ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Wednesday 22nd June 2016, 7pm
Priory Hall, Ware Priory, High Street, Ware, SG12 9AL
MINUTES
Present:
Jan Stock (Wodson Park & Chairperson), Valdis Belinis (Herts Wheelers & Treasurer), Lynsay Evans (Secretary), Councillor Eric Buckmaster (EHC), Claire Pullen (for Nigel Farran) (EHC), Robert Waddingham (Ware Joggers), Joe Liggett (EHC), Joe Capon (HSP), Lee Cook (Wodson Park Football & Netball Club), Neil Blake (All Saints Badminton Club and Hartham Masters), Stu Levene (Hertfordshire Orienteering)
Apologies:
Michal Siewniak (Broxbourne & East Herts CVS & Vice Chair), Angela Aldam (Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club), Jan Wood (North East Herts SSP), Mekhola Ray (EHC), Adan Freeman (HSP), Debbie Evans (Hertford & Ware SSP), Councillor Linda Haysey (EHC), Nigel Farran (EHC) John Manitara (CHILD UK), Christine Neyndorff (volunteer)
The minutes of the last meeting were agreed as true and correct and were proposed by Joe Liggett and seconded by Claire Pullen.
Presentation of Summary of Achievements 2015/2016
Jan Stock advised that AEH had just completed the final year of their 3 Year Strategic Plan and went on to summarise Active East Herts’ achievements as identified in the 2015/16 Action Plan. It has been an excellent year with the following key achievements highlighted:
1) Engagement with sports clubs through the Sports Club Consultation survey and focus groups has helped identify the needs of our local sports clubs. The data AEH has collected has influenced the district’s Leisure Strategy and Open Spaces Assessment.
2) AEH continues to align their Action Plan and 3 Year Strategic Plan (which has now been approved for 2016-2019) to the district and county’s Health & Wellbeing Strategies. There are 6 monthly reviews in place with HCC Director of Public Health to check alignment.
3) MOVE Week – this year’s event was a huge success and provided over 34 activities across the week for a very small charge or free of charge. AEH received a small grant towards the event which enabled us to employ a student to help organise and run the event.
The European organisers, International Sport and Culture Association (ISCA), have ‘moved’ MOVE Week from September to May 2016. However, AEH have taken the decision to continue to run the event in September 2016. This will maximise the time needed to organise a mass participation event in Panshanger Park. The event will give us the opportunity to promote walking, cycling, running and orienteering. Discussions are ongoing about organising a similar event in Sawbridgeworth with ‘Give your Town the Run Around’.
4) Moving Mums - Jane Parker from HSP has coordinated this hugely successful year long ‘school gates’ project for mums. Activities such as beginner running, Buggy Fit and walking have been taking place with a large number of mums being trained in National Governing Body accredited qualifications to continue the activities at the end of the project. A celebration event was held in June where Moving Mums teams participated in the Relay Run at Hartham Common.
5) Herts Youth Games and Herts School Games – Disappointment was expressed that the Herts Youth Games did not take place this year but the excellent sporting successes at the School Games were recognised by all.
6) AEH received a grant from Street Games towards a programme for young people in the Sele Farm estate in Hertford. It is hoped that we will be able to reproduce this project in the Havers estate in Bishop’s Stortford and work with CHILD UK to provide activities to help alleviate gang style culture.
7) Workplace Challenge – the number of employers in East Herts who have taken up the challenge is very disappointing. Joe Capon of HSP advised that the after work activities such as rounders and netball have been very successful. HSP could help AEH arrange local events in East Herts.
8) Forever Active –programme to increase participation for the over 50s. The programme is well underway with activities running in over 9 different locations across the district. There is very encouraging feedback from the Sawbridgeworth community with an excellent number of participants. There is another Come and Try event planned later in the year.
9) Leisure Strategy – The district council runs 5 gyms and pools and the quality of the offer is both problematic and costly. The leisure provider’s contract was written 8.5 years ago when health and wellbeing was not a priority. Joe Liggett is responsible for writing the new Leisure Strategy and will align it with the district council’s health and wellbeing objectives.
Joe also highlighted the Bishop’s Stortford North housing development. This development could generate £3M in Section 106 monies. Work is being done to help solve the issue of releasing the Section 106 money in line with the funding for new sports facilities in the area.
The Summary of Achievements for 2015-16 was approved by Lee Cook and seconded by Councillor Eric Buckmaster.
Presentation of Financial Report 2015-2016
The AEH Treasurer’s Report was presented by Valdis Belinis who reported we were in a healthy position with a balance of £12,306.92. AEH are very fortunate to receive a contribution of £5K from East Herts Council as part of a Service Level Agreement. AEH will continue with the £2K commitment to the CVSBEH for Michal Siewniak’s services. Our main expenditure was around the Moving Mums project and England Athletics running programme. The balance will also help support the costs of a Monitoring and Evaluation tool for our various projects. Valdis confirmed that the AEH Accounts had been signed off by Davinia Thakkar of HSP.
The report was proposed by Lee Cook and seconded by Neil Blake.
Election of Officers and Executive Committee
The following Officers were re-elected for a third term:
Chair – Jan Stock
Vice Chair – Michal Siewniak
Treasurer – Valdis Belinis
Secretary – vacant
Lynsay Evans will be stepping down as AEH Secretary this year. Lee Cook, Claire Pullen and Joe Capon offered to promote the volunteer opportunity within their organisations. Angela and Gary Aldam (Bishop’s Stortford Canoe Club) and Mike Lewis (Hertford Town Youth FC) have advised that they will be standing down from the Executive Committee. Debbie Evans and Jan Wood were retiring from their positions within the SSPs and Sandy Edwards would be Debbie’s replacement.
The Executive Committee remains as below with the addition of Nigel Farran, Forever Active project (EHC).
Councillor Eric Buckmaster, Executive Member for Health and Wellbeing (EHC); Claire Peet (Birchwood SSP); Valdis Belinis (Treasurer & Herts Wheelers); Adan Freeman (HSP); Tony and Dawn Best (Waggoners Country Dance); Sean Curran (Buntingford Cougars Youth FC); Sandy Edwards (Hertford & Ware SSP; TBC (NE Herts SSP); Mekhola Ray (EHC); Margaret Carrier (Hertford SC); Christine Neyndorff (volunteer); Jan Stock (Chairperson & Wodson Park); Michal Siewniak (Vice Chairperson & CVS); Janet Warrington (Hoddesdon SC and Tri Club); Jan Wing (Ware Skate Park Scheme); Dr Petra Simic (Clinical Commissioning Group), Chris Yearley, General Manager, Everyone Active Hartham, Tashmina Hoque, District Co-ordinator, Pro-Action Herts and John Manitara, CEO, CHILD UK.
Overview of Sport England’s Strategy for 2017 – 21, “Towards an Active Nation”
Joe Capon of HSP gave an overview of Sport England’s new strategy “Towards an Active Nation” and how it links in with the government’s “Sporting Future – A New Strategy for an Active Nation.” The new strategy will no longer just look at how many people take part in sport and physical activity but at how sport can have a meaningful and measureable impact on people’s lives.
The Strategy is based on five outcomes: physical wellbeing, mental wellbeing, individual development, social and community development and economic development and seven investment themes; tackling inactivity, children and young people, volunteering, taking sport and physical activity into the mass market, supporting sport’s core market, facilities and local delivery.
Sport England have undertaken extensive research and are looking at new, innovative ways to make sport the norm and make the nation active. The Active People Survey has now been replaced with ‘Active Lives’. HSP will share their Get Healthy, Get Active outcomes to help us understand local needs. CSPs are undergoing an appraisal and this will show how HSP can support local deliverers to support inactivity.
For further details, a copy of Mike Diaper’s presentation about the new strategy can be found here.
Street and Park Orienteering Presentation
Stu Levene, Publicity Officer with Hertfordshire Orienteering gave an overview about their sport and the activities that are taking place across the county. British Orienteering their National Governing Body of Sport, receives funding from Sport England. However, this funding has been reduced significantly in the last couple of years. Hertfordshire Orienteering also receives funding through club memberships (approximately 30%) with the other 70% coming from event fees.
The club run a number of regional and local events which are aimed at children, adults and those new to orienteering. All events are a balance of physical and mental activity and combine running and orienteering. The latest addition is a series of Tuesday night events which are small, informal street-based orienteering events.
Stu explained that their target age range is 16-48 years. They have lots of members in the 8-14 age range and again from 50-70 years. Generally, most of their events are held in central and West Herts but they would like to extend this into East Herts. There is a midweek event taking place in East Herts at Panshanger Park on 23rd August and AEH agreed to promote this across their network of contacts. AEH would also like to engage with the club and discuss their mass participation event at Panshanger Park for MOVE Week 2016. Jan Stock would liaise with Stu and Michal to discuss further.
Any Other Business
There were no matters arising under Any Other Business and the meeting was closed. Jan Stock thanked everyone for attending.
Please note Executive Committee Meeting dates for 2016/17:
Monday 19th September 2016, 7pm – venue tbc
Wednesday 14th December 2016, 7pm – venue tbc
Monday 20th March 2017, 7pm – venue tbc
The date of the AGM will be Wednesday 21st June 2017, 7pm – The Priory, Ware tbc
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