44th Annual General Meeting

The 44th Annual General Meeting of the Branch was held at the Ightenliegh Social on the 19th April and very well attended. Chairman Andy Sutcliffe reported on a successful year and thanked the members for their support. Membership was steady and training progressed well. The diving officer,Dave McGinty reported on the joy of diving expeditions which varied from the Lake District to St.Abbs. The treasurer reported a surplus for the year so the club will be able to invest in some new training equipment. The club boat is in good condition but members were asked to join two working parties to do maintenance jobs on the trailer.

One important decision the club made on the night was the agreement to increase the membership fees. It was recognised that one of the major demands on the club's funds is the cost of renting the pool. In the past those that attended the pool session contributed a few pounds each time to help cover the cost, this policy tended to punish the trainees and instructors. Therefore the decision was made to increase subs by £20 from the 1st May. This means that all members contribute the same to the running of the club.

The club also took the decision to create an 'Expedition Sub-committee' whose task will be to plan and publish the years diving events which will help people plan for the year ahead.

Awards went to Andy Sutcliffe who received the 'BS-AC Special Achievement Award' for the second year running in recognition of his contributions to the club. Janet Simpson received the 'Stuart Summers Trophy' for her contribution over the year in helping to create the friendly social atmosphere and Yvonne and Sam jointly received the 'Dave Wakefield Trophy' which is awarded to the most deserved trainees.

The date and venue for this year Christmas bash was agreed. It will take place at the 'Burnley F.C.'s James Hargrieves Suite' on the 17th December.

The Branch agreed to continue with the club website, whose cost have been covered for a further year by 'Homepage Solutions Limited' the website designers. Members were encouraged to register with the site and to feedback their thoughts on how it should be used

The new committee is as follows Chairman-Ray Simpson, Diving Officer-Dave McGinty, Secretary-Janet Simpson, Training Officer-Allan Mcevoy, Treasurer-Tony Grice, Membership Secretary-Richard Hooton, Equipment Officer-Ken Ladbrook, Boat Officer-Chris Shanks, Marketing manager-Peter Thornton.