Upper Eskdale Development Group
Open Community Meeting
The Hub: 15th January 2017
AGENDA:
1. Our financial situation.
2. Our increasing need to rely on volunteers.
3. Sharon’s new hours of work.
4. Bunkhouse
5. Steve’s report.
Present: Jock Miller, Ernie Buck, Fiona Brooke , Nancy Chinnery, Sandra Cooke, James Cooke, Ray, Jon Barker, Rose Laing, Ian & Sarah Stuart, Angie Ball, Nina Finnigan, Sophie Du Pre, Nick Jennings, Vin Harris, Adrian Solomon, Catriona Jennings, Ken Porter, Sue Campany, David Moffat, Steve Scofield, Andrew Gordon and Niki Zitara, Diana Lilley, May Reid, Bernard Provost, Sharon Tolson, Sue Bradley, Victoria Long, Pam Carruthers, Cameron Skillen, Daphne Jackson.
MINUTES
Jock Miller (Chair): Welcome to everyone.
We are losing money but not as much as previously and the lost was less in Dec: about £.2.5K.
Jock mentioned some of the very positive aspects of having the Hub.
David Moffat (Treasurer): Emphasised that we are still losing money every month but less than before. The Lottery contribution to UEDG is £28K for the whole of 2017. This will contribute to the survival of the project for 2017. Some events are a great success and make money but it takes £50 /day to run the building, not including the wages.
Some suggestions and responses
May Reid: It was a pity that the Italian night was cancelled as she was about to book. She suggested that the Hub should give more warning of any closing or cancellation of events. It people have to book for an event (or have it cancelled if there aren’t enough bookings), this should be made clear well in advance. If something has to be pre-booked, please say so in future.
She wanted to know the footfall figure comparisons between day and night. .
Catriona Jennings: She knew people who were planning on coming. Suggested that if an event was planned to be put on, it should never be cancelled. Often people decide at the last minute to go to an event or meal.
Sophie Du Pre: Suggested we make a plan 2 years plan in advance for wedding venues.
Sharon Tolson (Administrator): We will be listed on the Visit Scotland website which will help to promote us in that way.
Nina Finnigan: she had worked on a similar community projects and they had to rely on outside events, projects. We need to look to outside the community for more income.
Diana Lilley: Suggested looking for Arts funding: for film, theatre, music etc.
Angie Ball: it would be helpful if someone was seconded to fundraise for this project. Could be done from their own home: funding and marketing. They could put adverts out to the wider community, and raise funds for their own post.
Nick Jennings: Asked if we had a Business Plan. James Cooke suggested that we should have a changing room. Nick: there was no space in the building when planned.
David Moffat: the current business plan is optimistic.
James Cooke: Planning for events is crucial. Jock Miller: Agreed: 15-16 people needed for a meal to break even.
Andrew Gordon: suggested that food not used could be advertised for sale among the community.
Sarah Stuart: She has been a volunteer for quite a number of months. She likes the place. She gets the feeling that we don’t know how lucky we are to have this building. The Trustees are exhausted and she gets a negative vibe because of it. This morning she was attending the shop and a person complained and she became upset. We may lose this place because of our negativity. There may be times when you are frustrated but we need to support this place. There is so much friction.
Sophie du Pre: suggested some projects that would generate income since we cannot rely on income from the local community. Mentioned affordable housing in particular.
Vin Harris: It is not negative to look at what needs to be addressed. The key point is that it is going to be as it is and because of where it is; it cannot possibly make enough to sustain itself. It probably never will.
Angie Ball: There seems to be reactivity and panic about loss of money.
Sue Campany: keeping the kitchen going and café is hard. Has the community got some ideas on how we can deal with the situation? Would we have a better use of this room? Do we want the café?
May Reid: we have a café and a shop: should we not discuss how we can manage with these projects. The idea of the Café is in everyone’s mind. That we can come here and go to the café.
Nick Jennings: we need to upgrade our game. People have stopped coming here because of unreliability.
Sharon Tolson: we are struggling to get reliable committed staff.
Sophie du Pre: You could hire out the kitchen to some commercial enterprise.
Sue Campany believes in the café. To begin with a lot of people supported it, then because of what we were offering it was rather expensive and not sustainable. The community needed something more affordable. It is difficult to see what we can offer, to get people to come.
Nina Finnigan: it is quite difficult to help. Volunteers need to get level 1 or 2 if they want to work in the kitchen. Volunteers need not come just from our own community. There are other reasons to volunteer: to get experience, for one
Victoria Long: the board have decided that she should be volunteer coordinator. So far we have about 20 volunteers at the Hub including the committee, but we need more. She asked if any present could volunteer a couple of hours or so a week: Sue Bradley and Andrew Gordon offered their help.
Ernie Buck: agrees zero hors not the right way. We visited another place that was run mainly on volunteers. We need to run only with volunteers, and train them up.
Suggestions for volunteers: Some people use Workaway or Woofers.
Margaret Davidson: we have started a Lunch Club subsidised by the Local Council (everyone has to pay £2.50) They use the local minibus for this. It is weekly. Angie Ball: Lunch club is probably best in the winter. The following people said they would come if this were on: Sophie, Nick, Jock, Sarah & Ian, & Nancy. Probably best to start this once a month: on first Friday of month perhaps.
Sharon has changed her hours: from 1st of Feb down to 4 days a week. This non work day could be any day of the week. Sandra Waller will be covering for her. She will be getting uninterrupted time in the back office too, so she can focus: mainly on Monday am and Friday pm.
Bunkhosue: Ken Porter: We are still at the stage of Planning Permission being determined. We have not decided if we will need a caretaker. Self service, possibily. There was general concensus that the bunkhouse was a good idea. Sue Campany: we are starting small. Later possibly provide breakfast, meal. Has to be financially viable.
Jon Barker: Problem we might come up against: laundry and pilphering. A serious problem. Need insurance. Time consuming. Factor that in. Count number of tin openers, soap etc. 1 in 10 people pinch things. John happy to be an advisor.
Steve Scofield’s report: most issues have been covered.
- The main thing is for people to come together and work together. Even if some business plans are to do with £s, the idea of business is what people do together. £ is just the means by which these things take place. There is a need for a SMART business plan. Not to be done at a meeting like this. We should look at the Business Plan together in a meeting and have a vote on it.
- Would like to see a Business Planning Group: the board but co-opted people onto it. Do a total cost of running everything. Needs to be a clear idea of what we want to achieve. Jock: This is going to be worked on in the coming week.
- Split Sharon’s job in two: gets more ideas, skills, generation of energy.
Sharon: Marie Telford Jammeh has a Facebook page with photos of the Esk up and down, through the seasons. We should look at the beauty of the valley and sell it. It’s a special valley.
Ian Stuart told people of the Valentine’s meal and quiz.
Sharon mentioned the Burns supper.
Shop: This is not making a profit. We are making some changes in the next week. A freezer will be bought soon.
Bernard Provost: suggested that we needed more people coming forward with ideas of other things we should be doing. We would welcome ideas on things that we could take forward.
Andrew Gordon: Sell Lottery Syndicate. Bernard said he would give money and Jock: weekly.
Windfarm: Sue Campany: Project 1: Finding £ for he Windfarm: Consultants are looking at the shared project scheme. It is a considerable amount of money that needs to be raised. The 2nd project: looking at setting up local energy project. This is ground breaking for these rural areas. There is a potential for both projects.
Ettrick are looking into their own windfarm but they have problems with their grid.
Nina Finnigan asked if we would like her to look into setting up a fortnight event for February 2018, to do with the environment.