On the evening of Wednesday 5th May 2021 the SFCA Committee held its Annual General Meeting via Zoom to review the last 12 months and elect the committee for the year ahead.
The meeting was attended by the 2020/2021 committee members Stephen Hudson-Dale, Pamela Davenhall, James Hudson-Dale, Faye Henshall & Louise Tagg as well as members Robert Davenhall, Geoff Durbin, Nikki Durbin, Susan McGrail and Ann Burgess. Apologies were received by Patricia Hayhurst and John Clarke.
The meeting was opened by Louise Tagg, current Chairperson of the SFCA who has been on the committee for 10 years, of which 8 of these Louise has been the Chair.
A number of items were on the agenda and were discussed in order;
Summary and review since the last AGM in May 2020.
Finances
Fundraising
Committee renewal including resignations and elections
AOB (Trustees, Banking & Summer Event)
Due to the sensitivity of some of the items discussed, most of the details have been omitted from this online post but will be distributed by email to Foster Carers in the coming days.
The SFCA feel the last 12 months have been largely positive despite the corona-virus pandemic. A number of issues were addressed by the SFCA and resolved in a timely manner.
The SFCA finances are consistent year on year. Outgoings for the Financial Year 2019/2020 were lower than expected due to the reduced numbers that attended Blackpool in the summer, and the cancellation of the Christmas Party in December. Fundraising is also lower over the last 12 months, but this was to be expected.
A new committee has been elected including a number of new faces joining the teamm, as listed below.
2021/2022 Committee
Chairperson: James Hudson-Dale Vice-Chair: Geoff Durbin
Treasurer: Pamela Davenhall Minutes Secretary: Faye Henshall
Honorary Secretary: Stephen Hudson-Dale
Committee Members:
John Clarke
Ann Burgess
Susan McGrail
Resignations
Louise Tagg has stepped down from her role as Chairperson and has resigned from the committee to pursue other endeavours. Louise will work with the committee as an adviser for the next three months to ensure a smooth handover.
Patricia Hayhurst has stepped down as Honorary Secretary and has resigned from the committee after several years contributing and supporting the team.
Glenys Dawber retired as a Foster Carer during 2020, and stepped back from her role on the committee at the same time. Glenys was an integral member of the team since the very beginning.
The SFCA and the wider Fostering family want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Louise, Pat and Glenys for their unwavering dedication to the association and we wish them the very best for the future.
Trustees/Banking
Due to a change in the Committee and resignations, the Trustees of the Charity are to be updated with the Charity Commission. It was voted that the new Chairperson, James Hudson-Dale and the new Vice-Chair, Geoff Durbin would become Trustees alongside Pam who's already on the register. A few updates are required on the banking front, which will be taken care of by the Treasurer.
Summer Event
The SFCA are planning to host an (outdoor) Summer Event subject to the social distancing measures being lifted. A suitable venue is being sought together with entertainment, activities and catering. A meeting has been scheduled later this month for the new committee to explore this further and to appoint roles and responsibilities.