The Cairngorm Club

APPROVED Minutes of Committee Meeting at 7.30 pm 19 March 2008

at the Aberdeen Grammar School FP Club Centre

  1. Attendance and Introductions

PresentColin Brown (CB), Ian Bryce (IB), Marj Ewan (ME), Alec Macmillan (AM), Anne Pinches (AP), Derek Pinches (DP), Eilidh Scobbie (ES), Adrian Scott (AS), Richard Shirreffs (RS), Ken Thomson (KT)

James Friend (JF) was in attendance.

Apologies: Jay Turner (JT), Dave Ogden (DO), Andy Lawson (AL)

  1. Minutes of Committee Meeting 16 January 2008

The draft minutes were approved, after (i) insertion of a sentence in Item 4c) to reflect the fact that the discussion of the Guidance Sheet being drafted for those wishing to book at Muir had covered the point that Muir charges did not give rise to financial benefit to any member of the Club, and (ii) agreement, after discussion, that papers accompanying Agendas need not be web-posted and that “copy with Minutes” e.g. in Item 5a), 5c) and 8, should in future be changed to “copy filed with Minutes” to clarify this point.

  1. Matters Arising: It was suggested that, if no Club members had made Muir bookings for the forthcoming New Year (1 January 2009), Dave Kirk should issue a “final warning” message to members via Yahoo!, and then release that week-end for external bookings. ES said that she would alert Ruth Payne to this.
  1. Membership applications: the following applications were approved:

Miss Nicola Bruce - Associate

Mr Kenneth Chia- Associate

Mrs Yanni Chia- Associate

Mr Keith Gray- Associate

Miss Michelle Ward– Ordinary

  1. Main Office-Bearers’ Reports:

a) Secretary: KT reported that:

  • Anne and Derek Pinches would represent the Club at the LSCC Centenary Dinner in Pitlochry on 19 April
  • NEMT were pursuing their Hilltracks project with a workshop for volunteers, though progress was so far limited
  • Scottish Woodlands had approached the Club about trees in mountain terrain; they had been told about Piper’s Wood, and further info and postcards were awaited
  • The Army had invited a Club representative to a reception on 23 April
  • He had attended a UDAT/COAT CUPPA (Cairngorm Upland Path Priorities Assessment) meeting on 15 March (see report filed with Minutes)

b) Treasurer: DP reported that Club funds stood at about £45,500, and that Mike Brian (MB), who had offered to take over from DO as Climbing Secretary, had requested financial assistance towards the costs of 9 days’ training (£800) and 5 days (£500) for a Mountain Instructors Assessment. After discussion, which included the potential value of this qualification to Club activities, it was agreed to offer 50% of £800 in the first instance, subject to ascertaining whether other sources of assistance had been applied for, e.g. the City (MB’s employer) or Transition Extreme. It was suggested that MB might also be asked to run the next Winter Skills training course.

c) Huts Custodian: RS referred to his written report (copy filed with Minutes). Considerable discussion took place as regards the purchase of replacement bunk beds, with preference being expressed for the Glencraft model, at £280 each including a mattress. It was suggested that higher-quality mattresses should be obtained, and possibly also chipboard bases to pre-empt slat breakage. It was agreed to authorise the expenditure of up to £4000 for 9 two-layer units, i.e. 18 bed places. RS had also obtained a quotation for re-flooring, which would be done at the same time as the bunks were replaced.

As regards midgeaters, preference was expressed for the £599 single-unit Midgeater Max model; it was agreed that RS would investigate availability, purchase, transport and installation, and proceed with same.

AS reported the delivery of a considerable quantity of wood to Muir from Stonehaven by trailer, and advised that a new axe or splitting mawl was needed.

d) Communications Secretary: CB advised that he wished to see the July Newsletter finalised by late June, after which he would be on vacation. It was agreed that material should be requested by 1 June. A brief discussion on the formatting of the Newsletter revealed a preference for the index on the front cover, and the continuation of the lead story on page 2. CB and KT would consider any other re-formatting, e.g. updating of old wording.

  1. Meet Reports and Future Meets Proposals

a)Day Meets: AM referred to his written report (copy filed with minutes). As regards the September Cairngorms traverse, he would obtain estimates both with and without the second bus driver, who would allow a later departure from the Linn o’Dee. IB raised the possibility of having this meet on the Saturday, to allow a later return to Aberdeen, but the general preference was to keep to the Sunday.

b)Social Activities: AP reported that the Barbecue would take place as scheduled on 18 June, at a virtual ticket price of £8. She was in contact with a possible speaker for the Annual Dinner (Paul Brian), and the indoor meet programme for winter 2008/09 was well in hand.

c)Weekend Meets: IB reported that

  • the January Burns Night meet had attracted 20 people, and the Feshiebridge one 13; both had broken even.

As regards the 2009 schedule, for which deposit costs were already mounting, he had circulated proposals to the Week-end Meets sub-Committee, and had booked:

Muir for 16-17 October 2009 to coincide with the Mar Lodge[1] Ghillies’ Ball

Strawberry Cottage for 26-27 September 2009, and

Muir for 8-9 May 2009 for a Cairngorms Traverse

  • The weekends of 5-6 June and 2-4 May 2009 were also proposed (the latter to be organised by Marj Ewan with climbers in mind), and 27-28 February at the Loch Ossian YH (KT to organise).
  • As regards Easter 2009, he had booked the JMT Knoydart hut for the Easter weekend itself (10-11-12 April), but would check on the deposit situation.

DP asked that weekend meet charges be estimated on the assumption of a 90% occupancy rate; any surplus due to 100% occupancy could be absorbed in communal meal arrangements, or would offset losses elsewhere.

Reservation of the BMC hut on Skye was proposed; ME said that she would try (again) to book, but that split-second timing was necessary on 1 May, when the booking period opened.

d) Climbing Meets: in the absence of DO and Mike Brian, ME reported that the season ahead was being organised as usual.

  1. Training: AS reported a successful but limited-numbers Winter Skills course in February, and proposed a “more exciting” one, e.g. snowholing, in February 2009, probably in the Northern Corries.
  1. Club Projects: KT reported no progress with Club projects in general, but JF referred to his paper previously circulated on Piper’s Wood, with the correction that Mar Estate (which was very supportive of the existing Wood) would not like to see the fencing collapse. Discussion centred on various aspects, with some Committee members showing interest in (i) the Wood as a “tourist attraction” (which might imply some form of information at the foot of the glen, and a bridge downstream of the Wood), and (ii) some expansion of the Wood, if feasible on available ground. JF agreed to include these views in the meeting which he planned for April, prior to meeting the Estate in May.
  1. Membership Recruitment: IB referred to his previously distributed e-mail, viz. “The club poster displayed at climbing shops is generic and does not list future events. How much interest do the posters generate? Other clubs list forthcoming events and some such as Cults Hillwalking Club are getting new members and full 40 seat buses. Should the Cairngorm club list forthcoming events in local shops, library, schools, etc.? Garry advised me the centre page of the newsletter was designed for and is suitable for display. The P&J advertises for free forthcoming events on Mondays in the paper and on Thursdays in the "Your weekend" supplement. Three Inverness clubs and one Aberdeen club regularly advertise their outdoor activities. Where may we advertise for free?

KT reported that enquiries to those named on the current Club poster (Alec Macmillan and Jean Robinson) were running at 3-4 each per year. ES opined that most newcomers now appeared to access the Club via its website. It was noted that personal information on Club contacts had to be minimised.

A “meets poster” was proposed, advertising forthcoming Club events over the next 4-6 months, and being replaced every 2 months or so; this would be supplied to shops and libraries. ES pointed out that this system required volunteers to implement it. AS undertook to distribute to shops, and AP to libraries, and IB undertook to supply details to the Press & Journal. KT agreed to draft a suitable poster, which would carry minimal details, i.e. date, mountain destination, and contact.

  1. Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS): IB referred to his previously distributed e-mail on the MCofS Audit trail for Amending, specifically its Child Protection Policy and Documents and Guidelines for Good Practice. Discussion focussed on whether previous MCofS undertakings had been evaded or not. It was agreed that IB and KT would try to agree a specific request or complaint for sending to David Gibson of MCofS.
  1. AOCB: KT referred to his previously circulated report on the UDAT/COAT CUPPA (Cairngorms Upland Path Prioritisation Assessment) exercise; no immediate comments were forthcoming.
  1. Next meeting: this was confirmed as 21 May 2008, and provisionally thereafter as 20 August, 15 October, 12 November (AGM) and 26 November 2008.

KT

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[1] Not all minutes readers will know what the Ghillies’ Ball is