agm minutes

 Thank you to all members who attended the AGM, we think it was a record turnout with about one third of all members present. Key points discussed follow:

· Welcome & Opening remarks by Chairman, Roger Nash

Roger opened the meeting and welcomed all of those in attendance.  He stated that general updates would be given later in the AGM by the Water Managers. Roger summarised the past year as: “Floods, Theft, Growth and Stocking” referring to the atrocious wet weather conditions we had experienced throughout the whole winter, the break ins that we had suffered, the fantastic weight gains of the fish and the recently stocked carp into the Lagoon. 

· Minutes of previous AGM by Chairman, Roger Nash

The minutes of the last AGM were briefly outlined by Roger and the minutes were approved and seconded by the AGM members as an accurate reflection of the meeting (Pete M and Paul L)

· Review of Season by Water Managers and Secretary

Each Water Manager outlined work completed, current status and ongoing actions for each of their lakes along with an update on the general health, fishing pressure, etc. Each manager was able to report good progress and good health but also identified further work that needed completion.

· Ash Pit - a huge amount of "tree work" has been completed especially in the ‘back bay’ mainly due to the requirements of the neighbouring airfield. Fish growth has proved encouraging and a few more members are now choosing to fish this lake. Weed growth has been significant and has been managed by manual removal. There are no plans to treat or dye the lake this year and, if possible/necessary, weed management will continue via manual methods.

· Bailiffs Pit – Very little to report, fishing pressure is still very light on this lake and only a few members had taken guest tickets which is disappointing - we hope to see more next year. However, those fish that have been caught have been witnessed with really good growth rates so this is encouraging for the future.

· Lagoon – many of the work parties have been concentrated on this lake and significant snag removal has taken place – thanks to everyone who helped with this. The flooding and storms have contributed to fence damage especially with several large trees having been felled by the winds. The existing stock of carp have realised good growth rates but it was noted that some had suffered potential damage from mink – members are encouraged to keep an eye out for any further damage and report this to the committee. In January of this year a stocking of carp took place which was about 18 to 24 months ahead of the original plan. This was only possible due to the financial support of several members and the Water Manager for which we thank them. 

· Top Lakes – As for the other lakes, these lakes also suffered badly for the weather with several large trees falling across fences and paths. Flooding has been almost constant throughout the winter so very little fishing has taken place. Last year saw several algae blooms and we expect to see more this year after the flooding – members are encouraged to keep an eye on this and report any significant changes/issues with water quality. 

The secretary then went onto review other events of the previous year and thanked all that had contributed to work parties and other ad-hoc work. It has been a very challenging year due to the weather and especially, from a financial point, due to the break-ins. The club have worked hard to balance budgets (see below) following the break-ins and in securing the site. 

· Financial report by Treasurer, Alan Jones

Alan Jones submitted the accounts for the season 2023/24 and was pleased to announce that the books "balanced" by just a few pounds. However, it was disclosed that this was only possible due to “borrowing” money from next year’s income to support the stocking and other activities. It was also noted that without the insurance pay-out the club would not be in the stable financial position that it is. In addition, the membership fee increases have been totally justified and the 5-year plan is still on track. Accounts were proposed and seconded as an accurate reflection of the current status (Tom H and Luke C)

· Proposed Rule Changes, by Members

Prior to the AGM, members are invited to put proposals to the committee for discussion and a vote on suitability/acceptance. No proposals were made this year.

· Constitutional Changes

A number of changes are required to the Constitution to keep the club aligned with best practice. In addition, factors bought to the attention of the Committee during the year needed to be discussed and, if necessary, voted on:

· Safeguarding: to comply with the requirements of our insurers and to align ourselves with fishing club standards (as proposed by the Angling Trust), it is proposed that the club appoint a Welfare Officer and change the definition of Junior members to those 18 years and under (from 16 years and under). Shane Keeling has volunteered for the role as Welfare Officer and has already attended courses to familiarise himself with the requirements.

This proposal was voted by majority to be implemented immediately.

· Pike Fishing: After several instances of dead/dying pike being noted during the previous summer, it was decided to openly discuss the current pike fishing rules and season and to allow the AGM to propose changes should they be required. It was unanimously agreed that pike fishing by any methods during the warmer months should be stopped. It was agreed that “any method” pike fishing should be aligned with the bait fishing for pike rules but that the season should be extended to include all of the colder months.

Therefore a proposal was made that pike fishing is to be allowed, on all lakes, from 1stOctober to 31st March but that outside of this period, no pike fishing by any method will be allowed.

This proposal was voted by majority to be implemented immediately.

· Automatic Hooking Rigs: following significant media interest and criticism of new fishing products that purport to support “automatic hooking rigs”, it was decided to allow the members to vote on whether these products should be allowed on our waters. It was categorically agreed that these products should be banned and a proposal was made to include this ban within our constitution.

This proposal was voted by majority to be implemented immediately.

· Committee Structure: The current constitution states that the committee should be made up of a Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and 4 others who will have the responsibility of managing each of our waters. Although the Top Lakes are considered as one due to a small channel between them, it is widely accepted that they are actually two lakes (named Birch and Willow) and, as such, should have two Water Managers to manage them. It was therefore proposed that the Committee structure should be changed from a total of 7 members to 8 members.

This proposal was voted by majority to be implemented immediately.

· Work Parties: For several years it has been mandatory to attend two work parties per year to either gain or maintain a premium membership ticket. This was due to the huge amount of work that needed to be done each year in constructing fences and clearing lakes. Now that the club are in a better position and less work is required, it was proposed that number of mandatory work parties is reduced to one (from two). It was further proposed that the number of work parties is limited and that the booking system should stay in place.

This proposal was voted by majority to be implemented immediately.

· Elections by Chairman, Roger Nash

To fill the newly agreed (see above) eighth position on the Committee, it was proposed that Dave Keeling (who had fulfilled this job for a number of years) be elected to the Committee. This was proposed and agreed by a majority vote.

There were no new applications for the committee so the Chairman proposed to the AGM that the committee be voted to continue, en-bloc, unless there were any objections. There were no objections and the committee were voted to continue by a unanimous show of hands. 

· AOB

The subject of a stock pond was raised and some lively discussion took place. The Committee promised to look into it and to ensure it was on the agenda for the first meeting following the AGM.

Members enquired about membership numbers and an update was provided by the Secretary including an update on the waiting list status.

The meeting was closed with a summary of the meeting and a promise to keep the members informed of any upcoming activities/changes. The Chairman closed the meeting with thanks for the attendance and wishing everyone "tight lines" for the upcoming season.