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OFFICER'S REPORTS 2005/6 |
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| SECRETARY'S REPORT |
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| The Branch continues to evolve
and is delivering admirably against our self imposed and UK Headquarters
imposed agenda. After three years as Secretary to the Lancashire Branch,
I have at first hand witnessed the continued commitment and tenacity of
members involved in Lifesaving. I am aware of the passion and
enthusiasm, and realise that Lifesaving in Lancashire continually gains
momentum. It is therefore with little concern that I now give twelve
months notice that I shall not be standing for re-election to the Branch
as secretary. Fresh faces, new ideas, and increased flexibility has led
to the rigid determination for success in the Branch, and I think it is
equally important that I move aside to allow other members to develop
and influence as I have done. |
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| At 27, my intended retirement
from lifesaving is perhaps somewhat premature; however, I am turning to
concentrate more on my working career and other aspects of life. I fully
intend to return to Lifesaving at Branch or National Level again, but
from March 2007 I shall be taking a backbench seat. |
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Honours 2005/2006
This year the Committee decided to examine the way in which it
administers Branch nominations for national honours. In the past the
Nominations Committee of the Branch Management Committee, would meet to
verify eligibility of nominations which were raised by members of the
Branch. However, the lack of nominations strongly suggested that many
members did not fully understand the system. Consequently a guide to the
nomination system was written for Lancashire Branch by myself. This was
recently put to full Committee to gain endorsement and now for the first
time ever, the Branch has been able to issue all Area Managers with a
comprehensive guide to nominations. This will ensure that there is no
reason for any deserving member not to be rightly awarded. |
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A Branch recommended form for
nominations has been generated and this now requires the counter
signature of an Area Manager, or member of the Management Committee
where the nominee is an Area Manager. These measures have been brought
in to uphold the integrity of the Honours system.
And in 2006, the National Nominations will be presented at the National
Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham. This is very accessible by the Motorway
network and should enable more deserving Honours recipients to
personally receive these awards. In the past (awards presented in the
Guild Hall, London) the location often prevented members from travelling
due to cost implications. |
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Constitution
It is now almost three years since I was elected as Secretary to the
Branch and I hope that we are now in the latter stages of formally
implementing the new Branch Constitution. It was in the first meetings
after I was elected as Secretary that I received strong representation
to alert me to the fact that the Constitution was not being correctly
followed. Consequently I reacted quickly to work with the Chairman to
implement this Constitution and ensure that, as a Branch, we members
were "beyond reproach". One of the ways the Branch sought to achieve
this was to create the "Events and Ceremonial Sub Committee" which would
scrutinise minutes of meetings and bring immediately to the attention of
the Branch any aspects of decision making that would act as contrary to
the Constitution. |
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| However, it does still seem clear
that some members do not fully appreciate the importance nor the legal
standing of the Constitution. As a reminder, this Constitution was
presented to full Branch Committee, whilst I was a Trustee, and it was
voted on by full Committee, and formally adopted by full Committee in
2002. As a result of the lack of full understanding, and in some cases
cooperation, I have published a full and comprehensive guide to the
Constitution as it stands and this can be demonstrated as a
presentation. This again has been presented to the full Committee for
its endorsement and will be issued at the Annual General Meeting. |
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Fun Competition
2005 saw the re-Iaunch of the ever successful Fun Competition at the
Sandcastle Waterworld. It has been some years since the Branch has last
enjoyed a Fun Competition and it is every credit to the strong presence
on the Committee of Meryl Graves as Youth Coordinator that has brought
this event back firmly onto the Lifesaving Calendar. A good turnout from
many clubs has truly injected some competitive and team working spirit
into Lifesaving in Lancashire and Meryl has the full support and thanks
of the entire Management Committee. In addition, the special
relationship with the Sandcastle Waterworld also deserves a mention for
provision of the centre free of charge. |
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Save a Baby's Life
Frank Kay and his team of loyal supporters have continued to run
successful out reach programmes, again at the Sand castle Waterworld.
This choice of location reinforces the commitment of the Branch to "out
reach" programmes, generating new interest in lifesaving and truly
equipping society with the skills required in the event of emergency.
Frank Kay is ever interested in volunteers for support and for venues or
groups of volunteers who would like to take part. This could include
youth clubs, Scout or Guide meetings, or even places of work. |
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AGM New Format
You will be aware from the AGM invite that a new format is being piloted
for 2006. The Committee wanted to make the Branch more democratic by
including more members in voting and decision making at the AGM. As a
result, Terry Rogers has led the way incorporating his ever successful
Dinner Dance events, and there already has been a very successful
Christmas Party for 2005. The meeting itself is now moving to 6.00pm and
will be followed by a Dinner Dance event at 7.30pm. Full details are
enclosed in this mailing. |
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Polo shirts
At the Sandcastle Open Event in 2004, a strong Branch presence was
marred by a lack of corporate identity. This issue was quickly resolved
when the Branch sanctioned spending on uniform polo shirts in a royal
blue background with white printing of the Lancashire Branch logo. These
polo shirts can be issued for Branch delegates to wear on public event
duty for example at the Save a Baby's Life events. |
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Insurance, age not
relevant for membership insurance
Concerns were raised at Branch level regarding the insurance element of
the annual individual UK membership scheme to RLSS. The Branch can
confirm that in all cases, it is the individual that is insured
regardless of age of that individual. Therefore there should be no
concerns regarding senior members, though this does not mean that the
regulations are not subject to change and attention to detail should
remain. |
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Officer Aims and Objectives
The Branch Management Committee played host to the Regional Chairman,
Bob Olive, at its November meeting, during which Bob stressed the
importance for planning for the future, not just the present. The Branch
fully supports this ethos, indeed when Headquarters first launched a
requirement for a Branch Strategic Plan, Lancashire Branch quickly
implemented its own plan. The plans, which exist for all officer
positions are reviewed regularly and rely on the impetus of the
individual officer, whom, upon agreement from the Management Committee,
is able to implement the strategy, often setting up a sub-committee to
develop ideas and concepts. |
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Newsletter
One issue that this report highlights is that Lancashire Branch is very
active and has much to boast. Sadly, the Branch newsletter continues to
be of some difficulty to manage and maintain. The role itself is not a
difficult piece of work, but it does require someone who is able to keep
his/her ear to the ground, and is based locally throughout the year. It
is hoped that a team can be set up under the direction
of the PRO/Publicity Officer (a position which remains unfulfilled). Any
volunteers for either the role of a newsletter editor, or the position
of PRO/Publicity Officer should either speak to the Secretary or any
member of the Management Committee. |
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Child Protection
Headquarters has finally appointed Pauline Mills, Kirkham Area Manager,
as the Child Protection Officer for the Branch. As this position is
appointed directly by Headquarters following a Branch nomination, there
is no plausible reason for the post to be "without voting rights" on the
Management Committee - this role carries a voting right at Branch
meetings. Pauline is well known with key experiences as a special needs
teacher and a former police officer. Pauline has a heavy and crucial
portfolio but with an excellent support framework in place at
Headquarters to support her. Pauline's priority now is to appoint club
welfare officers in the Branch. |
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Presentations and role of
President
2005/2006 is the second year in which the Branch has seen the rolling
Presidency which this year has seen Penny Riley as President of the
Lancashire Branch. This honour has rightly acknowledged Penny's years of
service and dedication to Lifesaving. In addition, Penny has set the
standard for the position of President - as an active officer
representing the Branch at award ceremonies and key public relations
events. |
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The position of President Elect
provides for a natural succession and formal "handover" at the Annual
General Meeting, and for the past year Vernon Baker has acted as
President Elect to the Lancashire Branch.
Finally, those members who have being honoured with the title of
President are now formally identified as a Past President of the
Lancashire Branch. |
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Officer name badges
To support the corporatisation of the Branch with uniform Polo Shirts,
the Branch has also funded Officer name badges that will help identify
the roles individuals play within the Branch, ultimately making them
more accessible. These should be displayed at the Annual General
Meeting. And for Past Presidents and Vice Presidents (who shall never
loose their title purely based on length of service) badges have been
created with name personalisation. |
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Welfare fund
It is inevitable that from time to time members within the Branch, and
close partners, will fall ill. At such times it is understandable that
the Branch wishes to provide some comfort to those individuals and their
family. It is a fact, however, that the Branch Constitution does not
allow for Branch funds to be used for any activity other than that
directly related to promotion of Lifesaving activity and its goals. The
Branch Management Committee wishes, therefore, to put a motion to the
Annual General Meeting, to amend the Constitution for Lancashire Branch
to provide a yearly budget of £200 for the purposes of a Welfare Fund to
cater for such eventualities. Not only will this allow the Branch to
play its part in times of distress and sadness, it will also ensure that
it remains 100% legal, within the law and beyond reproach which has been
a key commitment since I was elected Secretary and first held to account
at my first meeting in that position. I am pleased to say that the
Regional Chairman, present at the September meeting when this was
discussed, supported this motion. |
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Minutes of meetings, all
pages to be signed
The electric age of emails and computers has lent itself to increase
efficiency within the Branch, as I mentioned in this report last year,
but with it comes increased risks of fraud and counterfeiting. As a
consequence, there is the ultimate possibility that under the current
scheme of meeting minutes being signed on the final page only, by the
Chairman Secretary, that pages preceding the last page could ultimately
be replaced and therefore adjusted. The Committee has now agreed that
all pages of the minutes should be singed or, in the case of individual
interim pages, at least initialled by both the Chairman and Secretary. I
am pleased to say that the Regional Chairman, present at the September
meeting when this was discussed, supported this motion. |
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Location of meetings
The location of meetings continues to alternate to allow universally
convenient access to members of the Management Committee. This past year
has seen the first ever meeting in Darwen, and the Branch is now making
a commitment to one meeting in Darwen each year. This has led to car
sharing from the Fylde coast, which in turn is leading to greater
cooperation between members, whilst also protecting the environment.
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Moves and Changes on the
Committee
Debbie McCabe has announced that she will not be standing for election
as Treasurer at the coming Annual General Meeting. Debbie has carried
out an important role with apparent ease, and can be credited with
merging the roles of Treasurer and Awards & Sales Officer. This has led
to increased efficiency in the Branch and ultimately an improved level
of service to Branch members. Debbie's decision means that the Branch
will need to elect a new Treasurer though the Branch undoubtedly will
hope that Debbie will consider another position on the Committee or as a
member of a Branch Management Committee Subcommittee. The role of
PRO/Publicity Officer remains vacant and this must surely be a key
priority for the Branch at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting in
March.
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Edward Oldfield
December 2005 |
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