KIRKCOWAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TRUST
Minutes of Board Meeting held on Thursday 28th March at 7.00 pm in the Autumn Club, Kirkcowan.
In attendance
Charlie McNeil, Lynn Dalglish, David Edwards, Bill Harkness, Andrew Gladstone, Martin Marsh and Hazel McWhirter.
Others: Carol Lochrie (Machars Action), Nicki Chadwick (KCDT Support Officer) and Craig Brown (SPR).
- Welcome and apologies
Charlie welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were received from Hazel Matthews. - Minutes of previous meeting
It was reported that the minutes of the previous meeting that were distributed were incomplete and incorrectly formatted. Nicki agreed to resend the correct minutes. - Matters arising
To be discussed by email once the correct minutes have been sent. - Craig Brown, Stakeholder and Community Team, SPR
Craig explained his role within SPR and the importance of community benefit for the company throughout the UK. He asked KCDT to share stories about how SPR funding benefits the residents of Kirkcowan as he wants to build up a library of good practice. He stated that he is keen to expand how SPR can benefit the community of Kirkcowan and encouraged the Board to send him any ideas as to how this can be done. He asked for information on the Educational Grant Scheme and the sort of training it funds, as well as plans for the Play Park. Carol agreed to send information. - Jenna Morra Wood
Andrew reported that the rhododendrons have been cleared and volunteers have been planting snowdrops. He has received quotes for carrying out ground works to create a new path that follows the river. He suggested delaying this work until next winter. Two bridges need to be built before the path can be started. - Kirkcowan Community Council update
Hazel McWhirter reported that the Community Council has requested that a bench, which is due to be removed from the site of the new play park, is installed next to the Village Hall as the current bench is not useable. The request was agreed. - Contract with Jupiter Play
Carol and Charlie reported that they had met Michael from Jupiter Play on site and Charlie signed the contract for works to begin. Michael offered to re-tar the path through the middle of the site. Drone footage was taken to allow before and after comparisons. It has been agreed that the old play equipment will be dug out and available for reusing and distributing.
Michael reported that he will make every effort to ensure that some of the works are completed so that the site can be safely used for the school sports day and Fun in the Park. Work is to start straight away. Carol suggested having an official open day and involving children from the school by having a competition to name the play park. The competition would need to take place before children break up from school for the summer. Nicki agreed to contact the children’s programmer of the Wigtown Book Festival to see if they could be involved in the open day. Craig suggested that SPR’s corporate team might want to promote the play park. Television coverage of the event was also discussed. Nicki is to write a press release closer to the time and send it to Craig for approval. - Minibus
David reported that the 17-seater minibus has been on its first trip! Fourteen people from the Autumn Club, including David, went for afternoon tea to The View in Port William. David said that the trip was greatly appreciated, with people saying it allowed them to see villages and views that they hadn’t seen for many years. David reported that the minibus will enable the Autumn Club to have regular trips out of the village. He presented a mock-up of signage and asked what wording was needed in terms of sponsors. Craig suggested ‘Made possible by SPR…’ David is to liaise with Craig regarding the final layout.
Currently the bus can only be driven by David or another named driver but a licence for other drivers to use it is being processed. There is already one booking for the minibus to be used by a group other than the Autumn Club – the Rainbows will take the minibus to Glentrool in May. David distributed proposed terms and conditions for other users, which were approved. Craig suggested adding that speeding fines and parking tickets are the responsibility of the driver at the time. Charlie thanked David on behalf of the Board for his hard work in bringing the minibus project to fruition. - Finance report
The finance report was presented in a new format to reflect actual and projected expenditure. It was reported that expenditure for the Play Park will consume a large portion of KCDT’s funds. Craig gave an example of a trust that announced in its newsletter that funds were being spent on a large project so the trust would need to be prudent in awarding other grants. Craig also gave an example of a trust that is linking winter fuel payments to inflation.
The finance report was approved and the new format supported. - Grant applications
It was reported that requesting anyone applying for a grant to seek match funding is proving useful. The following grant applications were discussed:
Kirkcowan Village Hall – £373.47 for a flower show – approved.
Kirkcowan Gala Committee – £2,660 for Fun in the Park – approved in principle after a follow up from Carol regarding which suppliers have been contacted.
Kirkcowan Autumn Social Club – £300 for buildings insurance – approved.
Friends of Kirkcowan – £750 for school fete – discussed but further information needed.
Craig suggested that a question is added to the grant application form asking who an applicant has contacted if they are unable to provide the required number of quotes. - Any other business
David asked why KCDT isn’t registered for VAT and was told that the Trust had been given expert advice not to register. Craig reported that another trust, based in Wales, had looked into registering as a charity but discovered it wasn’t advantageous.
Craig agreed to explore the possibility of KCDT investing in legacy funds. Nicki agreed to forward emails from Carol to Andrew as he isn’t receiving them directly. - Date of next meeting
Monday 22nd April at 7.00 pm.