To all members:
Prior to the AGM I wanted to take the opportunity to share with members some thoughts and ideas as we plan for the future. Whilst these will be shared at the AGM I thought it would be helpful to outline them now rather than just talk about them next week.
I do hope that the changes and developments taking place and those we are planning over the next few months, will be seen as a positive and constructive way forward.
My basic hope is that we have an open club that allows everyone the opportunity to feel included and involved.
The six point plan:
- We have already introduced a Social and Events team who have started to take responsibility for both setting up and supporting events so that the planning burden does not fall just on one or two people. The team, led by Cher Jones includes Adrian Cox, Paul Keyte, Teresa Eaton and Jean Eaton.
- I am proposing some Committee changes as I am sure we do not need up to 16 people meeting once a month to run the club.
- The two roles of Club Development Officer and Staff Development Officer will combine.
- We will not have someone on the committee to take the title of Inclusion Officer as we have very competent and experienced people in the club to assist in this important aspect. I have therefore, with the full support of the Committee, invited Julie Watchorn to take on a role as ‘Inclusion and Disability advisor to the Club’. Julie does not want to take a committee post and I have therefore suggested this as a positive way we can use the knowledge and skills Julie processes in this subject. I would also like someone else to share this with Julie and would welcome offers. Occasional attendance at Committee meetings will simply be as considered helpful and will be non-voting.
- We will not continue to have a Communications Officer as this has been fulfilled by the Club Secretary over many years. Mandy will therefore continue as Web Manager with responsibility for all social media, press contact, the Perry Beeches website and the new Swim Manager software we have introduced this year.
- The role of Vice Chair will remain unfilled.
- We are asking for nominations for only one Welfare Officer.
- Other developments will be discussed with the Committee over the coming months, including developing the role of Workforce into a team including Workforce, Welfare, Swim21 and the Staff & Club Development Officer. This will be the second ‘Team group’ we will operate with as we already have a Finance Team that includes the Treasurer, Finance Control, Membership Secretary and the Grant and Funding Officer. I am very much in favour of team work rather than a burden on one person.
- In the past few weeks our Acting Head Coach, Tom Reader has spoken to me about his role at the club. Because of personal and work commitments Tom is unable to continue in his present role but is very happy to stay with Beeches and continue to coach our Masters and Senior swimmers. If we advertised for a Head Coach we would lose Tom, as any new appointment would naturally take the Masters and Senior swimmers. I therefore shared with the committee an idea to bring in a Director of Swimming. An experienced volunteer who would lead and support the Coaching and Teaching team providing administrative help and giving of their experience in developing the skills of our present teachers. I have therefore approached Dave Marsh to take on this role as a Committee member. Dave is well known at Beeches having been our Head Coach up to two years ago. This appointment will also mean that we keep Tom as our Masters and Seniors’ coach. A win/win situation I feel.
- To ensure parents and members feel included I would like to introduce a yearly get together where parents can meet with the coaches, teachers and committee members. My thinking is that this would be similar to a school open evening where parents can speak to the teachers about their children’s swim progress as well as share a social evening and have an open meeting about the club where questions, shared ideas and future suggestions can be voiced. ‘How are we doing, what can be improved, what should we do differently etc….’ I have asked Kal Gaddu as our Parent Swimmer Liaison and Phil Payne to organise this together, both smiled and said yes! The Social and Events team will organise the programme. A date will be announced in the near future.
- We also need to ensure that our teenage swimmers have a voice and to this extent I will be talking to the Club Captains to organise a yearly or twice yearly get together where we can also hear their views on the club, how they would like it to develop and what can we do to improve and support our swimmers.
For those who are able to join us on Wednesday I look forward to seeing you at Beeches for 7pm.
Mel
Melvin Hart
Chairman
Perry Beeches SSS Swimming Club
Train Together, Win Together, Have FUN Together