Newsletter October 2011
2011-11-05 20:31
Big Lottery Fund Bid and Fund Raising
Thanks to the hard work of, Jane Edmonds, Geraint Edwards, Marian Gray Jane Guest and Felicity Wills our Bid was submitted to BLF by the deadline date in September 2011. The BLF now have up to six months to respond to our bid or to request further information.
We have asked for £350,000 to purchase the school buildings and to refurbish and renovate the buildings for use as a Community and Rural LearningCentre. The aim is to generate additional income to maintain the school building for use by the community for future generations.
What did the bid include?
The primary aim of the bid has been to secure the future of Hen Ysgol Trefeurig as a community centre for the nine surrounding hamlets. The purchase of the school is fundamental to its survival as a community centre. Lottery support would provide us with an opportunity to achieve this, to improve the facilities in line with the community’s wishes and to inspire the confidence needed to develop ideas and activities.
Three years of lottery support would also allow the community to pilot new ways of securing the revenue the school needs to survive in this role into the future. The Rural Learning Centre provides one such opportunity to increase revenue whilst at the same time increasing value and provision of activities to the community in line with their expressed needs.
Our concept of a rural learning centre is a broadband equipped, modern centre for learning in a rural setting. The centre will provide our rural community with learning opportunities based on their expressed interest and will also attract usage by other providers interested in offering learning opportunities to rural communities and small rural businesses.
It is envisaged that the rural learning centre will attract visitors to attend weekend courses delivered by local practitioners, based around traditional rural crafts, using locally sourced sustainable and recycled materials, wood, wool, leather, textiles, which also reflect local interest. These courses will contribute to the work of the project in beginning to create a destination out of the school and the surrounding area.
The project will enable the year-round activities and events of our existing user-groups to continue. The improved facilities on offer, together with the work of the Project Coordinator in promoting volunteering, will assist in attracting and engaging new members and will also provide a warm, safe, dry, accessible meeting place for new groups and activities..
It will also be a place for volunteers to learn new skills, which will in turn contribute to what is offered by the centre, and its quality. For example, training volunteers to create a digital archive of memories and documents of the area, encouraging volunteers to create a walks and wildlife package for the community and visitors to the area, empowering community members to take active roles in the evaluation process and future planning.
If you would like to receive an electronic copy of our project plan for the development of the Community and Rural Learning Centre, then please contact Marian Gray who will email the plan to you.
Recent Questionnaire
Very many thanks for your responses to the recent questionnaire. Apologies from Marian Gray for those who wanted to complete it in Welsh - Marian gave the wrong link in the email, which was circulated.
Help with writing bids for funds
This bid is the first phase of an on-going development plan for the school and its grounds with the aim of creating a sustainable future for this old building, which is and has been so much at the heart of our rural community. Other developments under consideration are improved disabled access, car parking and accommodation for those attending weekend courses or visiting the area as tourists.
We have other funding streams for which we could apply but we do need volunteers to join the existing Funding Group to help us submit further bids to ensure that the Centre is able to be income generating and economically sustainable in the long term.
In the short term, we need to apply for funding to allow us to pay an additional quarter’s rental, which could be at the level of £900 per quarter. If you have the appropriate skills and some time to help us with other bids then please contact:
Jane Guest 01970 820125 Email: janeanneguest@gmail.com
Felicity Wills 01970 828677 Email: felicity.wills@btinternet.com
Marian Gray 01970 820021 Email: graymarian@gmail.com
Canolfan Gymunedol Hen Ysgol Trefeurig Community Centre Ltd.
(CGHYTCC Ltd).
Firstly, we say a big “thank you” to Dave Taylor who has served as this Group’s Treasurer since its inception some four or five years ago. Dave’s commitment and support to the Community Group has been greatly appreciated.
We are very pleased to welcome Geraint Edwards to the “fold” as Geraint has taken over the Treasurer’s role and brings with him, many of the business skills, we will need to run a successful community company for the future.
The community company, CGHYTCC Ltd., currently has only three directors and we are keen to invite other people to join the Board of Directors. It will be particularly important to have a greater pool of support and expertise if we are successful in our bid to purchase and refurbish the school.
Because our community company is a company limited by guarantee, it means that there is no share capital, and the Directors have a limited liability of £10 each if the company fails and needs to go into administration or insolvency etc.
Frequently Asked Questions about being a Director
What does a Director Do?
Directors are officers of the company who are responsible for managing the company and making the decisions as to its operation on a day to day basis, and to ensure it trades within the law.
Directors have to abide by a number of duties which are set out in sec171-177 Companies Act 2006 and subsequent Acts, and include duties such as to 'promote the success of the company', and 'exercise reasonable care, skill and dilligence'. Other responsibilities which directors have include responsibility for notifying Companies House of any changes to the information about the Company such as registered office, appointment of directors etc., and for registering the annual return and accounts.
A Director may be delegated the responsibility to ensure that certain procedures and policies which the Company has adopted are carried out properly, e.g. Complaints Procedures, Health & Safety at Work.
Are Directors Paid?
In ordinary private limited companies, directors are usually paid. However, our Company is a not-for-profit community company limited by guarantee and is deliberately prevented from paying the directors for their duties as directors by its Memorandum and Articles of Association. So, we are sorry to tell you that you won’t get paid wages or any bonuses as a Director of our Company!
For what are CGHYTCC Lt. Directors Liable?
There is a financial liability of £10 per each director. Directors have a legal obligation to ensure that the company operates within the law, within the Company’s Memorandum and Articles of Association and with honesty and integrity.
How much time do Directors need to commit?
Well, this is a difficult one! Clearly it will depend on the success of the lottery bid and how well we promote the use of our Community and Rural Learning Centre. However, Directors should at least attend the Annual General Meeting and any Directors meetings held during the year. In the past Directors’ meetings have varied from once a quarter to once a month at various times as the needs arise.
If you would like to find out what it is like being a Director or to receive more detailed information about the duties of Directors, then please contact:
Anne Jeremiah 01970 820242 Email: wivane@hotmail.com
Felicity Wills 01970 828677 Email: felicity.wills@btinternet.com
Jane Guest 01970 820125 Email: janeanneguest@gmail.com
Current Lease on the School Building
Our current lease on the school expires on 8th December 2011 and although we would wish to retain occupancy until we hear back from the Big Lottery Fund, we will have to negotiate with Ceredigion County Council (CCC) to ascertain whether they are willing to grant an extension of our tenancy. Geraint Edwards has volunteered to negotiate an extension with CCC.
However, the Community Associations and people who use the building on a regular basis, should make contingency plans for removing and storing their equipment and property, just in case we are unable to successfully negotiate with CCC.
Forthcoming Events:
Launch of the Families Favourites Recipe Book 28th October 7pm
The Sixty-Plus Group will be launching the recipe book they have compiled of favourite family recipes.
Come along on Friday 28th October at 7.00 p.m. to buy the book and taste some of the recipes! Ideal for a Christmas present with a difference!
Hittites & Hieronymus 12th November Saturday 7.45pm
The Hittites and Hieronymus have nobly offered to play *FOR NOTHING* to help us have a fun evening while raising money.
.The Hittites are a hillbilly pop band from Aberystwyth. Uriah the Hittite and Dave the Hittite write the songs and the rest of the band add the light and shade - the result was described by Dafydd Saer as 'the musical equivalent of an unputdownable novel'.
Hieronymus are Dylan Cairns-Howarth and his father Andy Cairns from Cwmsymlog. Andy plays guitar, banjo, and bagpipes. Dylan is fourteen and is a Welsh Champion fiddler. He also plays Hurdy-Gurdy. They play traditional music from the British Isles.
Suggested minimum donation is £5 Bring your own refreshments.
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