Barney’s AGM Meeting - Friday 28th April 2023,

The Chequers, Little Gransden


Attendees: Kate Fordham (Chair), Sarah Bray (Treasurer) Kelly Walsh (Secretary), Kerry Cave (Manager), Tina Elkington (Administrator), Kevin Whyte (outgoing Treasurer)

Apologies: None

Outstanding actions from previous meeting

  • None

Chairs report (Kate)

  • Introductions made to all attendees, which included Barneys staff, previous staff members, parents.
  • Kate thanked the whole team on behalf of the committee for running a successful club over the last year,
  • The accounts to year end (August 2022) show a small profit had been made (£1K), as a non-profit organisation this will be allocated to club and help with the shed replacement in the Reading Rooms garden.

A new shed is required as mice are entering the current shed and destroying items. The shed is used to store a lot of Barneys outdoor toys. As the Reading Rooms is a listed building and the garden is a listed conservation area the committee require planning permission and this is currently in progress.

  • Costs have increased over the last 12 months, but the committee has managed not to pass these on to parents by paying these from reserves, however this situation is not sustainable.

It was also noted that the Reading Rooms rent for ASC and HC will increase from 10% from September 2023.

  • A further cost will come from payroll, previously this was undertaken free of charge by Sue Chase, however this will now incur a small charge for her time. All committee members agreed the charge previously.
  • Our insurance remains with Albany, and they continue to be competitive with their premium renewals.
  • Barneys has maintained its good relationship with the school and continues to meet regularly with Headteacher Mrs Downes.
  • Club continues to be KS1 heavy. Unlike most private run facilities Barneys choose to have a higher staffing to child ratio which we believe makes for a happier, calmer environment. However we may need to look at implementing a lower maximum number to ensure this continues, this will be reviewed to ensure the safe running of the club.
  • Auditing of end of year accounts has previously been undertaken by Karen Whinney, sadly she is now no longer able to do this. The audit is not a legal requirement but was always completed by a third party to ensure good practice. From now on the year end audit will be the responsibility of the treasurer.


  • Communication with parents continues to be via email, newsletters and the dojo app and with the wider community via the roundabout magazine and touchbase.
  • There have been several staff changes this year, leavers included Rachel Greaves, Amy and Nancy who will all be sorely missed. But we have also welcomed Cheryal, Archie and Nadja to the team.
  • Barneys would like to continue to give back the community, last Christmas a giving tree was set up a club, and had children buy a gift or food item for less fortunate families. All donations were given to The Need Project and onwards via the Baptist Church in Gamlingay. The was a great success and helped to raise children’s awareness of such issues. We hope to run this again in 2023.
  • Finally Ofsted inspections at both the Reading Rooms and school locations were carried out in summer 2022 with the highest standard of MET awarded. Barneys received incredibly positive comments on both inspections from members of the Ofsted team. Special thanks given to all the current team along with all staff/committee and special helpers Erika, Karen and Sue who have worked with us over the two years and contributed to this excellent outcome.


Admin report (Tina)

  • Accounts year to date 31st August 2022

Income: £67,612.26 against expenditure £66,555.60 (+£1,056.66)

Treasurers Report (Sarah)

Income

Expenditure






Fees

 £ 67,194.31



Grants

 £       417.95



Wages


 £ 50,896.20


Rent


 £   5,689.27


Training


 £   2,479.59


Toys/Games


 £   2,131.32


Food/Drink


 £   2,682.91


Other*


 £   2,642.14



 £ 67,612.26

 £ 66,521.43

 £1090.83        

AOB

  • Sarah noted committee changes for the previous year, Ruth Davies and Jenny Jeffries stepped down as committee members. Kevin Whyte will step down as treasurer. We welcome new committee member Karen Morton who will be joining committee officially once paperwork is confirmed.
  • Kate will step down as chair in the summer having been on committee since 2016. Committee requires a quorum of 3 nonpaid members in order to run meetings and club, currently Barneys is at minimum numbers.
  • Barneys urgently needs to recruit new members to the committee to ensure succession and the future of the club, if this cannot be done then there is a real risk of the club’s closure.

END.