Minutes of our AGM 2021

MINUTES OF THE AGM OF THE INTERNATIONAL CLUB OF ESTEPONA HELD ON THURSDAY 14 MARCH 2024 AT THE CLUBHOUSE

Membership was represented by 70 members present and 29 postal votes

Management Committee Present: Sheila Fox (President), Daniel Hackston (Vice President)

Paul Parrick (Treasurer), Margaret Whittley (Secretary), Brenda Taylor (Housekeeper), Diane Hackett (Welfare) Ian Horwood (Bar Manager/Acting Maintenance Manager) Jennifer Davies (Member)

There are currently 286 members of the Club, 74 have not renewed this year and there have been 54 new members so far this year.

AGENDA

President’s Welcome

Minutes of the last AGM

Matters Arising from Minutes

President’s Report

Auditor’s Report

Financial Report

Bar Report

Catering Report

Maintenance Report

House Manager’s Report

Membership Fee for 2024

Proposal – abolishment of the one-off admin fee on joining

Elections

AOB

PRESIDENT´S WELCOME

Sheila Fox welcomed and thanked members present and asked for all mobile phones to be switched off.
She pointed out the fire exits.
She asked us to remember those members we have had to say our final goodbyes to during the past year during a minute´s silence.

MINUTES OF THE LAST AGM – The minutes were posted in the Club premises for the required 90 days during which time members were requested to read same.

MATTERS ARISING

The question was asked last year why the Minutes of the EGM held in 2015 did not appear on the Club´s website. This was not necessary as they had been posted on the Club Noticeboard for the required 90 days
Shouldn´t the 20€ admin fee charged when joining the Club for the first time be abolished as could be putting people off becoming members? A Proposal was put forward and will be dealt with as a separate item at today´s Meeting

There being no other matters arising the Minutes were proposed by Sue Potter (2003012) and seconded by John Barr-Richardson (2018055)

PRESIDENT´S REPORT – Sheila Fox (2014074) is attached

AUDITOR´S REPORT – Ron Pegrum (2011010) is attached

FINANCIAL REPORT – Treasurer´s Report - Paul Parrick (2022062) The Balance Sheet is attached

The following points were raised:

Ryan Horwood (2024031) asked why Other Expenses had dropped by such a large amount from 2022 until 2023.
Paul explained that when the Italy trip was announced in 2023, several members asked if they could use the payments they made for a trip to Granada in 2020 (which had to be cancelled due to Covid), amounting to €738, as a deposit for this trip, The members claimed that the money they had paid has never been refunded. There was no provision in the accounts of a liability due in respect of refunds for Granada. An investigation was made of the accounting records for the relevant period and very clear evidence was found that the money had been received and not repaid. The committee concluded that the amount should be accepted as part-payment for Italy and written-off as a sundry expense.
Judy Lines (2019027) asked why is the cost of Wi-Fi so much when I only pay €30 a month at home? Ian Horwood provided the explanation by saying that the club´s Wi-Fi was faster than a domestic service and included the cost of a land line. Also, the club has a business account (which is subject to a different pricing structure to residential installations). Sue Potter added that the cost also includes a charge for the registration of our domain name.
Carole McGregor (2023041) asked why are Cleaning Expenses so much lower than the previous year. Paul said that the hours worked by our Cleaner were reduced in 2023 and there were fewer external cleaning services used (windows, tablecloths etc). Sue Potter added that the allocation of Isabella´s cost was changed in 2022 and some of her time is now charged to Catering.

Also her wages had been reduced due to her lack of presence being required on Thursdays in the kitchen due to fewer meals being cooked.

Richard Wood (2000017) What is the reason for the reduction in Other Expenses? Paul replied that this had already been answered adequately by the earlier question relating to Other Expenses.

Proposed by Ryan Horwood (2024031) and seconded by Richard Wood (2000017)

BAR MANAGER´S REPORT – Ian Horwood (2019039) is attached

Nick Smith (2022027) asked if the higher turnover was due to members drinking more, increase in prices or tapas income. Ian thought a combination of all three but tapas income was included which did indeed play a large part.

CATERING MANAGER`S REPORT – None

MAINTENANCE REPORT – Ian Horwood (2019039) is attached

HOUSE MANAGER´S REPORT – Brenda Taylor (2009047) is attached

MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR 2025

The Committee proposes that the amount of 40€ will remain the same for the year 2025

THE PROPOSAL to abolish the one-off admin fee on joining the Club had been proposed by Daniel Hackston (202006) and seconded by Frances Horwood (2018049) and having been submitted by the due date was discussed.

Daniel:

This fee may be putting members off joining
If it was reduced to 10€ that money could be used to provide new members with a welcome pack containing a copy of the Newsletter, Committee List, List of Event Organisers, a free drink at the Bar.

Sheila replied:

We cannot justify this fee as a cost, for the main reason that we don’t pay anyone. However, it does take more time and more work to complete a new membership.
We cannot know if the fee puts people off from joining. We don’t know who DIDN’T join because of this charge.
This was the first time I can remember this question being asked, I have been very involved in memberships in more ways than one and to my knowledge no one in nearly 10 years (except the person who raised the issue last year) has questioned it.
We have had more than 50 new members join for 2024 which has raised more than 1000€ for club funds (and we are not one quarter of the way through the year). I think we can be pretty sure that we will have to raise the annual membership fee next year to cover this shortfall should the charge be abolished or reduced.
The annual membership fees (including this admin fee) plus the profit we make from the Bar should and do just about cover our General Expenses.
We strive hard not to charge too much for activities, normally 10% over the cost for trips and events. Sometimes we do make more than that, for fully booked coaches or exceptionally when we have enough demand for 2 coaches (as with Malaga Lights trip in December).
It is a good idea to give new members a welcome pack regardless of whether this fee is changed.
Lots of clubs have a joining fee, Sotogrande Golf club is 5000€!

Sue Potter (2003012) said the amount of 20€ had been collected for many years and she had never heard people complain. She had however heard people express it being a nuisance that cards could not be used to pay joining fees and felt that their use now was a welcome improvement. By reducing or abolishing the admin fee the shortfall would have to be made up.
Michael Slater (2023046) commented that new Members contributed to the infrastructure of the Club as all Members did.
Sheila said when prospective new members at the Open Day last October were told it would cost 40€ plus 20€ no one batted an eyelid.
Anne Smith (2022028) asked if the admin fee would be refunded to newly joined members. Sheila replied no as if it is voted to be abolished this would not take effect until 2025.
Sheila Defries (2004115) commented all Members had therefore contributed to Club funds in the past.
Richard Wood (2000017) commented that we were saving many euros by not publishing the magazine.
Ryan Horwood (2024031) thought the shortfall would be made up over time with more renewals and suggested reducing it to 10€ to see how it went.
Joanna Mitchell (2006151) said there had not been any research to suggest that members were not joining because of this fee.

Voting took place on the proposal with the following results:

Remain at 20€ Reduce to 10€ Abolish

63 25 12

As one of the Tellers Joanna Mitchell (2006151) said there was a large disparity in the numbers of those who had voted on this matter by post and those who had listened to the points raised at this Meeting.

NOMINATION OF COMMITTEE POSITIONS

Frances Horwood (2018049) had completed the appropriate nomination form by the due date and was sponsored by Sue Potter (2003012) for the post of President

Voting took place with the following results:

For Against Abstain

88 8 3

John Barr-Richardson (2018055) had completed the appropriate nomination form by the due date and was sponsored by Nick Smith (2022027) for the post of Vice President

For Against Abstain

89 9 1

Jennifer Davies (2023037) had completed the appropriate nomination form by the due date and was sponsored by Jo-Anna Huisman (2004022)

For Against Abstain

97 0 2

Whilst the counting was taking place Margaret Whittley (2010040) thanked Sheila for her past work as both Editor of the Magazine and taking on the Presidency of the Club three years ago when no-one else came forward and had seen us through the difficulties of the Covid pandemic. On behalf of the Committee Honorary Membership was offered and accepted with thanks by Sheila.

Susan Potter (2003012) had to leave the Meeting for an appointment so was unable to wait until AOB was raised. At this point she expressed her dismay at having been originally denied access to the Meeting as she did not have her Membership Card with her. As Sue is an Honorary Member having been a past President, it was unnecessary for her to show that she was an up to date member and she was called back into the Meeting by Sheila Fox.

AOB

As No Other Business was raised the Meeting closed at 12.27pm

Signed ____________________________

Date ____________________________

PRESIDENT´S REPORT 2024 - Sheila Fox (2014074)

As I’m sure you are all aware now, I am stepping down as President today. I have been a committee member for 7 years, first as Magazine editor for 3 years, and for 3 years as President.

As is the usual procedure at this time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the many volunteers who ensure the smooth running of the Club. I do appreciate their help and commitment to the Club.

Thanks to Dan Hackston for being the Vice President for the past year. Dan is stepping down from this position but he will remain on the Committee.

Thank you to Maggie Whittley, who continues to do a sterling job as ClubSsecretary and along with others is responsible for selling the tickets for events and trips. We have extended the times and days for ticket sales to include Sundays. This is proving popular with members who are unable to get to the Club on Thursdays.

Thank you to Paul Parrick, who has now completed a full year as our Treasurer. We trust him to ensure that our finances are in order and manage the Club spending and funds.

To Diane Hackett for her work as Welfare Officer and Organiser of wakes, of which we have had an unprecedented number in the last year.

To Brenda Taylor for Housekeeping.

Thanks to Ian Horwood and his team of volunteers who help run the Bar and to Ian for continuing for yet another year to double as Maintenance Manager. Dan will now be taking on the position of Maintenance Manager.

Thanks to Jenny Davies who we co-opted onto the Committee last year and she has done an excellent job as our Trips Organiser, arranging some wonderful day trips as well as the upcoming holiday in Italy. You will be asked to vote for her to become a full Committee member from today.

Thanks to Ron Pegrum who stepped in as Auditor for 2023. I shall now be taking on that role.

Thank you to Jacqui Parrick for standing in as Catering Manager for the last year and along with Dan & Renee Hackston and Sue & Rob Potter, Grant Mill and the group of volunteers, produced such lovely meals on Thursdays and for some of our special events.

Thanks to Lynne Danby for organising Ladies’ Lunches each month.

Thanks to Dave Hackett for running the Lottery every week, and to Ken Holloway who stands in for Dave when he is away.

To Peter Galloway for continuing to maintain the book library, week after week, year after year.

Thanks to Betty Fooks who was the editor of the magazine and Newsletter for the last 4 years. Betty has had to relinquish the post as she is no longer a Club member. Fortunately, this position has been filled by Denis Fountain, a new member this year and he will produce the April Newsletter. I think you will agree that the introduction of the Newsletter, which wings its way to your email inboxes every month is the best way to update you all quickly, easily and cheaply.

Thanks to Sally Holloway for the collection of membership fees and updating the computer records. Our membership database is more important than ever, now that we are using your email addresses for the Newsletter. We are pleased to be able to accept payments now by card, with the introduction of our new card-reader.

To Vic Loughran and Maggie Whittley for printing posters, tickets, and restaurant vouchers, sometimes at very short notice. Thanks also to Vic Loughran for managing and updating the website.

To Maureen Winkle who sells the tickets for those lovely meals on Thursdays, as well as cajoling money out of you all for the raffles we hold at many events.

To Stephanie Monahan for meeting and greeting visitors at the front door on Thursday mornings.

Thanks are due to the organisers of all our regular events:

Art group, Bowls, Bridge, Film Night, Golf, History, Krafty Club, Mah-jong, Quiz, Rambling. Spanish. Unfortunately, Martin Holmes is no longer able to run the Spanish classes as he has for many years due to his ill health. I have, however, recruited a new Spanish Teacher, Raquel, to run these classes. I am very hopeful for these classes going forward and that she will become a Club member.

I would like to thank all the Committee for their help and support over the past year.

If I have forgotten anyone I apologise sincerely.

Our Club is based on the premise of volunteers. We do not pay anyone for the work they do and if we do not have these volunteers the Club cannot survive in its current form. We all pay our annual membership fees, but still it is necessary to volunteer to run some activities where you can to keep the Club going.

Please can I remind you that we are not aware of member’s special birthdays or anniversaries, so please inform Diane so that we can help them to celebrate. Special Birthdays to celebrate are 80, 90 & 100. Anniversaries are 40, 50, 60, 70 & 75. In fact, we don’t know everyone’s birthday, especially if you have not provided the information on your membership form.

I would like to thank all the members for their support of me and of the Committee at all the events and trips we have held this past year.

Maintenance of Club premises and equipment is always ongoing, if you see anything that needs to be repaired, please inform Dan Hackston or Brenda Taylor or one of the Committee.

You will see that we have a new computer for the use of our members. This is a much better spec pc than we have had before. It has been donated to us by member Brian Hooper (walking group organiser) and I have reset and installed it for your use.

The Committee is continuing this year with Margaret Whittley as Secretary, Ian Horwood and Diane Hackett continue unopposed in their roles as Bar Manager and Welfare Officer and Wakes Organiser respectively and Brenda Taylor will continue the role of Housekeeper. Dan Hackston as I said is stepping down from Vice President, but will continue as a Committee member.

Sue Potter will continue, when her health returns which we hope will be soon, to work in the Bar, kitchen, DVD organiser, Film night and run various events and activities and of course she will keep us up to date on FaceBook and the Website with the ongoing government regulations.

We still have the following Committee positions available – Catering Manager and 3 other positions.

Before I finish thanking everybody, I would like to inform you that we now have 816 members on our FaceBook page, not all of them are ICE members but they are following us. This is an increase of more than 300 in the last 12 months. It is a good tool to advertise our Club and the events we hold. Those of you that follow us, I hope you all find it helpful and informative. All the information we post on our FB page is also on our Website and updated by Vic. However, I would like to point out, that we have always strived to keep this forum positive as a marketing tool and to try to avoid negative comments as these are not helpful.

Thank you once again everyone for all your support.

AUDITOR´S REPORT – Ron Pegrum (2011010)

I have audited the ICE Balance Sheet and Income and Expenditure account for the year ended 31 December 2023. These are limited financial statements and do not purport to show all the information that would apply under the rules generally accepted accounting principles applicable in Spain. In my opinion these financial statements give a true and fair view of the state of the Club´s affairs as of 31 December 2023, and its income and expenditure for the year there ended.

FINANCIAL REPORT – Paul Parrick (2022062)

There was a surplus in 2023 of 8,672€ compared to just over 3,000€ in 2022.
Total income in 2023 was 56,643€ which is less than in 2022, but there wasn’t a long trip in 2023 and there was one in 2022 which generated income of over 16,000€. So, after adjusting for that difference, revenue from the other income streams was more than 4,000€ higher.
Part of that increase was due to membership fees which were higher by 1,800€ at 12,700€. The number of members at the end of 2023 rose to 290 and there were 56 new members in the year compared to 49 in 2022.
There were 7 day trips and 9 “events” during the year raising almost 16,000€ in revenue. It was a good year for the Bar, income rose by 1,800€ to 16,500€ which is an increase of 12%.
The total profit before General Expenses was 31,681€ which is a small increase on the previous year and the 2022 total included the profit on a long trip of 1,380€.
Almost all of the trips, events and activities achieved a good or a very good level of profit, and some, particularly those towards the end of the year, did exceptionally well, namely the Birthday Party, the trip to Malaga Lights and the Christmas Lunch.
Total General Expenses in 2023 were 23,009€ which is 4,800€ lower than in 2022. There were two costs in particular which were significantly lower. The first of these is Electricity. Our electricity supplier put us on a different tariff in March 2023 and the average cost per unit of electricity fell by 20%. As a result, the electricity bill for 2023 was 4,300€ compared to 5,200€ in 2022.
Secondly, as you all know we stopped producing the magazine in 2023 and replaced it with the Newsletter which costs nothing to produce and will generate some revenue through sponsorship. The magazine was costing 500€ every other month but we didn’t realise the full saving because we had to refund advertisers who had paid in advance. We will achieve a bigger saving this year.
There is only one significant change in the Balance Sheet and that is the amount of cash the Club is holding, both physical cash and the bank balance. At the end of 2023 this figure was 44,792€ up by almost 21,000€ compared to a year ago. One reason for the increase in cash is obviously because we made a surplus but the other reason is because of the money received for the trip to Italy in May. At the end of December we had received 11,700€ in prepayments for the trip which has temporarily boosted the bank balance. This is held in the Balance Sheet as a liability under the heading Deferred Income which as you can see has increased from just over 4,000€ in 2022 to more than 16,000€ in 2023.
In summary, the Club is in a stronger financial position at the end of 2023 than we were at the beginning. There has also been a good start to 2024 particularly in respect of membership renewals and new members. Trips and events are in general being well supported and there are several cost reductions which will achieve a full year´s saving for the first time in 2024.

BAR REPORT – Ian Horwood - (2019039)

2023 has been another busy and profitable year for the bar, which continues to provide much needed revenue for the club.

As explained by the Treasurer, the bar profits has increased by about 20%, partly due to the necessary price rise to some (not all) of the items available, but also because of the newly implemented Bar Snacks menu (tapas). Bar prices were increased in June 2023, and Bar Snacks were improved/enhanced in October, as well as providing for non-cooked meal Thursdays.

Whilst prices for certain items still continue to be challenging I have no immediate intentions of increasing bar prices further. As to Tapas, some things have gone well, and some not so well. I will be reviewing the Bar Snacks on offer, as well as the Bar ‘specials’ to ensure that the bar offers meet the needs of the members.

One obvious downside to the bar of doing more bar snacks, especially on a Thursday, is that the workload on the bar volunteers (and me) increases as we must take the orders, prepare, cook, serve, and clean up afterwards. This is also being reviewed and will help to define what type of Bar Snacks are available going forward.

One of my main responsibilities is the weekly (sometimes twice weekly) stocking of the bar for both drink and food. To enable me to control and monitor usage I track all purchases made down to the units which does provide me with some interesting stats. For instance, in 2023 you (the members) consumed the following:

Over 2000 cans of beer (both Normal and zero)
Over 200 cartons of Juice (most popular being Grapefruit)
90 bags of ICE.
Nearly 1300 cans of Soft drinks (with Coke Zero being the must drunk - 360)
24 full bottles of various spirits (6 bottles of Gin)
48 packs of Bacon and 350 Bread Rolls for Tapas
15 Kilos of Coffee Beans
92 Litres of Milk
Over 2200 bottles of water (2 to 1 in favour of still water)
950 bottles of Wine (Cava, white, red, rosado etc.) Rosado is now outselling white wine!

As you have all no doubt noticed, we still have the old coffee machine which has been promised to be replaced since time immemorial. I have been actively searching for both the right option for the club, and the right vendor/supplier, which has been a bit of a struggle. However, please be reassured that it will be done as quickly and as diligently as possible to ensure that we get the right machine that will last the club well into the future.

I continue to receive feedback from members regarding the bar offerings and I appreciate that people like options especially when enjoying a special occasion, but the ability to hold large quantities of differing choices does means a higher level of wastage. I am always open to suggestions and recommendations so please do come and talk to me, BUT they must meet the needs and tastes of the majority of club members to make it financially viable.

MAINTENANCE REPORT – Ian Horwood, Interim Maintenance Manager (2019039)

Where do I START?

I think the first thing to say is that maintenance of this club is an important function and as such does need the focus and attention of a dedicated member. I am hopeful that this will happen today, and I look forward to working with the new maintenance manager in their tasks of ensuring that the club is both functional and fit for the purpose of its members.

Having said that, things have been done during 2023, with the various issues and improvements made.

The Lift is MUCH more reliable, with regular scheduled maintenance to ensure that it stays that way. I have spent much less time reseting and ‘fixing’ the lift, and most issues are now down to user error (taking their fingers off the button!).

We had a full review of the electrics within the building as we were experiencing full power outages affecting both the kitchen and the bar resulting in stock loss with defrosted chillers and freezers. Unfortunately, the electrician found major issues with the main breakers and an auxiliary breaker which meant that that had to be replaced as a matter of urgency. This was done and the system fully documented and we have had zero issues since.

We continue to have all the important systems serviced (such as air-con) and also ensured that the annual fumigation was been completed at the correct time. We have just had the main roof repaired and sealed, but still have a problem with the upstairs patio area leaking into the downstairs toldos area. This is being resolved as I speak by our excellent external handy man.

We have also made improvements to the internal security system by adding door sensors to all downstairs external doors. As well as having the Toldos windows cleaned which has made a big improvement in the aesthetics of downstairs.

The buildings maintenance is an ongoing need so please let us know if you see anything, or think that something is wrong, or needs to be done.

I would personally like to thank Willy McIntosh for all the work that he continues to do for us, which is always completed to a very high standard, and at a very reasonable rate.

HOUSEKEEPER´S REPORT - Brenda Taylor - (2009047)

The year 2023/2024 housekeeping has not had excessive spending trying to keep spending to a minimum.

I have purchased all essential items to enable Isabella to be able to clean the Club and the kitchen area after Thursday lunch and other functions, also paper towels and toilet rolls

I also had all Table Cloths used in the upstairs area cleaned. There are plans to replace the Table Cloths for the Bar area in liaison with the Bar Manager

During the year I was incapacitated for several weeks and I would like to take this opportunity to thank Diane, Ian and John for covering my duties.