January 2010: Death of Bill Young 

Minutes of AGM 2009

 

November 2009

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting

of the

Forum of Chairmen of Independent Hospices

 

Held at the Harrogate International Centre

on

Wednesday 25th November 2009

 Present

 

Wynn Griffiths                       Michael Garrity                       Simon James

Sheila Tonge                           Kirsty Pilkington                     Audrey Platt

Andy Meehan                         Carole Ferguson                      Sheila Reiter

Carolyn Mercer                       Bill Holmes                             Patrick Beasley

Sue Newman                           Andrew Soundy                     Robert Daunt

Richard Morey                        David Simpson                       Raphael Attard

Jane Rutherford                      Roger Payne                            Sam Wilson

Geoff Summers                       Keith Gay                               Richard Horner

Michael Warren (Chairman)   Judi Millward (Treasurer)        Jean Jones (Secretary)

 

 

Apologies

 

Peter Kraushar                      David Dunbar                         Peter Durrant

Sue Manley                             Neil Gadsby                            John McKernan

Elizabeth Gale                         Paul Cuthbertson                    Angela Deacon

John Bawden                          Eileen Goffin                          Roy Tazzyman

Andrew Coombe                    Stephen Cuthbert

 

 

Minutes of the Last Meeting

 

Hugh Scurfield’s name had been wrongly spelt.  With this correction the minutes were agreed as a correct record.

 

Chairman’s Report

The report for 2008/2009 had been circulated prior to the meeting but MW highlighted a number of issues.

The regional roadshows held by Help the Hospices had been very successful and a full report of the outcomes would be discussed at a conference session later today.

 

Over the past year a great deal of work had been undertaken to raise the profile of governance, and the role of chairmen in particular, within the structure of HtH.  There is great enthusiasm within HtH for this and members will be kept informed of progress.

 

The update of the FCIH website has been completed and is accessible from the HtH website.  The site will be managed and maintained by the company which supports the HtH website and it is intended to introduce a members only section over the next few months.

 

MW again asked if there was anyone willing to take on the role of website co-ordinator but as no-one came forward he agreed to continue to undertake this role for the next few months until such time as a replacement can be found.

 

Treasurer’s report 

Accounts to June 30 2009

 Receipts and Payments

 

Subscriptions are again slightly down at 113 members compared to 115 last year.  It is hoped the new website will encourage members to sign up.

Bank interest has fallen this year to £93.08.

 

Payments 

There were more committee meetings held this year compared to the previous year and this accounted for the increase in room charges and travel expenses.

 

Last years conference was held jointly with HtH and the sponsorship received meant that FCIH did not have to contribute to it.  A conference for Trustees was held in the North West region and this generated a profit of £739.67.

 

Balance Sheet 

Cash reserves are £14,567.99 with debtors of £1,155.  That gives accumulated funds of £15,722.99.

As conferences are an important way for the membership to communicate and in the past they have not always been profitable, it has been decided to build up reserves to ensure that the price of the conference is kept at the lowest rate possible without risking the solvency of FCIH if the required attendance is not reached. 

£3,000 has been spent on the website development since the year-end. 

The Treasurer thanked the accountants, LKT who provide the accountants report free of charge.  They have indicated that they will provide a similar service for the year to June 2010 but will not offer their services beyond that date.  The Treasurer also thanked Anne Garley for organising the collection of subscriptions. 

The accounts were adopted unanimously and it was agreed to keep subscriptions to the present level 

 

Appointment of Auditors 

It was agreed to appoint LKT Chartered Accountants as Auditors for the coming year.

 

 

Election of Officers

 

As there were no nominations for the positions of Treasurer and Secretary, and both potholders were willing to stand again, Judi Millward and Jean Jones were elected unopposed. 

Carole Ferguson proposed a vote of thanks for their contribution over the past year.

 

Election of Chairman 

As Mike Warren has completed three years as Chairman of the Forum his term of office has come to an end. 

It was proposed that Sue Newman be elected as Chairman and this was agreed unanimously. 

Before stepping down from the chair, MW explained that he had been asked by HtH to stay on as a co-opted member of the Policy and Communications Group for the time being.  In the meantime he will actively seek to find a successor.  All members present agreed this arrangement. 

MW also took the opportunity to thank everyone at HtH for their help and support, with especial thanks to Anne Garley. 

At this point Sue Newman took over the chair and introduced herself, outlining her background and relevant experience. 

On behalf of all the members of FCIH she thanked MW for his hard work and enthusiasm over the past three year and presented him with a small gift as a mark of appreciation.

 

Any Other Business

 

There being no other business the meeting closed.