The AGM minutes

Minutes of Scribblers Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday 15 November 2016

 Present: Dave, Mairead, Liliane, Jim, Beryl, Anne, Jane, Gerry, Di, Cathy

 Apologies:Steve (he had an appointment with a publisher – good reason for absence!), Jane, Carolyn

 Business:

 Dave greeted everyone present, and thanked them for making the effort to attend.

Secretary’s report:see below. This was brief, as it covers similar ground to the Chairman’s report.

 Secretary’s report 2016

Another year nearly over – where does the time go? And not one of us has published those novels that we still have on the back burner!

It’s been an interesting year. We’ve seen new members come along, some of whom have remained with us, and others who have not. Some of our longstanding members have left to enjoy pastures new, and we of course wish them all the best.

Attendance at meetings has fluctuated between six and fourteen, with a rough average of nine members at each meeting – a track record to be proud of.

Those Scribblers who managed to attend the FBF in June will, I’m sure, remember it as a hectic but enjoyable time – and one where we Scribblers acquitted ourselves very well in our two sessions – one being ‘Start the day with a story’, and the other the flash fiction event. I have to say that I found it daunting to lead these sessions in the absence of our great leader, aka Dave Feakes, but with the support of those of you who came along, it all went swimmingly. I do hope that in 2017 someone else, however, will be in charge!

Minutes of meetings – these used to contain synopses of the stories that had been read out, but in recent months there has been a decrease in the number of members sending in their synopses for inclusion. Perhaps this is something we need to review for next year?

And what of next year? Well, I’d like to think that our group will continue to grow and flourish. We offer something special in the world of creative writing – a supportive, inclusive and friendly environment where all writers, whatever their ability or experience, can be assured of a warm welcome. Long may it continue.

 Treasurer’s report:this showed that the group has made a small profit during the last year – copies of report available from the Chairman on request.

Chairman’s report:Dave thanked the secretary and treasurer for their work during the year. Also Liliane for collecting the library key before each meeting, Mairead for always providing cakes etc, and Barry for maintaining the group’s Facebook page. He went on to present the following report, and circulated copies of the weblog report for us to peruse.

Chairman’s Report by Dave Feakes.

Another year has slipped by. It has been a time of ‘ups and downs’. The upside being the standard of writing that you, our valued members, have continuously delivered. But before I go further, I would like to pass my sincerest thanks to Cathy who has done a sterling job as secretary for the Scribblers as well as organising her own group the Orwell Writers’ League. It is a testament to her dedication towards our special art form.

I’d like to thank Beryl as Treasurer and keeper of the funds such as they are. My very special thanks to Liliane for always collecting the library key come rain or shine. To Mairead who, despite our pleas, still manages to play the role of confectioner extraordinaire. To Barry for continuing to update the Facebook page. Thanks as well to everyone who has helped with setting up the room, clearing up and washing up! It’s good to be part of a happy and helpful team of writers.

Of course we miss those writers who have come along, stayed a while then left for a variety of reasons. At this point I must mention both Barry and Richard who have always been excellent contributors to our gatherings. Both are now doing university courses whilst Mel has pulled back from her writing because of copious amounts of studying for her work related qualifications. Good luck to them all. I’m sure the dedication they showed at Scribblers will help them see them through to success.

Then there’s Caz, a long time stalwart at Scribblers and a past secretary. With her help we received funding towards our last anthology and purchase of display boards. Sadly, although on the committee, she has been absent for most of the year, even missing the last stagings of her son Jack’s memorial meetings.

Jeanette came along like a breath of fresh air, but, with two books already under her belt, she produced her latest, ‘Exclusion Zone’ and is now concentrating on her writing career.  Like Ruth, a terrific writer.

The programme of meetings during the year was altered at times but I believe these were in the interests of improving creativity. Having said that I am aware that meetings calling for a little research have not always been well attended. Part of being a writer does include research as an important part of fact finding and hopefully when we talk about meeting structures and homework later in the meeting we can discuss this point.

It is interesting to note that in the last 21 meetings we have averaged just over nine in attendance, our highest being 14 at the Ghost meeting and our lowest just 5 back in April for the historical meeting.

Unfortunately I had to miss a couple of meetings last year and was a little upset not to have been at the Felixstowe Book Festival. Both Cathy and Mairead gave positive feedback on both Scribblers events. The ‘Start the day with a story’ was fun with readers Beryl, Mairead, Liliane and Cathy. The flash fiction event in the afternoon went extremely well – lots of strong writing. By that point in the festival (4.30 on Sunday), everyone was a bit weary – had the flash fiction been held in the morning, there would probably have been more attendees, and livelier discussion. That said, those who did participate thoroughly enjoyed it, leaving very favourable comments for us. Thanks to everyone who helped.

Now the next twelve months will be discussed and planned as the meeting flows but here’s food for thought. Could there be another anthology, maybe a ‘team’ project (who can forget The Lost Sock?), alterations to our format, seeking radio and local TV coverage, possible ‘advertising’ for new members and making Scribblers really grow once again. Could we appoint a well known personality to become president perhaps?

So, just summing up, thanks for your support and remember to: keep scribbling!

Ratification of committee members, and/or election of new officers and signatories:Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer – positions remain unchanged. As Caz didn’t stand for re-election, Beryl proposed that Mairead be elected, both as committee member and signatory. Cathy seconded the proposal. Unanimous decision that Mairead take the position.

 President for Scribblers:Dave proposed (and Cathy seconded) that it would raise the group’s profile to have a president, and suggested that Ruth Dugdall would be a perfect choice if she were prepared to accept the position. After some discussion about the need for a president, the motion was passed (eight votes for, two abstentions), and Dave agreed to approach Ruth. The possibility of appointing a Vice President was also discussed, with Jeanette Hewitt perhaps being approached. Agreed in principle, perhaps as a future option, depending on Dave’s initial discussions with Ruth.

 Membership details: Last year, members were asked to provide their addresses and phone number to the secretary – these details to remain confidential and totally unshared. There was a poor response to the request. However, all present agreed that telephone numbers are essential, in case of emergency, e.g. last minute cancellation of meeting. Cathy to request these via email.

Structure of meetings:

 Alterations to the frequency of Bill Budner and Jack Wilkinson trophy competitions. Agreed to reduce frequency to one competition every thirteen meetings – two for each trophy. The first to be on 21 February, for the Jack Wilkinson trophy. There was discussion about the way competitions are run, with suggestions that each writer could read their own work out, instead of following the current anonymous format, in which two readers present all the competition entries for members to listen to. Decision made to retain current format.

• Flash fiction sessions – agreement to retain these. Also, when meetings are short due to low attendance, take the opportunity to do quick flash fiction exercise before meeting ends.
• Selection of themes for the 1000 word homework –members to bring along three themes on separate slips of paper and these will be retained at our meetings. When a homework theme is required then all we need to do is draw one out. The theme could be a single word or a phrase. As new members come along they will be asked to add to our stock of subjects.
• Geographical and historical themes – these sessions were poorly attended last year, but in each case this was due to holiday and personal commitments on the part of the many members who couldn’t attend, but did send apologies. Agreed to retain these elements for 2017.It was suggested to change the names of these particular sessions and this will be reflected in the new programme of meetings
• Broad genre themed homework, eg romance, horror, crime etc. This possibility was discussed, but no firm decision was reached.

Planning for the future:

• Felixstowe Book Festival 2017, weekend of 1 and 2 July

Dave, Cathy and Mairead had all had contact with Meg Reid, the organiser. Meg suggests that all three local groups, i.e. Scribblers, OWL, and Felixstowe Café Poets, have exclusive use of the Furneaux Suite at the Orwell Hotel on Sunday 2 July. Ruth Dugdall will be organising this day with Meg, so Dave will contact Ruth and arrange a meeting with her, Cathy, and a representative of the Café Poets, to determine the possibilities on offer.

Publicity – agreed that Scribblers must be pro-active with this. Must also ensure with Meg that the Sunday event is included in theonlineFBF programme – apparently last year’s writing groups were omitted.

 Have an anthology to sell at the FBF – Dave to investigate costings etc.

• Publicity to boost attendance at Scribblers:

Possibly via Radio Suffolk Felixstowe Radio, Felixstowe TV. Maybe hold an Open Night? Put a publicity display in the library?

Social events:

• Agreed that a ‘post Christmas’ meal, again at the Orwell Hotel, would be popular – Mairead to find out menus, costings etc.

Meeting closed at 9.20, after which there was a short flash fiction exercise. Our next meeting will be onTuesday 6 December, when the 1000 word homework is ‘How to make a profit’.