Kit-checking time

It's March already! Time to dig out the dive kit and check it's all there, tested and usable. Now's a good time to put kit in for servicing at Amphibian before the start-of-season rush. Check computers and torches for batteries, check cylinders are in test, check regs and BCDs are recently serviced, and check o-rings, inflators, seals, valves, zips etc are all functioning properly. And don't forget to give yourself a check - the pool is available every Wednesday evening for pre-season skills practice and kit testing, and the club's first lake trip will be on 21st March.

Bermondsey BSAC committee meeting – 19th February 2015

In attendance: Pat, Lee, Clive, Teresa, Ken, Ross, Victor, Chris, Colin

Procedural matter

• It was noted that, should the committee need to vote on a matter, Lee and Clive (as jobshare Diving Officer) would share one vote.

Dive list 2015

• Lee presented a 2015 calendar with suggestions for additional dives. The Eastbourne boat has no more spaces this year, but the Shoreham and Brighton boats do.
• Victor explained that the previous committee decided to book fewer day dives, but to facilitate bookings by members. The idea was that members would find out about spaces available on boats (skippers’ phone numbers and website links would be posted on the club website), book themselves on, and notify the Secretary who would relay the information on to other members. Members would then make bookings themselves.
• Agreed to add Brighton day dive (whole boat) on 9^th May , Shoreham (4 spaces) on 7^th June, and Brighton (whole boat) on 25^th October.
• Agreed to have regular lake trips in the calendar, and publicise these.
• Agreed to start punting dives out to other clubs now – Harrow, Dulwich, Clidive and Dagsac branches will be contacted.
• The committee discussed procedure for cancelling dives if there is a lack of interest by the last date when only the deposit would be lost. Agreement was not reached, and Treasurer and Diving Officer will continue this discussion by reviewing each dive before the time that the club would be liable for the cost of the whole boat, so that a decision could be made on whether to relinquish the booking and the deposit, or to continue with the dive.

2016 dives

• So far we have Ken’s Scapa trip.
• Skippers are likely to start taking bookings (for next year) midsummer.
• Pat to find out when 2016 neap and spring weekends are.
• Item to be discussed at next committee meeting.

Training

• Chris is the general Training Officer, concentrating on Ocean Diver and Sports Diver training. Chris is to first sort out who needs what in terms of training, and will send out a plan for training over the next few weeks.
• Kim is to lead on advanced diver training and instructor development.
• Agreed not to subsidise the IFC.
• Teresa has been informed that Dulwich SAC are to run an in-house snorkel instructor training course (no date yet). Agreed to punt this out to the club.

Communications

• Daniel has agreed to be Webmaster (maintenance, not content).
• Some ideas for website, Facebook and Flickr were discussed.
• Victor, Lee and Ken to get together with Daniel to agree what needs changing on the website.

Finances

• Pat tabled some rough sums showing likely 2015 income and expenditure, based on the number of dives booked so far.
• Agreed to not charge members more than £45 per dive this year, but to review the situation later this year, in preparation for the 2016 dive year.

Membership

• Colin’s role as Membership Secretary relates to BSAC memberships. He will be responsible for collecting fees, encouraging members to pay by Direct Debit, and receiving paperwork from BSAC HQ. Colin won’t be responsible for monthly club fees – Ken will still be responsible for checking and chasing these.
• Membership fees summary sheet to be found and updated for Colin.
• With regard to the retention and recall of members, Colin agreed to send emails out to members who recently left the club. Those not in the club’s Facebook group will be invited to join.
• With regard to attracting new members, it was noted that clubs are listed in the back of Scuba magazine, and that the club could be promoted to LB Southwark staff. It was again noted that the club could run stalls at events such as the Lambeth Country Show etc.

Equipment

• Ross reported that all kit is in-test and was recently serviced.
• Agreed that the replacement of the missing Dacor regulator set was not urgent.
• Agreed not to buy a club reel and DSMB for training.
• Ross to take box of club fins back from Kim.
• Agreed to have an honesty system for borrowing club kit. A note about this will need to go on the club website. The kit booking form will need to be removed from the website.
• Agreed to buy 20kg of Dave’s lead.

Welfare

• Teresa has agreed to be Welfare Officer again.
• There are club instructors who still need to be DBS checked.

Socials

• A date for the summer club barbecue has been set. 
• Clive is planning a dry dive (40 metres) in St John’s Wood and will circulate details.
• Pizza on the bus at the Brick Brewery, a visit to the Crossness Pumping Station, wine tasting and an urban ramble were suggested.
• One social per month through winter (November to April) was suggested.

Other business

• Pat to speak with Sally regarding grant funding.
• The Ship is now the club’s regular post-pool pub.
• The lack of tables and chair in the lobby at Seven Islands, and the cleanliness of the pool, were discussed.
• It was clarified that the club has the pool booked until 10pm each Wednesday. This does not mean we need to be out of the building by 10pm.
• Next committee meeting 26/03/2015.

Bermondsey BSAC 42 Annual General Meeting - 4th February 2015

In attendance: 21 members

Apologies: 5 members

Chair: Pat

Chair’s opening statement and welcome

• Pat noted the meeting was quorate.

Minutes of the previous AGM (06/11/2013) and matters arising

• These minutes are available to view on the club blog. Minutes agreed. No matters arising.

Announcements

• New self-declaration medical forms were being collected by Victor.
• The 2015 dive list is online.
• The club’s 2015 calendar is online (under the “Events” page).
• The club barbecue is scheduled for 04/07/2015, Teresa to host.
• Volunteer(s) needed to organise club xmas do.
• Suggestions for 2016 dives requested. So far we have Ken’s Scapa trip.
• Amphibian would prefer to receive kit for servicing now, rather than in the March/April rush.

Officers’ reports

• Chair – Pat recapped the club’s dive year, noting the trips to Mexico, Falmouth, St Abbs/Farnes, Swanage/Lymington and Weymouth, and the Brighton, Shoreham and Eastbourne day dives. Visibility wasn’t always great, but some decent dives were done. There were no incidents.
• Secretary – Victor noted that much of what he’s done in 2014 was not part of the Secretary’s role. The work of the Secretary involves minuting meetings and passing information to/from members – it is not a demanding job. Should anyone want to stand for committee next year, this is a good entry-level position that anyone can do. Some jobs inherited by Victor in 2014 could stay with that role – e.g., weekly emails (although the content of these could come from other committee members), and responsibility for the club website (content, not maintenance). Daniel had recently updated the website.
• Victor also covered training, noting that the arrangements for the last year (i.e., having a training team overseen by the Diving Officer, with no Training Officer) haven’t been entirely successful, but were not a failure. The club has lost three instructors, however we have only had to postpone training (due to a lack of instructors) two or three times. It is great that Daniel and Sally are about to do the IFC, and that Ken is now an OWI. Three lake trips for training were organised in 2014, however it was difficult finding a time/date that all the Ocean Diver students could make.
• Treasurer – Ken handed out an accounts summary. Expenditure was greater than income over the last 12 months, however this is due to the club having to pay for a large block of pool bookings in advance.  The “lowest balance” figure is to be noted – there are times in the year where the club has to pay for deposits and trips before money is recouped from members. Some members still owe money. Lars’s dive management sheets should be reintroduced, as these make chasing money more straightforward. Retention and gaining new members is important for the club’s income.
• Equipment Officer – Ross reported that the club had six full sets of kit for training, however one set of Dacor regs was lost, so we are down to five. Equipment is in service (done before xmas). Club also has a drysuit, wetsuits, fins and masks. Club could do with some lead. It is difficult to keep track of borrowed/hired club kit. Members saw some merit in an honesty system (with no administration involved) for kit hire, although it was noted that this would not bring in much money, as Ocean Diver students do not have to pay to use club kit, and few qualified members don’t have their own kit.
• Welfare Officer – Teresa noted that BSAC still haven’t published their safeguarding policy, and that instructors will need to be DBS checked.

Elections

• Victor reported that five members had cast their votes in advance, and had sent apologies.
• Some candidates had not yet been seconded. A blanket seconding was asked for and received.
• Pat noted that it was encouraging that three positions were being contested. Two items were discussed before the ballot was held  - jobsharing of a committee position, and whether one person could hold two committee positions. Various views were expressed. It was noted that jobsharing had not been proposed in the past. Also, where a candidate had been elected to more than one position in the past, he or she had only taken up one. Responsibilities of the Diving Officer were discussed – Lee and Clive advised that Lee (as the Advanced Diver), if elected, would be ultimately responsible should an incident occur. Kim stated that the Diving Officer could appoint assistants and a Training Officer, rather than jobshare. Lee wanted members to be able to vote on the jobshare idea.  Concern was expressed that committee was already small, and would be smaller if one person held two positions. Comments were made regarding the role of the Chair. Victor saw no technical problem with jobsharing, and noted that as the club’s constitution was unclear (or silent) on the issue of one person holding two positions, it must be assumed that there is no barrier to doing this. Clive noted that members’ views on the matter will be expressed through their vote. Victor noted that – because of the way the elections were run – one person could still be elected to two positions even if most members were against the idea. No vote was held on the principle of whether one person could hold more than one position.
• Candidates were invited by Pat to make any statements they wished to members about their candidacies.
• A secret ballot was held.
• Pat was elected Chair, Lee and Clive (jobshare) were elected Diving Officer, Ken was elected Treasurer, Ross was elected Equipment Officer, and Victor was elected Secretary.

Other business

• The September Eastbourne trip was discussed. It was queried why this trip went ahead with so few people, at such cost to the club. Pat and Ken explained that – a few weeks before the dive – numbers had been encouraging enough, and more were anticipated. The skipper’s good will, and the club’s purpose (to facilitate dives), were also factors in the decision to go ahead. Kim noted other clubs are struggling to fill all their places on boats, however clubs are not working together to fill spaces.
• Pat closed the meeting and the majority retired to the pub.

Bermondsey BSAC committee meeting – 29th January 2015

In attendance: Pat, Ross, Ken, Victor, Clive

AGM and elections

• No AGM motions had been received.
• Agreed there was no constitutional barrier to jobsharing a committee position. Clive clarified how responsibilities and voting would work, if he and Lee were elected.
• Clive advised there was no barrier to one person holding more than one committee position (at least in the configuration that may result following next week’s election, i.e., Chair and Treasurer may be the same person, or Chair and DO may be the same person).
• Agreed to invite candidates to submit written piece about themselves for circulation (by Victor) before the AGM.

Bermondsey BSAC reconvenes - 14th January 2015

This was the club's first weekly pool session of the new year, and there was a good turnout (especially at the pub later on!). Clive delivered Dive Leader lecture DT8 for Sally, Grant and Daniel, a few people made use of the pool, and there was much talk of 2015's planned dive trips (and possibilities of sneaky pre-season dives in the next few weeks). 

Bermondsey BSAC xmas do - 10th December 2014

Twenty divers and partners gathered on a windy Wednesday evening for the club's annual xmas meal and social. Another three joined us later on. This year we returned to Jaflong on Lordship Lane, East Dulwich, where we'd had our xmas do two years ago.

Prizes were given out on the night by Pat the Chair, including the Leaky Suit Award for Steve B, the International Traveller Award for the well-equipped Colin, and the Bermondsey BSAC Blog 2014 Magnum Opus Award for Jane and her forthcoming blog piece. On a more serious note, the top gong of the evening went to Kim. In choosing him as the second ever recipient of the Barry Maisey Award, the club recognised Kim's contributions this year, his help with training, and his organising of the successful Falmouth trip.The Barry Maisey Award is given every year to a member (not on committee) who has gone the extra mile for the club.

Colin did a fine job in organising this trip to Jaflong. Thanks, Colin, for organising, collecting deposits, and especially for sorting out the bill at the end.

A core group of revellers continued to The Bishop afterwards, for further refreshment.

Bermondsey BSAC committee meeting – 10th November 2014

In attendance: Pat, Teresa, Ken, Victor

Apologies: Ross, Brett

Xmas do

• To be held at Jaflong, Weds 10/12/2014.
• Pat to confirm with Colin and draft email.
• There will be no pool session that evening.
• Committee to consider appropriate 2014 awards for presentation at xmas do.

Next year’s committee

• Some club members (who have not been on committee before) have expressed an interest.
• New posts can be created to help spread the work of the committee, such as Membership Secretary, Website Maintainer, Recruitment Officer, Assistant Training Officer and Assistant Diving Officer. These could be co-opted by the next committee, and need not necessarily be subject to elections at the AGM.

AGM

• To be held Weds 04/02/2014, at Cherry Garden School.
• There will be no pool session that evening.
• Elections to be held for Chair, Diving Officer, Treasurer, Secretary, Equipment Officer and Training Officer.
• Motions and nominations to be invited in the new year.
• Committee will not be proposing motions to discontinue the club’s joint membership discount, or to change the £45 per diver cost of dives to match actual cost.

Diving

• Agreed to add 2 Shoreham dives to the 2015 dive calendar. Pat to speak to skipper.
• 2015 dive list needs to go online. Reminder email also needed, as take-up has been slow so far.
• Email needs to be drafted, explaining how individual dive days will be organised. Club members will need to inform the club they are joining these dives.
• Agreed joint trips may be run with other clubs next year. 2015 dive list will be shared with other clubs once Bermondsey members have had longer to sign up.
• Ken’s Red Sea trip may not happen next year, due to a ruptured appendix (not Ken’s). Jane is gauging interest in a Gozo trip. Lee has proposed a Dieppe trip.
• Mevagissey trip may yet be added to the 2015 dive list in the new year.

Recruitment and membership

• Victor to design flyer.
• Club to run stalls at county shows and other events next year (Southwark Park, Goose Green, Burgess Park etc), subject to dates and cost.

Training

• Completion of Ocean Diver training is key to retaining members. This will be prioritised.
• Suggested that drysuit use should be allowed earlier on in training, again to help keep members interested in cold water diving. Wraysbury and Vobster Quay offer drysuit hire.
• Victor to look into club’s capacity for snorkel training, and reply to recent emails.
• Agreed training record needs to be updated, but it doesn’t need to be online.
• Noted that club has lost instructors this year, which has reduced capacity for training.

Barry Award

• The 2015 recipient will be [to be revealed at xmas do]. 

Website and blog

• A decent number of blog entries have been posted this year, albeit mostly written by a small number of people.
• Pieces are expected from Jane (St Abbs) and Brett (cenotes). Ken to write about whale sharks.
• Agreed calendar should be taken off website – better to have no calendar, than one that makes it look like the club is inactive.

Club accounts

• Ken reported that the club accounts are looking OK. Members will be chased for outstanding money. Pool has been paid for until the end of the year.
• Eastbourne trip (06/09/2014) was costly to the club.
• Agreed to resume charging for post-training club kit hire.

Socials

• Agreed to run a winter social – bowling at Surrey Quays in February (avoiding half term).
• Summer barbecue will be held at Teresa’s on 04/07/2015.
• Teresa to look into Lee Valley white water rafting.

Pool

• Pool activities to be organised over winter, including skills practice.
• Weekly emails to remind members that club kit is available for students wanting to practice skills, subject to availability and supervision.

Club’s 60^th anniversary

• Agreed to organise dives at 60 sites during the year (2016).