The AGM minutes for 2009 were agreed as accurate

Proposed – Alan  Seconded – Kev

2. Jeremy gave an overview of the year 09/10. The club had another successful year with the purchase of some new kit and the involvement of a lot of members and new members in kayaking.

Russell described the growth of the slalom contingent, from 4 members last year to 14 this year, with considerable success on the water. The group had attended 8 slalom events over the course of the year, both in Scotland and across the border in England. Seven paddlers were promoted from division 4 to division 3 and Russell was promoted from division 2 to division 1. The club is getting a name for itself and KKC is recognised at events.

Over the summer coaching had taken place at Doonfoot. Neil Caffrey also did some coaching sessions at Alva. Next year it is hoped to get some more SCA coaching sessions organised.

The two club slalom boats are great for competition but insufficient for 14 paddlers to train. The group would really like another two slalom boats. They are hoping to run a monthly training session with support from SCA and local paddlers.

Russell thanked the club for their support with kit for the slalom contingent.

Bridget gave an overview of the year from the sea paddlers. A group had gone out from Doonfoot every week between April and August. Some new members had come along a few times. The club trip to Loch Sunart in December was a success although very cold. The trip to Arisaig and Knoydart in August was a lot warmer. Lorna and Bridget gained their 3*sea in May. Five club members had a week paddling off Mull in May and had a fantastic week.  The Prestwick Prom centenary celebrations proved very popular and a vast number of children and a few adults tried out a boat on the sea. There have been a number of people interested in joining the club following that event. Sunday trips along the Ayrshire coast and further afield are a fairly regular feature and usually include ice cream or apple pie depending on the time of year. One Sunday in July was identified as a beginner paddle and Brian and Robbie came along to enjoy the ice cream at Culzean.

George reported on activity on the river over the year. The introduction to river skills course at the start of the summer went really well and beginners have become regular paddlers over the course of the summer despite the rivers being low. There were 7 or 8 trips to the Awe over the summer, but some people were less keen to travel and the lack of water locally meant that some lost interest. There will probably be a club trip to Fort William in a few weeks. George has done his level one coaching over the summer and both George and Neil have done their 4* river leadership training.

3. Treasurer’s report – Kev passed round summary accounts for the year. The club has £4,592 in the bank. However three pool sessions have yet to be invoiced. The club is reasonably comfortable financially. Not much has been spent on coaching over the last couple of years although this is likely to increase again next year. The majority of club income is from membership fees and pool session fees. The Citadel being closed for a period this coming winter will affect that income. In order to purchase more slalom boats the club needs to look at alternative sources of funding e.g. sponsorship or grants.

Maurice pointed out that the club is currently financially stable, but Kev felt that money had already been spent on slalom kit and that additional kit should be purchased by a combination of funds from the club and from elsewhere. George pointed out that most river paddlers have their own kit and queried whether this was not the case with slalom paddlers. Russell said that all the slalom kit is that bit more expensive, even at the lower end of the range.  Maurice said that most slalom clubs have their own kit, but that if promoted there is the expectation of buying personal kit so as to have the top of the range. Gail pointed out that Andrew takes part in slalom and river paddling so that buying all the kit would be very expensive. Maurice said that all 14 paddlers have their own personal and safety kit and that they just rely on club kit for the actual slalom boats. Training at Doonfoot has engendered interest and there are 6 kids coming along tonight to get started with slalom in mind. To maintain this interest we need to provide the boats to take part.  Kev said that we should not be sinking all the club funds in to slalom boats and that additional funding needed to be sort. Jeremy asked about corporate sponsorship and Russell said that it tended to be just the premiership paddlers that were sponsored. Carol suggested that ‘sportsmatch’ will add funding if a club can demonstrate some funding from elsewhere, Lottery funding and Sport for All could also be looked at.

4. Bo’sun’s report – Neil said that the major outlay this year had been slalom boats and the kit to go with them. We also have new neoprene decks, air bags and are still to get a sea boat towline. The main problem has been safe and secure access to the boat store and kit. There is now a keybox outside the cage with a combination lock. A request to Neil will secure you the combination. There is an ongoing problem with borrowed kit not being returned. On the website there is now a log book to identify kit that is borrowed for more than a day or a weekend and who has it. As of tonight Neil is fairly sure that all kit has been returned and is in the store.

Alan – has a river boat that needs a new thigh brace. If that can be fixed Alan would donate the boat to the club.

Gregor – for insurance purpose we need an up to date list of all the kit and a rough estimate of value.

Jeremy – all looks very neat and tidy in the store. Thanks to Neil.

5. Election of office bearers –

George wished to become a committee member – proposed Alan and seconded Jeremy

The position of chair became vacant as Jeremy wished to step down. Maurice was asked if he would take on the role and declined. Alan was asked and was elected unopposed – proposed Russell and seconded George.

The remainder of the committee are happy to continue.

6. AOCB –

1. Coaching – Jeremy is willing to commit more time to coaching. He attended an update course at the beginning of October and is now a 3*coach with a qualification good for three years. Meaning he can assess 1,2 and 3*. SCA will fund 50% of any course which leads to a coaching qualification (although you do need to be a SCA member). There will be a meeting at some point for all those interested in coaching. White water safety and rescue course booked for December.
2. Pool fees and membership fees – there was discussion around what to do when the Citadel closes for refurbishment. It was thought impractical to move all the boats and kit to another venue. However we could add on extra weeks at the end of the usual pool season and potentially we could run some sessions at Doonfoot when the pool is closed. It was decided by a significant majority to leave membership and pool fees for 2010/11 unchanged  i.e £30, 20, 10 for family , senior and junior membership. £5/3 and £4/2 for members and non-members senior and junior.
3. Pool management – individuals were identified for tonight to man the door, pool and store and to introduce new members to the club. Everybody was reminded that seal launching is against club and Citadel rules. Currently there is no limit on the number of boats allowed in the pool, but if it gets silly then people will be asked to get out and take turns.  
4. There was discussion around identifying a ‘responsible’ person at pool sessions. Both for the Citadel staff and for new members. Maurice was asked to purchase 4 bibs at £2-4 each.
5. Dates for your diary – it was felt that having a calendar on the website would make it easier to identify trips, rather than having to sort through all the posts on the forum. Jeremy agreed to look at this again. Jeremy will also arrange another master class session for committee members to enable them to use the site effectively.
6. Safety in the boat store – Neil will arrange for the plastic flooring under the boats to be extended all the way back to prevent slippage and a domino effect with the boats.