(Held Remotely) Monday 5th July 2021
01/07/21 Attendees
Involving: Representing:
Andrew Bownes (AB) Local Community
Jean Brown (JB) Vice Chair of Committee
Jenny Cooper (JC) Committee member
Bridget Dicken (BD) Committee member
Rebekah Dicken (RD) Committee member
Lloyd Melland (LM) Treasurer
Jess O’Dwyer (JOD) Secretary
Ian Webster (IW) Committee member
Philip Wheeldon (PW) Chair of Committee
Ben Wilson (BW) Resident
Sarah Wilson (SW) Resident
PLEASE NOTE – as this was the AGM, all pre-meeting information including details on re-electing the committee were shared with all those on the email mailing list.
02/07/21 Apologies and Expressions of Interest
Summary of Discussion:
No apologies were received.
03/07/21 Minutes of Previous Meeting dated 29th March 2021
Summary of Discussion:
The minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting.
JOD to put a public copy of the minutes on our Facebook page.
04/07/21 Brief description and history of why we have “re-emerged” after all these years
Summary of Discussion:
A number of articles have been written/shared with the committee and local community, regarding the history of Pomeroy War Memorial Hall:
· The write up in the Buxton Advertiser, dated September 10th 1921, regarding official opening of Pomeroy War Memorial Hall.
· Our leaflet – “Pomeroy and Pomeroy War Memorial Hall” written in 2020.
· Our article – “Pomeroy and Pomeroy War Memorial Hall” which featured in Hartington/Biggin/Earl Sterndale News and Views newsletter Nov/Dec 2020.
· We have had articles published in Pure Buxton magazine, the Buxton Advertiser and the Peak Advertiser. · We have also shared committee reports, accounts and the recent feasibility study results with the information for this AGM. The hall had an active committee until the 1980’s when age, ill health and lack of new membership led to the hall becoming disused. It was let to Buxton Drama League in 1993 for them to store scenery.
Interest and activity in the hall was triggered in part by Buxton Drama League who, realising that structural work and renovation were required, wanted to find out who owned it. This coincided with the discovery of the deeds, minutes and records relating to the hall, which showed that the hall was owned in trust for the people of the local parish. So, what do we do with a public building that is no longer in public use and falling into disrepair?
On contacting Rural Action Derbyshire (RAD) (the organisation who oversee the management and use of village halls) they advised we held our first public meeting (in October 2019). Minutes of all our meetings are accessible via our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pomeroymemorialhall. The main aim was to find a suitable use for the hall so that it did not become derelict. Options included; lease the hall, renovate or sell it. None of these options are straightforward. The deeds state that public access to the hall should be maintained, so sole occupancy is not an option. But if we renovate it, the future intended use needs to be viable to make this worthwhile. Neither is it simple to sell a building that is owned by the local people.
The hall is a war memorial and so needs to be preserved. Over the past 18 months, we have found out more about the local men who died in the Great War and were the catalyst for the hall being built in the first place. We also know more about those left behind whose hard work built and paid for the hall and kept it going over the years. This led to various publicity articles (to gain public interest and awareness) and the independent feasibility study (to get the opinions of residents plus any other interested parties). We would love the hall to be restored and brought back into public use as it was intended.
05/07/21 Chair’s Report
Summary of Discussion:
PW said it had been an eventful year but at last the hall was empty and we are in possession of the key.
PW thanked everyone for their efforts: JOD for the work she has done, IW for the walling, JC and RD for the 100 club, JB for the push she has given, LM for his work as treasurer and BD and GD at The Duke of York, Pomeroy for allowing us to use the pub for meetings.
PW proposed that Ben and Sarah Wilson joined the committee as IT specialists.
Anyone wanting to join committee should give their details to JOD – [email protected]
06/07/21 Clerks Report and Funding
Summary of Discussion:
We have agreed on the name “The Pomeroy Trust” to encompass the hall, the recreation ground and other issues relevant to Pomeroy such as footpaths and highways. We now have a Facebook page, email address and logo.
We have insurance on the hall paid by Hartington Middle Quarter Parish Council and The Pomeroy Trust paid the £112 trustee indemnity. We are insured via Norris and Fisher Insurance Brokers.
Nigel Davis Solicitors of Ashbourne, acting on a pro-bono basis successfully made an application to Land Registry for us. They also put us on to Greenwood Projects, a Lichfield based consultancy specialising in heritage and community projects.
We now have a bank account and online access to the account. We do not yet have access to the dormant bank account.
We have secured several sources of funding; £425 from the Derbyshire County Council Action Grant and £700 from the Derbyshire Dales Local Project Fund to pay for the work done by Helena Stubbs from Rural Action Derbyshire.
We have also been awarded grants of £3390 from the War Memorials Trust, £2357 from The Bingham Trust, £1000 from the Better Derbyshire Dales Fund, £1000 from the Derbyshire Dales Community Leadership Fund and £300 from the Peak District National Park Authority for the feasibility study to be conducted by Smith and Roper Architects and Elanor Hazlehurst of Greenwood Projects. AB commented that the funding already in place will be useful as match funding for the main renovations.
We have applied to the Charity Commission via Helena Stubbs (HS) of Rural Action Derbyshire. We have chosen to become a Charitable Trust as this is the quicker and cheaper process, with a view to becoming a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) at a later date. HS has advised that the Charity Commission may let us register as a new village hall which would enable us to become a CIO more quickly and without the expense of legal fees. Charity registration will enable us to access more sources of funding.
Smith and Roper Architects have done their initial report on the condition of the hall and have provided drawings showing the hall as it is currently. We are awaiting the next part of their report with a detailed specification of works. Elanor Hazlehurst (EH) consulted local businesses, organisations, residents and visitors about the future of the hall. We provided EH with a list of businesses and organisations who she contacted to assess what we have in the local area, what we are lacking and what there is demand for. EH provided us with a list of questions to use in a public consultation. We did an online survey using Survey Monkey and sent 200 paper copies out with News and Views, plus provided paper copies for anyone that needed them. Our public consultation was advertised on Facebook, sent out to local newspapers and radio stations and appeared in the new High Peak Advertiser. 144 replies were received and EH has provided us with her feasibility report.
We regularly communicate with our “members” via our email mailing list and our Facebook page.
We also have a separate mailing list for newspapers and other local media and have appeared in The Buxton Advertiser, The Peak Advertiser and Pure Buxton Magazine. We also write a regular update on the hall for the News and Views Newsletter.
This year we have also found out lots about the history of the hall. We now think that the catalyst for building the hall was the death of John Briddon, farm hand at Street House Farm. The Farm Manager, Thomas Clifford Bailey, was the driving force behind building a war memorial. We now know that the other local men killed in the First World War were William Bennett, Frederick Shimwell and Levi Wilcox.
Other points to mention about this year; the Trust has considered keeping the recreation ground as a wildflower meadow. We have had initial talks with the Peak District National Park Authority and Derbyshire County Council regarding footpaths and highways in Pomeroy. Committee members also attended the “Fit for Funding” workshop led by EH. Lastly, we now have vacant possession of the hall. Buxton Drama League have removed the last of their stored items and returned the key to us last month. We are looking forward to being able to press on with getting Pomeroy War Memorial Hall back into community use and hopefully being able to celebrate 100 years since the opening of the Hall in September 2021.
07/07/21 Treasurer’s Report
Summary of Discussion:
Our un-audited accounts are as follows:
The Pomeroy Trust Accounts 01/04/20 – 31/03/21
Income
| Date | Company/ organisation | Description | Total (incl vat) | Vat | Total (zero vat) |
| 10/08/20 | HMQPC | Contribution to insurance for hall | 457 | 457 | |
| 21/08/20 | Derbyshire County Council | Action Grant | 425 | 425 | |
| 21/09/20 | Derbyshire County Council | CLLR S Spencer Grant | 1000 | 1000 | |
| 13/10/20 | DDDC | Local Project Grant | 700 | 700 | |
| 02/12/21 | DDDC | Better Derbyshire Dales Fund | 1000 | 1000 | |
| 12/01/21 | Bingham Trust | Grant | 2357 | 2357 | |
| 100 Club | Fundraising | 601 | 601 | ||
| Christmas Raffle | Fundraising | 586 | 586 | ||
| 31/03/21 | 7126 | 7126 |
Outgoing
| Date | Company/ organisation | Description | Total (incl vat) | Vat | Total ( zero vat) |
| 19/11/2019 | Jonathan V. Davies | Chartered Surveyors | 250 | 250 | |
| 01/04/2020 | J O’Dwyer | Clerk | 18.93 | 18.93 | |
| 22/06/2020 | Amazon | Office Consumables | 20.79 | 3.47 | 17.32 |
| 26/08/2020 | Norris & Fisher | Insurance | 569 | 569 | |
| 29/08/2020 | J O’Dwyer | Clerk | 82.29 | 82.29 | |
| 30/11/2020 | J O’Dwyer | Clerk | 6.43 | 6.43 | |
| 30/11/2020 | J O’Dwyer | Clerk | 4.00 | 4.00 | |
| 18/01/2021 | Smith and Roper | Chartered Surveyors | 2472 | 412 | 2472 |
| 28/02/2021 | Greenwood Projects | Project Development | 360 | 60 | 300 |
| 100 club | Prize Money | 175 | 175 | ||
| 31/03/2021 | 3958.4 | 475.5 | 3894.97 |
| Opening Cash | 390 |
| Bank Balance | 3010.56 |
| Money held by treasurer | 422 |
| Money held for prizes | 125 |
As well as time, money/material donations have also been made by individuals, including the lottery license.
08/07/21 Fundraising Report
Summary of Discussion:
A fundraising “100 Club” was set up in September 2020. Members pay £12 per full year, per number. We now have 51 members. We draw the number on the last day of each month and the winner receives £25. We have had 10 winners (picked by a random number generator). Winners are announced on our Facebook page and published in News and Views. The total money raised through the 100 club so far is £601 (some people paid £12, some £11 and some £10 depending on when they joined). The total prize money for the year is £300. The total raised by the 100 club this year is £301. New people are always welcome. If you would like to join our 100 club from September and contribute towards the future of the hall, please contact: Jenny Cooper on 07791 337323 or Rebekah Dicken [email protected]. Our existing 100 club members also need to renew their membership in September to retain their numbers. Please contact Jenny or Bekah as above by 20th September. JOD suggested we should contact existing members to ask them if they would like to continue with the 100 club.
We organised a very successful raffle for Christmas 2020. We were fortunate to have some extremely generous prizes donated, with a top prize worth £100. (The draw was held live on Facebook and the full list of winners appeared in the March/April News and Views newsletter). The total raised from the raffle was £644.
Future events suggestions:
Christmas Raffle, Ceilidh music or dance, Something involving children e.g. music night, local entertainer, pantomime, carboot/stalls, something for young adults in local area.
Also suggested: A fundraising “thermometer” on side of hall with how much we need to raise towards total, Sign for hall to raise awareness, local businesses might offer help/ support.
Any suggestions for fundraising, social inclusion or advertising to JC or RD.
09/07/21 Caretaker Report
Summary of Discussion:
Each committee member was invited to take on a role.
JC kindly offered to take on the role of caretaker at our July 2020 meeting. The keys were handed over in May 2021. Jenny checked all was secure and now has the key.
10/07/21 Grounds and Maintenance
Summary of Discussion:
IW has very kindly looked at all the boundary walls. The roadside wall was not too bad, and IW has repaired this along with removing two elder bushes. The other walls, bordering adjacent farmland, are in a poor state, and he will need help to put this right. As the hall owns these walls we do not qualify for an agricultural grant.
Our insurance company was unhappy about the condition of the hall floor in places (trip hazard). IW and PW filled in these holes and levelled some of the floor to comply with insurance stipulations in October.
11/07/21 Hospitality Report
Summary of Discussion:
The original plan was to hold regular charity events to raise money for local charities and the hall. The first events planned were a car treasure hunt and raffle on 3rd May 2020, for a defibrillator at the pub plus raising funds for Pomeroy Memorial Hall. Due to coronavirus, this was cancelled and so far, it has not been possible to plan anything else.
12/07/21 Vice Chair’s Report
Summary of Discussion:
Due to the Coronavirus restrictions and challenging limitations, the main issue this year has been communication. We held three socially distanced committee meetings and four via email. Committee meetings held in person were conducted in accordance with Covid guidelines. Due to number/social distance limitations we were unable to include other people in any meetings. Instead sharing information, obtaining opinions or collecting committee votes has had to be done via email, telephone, or by hand delivering information. We have tried to include local residents where possible via Facebook, the “News and Views” parish newsletter and posters on all parish council noticeboards. Research has been undertaken, speaking to local residents, past residents, anyone with any connection to the hall or who remembers it in times gone by. Trawling through old minutes and paperwork, we visited the library (when able) and researched online to find out as much as possible about how other village halls have developed. Working with both the local Parish Councils, Earl Sterndale Parochial Council and the Church we have gathered as much information as possible and shared how we are progressing.
Various visits to the hall to value and survey it have been undertaken as and when possible between various lockdowns.
Looking to the future, work has concentrated on the feasibility study, future uses for the hall, and the facilities that will be needed such as water, electricity, heating and internet access. We have also started on some of the policies which will be required when we are up and running and have an interim working constitution.
13/07/21 100th Anniversary Celebrations
Summary of Discussion:
We would like to celebrate 100 years since the opening of Pomeroy War Memorial Hall (September 2021) but this is difficult at present. A separate sub-committee meeting was held on 30th June to discuss possible events. The aim of the event would be to raise money, advertise ongoing work towards bringing Pomeroy WMH back into public use and to engage the local community.
Events are limited due to Covid but the following was agreed:
1. CAR TREASURE HUNT
Sunday 5th Sept. Leave Duke of York from 3pm (takes approx. 2hours), finish at Duke of York. Route already done but to be checked for Covid compliance. Prize to be decided.
2. FOOD
To be available (optional) at Duke of York after treasure hunt. This could be takeaway food and it may be necessary to pre-order.
3. RAFFLE
Due to uncertainty about restrictions, infection rates etc we will start with these plans and see how things go.
Suggested that 5th Sept start of a “year of events” for 100 years celebrations and advertised as such.
4. DUCK/BALL RACE
5. DESIGN COMPETITION
6. PHOTOGRAPHS – to have photographs taken of car treasure hunt and ball race. Also some of committee in hall for photo competition and calendar.
Hall itself can only be used by committee due to insurance. The field would need public liability insurance and Temp. event notice so cost prohibitive.
JB contacted Helena Stubbs to discuss what we would need to consider if using the croft/recreation ground for these celebrations. JB also rang DDDC, who suggested contacting DCC highways about access. The appropriate licenses would be needed (alcohol, gambling, entertainment). RD to investigate. JOD contacted our insurer about public liability insurance. It was not possible to get a “ballpark” figure, we would need to submit a lengthy and detailed form to get a quote for public liability insurance.
14/07/21 General Matters Arising
Summary of Discussion:
Buxton Drama League have now vacated the hall and have handed the key back to us.
Photo Competition – This year the theme is community. BW suggested doing a photo of committee members “dusting” in the hall, dancing or playing cards but against the backdrop of it being run down. This would show what the hall was, what it is now and what it could be all at once.
NCVO – JOD applied for NCVO membership, and we were accepted.
Footpaths in and around Pomeroy – as a result of the Pomeroy Trust, a stile from Pomeroy onto the High Peak Trail has been replaced with a gate making access much easier.
15/07/21 Feasibility Study
Summary of Discussion:
A copy of the feasibility study was circulated with the AGM meeting information.
Elanor Hazelhurst (EH) of Greenwood Solutions has now completed the second draft of the feasibility study. We had a very good response with 144 replied received. The majority of replies stated that locally a room for hire was needed (for meetings, exercise classes etc). Local people also expressed a need for some form of community meeting place (listed in the study as Option
1). There was some interest in Option 3 (bunk barn) but not sufficient to warrant specific facilities – a flexible, multi-purpose space seems to be preferred. Engagement with official bodies, Councils etc has been exhaustive on our part but responses have been limited (possibly due to Covid restrictions). The final version is included in the minutes. EH is happy to come to a public meeting (when we are able to have one). JOD noted that there have been a couple of requests recently on Facebook for “co-working spaces” in Buxton, this is people working from home who are looking to work outside of home a couple of times per month.
Richard Smith from Smith and Roper Architects and Surveyors of Bakewell has now completed a couple of design plans for the hall, with options as to where toilets, kitchen area etc are located. These have not been shared with the committee or trustees yet as Richard is working with the various Councils and planning departments to ensure any specifications/plans presented are likely to be passed.
There have been no major unexpected outcomes from the feasibility study, so the conservation accredited architect is looking to produce plans for the hall which indicate how to renovate and repair it incorporating modern energy efficient services.
The eventual use of the hall will affect what happens with the adjoining recreation ground. Some was previously gravelled over to form a car park. If the hall is re-opened, parking space will be required. The remainder has been used in the past for grazing, as a cricket pitch, as a children’s play area and for allotments. One suggestion is to leave the field as a wildflower meadow. Suggestions so far include: car park, garden or wildflower meadow, remembrance garden with memorial benches, level paths for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Other ideas are welcome. JOD enquired whether the Peak District National Park Authority can do an ecological survey to check whether there is any interesting flora or fauna in the field and also asked us to see if Derbyshire Wildlife Trust could do the survey. This may take some weeks to do as there is high demand at present.
16/07/21 Correspondence
Summary of Discussion:
We have received a renewal notice for our Trustee Indemnity policy which is due on 10th August. The premium is £112.00. The committee decided to proceed with this renewal.
17/07/21 Any Other Business
Summary of Discussion:
None.
18/07/21 Election of Committee
Summary of Discussion:
We currently have a committee of 8 (seven were elected at the first AGM in February 2020 and RD joined us in May 2020). All current committee and officers have agreed to stand for another year.
JB proposed that all committee members are re-elected en masse for another year. JOD seconded this.
Our interim constitution from last year stipulates we may have up to 10 committee plus the 3 officers. Ben and Sarah Wilson from Pomeroy have been proposed by JC. This was seconded by JB and PW. There are no objections from the existing committee. There were no further objections from anyone else.
Ben and Sarah Wilson were elected as committee members.
19/07/21 Dates and Times of Next Meetings
Summary of Discussion:
Proposed dates are Monday 27th September and Monday 29th November 2021. These will be public if the plans for the future of the hall are ready for public discussion, if there is a decision from the Charity Commission or if a decision is needed for any other matters arising from the AGM.