AGM Report Pages

AGM, 10th March 2022

Our AGM was held on the 10th, we had a good turnout and a good day. Our new patron, Christopher McCormick came along and introduced himself and we could confirm that our Queen’s Jubilee coffee morning on June 9th will be held in the Embassy residence. The following is pretty much what I said:“After the March 2021 AGM I remained Treasurer and was then made the Chairwomen’s deputy when Sue left for the UK and the Vice-Chair Laura was also travelling. When Thailand was put on the UK’s Red list I was officially made the Chairwoman. At that point most of the committee were away and with our Secretary Tina and Membership Secretary Karen, both fairly new members we held the fort, but it truly was the blind leading the blind. Lots of thanks and appreciation to Becky who edits and compiles our monthly Contact magazine and has kept us all up to date throughout it all. One success of the year though was getting around 50 people double vaccinated against COVID at MedPark Hospital. Not all members, I think we were all a bit skeptical in the beginning, but it happened. This is the third year that the Chair and Treasurer’s reports have begun with some comment alluding to the unusual year it has been. Perhaps it’s not so unusual now. Things ground to a halt after the AGM. We had no income at all for a few months with nothing happening. Zoom committee meetings and book club. In June cracker making started up with very few people, but we began to meet twice a week and others joined for an informal lunch on Wednesdays. Alms bowl coins trickled in and in October we began to hold coffee mornings and lunches. Numbers were very low with the average attendance being about 20 only. We started to collect membership dues and decided that our membership year would run January-December to mirror our accounting year and giving everyone four free months. Mahjong began again and we had a welcome influx of new, younger members replacing many who had left throughout the year. In fact, our membership stands at 78 paid and around 10 active honourary members. You’d think with those numbers we could manage a decent do. The BWG calendar is 1st Thursday of the month the committee meeting, all welcome. 2nd Thursday coffee morning, 3rd Thursday lunch and 4th Thursday activity. This is not set in stone of course, public holidays intervene, but you can mostly complete your calendar for the year on that basis. Mahjong Mondays and Wednesdays, crackers on Tuesdays and Book Club first Tuesday of the month. A crafting group is being set up too. To the money, our accounts are run in three funds. I’ve simplified things a bit so that it is easily understood. Firstly, we have a cracker fund, quite autonomous. Income comes from cracker sales and the profit, after deducting costs, is donated to pet charities. This year they still managed to donate B70,000 despite starting late and having fewer members. Secondly we have a General Fund. This fund is for our activities and group expenses. Most of our income these days comes from membership fees. Recently our coffee mornings and lunches are usually on a pay for yourself basis and that generates no income. Our sundry expenses cover things like insuring me as I go about town with the cash box; storage fees at the Fatima shop for our cardboard cutout Queen and the aforementioned coffee mugs and machines, etc.; expenses for our domain name and website; sending flowers to members in hospital or for significant birthdays or events. The largest sum is an

accounting jiggery-pokery of a transfer to the welfare fund to keep it in credit. The Welfare Fund has the same amount as income so the two cancel each other out and can be ignored. Welfare Fund income also comes from our generous members when we get together and we ask for your loose change and to buy raffle tickets. Given that we have not met so often and don’t always have raffles when numbers are so small, you can imagine that this income is much less. Book sales from our bookcase in the Royal Oak pub were also down as the pub was closed for months. There was pent up demand on the reopening so books are always needed to replenish stocks. Please remember that if you are clearing out books, they can be dropped at the Fatima shop. We are spending more on welfare payments than we bring in. A hangover from the days of our account turnover being more than a million. We still have money in the bank and we are determined to continue the education commitments that we have made. Other welfare payments are going to have to be reduced unless we can host some serious events to fund raise. Any suggestions?

GENERAL FUND

COFFEE LUNCHES MEMBERSHIP SUNDRY TRANSFER TO WELFARE 8,400 4,700 64,000 1,200 1,800 2,350

70,144 225,000

6,600 2,350 64,000 -68,944 -225,000

TOTAL INCOME

78,800 EXPENDITURE BALANCE

299,294

-220,994

Add Balance B/F 631,031

TOTAL GENERAL FUND 410,037

WELFARE FUND

ALMS BOWL BOOKS RAFFLES MEMBER DONATIONS WELFARE PAYMENTS TRANSFER FM GENERAL 15,700 7,400 69,200 15,600

225,000 9,800

286,500 15,700 7,400 59,400 15,600 -286,500 225,000

TOTAL INCOME

332,900 EXPENDITURE BALANCE

296,300

36,600

Add Balance B/F 23,369

TOTAL WELFARE FUND 59,969

2021 was a very odd year. I didn’t go anywhere and BWG was pretty much my whole social life and I enjoyed it very much. As a Group I would say that we are older, that more of us are permanent residents, but also we have more members who are here for part of the year and travel for months at a time. We must adjust. Our not so new Committee isChairwoman & Treasurer: Liz Dobson Vice-Chairwoman & Coffees: Petra Gordon Vice-Chairwoman & Lunches: Laura Smith

Secretary: Tina Boonyai Membership & Online: Karen Wainwright Contact Magazine: Becky Adderley Welfare: Gale Bailey MBE Activities: Sally Fisken General Member: Sue Williams These ladies have been wonderful over this past year, so onwards and upwards!”

Liz Dobson