The Monday Club
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
Date: 12 January 2026
Attending
James Smith, John Williamson, Marcia Marriott, Leo Zeglovskis, Fauzia Crockford, John Helps, John Kemball, Charles Moore, Nigel Tonkin, Charles Dixon, Annamarie Critchard, Hilary Grundy, Andy Wakefield, Martin Knight, Mike Garlick, Brian Appleyard, Christine Garner, Jill Shortman, Don Goodwin, Charmian Green, Juliet Smith, Rita O’Gorman
Apologies
Kate Woodruff, David Solomon, Sati McKenzie, Sophie Holland, Ewa Francis
Agenda
- Minutes of the 2025 AGM
These were ratified by those present (proposed by Leo; seconded by Annamarie). No questions were raised.
- Chair’s Report
This report is available on the website.
- Treasurer’s Report
A report of the accounts for the year January–December 2024–25 was circulated (also available on the website). A question was raised as to why there was only £190 income from membership fees. Sati has confirmed that this is because half the fees were collected in December 2024 and therefore appeared in the previous year’s accounts.
- Election of Officers
There were no nominations to the Committee and the current five officers were duly re-elected.
- Club Finances
The Treasurer’s Report highlighted that the club has been running at a deficit and had a major expenditure last year on a new dealing machine. Various options were discussed. It was agreed to raise the membership fee to £20.00 and the visitors’ table money to £8.00 for the coming year and to review the position thereafter. In the meantime, the Committee will further investigate the use of a card machine. John Williamson reported that Frances at Lavender had advised that their debit machine from SumUp cost £75.00, with a transaction fee of 1.69%.
- Venue
There has been another year of disruption due to BLC funerals, although the sacred dates for competitions have so far been respected. The option of moving venue (probably to Huguenot Place) was discussed and the pros and cons considered. Annamarie advised that Council venues are currently at a premium and unlikely to be available. John Kemball reminded the meeting of the advantages of Huguenot Place, including lower cost, the ability to bring food and wine, good parking, and access via multiple bus routes. However, it was generally felt that the advantages of BLC — proximity to Clapham Junction, size, space, and bar — meant that the club should remain there for as long as BLC remains open. Thanks were given to John Kemball for hospitality at Huguenot Place and to Kit for transporting equipment. The meeting unanimously supported remaining at BLC.
- Earlier Start Time
This issue has been under consideration for some time. Charmian proposed an earlier start time of 6:30 pm. After discussion, it was agreed that, in the interests of attracting younger players, the current 7:30 pm start time should be retained (alternative start times such as 7:00 pm or 7:15 pm were not voted on). The proposal for a 6:30 pm start was rejected by a clear majority, with only two in favour. It was also noted that members should be reminded that they must arrive by 7:25 pm at the latest unless the director has been informed.
- Handicap Event
James suggested that this event should continue, despite limited enthusiasm, partly to ensure that the dates remain protected from funerals. There were two abstentions.
Any Other Business
- The Goblet Competition
Christine raised concerns that the Goblet does not sufficiently encourage players to play with different partners. This view was generally agreed. It was decided that the Committee would discuss this further, and Christine offered to assist in developing a new format.
- Sim Pairs Competition
John Helps suggested that the club should run at least one Sim Pairs competition during the year. As this had been agreed previously and is generally popular, it was confirmed that this would go ahead, with John offering to organise it.
- Thanks
Thanks were given to John Kemball for dealing boards and to Andy Wakefield for his work on publicity and the website.
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