Oxford Cycle Workshop Training ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 28th February 2011
Present: Dan Harris (Director OCWT), Jonty Semper (Director OCWT), Jared Spier (Project Manager OCWT), James Dawton (OCW), Tony Gray, Gavin Kilip, Mark Bloch, Rachel Bright, Gwilym Davies, James Hayes, Cathy Kennedy, Simon Li, Becky Minton, Ruth Porter, Joasia Semper, Paul Yjiola. Apologies: None 1.
Welcome
Mr Semper and Mr Harris thanked those present for attending, and reported that Oxford Cycle Workshop Training (OCWT) was hosting its second AGM after the first full year of trading. 2.
Election of Management Committee
Mr Kilip and Mr Gray stood for election to the Management Committee. It was noted that 15 online votes and 1 postal vote were received prior to the AGM. As the meeting was not quorate (with a 350 membership 35 individuals would need to be present) it was agreed that Mr Kilip and Mr Gray be co-opted as members of the Management Committee. 3.
Presentation of Accounts (Aug 2009 – Aug 2010)
Mr Harris reported that it was not possible to present the finalised Accounts for OCWT for the period August 2009 to August 2010, due to delays with accountancy procedures. The draft accounts were available for circulation. It was noted that OCWT had an operational loss of £30k in its first year of trading. The turnover for the period Aug 2009 to Aug 2010 was approx £100k, with a small operational loss. Mr Harris reported that the next year of trading should result in a small operational profit. 4.
Adjournment of AGM
Mr Harris reported that given that the AGM was not quorate, the meeting should stand adjourned until a day between seven and fourteen days after the date set for the original meeting, and that all members should be given such notice as is practicable. It was agreed that the next meeting would be held within two weeks. It was agreed that it would be helpful to clarify the rules with regard to AGM attendance. 5.
Annual Report
Overview Mr Harris reported that the trading year prior to Aug 2009 had been a shorter one, with the majority of OCWT projects operating off-site whilst the new premises were secured. During the Aug 2009-Aug 2010 trading year a number of new projects were developed or expanded including: delivery of training provision at The Cherwell School and University of Oxford; EAL accreditation; an apprentice training programme; evening and weekend courses open to the public and workshop access for members. Review of the Year & Projects Mr Semper reported on the aims of the ‘Freewheeling’ project which seeks to offer cycle maintenance courses to all members of the community. The evening and weekend courses on offer have proved to be popular, with members encouraged to promote these further through word of mouth. It was noted that
initially 49% of course participants were from the OX4 region, whilst more recently this has decreased to 34%, with people travelling from further afield to attend. OCWT is also working with the University of Oxford to deliver a safe cycling seminar, training and 1:1 on-road training. Having developed this as a product it was agreed that it would be helpful to seek to expand this to other businesses and organisations across Oxford. It was also noted that it would be helpful to provide more online learning facilities, and build on the website which went live in Dec 2009. Mr Semper reported that 8 apprentices had been taken on by the Training Centre and OCW - a significant number given that this was greater than the total number of existing employees. It was a helpful learning experience for all involved, with several of the apprentices being retained by either OCWT or OCW following the end of their programme. Further work with young people includes the Cherwell After-School Club which has 70 students participating in activities such as bike polo, grass track cycling and British Cycling Core Skills programmes. OCWT has also continued to sponsor the local Horspath Hammers Cycle Speedway club, which are in the premier league. Membership In terms of membership it was noted that OCWT has expanded its membership from an initial 53 in 200809 to 241 at the end of Aug 2019, with current figures at 350. The gender balance has changed from an initial 69% male to 58% male. Outlook Mr Harris reported that OCWT is moving out of its initial start up phase and increasing the delivery of its courses and programmes. The website is being developed further, with more and more online bookings. Of the 8 apprentices who completed their training, 3 are still with either OCWT or OCW and two have gone onto other jobs in the cycle industry. Mr Semper reported on current work with the Cherwell School, with qualifications in cycle maintenance being offered to a number of students at level 2 (equivalent to GSCE). With increasing pressure to provide alternative curriculum options, cycle mechanics is being integrated into student course options modules. Mr Gray reported that Cherwell has the highest number of pupils cycling to school in the country, and with PE staff taking British Cycling coaching courses, and the After School Club, cycling is increasingly important to the school. Mr Semper reported on plans to develop a cycle maintenance workshop at the school, and linking with Oxford and Cherwell Valley College to provide more courses and better progression routes for students. In addition to plans with Cherwell, Mr Semper reported on work with the homeless charity Crisis. Crisis is redeveloping the central Old Fire Station venue in Oxford to create a space for homeless people to work, and will include a cafe, cycle maintenance workshop and woodworking space. From Oct 2011 OCWT will deliver cycle maintenance training to homeless people in this space, as well as to the general public. A similar model has been adopted in Newcastle and London and OCWT looks forward to working in partnership with Crisis. Questions from members Mr Bloch queried whether the capacity of OCWT was being stretched too far in the event of having to manage staffing of the workshops at Cherwell and Crisis. It was noted that the organisation seeks to grow through partnerships and that staffing costs for each of the centres will be fully covered. New members of staff would be recruited for both projects in order for each of them to succeed, but should also have some capacity to feed into general OCWT work. It was noted that OCWT had not accepted grant funding to date, and it was queried whether or not this was a specific policy of the organisation. Mr Semper reported that it was not a policy as such, but noted that fundraising through grant applications was not amongst the skill sets of the directors. As well as enabling
greater decision making freedom, the current financial climate has not necessarily been conducive to greater fundraising. It was agreed that developing more online learning resources for cycle maintenance could potentially be a lucrative opportunity, and could fit in with OCWT’s work. The issue of how OCWT should measure its success was raised, and it was agreed that the organisation was owned by the community and therefore would not succeed if it did not deliver what the community needs and would like. Mr Semper reported that the potential of a community share issue is being explored as a means of expanding capacity and enabling members to invest in the organisation. Ms Bright noted that the advertising of the current services provided by OCWT could be improved. For instance the lectures and 1:1 training offered through the University of Oxford are not necessarily well advertised, and could be adopted by other organisations. A ‘champion’ scheme could be set up to make it easier for members to promote OCWT, should more marketing materials be provided. Mr Semper noted that one of the options was to encourage local bike shops to promote maintenance courses to their customers, with incentives to enable them to benefit. Ms Minton queried what the next stage would be for the membership to support the organisation. It was agreed that more data should be collected about members to ascertain how best to involve them in supporting/promoting the organisation. It was confirmed that the Committee of Management’s role would be to assist with business planning priorities and propose these to the membership as appropriate. Mr Kilip thanked OCWT for their excellent work to date. Mr Harris and Mr Semper thanked all those present for attending and their contribution. 6. Any Other Business None.