Title: RAMBLERS ASSOCIATION - CARDIFF GROUP
Author: User
Last saved by: Diane

RAMBLERS CYMRU CARDIFF GROUP 
Minutes of meeting held 14^th November 2013 at Wales Office

Present:, Diane Davies (DD), Mike Kohnstamm (MK), Gwyn Lewis (GL), John Newton (JN), Gillian Masters (GM), Jane Willock (JW), Dave Willock (DW), Nigel Clifton (NC).
Apologies:  Rob Wilkinson (RWi), Kathryn Bennett (KB), Roma Whiteley (RWh), David Moorcroft (DM).

1.  NC was welcomed to his first meeting and was thanked for agreeing to become the Group’s Chairman.

2.  Minutes of meeting held 6^th August 2013 were accepted as accurate.

3.  Matters arising: In regard to the AGM, RWh was thanked for the sideshow and JW thanked for the cakes.

4.  Distribution of programme
A general discussion occurred but it was agreed that further discussion was required in the presence of KB.  It was felt though that if any decision to change was made then what was proposed needed to provide a simple, easy-to-operate system and that the changes had to be prepared well in advance so that all the membership understood what was being proposed and what they needed to do.  It was agreed that using the Scouts’ post was a non-starter.

5.  LDP 
DD circulated a draft response and emphasised that in her reading of the Deposit LDP it offered policies that encouraged walking and, therefore, that her comments were mainly positive.  All committee members were urged to look at the Deposit LDP and submit comments to DD so that a response could be sent before the deadline of Tuesday 26^th November.

6 Officers’ reports
(a) Secretary: Jen’s e-mail was discussed and it was agreed that the Social evening was not advertised as a dinner and so therefore the committee needed to take no action.  However, JW volunteered to produce an item for the eNewsletter regarding what those who wanted to eat needed to do, particularly in regard to contacting The Butchers and paying a deposit to them.
(b) Rambles: GL reported that there would be no leaders evening event for the summer programme but that there would be a breakfast meeting for potential Wednesday leaders to kick-off the process.  DW stated that an e-mail request for Sunday leaders to come forward to plug gaps had proved successful.  GL also announced that five coach trips for the summer 2014 programme had already been agreed and asked JN to start getting quotes.
(c) Membership:  In KB’s absence, GL announced that membership was 652 as of October 2013.
(d) Treasurer:  (i) Margaret Wallace had examined the accounts and they had been signed-off.  (ii)  JN emphasised that a subsidy of £20 was being offered to those who wished to go on a Walk Leaders’ Course as part of the planned expenditure of money raised by the Group.  (iii)  It was agreed that coach tickets should be set at price that allowed a surplus after costs of hire, likely expenses and driver tip had been taken into account but that this should be kept to a minimum. (iv)  A payment of £18 was agreed to cover the unexpected expenses occurred by a leader on one of the Sunday walks in trying to insure the walk went ahead.  In the light of a discussion on what were acceptable expenses, JN agreed to draw up a policy on claiming expenses in line with Ramblers current practice.  (v)  The absence of an Examiner for the Annual Accounts was noted; NC recollected someone who might be willing to take on the task and was asked to speak to them.

7.  AOB
(i)  It was agreed that there was no obligation for leaders to turn up at the start point of a walk if nobody was at the agreed meeting point even if some people had phoned and said they were going to the walk start point.  It was again emphasised that a walk leader had absolute discretion as to both whether a walk went ahead and as to where it took place in the light of lack of numbers and/or likely weather conditions.
(ii) It was agreed that the 2014 AGM should take place in November.

Addendum
Dates of meetings:
Thursday 6^th February 2014
Thursday 3^rd April 2014
Tuesday 17^th June 2014
Monday 4^th August 2014
Thursday 9^th October 2014