Release 2.19r
7th September 2021
Minutes of the Meeting of the Claygate Bridge Club Committee held at 19.30 on the 7th of September 2021
Minutes of the Meeting of the Claygate Bridge Club Committee held at 19.30 on the 7th of September 2021 at Rythe Road


Present:

  Chairman: Gavin Wilson (GW)
  Elected Committee Members: Yvette Barton (YB), Muriel Hodder (MH), Pauline Harris (PH), Julie Minards (JM), Vicky Bevan (VB)
  Co-opted Committee Members: none
  Other Club Members: none

1. Absent

Kay Wilson (KW)

2. Confirmation of the appointment of the new President

The committee was pleased to report the acceptance by Mary Blundell of its invitation for her to become the Club's President. The committee also recorded its thanks to June Buckland for her many years of service to the Club, most recently as President.

3. Committee Resignations

MH gave GW two handwritten letters, one from herself, the other from KW, announcing their resignations from their respective posts. GW said his response was the same as when they emailed their resignations in June: the committee cannot accept the concurrent resignations of both Treasurer and Secretary, because clause 7.c of the constitution immediately prevents the committee from taking any further actions or decisions.

None of the remaining members of the committee wishes to start acting unconstitutionally. These two resignations will have to remain in abeyance until replacements are found; very little work is anticipated for these two positions for the time being.

4. Reactivating the Club

The committee agreed that the Club should not resume bridge until a new Treasurer and Secretary are found, in order to make committee meetings quorate. If no-one can be found, then amalgamation with a like-minded local club—such as Oxshott or Cobham Heath—should be investigated. If that search proves unsuccessful, sale of the Club to a private buyer could be contemplated. If no such buyer can be found, the Club may have to be closed down. The committee recognised that several of these options would need to be ratified by a vote of members at a special general meeting.

As a first step in this process, it was agreed that GW should draft a very simple three-question email to be sent to all members, telling them of the serious situation the Club faces, in order to gauge the level of demand for a return to face-to-face bridge, and to solicit candidates for the posts of Treasurer and Secretary.

  • 21-2Ⓐ1 GW to draft an email to be sent to all members and distribute it first to the committee for comment.
  • 21-2Ⓐ2 GW to meet with the manager of the Claygate Community Centre to check that the venue is still available on Monday evenings, and as a venue for a one-off Special General Meeting.

5. Any Other Business

YB reported that KW wishes to sever all connections with Claygate Bridge Club and not be copied on any further communications.

The committee thanked PH for hosting the meeting.