MINUTES OF THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING on Monday 3rd November 2025 at 2.30pm at the club.
Present: L.Collier,.,(President in the Chair), M. Adams, C.Bryant, Chrissie Bryant, M.Howell, D.Johnson, M.Smart,K.Whatling,W.Ainsworth.
Apologies. Y.Greenwood,C.Greenwood, M.Rolls.
The minutes of the meeting held on Monday 6th October having been circulated were accepted as a true record Proposed by D.Johnson seconded by K.Whatling .
Matters Arising.
Chrissie Bryant reported that the Mentoring programme was progressing well and that they proposed to produce a printed booklet for all members at approx. cost of £200 for 200 books.It was agreed that we should implement this but wait until our New Articles of Administration are confirmed for the new Company.
Secretaries Report. Nothing to report.
Treasurers Report.
Community Account
Income Expenditure
Annual Dinner 1960 Annual Dinner 2100
Short Mat 320 Green Maint 2655
Raffle 311 Greenkeeper 500
Coffee Morning 38 Short Mat Subs 140
Waste 90
Misc 79
Total 2630 5564
Balance B/Fwd 15,663
+ 2630
– 5564
Balance C/Fwd 12,729
Deposit A/c
Balance B/fwd 16,123.75
Interest 7.95
Balance C/Fwd 16,131.70
Fixed Interest A/C £10,000 @ 2.65% Maturing January 2026
Total Cash Book £38,860.70
Treasurer’s Report Notes
The Annual Dinner made a small profit of £55.00 if you add ticket prices to the evening’s raffle ( £195.00).
Green Maintenance Expenditure included an Avoncrop Invoice for £2164.06.
It was suggested that we should obtain more detail on our expenditure item by item over the year in order to monitor product prices from year to year.
Treasurers Report for year ending 30th. September 2025
This year there was a trading loss of £3,723 in comparison with a small loss of £63 in year 2024. The reasons for this are explained below. However, there was a one-off receipt in respect of the hiring of our premises by a TV company of £9,800. This is not expected to recur. Consequently, the accounts show an overall profit of £6,077.
Income
Income fell by £2290.00. Bar sales plummeted by £1868 but profit margins stayed at 46%. The lack of men’s touring teams was largely responsible for this fall. This trend will probably continue in future as teams tour less than ever
before. The Open triples confirmed this. Only 20 teams this year (including home team players) reducing the profit by £438 on 2024 numbers.
Expenditure
There was again an increase in expenditure to £29,368 from £27,998 in 2024. Electricity costs increased by 72%. Cleaning costs were higher due to the club opening 7 days a week this season. Grounds maintenance costs were higher, but the purchase of 3 new Arbors contributed to this. Kitchen costs rose substantially but we did replace a warming cabinet for plates etc.
Balance Sheet
Our overall cash position has increased to £44,645 from £35,783 in 2024. The “windfall” of £9800 from the TV company was responsible for this and should not affect our financial planning for the coming years.
Generally
This year we will again be giving £2,000 to our nominated charity. This includes the contents of the “pig,” donations and a rounding up figure from the club funds. An excellent amount for a small club like ours.
Membership Fees
Setting these fees is always difficult where a certain amount of guesswork is involved such as membership levels, inflation rates, ever increasing green costs and utility costs. We can to an extent control bar margins and rink fees etc. but in unstable times accurate predictions are quite impossible.
The large reduction in income necessitates a review of all activities, however, our strong cash position due to the TV company’s payment of £9,800 means I won’t now be increasing annual membership fees as originally planned.
Full Membership of £130 (reduced to £110 if paid by 31st January).
Non- playing membership £25
Social membership discontinued. All non-players to pay £25.
Junior Membership and Beginners £25. (No change).
Other membership rates can be set by the incoming management committee, as necessary
I hope you find there is sufficient information in the Accounts and notes to answer all your questions but, if you require further details, it would be helpful if you let me know your question prior to the meeting so I am able to give you a correct response at the AGM.
Mike Rolls
Treasurer
Winscombe Bowling Club
After discussion on the Annual subscription for full members it was unanimously agreed that the Full Membership should be £140 (reduced to £125 if paid by 31st January) for recommendation at the AGM..This decision was made following review of the annual expenditure being £3700 more than our income for the year making the point that our income should meet our expenditure every year without taking into account any big exceptional income e.g. TV filming payments. It was also recommended that this amount less any items already purchased from this windfall should be wring fenced for specific areas of expense i.e Building repairs.
A query was also raised as to why the electricity charge for the year had increased from £1494 in 2024 to £2574 this year.This should be investigated by studying our bills for the year.
Fixture Secretary report.
NSBA – We are drawn against St Andrews in The KO Cup and Portishead in The Four Dimensions both at Home.
Congratulations to Malcolm Dorrington on his appointment as Fixture Secretary for NSBA.
Tourists – A little more interest this year. We currently have 7 games arranged. I’ve even had to turn a couple down as we could not fit them in despite my best efforts.
Friendlies – Men & Mixed 9 and Ladies 4. Given the number of League and Cup games , it will be difficult to increase this number.
The County League schedule has just been released.
In Prem 2 – the A Team are at Home for our first 4 Fixtures. We will play 7 at Home and 4 Away?
In North 2 – the first 2 fixtures are away and the B Team will play 6 Away and 5 at Home.
In North 3 – the C Team play all – home and away – 6 Home / 8 away plus two no games.
Most of the fixtures both Men and Ladies are in now. We currently have two free Saturdays!
The Ladies will have about 48 – 50 games and the Men about 95 – 100 depending on Cup runs!
Mens’ Section Report
The regular season has finished but the close season has begun in earnest.
The men’s indoor bowls at St Andrews is a well-established part of our Club. Organised by Bob Kibble, seven teams of three play on Thursday afternoons. Seven skips with teams drawn by lot at the beginning of the tournament play each other over the winter months with a small knock-out competition in January. There is a small team of reserves ready to act as substitutes when regular team members are unavailable. It’s a social occasion. The bar is open for most of the game and we stay for a drink afterwards, too. If you would like to be part of the action, just give Bob Kibble a call.
There is a similar competition at Victoria including a small team from Winscombe.
We have a small number of indoor friendlies at other clubs arranged by Fixtures Secretary Ken Whatling. Details of the matches are on the club noticeboard; if you are interested put your name down. Teams are selected by the Club Vice-Captain, presently Mike Smart, but changing after the AGM.
There is also the opportunity to play Short Mat Bowls. In case you don’t know, it’s played indoors on a mat of about 45 feet. We have a club competition in the mornings at Winscombe, a ladies competition in the afternoon at Winscombe and we have a mixed team competing in the Woodspring League at venues all over North Somerset.
So, there are opportunities to play some form of bowls throughout our year. The indoor teams for 2025/26 are largely selected but please, if you would like to be considered for next year, now would not be too early to let us know.
Ladies Captain Report.
Nothing to report.
Estate Report. The boards around the green will be replaced during the winter .A sample length will be obtained to test the suitability.
Social.
Wednesday 19th Nov Club AGM at our clubhouse. There is a nomination sheet in the clubhouse for anyone interested in taking up positions in the club. One vacancy is the Social Co-ordinator, as I am stepping down after 4 years in the post, anyone who is interested and wants to know more feel free to contact me.
Saturday 22nd Nov Quiz night with Bob Kibble
Welfare. Keith Webber and his wife are back to good health.Bob Counsells wife is unwell.We wish them all well.
The transfer of ownership.
The following is a statement by the President to be presented at the AGM for the members as to the current situation on the item.
As some of you may know the Bowling club has two sections 1) The Limited Company and 2) The Club.
The Limited Company owns the property and the Club leases the ground and buildings at a minimal annual rent.
The Limited Company and your Club Management Committee have reached agreement to pass over total ownership to the Club as a Company Limited by guarantee. ie no shareholders.This will mean that you as members are all owners of the Club. Below is an outline of the process and explanation of how this will progress and come to be.This is a process that will take probably getting on for 12 months.At the end you as members will see no real change to the day to day working of the Club.
The unincorporated Club runs all of the activities of the Bowling Club.
Between them, the unincorporated Club and the Company own the freehold of all of the Bowling Club grounds and premises – the Greens, the clubhouse and the parking area.
The Company currently owns the greater part of the freehold property which it is leasing to the unincorporated Club under a tenancy at will for a low rental.
The Company is a company limited by shares. Until 22nd September 2025, the Company was called The Winscombe Bowling Club Limited. This name, I think, has caused some confusion over recent years.
We have now changed the name of the Company to Winscombe Bowling Club Estates Limited which more properly reflects the Company’s rôle.
We have then incorporated a new Company called Winscombe Bowling Club Limited, as a company limited by guarantee. This new Company is intended to be the ultimate vehicle into which both the unincorporated Club’s activities and all of the Club’s and Winscombe Bowling Club Estates Limited’s freehold property will be transferred. The intention is that the new Company will be registered as a CASC – Community Amateur Sports Club. This will remove the current property-ownership anomalies (described below) and put Winscombe Bowling Club’s activities and property into a clear understandable structure, intended to serve it well into the future.
Senior members of the unincorporated Club’s membership are the shareholders of the Winscombe Bowling Club Estates Limited. Unfortunately, at no stage have the shares in Winscombe Bowling Club Estates Limited been transferred into trust for the unincorporated Club.This is intended to remedy that situation.
Winscombe Bowling Club President/Management Committee
Following discussion it was decided that we would make this statement more simple for the AGM.Ken Whatling will produce an AI statement for the AGM.
Correspondence.
I am presently the Men’s Captain at The Isle of Wedmore Bowls Club, who may be playing against yourselves in North 2 of the County League next season, once the structure has been confirmed. Having played in this league for the past 2 years I am aware that it is generally practice for the home side to provide a light lunch following the Saturday afternoon games, which generally consists of Bread, Ham, Cheese, Sausage Rolls and Cake etc.
During conversation with both home and away players over the last year it was mentioned on numerous occasions that the food provided was not really needed.
The reasons highlighted for this were mainly that players would be returning home for a normal family meal, or maybe a family barbecue, and therefore eating at that time of day only served to lower their appetite for the family meal that evening. Having that type of meal also prolonged their attendance at the game.
A simple solution to this situation could be for the home side to provide just a light snack following the game, such as a packet of crips or biscuits, to be enjoyed with a drink and conversation as is regularly the case in the over 55’s C&D and W&D League games. This practice would not only allow players to return home a little earlier, with a normal appetite, but also allow for a slight reduction in match fees and cause less pre match preparation for all Clubs.
Should one Club on their own make the decision to go down these lines there would be concerns that it could cause hard feelings amongst the other Clubs in the league. For that reason I am asking all Clubs in the league to consider supporting a universal change whereby we all provide just a light snack, as described earlier.
I would be grateful if you would give this proposed change your consideration and let me know the result. Once I have received all your replies, I will collate the results and let you know whether a universal agreement can be achieved.
Thanks, in anticipation.
Trev Gray
Men’s Outdoor Captain
IOWBC
This item was discussed at length and the agreement was that we would reply as follows;-
Winscombe Bowling Club will continue as in previous years to supply pate/cheese with rolls or tiger bread irrespective of what the opposition wish to do at their home matches.
AOB.
W.Ainsworth asked as to when we might hear if BBC filming was required next year.The secretary replied that we wouldn’t probably know this until January and no contact could be made at the moment as we don’t know who the Filming companies Location Manager is for this possible event.
Ken Whatling reiterated how important it was to review our Accounts to make sure we cover our regular annual expenditure each year, thus the recommended increase in subscriptions for next year and to maintain future covering rather that wait for a heavy increase in later years.
Date and time of next committee meeting:- Monday December 1st at 2.30pm 2025.
The meeting closed at 4.10 pm.
Signed …………. …………President Date …………………………