CRC : BUSINESS MEETING 11^th June 2009

St Paul’s Church Centre, Marylebone

Chairman: Adrian Palmer

Secretary: Nick Tindall

Approximately 45 people attended the meeting; attendance low due to 48hr tube strike.

• Finances for the London Meetings
•  £
• Balance on hand at Sep 2008 468
• Income Sep 08 – May 09: 
• Proportion of season tickets 585
• Entry fees at door  192
• Catering profits  219
• Total Income  996
• Expenditure Sep 08 – May 09:
• Hall fees  480
• Speakers’ expenses 345
• Miscellaneous  77 
• Total Expenditure  902
• Surplus income over expenditure 94
• Balance on hand at May 09 562
• Treasurer’s intention is to keep +/- £500 balance on hand. Surplus is reduced this year due to higher speakers’ expenses and slightly increased hall rates. Catering profit from the Dec 08 meeting (Tribute to Phil Lynch) was also given to charity; suggestion made by Chairman that a similar donation be made at the Dec 09 meeting, charity to be decided (choice of the Church?).
• There is a need to replace existing projector screen. A suitable new one is £200-£250, which is affordable. It would be the intention to replace the screen in the summer break. Appeal made to audience for any suitable screen surplus which could be donated/sold to the Circle as an alternative to purchase.
• Season ticket prices to remain unchanged for 2009-10 over 2008-9, but it is likely that prices will have to rise for 2010-11 to retain an adequate balance on hand.
• Clarified in response to a question from the floor that the above figures refer to London meetings. Finances of book sales and CRJ remain with Lance King.
• Meeting Programme for the year Sep 2009 – March 2010

• As proposed at moment:

• Sep 2009 Michael Reilly Railways of Taiwan today
• Oct 2009 4x30” presentations* Those Were the Days
• Nov 2009 Tom Watson Steam on the Union Pacific
• Dec 2009 Les Folkard Balkan Memories 1964-2007
• Jan 2010 Richard Awde Sri Lanka, India & Pakistan 1976
• Feb 2010 Geoff Todd Steam around the world in the 1960s
• Mar 2010 Michael Whitehouse The Whitehouse experience Part 2

• * John Cramp, Peter Greatorex, George Hart, Geoff Warren confirmed.

• Any Other Business
• Three points from the floor:
• In view of the relative times of sunset and consequent light filtration into the hall, would June not be a better month to have a ‘gap month’ than August?
• Show of hands from the floor indicated preference for ‘no change’.
• Are there any plans for the Coordinators to take over CRJ from Lance King?
• Chairman responded that the issue would be addressed when appropriate. There were no ‘takeover plans’ at present, but it would be desirable to continue the Journal if/when LK seeks to cease producing it.
• Should there be a London meeting every month, i.e. 12 meetings per year without an August gap?
• Chairman responded that provision of speakers for an August date could be an issue, and that attendances in the summer months were generally low. Pointed out from floor that this year’s London programme consisted of 11 meetings and an outside visit.

• Vote of thanks to the Coordinators from Fred Pugh accepted with thanks by Chairman.
• NAHT 13^th June 2009