TWINNING ASSOCIATION
/Reverend Martin Broadbent ~ Chairman
Willow Bank, Sham Castle Lane, BATH, Somerset, BA2 6JHTel: (01225) 938417
e-mail:
www.mayorofbath.co.uk
BATH – ALKMAAR TWINNING ASSOCIATION
WINTER COMMITTEE MEETING
MONDAY 7 DECEMBER 2015
MINUTES
The Winter Committee Meeting of the Bath – Alkmaar Twinning Association was held on Monday the 7th of December 2015 at the Mayor’s Parlour in the Guildhall in Bath.
1. Opening and Apologies for Absence. The Chairman, Martin Broadbent, opened the meeting at 18.30, and welcomed those present. Apologies were received by the Secretary, Victor Windt, from Ian Bamsey (Committee Member), Chris Davies and Paul Blackmore (both Members).
Present at the meeting were Martin Broadbent, Dine Romero, Will Wilson, Victor Windt, Maeve Hamilton Hercod and Bob Newman (all Committee Members).
2. Approval and Signing of the Minutes of the Autumn Committee Meeting of the 2nd of September 2015. The Minutes were approved by those present and duly signed by the Chairman.
3. Chairman’s Report. The Chairman highlighted in his report to the meeting the twinning activities of the Association over the last three months. Chris Davies of Pender Communication and new Member of the Association will take on the role of public relations coordinator. The proposal by the Chairman to co-opt Chris Davies as Committee Member for the remainder of the year was approved by those present.
4. Feedback from meetings of the Twinning Forum since last Committee Meeting. A Twinning Committee Meeting took place on the 23rd of September 2015. It was the first meeting in the new ‘one plus one’ format (Chairman plus one Committee Member). It was decided that Connections (Bath’s Twinning Newsletter) would be published once a year in digital format only. The secretaries of the Associations will be responsible for distributing the newsletter to their Members (the 2015 issue of Connections has been sent to the Members on the 7th of December 2015). A limited number of printed copies will be held by the Mayor’s Office. Furthermore, a Twinning leaflet has been produced and printed and distributed among the four Associations. The leaflet will be updated once in every three years.
On the 6th of October our Chairman, Martin Broadbent, gave a presentation of the activities of the Bath – Alkmaar Twinning Association to a full meeting of the Charter Trustees of the City of Bath. From the reactions to the presentation, it was clear that attempts must be made through the Twinning Forum to generate greater involvement of the Charter Trustees in the Twinning Associations. Our Vice-Chairman, Councillor Dine Romero, gave at the same meeting of the Charter Trustees a presentation on the participation of Bath in the 2015 International Children’s Games. Councillor Romero now chairs a working group that will deal with Bath’s participation in next year’s (2016) International Children’s Games to be held in Taipei, Taiwan. This is an independent working group and the involvement of the Bath – Alkmaar Twinning Association has formally ceased.
5. Financial Statement. Will Wilson, the Treasurer, gave a brief overview of the financial situation of the Association. The current balance of the accounts of the Association is £5,144.84, showing a slight balance reduction compared to last year. This is in line with the decision of the Committee to reduce the balance. The final accounts for the participation in the 2015 International Children’s Games produced a surplus of £26.98, whilst the final accounts of the visit of the Regional Youth Orchestra ‘Artiance’ showed a £940.00 cost to the Association.
6. Membership Statement. The Treasurer gave the meeting details of the status of the current Membership. A few new Members have been recruited since last meeting.
The Chairman reiterated our ambition to reach a Membership of 100 at the end of next year (2016) and encouraged those present to actively recruit new members. Chris Davies of Pender Communication has been recruited to take on the role of public relations coordinator (see paragraph 3 above).
7. Applications for Financial Assistance. The following grant application was approved by those present:
· an application of the Bath Dolphin Swimming Club for a grant of £500.
Martin Broadbent will discuss with Dennis Toogood, President of the Bath Dolphin Swimming Club, how we can increase the number of Members of the Swimming Club that are also a Member of our Association.
8. Matters arising from previous Meetings. The meeting discussed the latest issue of Committee Members’ Rolling Action Items List. The Committee Member’s Rolling Action Items List was further updated. A full version of the list can be found on our website ( www.bath-alkmaar.eu ) under the tab ‘Minutes of Meetings’.
9. Events. The meeting discussed the latest issue of the Rolling List of Twinning Events. A full version of the list can be found on our website ( www.bath-alkmaar.eu ) under the tab ‘Future Events’.
10. Matters Arising. The following issues were raised:
· Presentation by the Chairman and Bob Newman for the Members of the Bath Rotary Club. This presentation took place early November and generated further interest in our Association.
· Alkmaar Café, themed sessions. Those present at the meeting re- emphasized the benefits of so-called ‘themed sessions’ for the Alkmaar Café. A successful Alkmaar Café was held with the Bath Artist Printmakers. One themed session every three months seems to be the right level of ambition. Our Chairman, Martin Broadbent will follow this up.
· Gifted children project. The Chairman gave feedback from his conversation with the Andrew Davies, Headmaster of Beechen Cliff School, regarding this subject. Andrew Davies will be the initial point of contact for the requesting party in Alkmaar (Suleyman Hayat). Councillor Dine Romero will carry out further research.
· Brueghel exhibition at the Holburne in 2017. Will be incorporated in ‘Project 2017’ (see below). Will Wilson will again approach the management of the Holburne about possible Membership of the Holburne of our Association in the light of the link with the ‘Alkmaarse Stedelijk Museum’.
· Twinning leaflet. See paragraph 4 above.
· Bath Community Academy (formerly Culverhay School). Councillor Dine Romero will bring up the issue of possible involvement of the Bath Community Academy in twinning activities with Alkmaar in a planned conversation with the school management.
· Future activities coordinator. To be dealt with at the Spring Committee Meeting.
· Evaluation of our website. The annual evaluation of our website will take place early January 2016 at a Special Committee Meeting.
· Visit of the Lake Singers to Bath. Mindert Drenth, member of the Lake Singers, requested to know whether we had contacts with the organisers of the Bath Folk Festival. It turned out this was not the case. The Secretary, Victor Windt, will liaise with Mindert Drenth.
· ‘Alkmaarse Mixed Hockey Club’. Maeve Hamilton Hercod, Committee Member, will look into a possible twinning link between the ‘Alkmaarse Mixed Hockey Club’ and a similar (family orientated) club in Bath.
· Civic Reception for Twinning Associations. The first combined Twinning Reception for all four Twinning Associations will be held on the 8th of December 2015. The Mayor of the City of Bath will host the reception. Maeve Hamilton Hercod, Committee Member, will coordinate our contribution to the display at the reception.
· Digital Christmas card for Members. The Chairman, Martin Broadbent, will request John Stirrup, our Webmaster, to produce a digital Christmas card. After production of the card, the Secretary will send the card out to our Members.
· Project 2017. Those present at the meeting discussed the proposed celebration during 2017 of the 70th anniversary of the visit by children from Bath to Alkmaar in 1947, two years after the end of the Second World War. A Special Committee Meeting will called for early January to continue the discussion and to set up a Working Group.
The actions following from this meeting have been added to the Committee Members’ Rolling Action Items List.
11. Any Other Business.
· Alkmaar Café. The Chairman, Martin Broadbent, presented to those present a rota for the Alkmaar Café sessions between January and July 2016.
No other business was raised.
12. Date and Venue of next Meetings.
a. Committee Meetings:
Spring Committee Meeting: Monday 7 March 2016, at 18.30, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath;
Summer Committee Meeting: Monday 13 June 2016, at 18.30, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath.
b. Twinning Forum:
Wednesday 13 January 2016, at 10.00, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath;
Tuesday 15 March 2016, at 10.00, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath;
Wednesday 13 July 2016, at 10.00, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath;
Wednesday 14 September 2016, at 10.00, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath.
c. Annual General Meeting:
Monday 13 June 2016, at 18.00, in the Mayor’s Parlour at the Guildhall in Bath. The Summer Committee Meeting will follow the AGM.
d. Special Committee Meeting:
Early January 2016, at 18.00, at the Chairman’s home. The meeting will deal with the annual evaluation of the website of the Association and with ‘Project 2017’.
· Close. The Chairman, Martin Broadbent, closed the Meeting at 19.45.
Signed:
Martin Broadbent
Chairman
Bath - Alkmaar Twinning Association
7th of March 2016
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