the large buddleia bush on the side pathway had been trimmed back by 

        workshops staff. Action: Working parties will continue on an ad hoc basis (LH).

 

1. Updates from User Groups:

        6.1  Tennis Club: MP reported: 

        “The tennis season is progressing well; due to the fine weather there has not been a single   

        postponed match for any of our six teams this season. 

        Being in Division 1 for both our Ladies and Men’s A teams is proving tough against strong opposition, mainly from larger county clubs, however Men’s B and C teams are looking good for promotion. Membership is healthy and ‘pickleball’ numbers have increased since the ‘open day’ in April.

2

 

       We have completed the electrical inspection for all the internal and external connections which are now certified for the next five years. Due to the change to LED’s we had to downsize some of the

       supply control components, such as the fuses, as the power draw is now not anywhere near what it was.

       Our next major expense will be the replacement of the perimeter fencing. The fencing is breaking down, in particular on the north and south sides of the main courts. Quotations will be obtained later this year. ‘Weldmesh’ coated replacement would be ideal, similar to that used at schools and leisure centre venues, stronger and longer lasting, however it may be too expensive. If that is the

       case, the club will look to replace with chain link as there is now”.   

 

       6.2  Phoenix Table-tennis; CJ reported:

       “Club Tuesday night sessions are still in progress and will be until the start of the Stroud TT Winter League at the end of September.

       Bat n Chat has ceased since injuries back in May; resumption date unknown, FB? 

       Friday morning club open TT practice is still very popular and will continue.

       Friday beginners Junior coached block booking sessions have been ongoing; the last session of 4 weeks will be starting on Friday 11^th before a possible break during the school holiday period of August. Hopefully to resume in September?

       Club advanced Junior and Senior Sessions coaching on Friday evenings (7 to 8.30pm) has been fairly popular and providing numbers are retained will continue until September but unlikely to continue when the new TT season starts.

       Saturday morning club sessions will continue but are likely to start at 10am (this is being looked at by the NPTTC committee). A requirement is that one or more of our committee are able to open and shut the club session. They will discuss and agree any change of times with NYCE through PB.

      The second and completing day of the TTE level-one coaches’ course will be on this coming Sunday 13^th July.

       The Stroud Development Committee has now managed to get a couple of extra new venues up and running so other than two day per week i.e. Thursdays and Sundays, there is table tennis available to adults and children within the Stroud League area, every night of the week. 

       Andy Hammond is now the new Chairman of the Stroud League Committee (previous Chair, John Bunn has now retired). I am the new Vice Chairman of the Gloucestershire County TT Committee. It is thus looking good for TT in our area and the county and ‘fingers crossed’ it will get even better!”   

            6.3  School of Larks - Circus Skills: CW says “we are coming in to the last week before the summer holidays. We have just done our end-of-year shows which had exactly 50 performers, aged 5 to 19. We did two sold-out performances and it went extremely well – the best yet. It included around 5 young people who are neuro-diverse in a very successful fashion. We are preparing for our summer holiday workshops and HAF workshops (holiday activity and food – aimed at children who get free school meals). We will be holding quite a few of these in the Subscription Rooms. Wishing everyone a good summer holidays – I will be visiting my mother in the Phillipines”.

       Action: CW asks for the badminton stands to be stored to the side as they are sometimes left blocking easy access to the mats.

      

        6.4   Community Workshops: PB reported:

       “ Since the last meeting we have been busy with the following as well as the usual groups viz:

• We made wedding rings with two different couples which is always a joy:
• We sold two guitars – one to FA’s grand-son and the other to a local man, David, who wanted to buy locally when he needed a new guitar. They spent a morning in the workshops trying out all the guitars before choosing the best one for them. We received a letter of appreciation which was wonderful for all the volunteers (and us) to read to know how much their work had been valued
• There have been two stained glass courses – one for the weekend and one for a day. Again part of our efforts to keep traditional crafts alive
• Last week we had Katie Jarvis from Cotswold Life magazine come into the workshops to see what we do and interview us and the volunteers to enable her to write an article on Pi Guitars and the workshops for their September edition
• Our next big event is Pi in the Sky music festival, which is being held on 2^nd August up on Luke’s land, to raise money for Pi Guitars. The preparation and publicity has been a lot of extra work at the end of a busy term but we are hoping it will be fun. We have been to the Farmers’

      Markets in Stroud and Nailsworth and put up posters trying to drum up interest as well as lots 

of Facebook posts. And for the last two weeks in the run-up we are putting a banner up at the Town Clock. All the bands are playing for free apart from the headliner, The Undercover 

      Hippy, who we have paid for hoping they will have a following. Three of the local breweries are    

      donating a barrel of beer to us and giving more at cost price. Let’s hope it all comes together.   

• An unexpected outcome of the stall in the Stroud Farmers’ Market was the interest of a guitar shop in Sheffield to sell some guitars. Suddenly they are flying out of the workshops!
• Next week is our last one of this academic year and we finish on 18^th July. We are then back on 4^th September for more fun and games”.

1. Safeguarding:

       7.1  This standing item serves as an opportunity for any relevant issues to be brought to attention -  

       none have been notified since last meeting. TS continues as lead Trustee for this subject. 

8.    Proposed House Building off Rear Lane:

       8.1 Neighbours, John and Linda Meletiou, were invited to this meeting to outline a proposal for a 

       new house build on their land abutting the rear lane of the Subscription Rooms. Their plans have 

       been developed over a long time and they would like to create a ‘retirement home’ for themselves. 

       Various drawings were shown and John said that they were engaging with NYCE because they 

       would like agreed access rights via our lane. From what they had learned from SDC in preliminary 

       discussions they (SDC) would like access from the development along the lane onto the A46 Bath 

       Road rather than onto Park Road, although building materials were to be brought in via Park Road. 

      John said that Gloucestershire Highways had not yet been asked for comments. He also said that 

       SDC did not support the idea of installing a turntable on the site for a car although this would 

       deliver the benefit of negating the need to reverse onto the lane. Committee members commented   

       that egress for vehicles onto the A46 Road with its very limited sight-line to the right had negative 

       road safety implications. 

       Action: As the committee were not totally sure how the proposal would impact on the access from 

       the lane to the new development site they sought a site meeting with the Meletious as soon as 

       practicable and JD, MP, FA and LH would represent the charity (editor’s note: 2pm Tuesday 15^th 

       July). No decision on NYCE’s position on this matter was made and committee would await further 

       information from the site visit team before formally responding to the Meletious.  

9.     Any Other Business:

        9.1 Plans for an event in the main hall on 19^th September to mark UK Heritage Day. An event 

        involving the history of spinning and practical demonstrations had been mooted but it now looks 

        as if The Three Storeys is their preferred venue. No action thus required.

        9.2 Replacement of defribillator battery pack. PB and CJ have together arranged for purchase and 

        installation of the new battery pack to replace the expired one. CJ was then elected without 

        dissent as NYCE’s first Debfribillator Champion. Well done CJ and PB!  

        9.3 The Tai Chi group’s leader had requested that NYCE allows him to keep his allocated slot until 

        October without payment as he wanted to conduct sessions outside when dry and only pay when 

        using the hall inside on wet days.

        Action: this request was carefully considered and turned down.  PB to inform him.

        9.4  IW was afforded the opportunity to demonstrate a product, namely a clear film marketed as 

       Thermafilm, which when affixed to the inside of windows will dramatically reduce the amount of 

        heat loss. IW said he has brought this to our attention because he intends to donate to NYCE 

        some of the profits of any sales completed within 5 miles of Nailsworth @ £2 per sq. metre sold. 

        Members expressed thanks for this generous offer and wished IM every success as he developed 

        the company’s reach.                  website details: www.thermafilmuk.com

 

10.   Dates of Next Meetings:      

• 7.00pm Wednesday 24^th September
• 7.00pm Wednesday 19^th November: Annual General Meeting

 

 

 

 

NYCE/TLH-14/07/25

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