SAVE OLD SCHOOL: 

      Group Meeting in the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe, 

      12^th March 2012 at 8.00pm

PRESENT:     Carol Tarrant

Liz Raba

Martin McCormack

John Wallis

Joley Brindle

Les Laing

Alex Wynne

Karen Groome

Sue Nicholls

Moira Heggarty

Bob Corn

    APOLOGIES: Margaret Holliday

Sylvia Simmonds

Jane Custance

Mike Custance

Carol welcomed everyone to the meeting which had been called to further discuss proposals in connection with the Old School Building in the centre of Ivinghoe, and its possible future for the community.

Previous Minutes: All approved.

Web Site: Martin reported that he had researched Domain Name availability – presenting a list to the meeting; after lively debate, three were shortlisted, and a show of hands vote selected ‘ivinghoeoldschool.com’.

Martin asked for content – Les will put together a short snappy history of the

building – Liz and Joley will assemble notes of what is now proposed, Alex will

contact Mrs. Lloyd-Evans to see if historical photographs are available – many

suggestions were put forward; Bob will send photographs of the existing interior

to Martin, Carol will send the questionnaire findings and anything else helpfull.

Liz and Joley: presented their (very well received) outline proposals – what they have done previously and their respective histories in Theatre, and projects carried out locally – Dacorum Youth Productions, Court Youth Theatre and The Learning Project. A suggestion of a very full and rich timetable was put forward, noting that until detailed consultations and research has taken place, it must be regarded as preliminary.

Liz and Joley will make contact with Hayley Wesley to form a link with the Café

proposals as soon as practicable; they also tabled their Fire Policy and Risk

Assessment Documents, as they are helping to form the seven ‘model documents’ required in our Part two task list.

Business Plan and Project Plan: Noted that Alistair Owens and Mike Custance have both been working on these aspects – Bob had had a conversation with Alistair before this meeting and had discussed Alistair’s Business Model – Alistair to send a copy to Bob shortly, and Mike sent a preliminary copy of his Project Plan to Carol after the meeting; Bob will get together with Alistair and Mike to bring things forward, we by now having received Alistair’s Business Model.

Lottery Application: Carol noted that the ‘BIG Lottery’ Application has been withdrawn – this solely due to the fact that we have not yet signed a lease with Bucks CC for the building; the guidance given by the Lottery Official is that our proposals are entirely in line with their thinking, and are supported – we should increase our bid for additional activities – but only when we have a lease!The Lottery advised we re-apply in the next imminent roll-out. Everyone felt that we should lodge our lease proposals as soon as we can – Liz and Joley noting that their ‘Small School’ aspects of the overall Theatre Proposals might be in jeopardy if things were delayed beyond September 2012.

Committee: After discussion, it was decided that we should forthwith elect a Committee so that our Constitution can be ratified, and a Bank Account opened:

Chair – Carol Tarrant – Proposed Alex, Seconded John – Carried

Treasurer – John Wallis – Proposed Les, Seconded Carol – Carried

Secretary – Bob Corn – Proposed Alex, Seconded Les – Carried

Committee Members – Alex Wynne (Funding); Martin McCormack to be invited (Media) – Jane Custance to be invited to become a Committee Member because of her specialist Council knowledge. All other interested folk to offer assistance as available.

Noted that the next meeting will confirm the Constitution, our approach to Charitable Trust status, and our Banking Arrangements and plan in the risk assessment timing and divide up the remaining 17 required BCC part 2 tasks.

Any Other Business:

Alex had prepared a draft article for inclusion in shortly to be published Parish Magazine, Carol has secured a double page in the forthcoming Beacon to combine script and photographs.

A Public Meeting will be held in May 2012 – Carol to contact County Councillor Avril Davies (who briefly joined our meeting), Jackie Wesley and Karen to set the date.

We need to plan our ‘Seed-Corn’ or ‘Pump-Priming’ funding – we should approach Councillor Davies and other Council officials for help; also, a Quiz Night is planned for 23^rd May 2012 in the Rose & Crown to include a ‘Promises Auction’ and Alistair’s generous inclusion of food, and Joley might plan some form of ‘entertainment’! Alex and Sue to progress this.

Next Meeting: 26^th March 2012 at 8.00pm, Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe

      SAVE OLD SCHOOL: 

      Group Meeting in the Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe, 

      13^th February 2012 at 8.00pm

PRESENT: 

Carol Tarrant, BobCorn, AlexWynne, John Wallis.APOLOGIES: Karen Groom, Mike Custance, Jane Custance, Sue Nicholls.

Inner SOS group circulation – MartinMcCormack, Moira Heggarty,

Sandie Emmerson, Tessa Smith, Martin McCormack, Les Laing, Sylvia Simmonds

Anne Eastwood, Liz Raba, Joley, Hayley Wesley and Liz Smith.

60 villagers in email contact and all are welcome to SOS meetings

A Feedback from the 7^th February BCC meeting and the previous night’s planning. 

. Neither meeting was formally minuted, so herewith both meetings outlined. Carol outlined the main points offered up last Monday by the group as issues to be discussed with BCC at the meeting with them the following day.1) Defining better the promised ‘good order’ phrase; 2) Rental terms; 3) Timing in all areas; were the main issues with some imaginative strategy put forward by Jane C to assist our own negotiating. Mike C offered his skills in planning our tasks ahead in prioritised order.

. As arranged on 7^th February Carol and Bob met Graham Winwright, David Exell and Jackie Wesley, at County Hall. 1) On ‘good-order’ definitions, it transpired that a survey had not yet been commissioned on the building by David E, so it is only when this has happened and a report listing repairs has been drawn up, that BCC will be able to review the needs against costs. Warnings came from BCC that the modest nature of the refurbishment if any, would be basic, not involve such things as rewiring, or any major re-plumbing, though the need for a better heating system was discussed. The need to plan into this basic refurbishment the ability to continue it smoothly into any future enhancement was stated; whilst BCC declared that the structural areas of ‘Foundations, walls and Roof’ were their main responsibilities. We are asked to take various scenarios and explore these for the needed extent of refurbishment, and make our case. 2) Rent was discussed in relation to being financially ‘penalised’ when Businesses are present as sub-lets. We spoke of a sliding scale and percentage share with BCC on extra profits. 3) Timing was discussed with an option to extend with permission, or reduce the 6 month period; we made the point that our sub-let businesses must not be impacted by prolonged delay.

Summing up what is required, we will be reasoning through various scenarios making our argument and presenting it to BCC who will frankly assess whether they can afford this plan.

Moving forward Carol explained that all the items on the agenda could be covered by the posing of just five questions:

B Can we reply to BCC in writing formally accepting their invitation (without obligation) to agree to a sixth month submission deadline for CAT of Old School  Ivinghoe by SOS not for profit Community group?

A discussion ensued as to the formal adoption of the BCC proposal, without obligation, which was readily agreed by all present. Carol was charged with making that formal reply by 15th February.

C Who is coming to meet with BCC again soon from SOS group, and at which of the proposed dates?

To the question ‘who is coming to meet with BCC from SOS group, and on which date? The answer is Alex Wynne, John Wallis , Carol Tarrant and Bob Corn will request a meeting with BCC’s Graham Winwright, David Exell and Jackie Wesley from 11a.m. till 12.30p.m. on Wednesday 7^th March 2012. Carol was charged with making this formal reply by 15th February also.

D Do we have the capacity within our inner SOS group to divide up the tasks ahead to meet our 6 month deadline (or possibly earlier) for submission for CAT?

We briefly discussed the practical reality of covering the twenty approximated tasks ahead, over five months maximum left to us, with just half a dozen maximum SOS group members’ regularly attending meetings and sharing out tasks. Carol expressed her own anxiety about continuing at the level of time she has given already, as her artwork has been delayed by eight month’s so far, and cannot be further delayed. Everyone expressed the irony of the project having now reached its tipping point towards success, and yet a diminished following has resulted.

We listed below, reviewed and commented on the 20 tasks remaining ahead of us.

E How can we build capacity within the village to support us as a group to complete these tasks, whilst still earning our own livings and meeting our own obligations?

Alex to put together an article for the two local village magazines and the parish magazine, though for speed of delivery something for notice board first.

Carol to list members for each of us to phone to ask them to a meeting on 27^th February 2012, to deal with the tasks ahead to achieve the timing required by BCC for completion of all issues.

F How can we best use MC’s offer to help us prioritise and plan our tasks ahead? Carol to speak to Mike Custance re-the detail of putting a ‘project plan’ together from our list of tasks ahead and fully convey are list of known tasks.

List of tasks ahead of us:

1 Open a bank account – two emails advising on Co-op. John to enquire of the Co-operative bank as to opening a group account – He has already spoken with HSBC, for which carol thanked him and said a comparison would add more weight to our choices for BCC.

2 Form a legal entity – ask Sarah Allwood to give us relevant support. John to enquire as to the steps necessary in setting ourselves up as a charitable trust. The group is to formally adopt our constitution at our next meeting – Carol to email it to the inner group and note the adoption requirement. Carol to telephone Andrew Comben re-legal advice, and telephone inner group members to ask for committee member with a view to formulating the tasks required for the completion of the stage two business plan.

3 Tackle funding applications, in what order and when arise randomly

– (Andrew Long and Bev Trevitt to advise on February 21^st and again on some pre-arranged Monday night meeting?) Alex and Sue are attending a funder’s forum on 16^th February 2012 at Princess Risborough. Group members need to attend such functions and have a small team to follow up on the time consuming research and applications.

4           Local fundraising for current running costs – Small sub-group needed to organise sponsor runs, cycle runs, to liaise with local activity groups to promote as well us finance our present campaigning.

5    Business case questions part 2 – as in Outcomes, Aims, Objectives and targets defined finally for BCC, and showing how these would be monitored and assessed over the life of the project.

6  Organisations structure and capacity of the organisation to deliver the project – Decision making structures, management and staff structures, showing where they are paid or voluntary, experience, and what training plans are in place. 

7 Corporate plan links to project – Identifying whether the project would create new jobs, housing or learning opportunities, and how this links with BCC Corporate plans currently, and other relevant strategies.

8 Indicative 5 year capital and revenue budget plan – including all anticipated grant funding, identifying whether this has already been secured and any other income expected, sources etc. 

9 Relationship to other ‘partners’ – ‘proposed partners’ who relate to our project. This list has been circulated for added suggestions, no comments as yet. 

10-17 Legislation and regulation and how addressed within project – A range of eight model documents, that need studying and making a short précis document as a summary of our intention on Health and Safety regulations; Child Protection Policy; Equality regulations; Licensing; Inequalities; Crime Prevention; Environmental issues.  

18 Catchment area for project – easily defined as the Beacon Villages and these listed.

19  Development and planning permissions – Bob to speak to AVDC planning office as to our proposals, to seek a more formal agreement beyond our initial discussion.

20 Risk Analysis – we have completed about one sixth of this exercise and so a meeting needs to be set aside to finish this risk analysis of our proposals in the manner we have been tutored by Community Impact Bucks.

Next Meeting: 27^th February 2012 at 8.00pm, Rose & Crown, Ivinghoe