Minutes of meeting of Hethersett and Meltons Sports Association at Park Farm Hotel, Hethersett, April 14th, 2014
Apologies
Apologies were received from Maria Alborough, Colin McDermott, Harold Kerslake, Claire Burke, Leslie Dale, Fiona Whiting and Mark Heazle.
Round Table Introductions
There were 17 members present – Gary Wyatt (GW), Mel Perkins (MP), Ron Butcher (RB), David Bills (DB), Bart Anderton (BA), Maurice Durrant (MD), Shane Hull (SH), Peter Hoult (PH), Peter Steward (PS), Bobby Dowling (BD), Peter Davis (PD), Allison Utting (AU), Paul Binney (PB), Ron Butcher (RB), Gareth Stevens (GS), Jacqui Horsfield (JH) and Toni Horsfield (TH). Round the table introductions took place.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
These had been circulated and were taken as read.
Treasurer’s Report
SH produced the latest accounts showing that the association has a surplus of £1,012.35. The association has received a grant of £1,375 from South Norfolk Council for the purchase of a digital race clock and £400 has been ring fenced for the junior netball section. SH collected a number of club fees during the evening.
Election of Officers
The following officers were elected:
Chair – Peter Steward
Secretary – Peter Hoult
Treasurer – Shane Hull
It was decided that there is no necessity to have a vice-chair.
New Clubs/Equipment Reports/Club Updates
PS stated that he is looking to organise a come and try tennis and rounders event during the summer.
BA reported that Hethersett Velo Club has 175 members with regular club rides attracting over 40 riders for each session. The club is also close to obtaining sponsorship deals. The annual Hethersett 30/60/90 ride will take place this coming Sunday (April 20th) with about 500 riders taking part. The 90 mile event will start at 8 a.m, the 60 mile at 9.30 a.m and the 30 mile at 11 a.m.
PH reported that Hethersett Croquet Club’s season has started and will run through until the Autumn with sessions on Saturday afternoons and Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. Two lawns have been mowed and dressed.
TH and JH updated members on Hethersett Netball Club and steps to start a junior section.
AU gave a report on the out of date skateboard facilities in Hethersett which compared badly with those in other places. She will be doing a costing a feasibility study which she will put before Hethersett Parish Council and bring back to the association’s next meeting.
PB reported that sadly the community gym has finished due to the withdrawal of funding and insufficient numbers to keep it going. The gym attracted 8 to 10 regulars with other people dipping in and out. This was not enough to continue with the project which would have to be self funding. Similar comments had been received from Mark Heazle of South Norfolk Council. The association felt that the gym had not been publicised sufficiently within the village and many people had been unable to attend due to it being held during the day. Fitness gyms are also available at Hethersett Park Farm and Wymondham.
PD of Norfolk Boards gave a presentation on Shuffle Board and members felt that come and try sessions should be organised in the Autumn, possibly as an extension of the croquet club. PD will demonstrate the game at the come and try sports event in July. The cost of a fully functional roll out court would be between £400 and £960.
SH updated members on progress with regards to an all weather sports facility on land at Hethersett Junior School. A quote of £250,000 had been obtained and negotiations with the Diocesan Board of Education are continuing.
Richard Headicar from Woodcote Sheltered Housing will be looking into the possibility of starting a petanque club on the Memorial Field. The petanque piste is available for general use.
PH reported on the continued success of Hethersett Queen’s Road Badminton Club with Thursday night club nights attracting up to 30 youngsters alongside established players.
SH and GW reported on proposals to site a trophy/archive cabinet in Hethersett Library. This has been given the go-ahead by the library manager and a cabinet has been sourced. The majority of the cost of the cabinet will be met from the £500 award received by the village for winning the Norfolk Community of the Year competition in 2012. It is hoped that the parish council will meet the remaining cost. The cabinet will be used to display trophies, awards and displays from the village archives.
SH reported on the progress of Hethersett Open Weekend which will take place from July 5th to 6th. The come and try sports event will be held on the Saturday and there is the possibility of a rock choir music event in the evening. Sunday will feature an inter-denominational church service and the annual two mile funrun. The ladies five-a-side football tournament will not be taking place.
PS reported on the Active Norfolk/HaMSA come and try sports event on July 5th. Sports lined-up include: Archery, five-a-side football, quick cricket, rounders, bowls, cycle speedway, petanque, croquet, netball, tag rugby, cycling, tug of war, shuffleboard, table tennis and badminton. The Queen’s Head will be running a barbecue and Hethersett Bowls Club will provide teas and coffees.
SH and DB reported that a digital racing clock has been purchased by HaMSA through a grant from South Norfolk Council. It is hoped to have this available for Sunday’s 30/60/90 event when publicity will be undertaken. HaMSA will be responsible for maintaining the clock and SH will approach the parish council regarding insurance. The clock will be available free of charge to HaMSA affiliated clubs. It will also be available for hire with South Norfolk groups given priority. The hire fee will be £30 with a £30 deposit. The clock will be one of only two in the whole of Norfolk.
PS reported that the Hethersett Running Group has started its summer session on Hethersett Memorial Playing Field from 6.30 until 7.30 p.m on Thursdays. Norfolk Olympian Paul Evans will be leading a six week course from May 22nd which will be free and available to all ages and abilities.
RB reported on the improvements to the premises at Hethersett Bowls Club. The work has cost £2,200 and been funded by club members and grants from Hethersett and the Meltons Sports Association, the Geoffrey Watling Trust and Active Norfolk. A special opening cheese and wine event will take place on April 26th with the opening by Neil Haverson of the Archant Newspaper Group. Tickets for the opening at £5 are available.
Hethersett Societies Day is being held in Hethersett Village Hall on Saturday September 6th. Members agreed that the association should have a presence and that individual clubs could use the sports association banner to promote their own clubs. In the absence of organiser Leslie Dale it was agreed to discuss this matter at the association’s next meeting.
PH and MP reported on the Hethersett Memorial Playing Field Trust and updated members on progress with regards to the pavilion improvements and extensions. The next step is to obtain quotes from local builders. There was a short discussion on vandalism on the park, which seems to have dropped.
PS reported on the Active Norfolk Village Games. Hethersett and the Meltons will once again be entering a team in all sports in an attempt to win the South Norfolk event for the fourth successive year. This year’s area event will be held at Long Stratton on June 8th with the county finals in July. DB will look into the possibility of having special shirts for the games.
DB reported on the manager of Hethersett Hall’s wish to be an integral part of the community. The possibility still exists for games/sports to be played at Hethersett Hall to entertain residents. Tony Vale from Wymondham has already undertaken some work in this sphere and PS will contact Tony to discuss further.
GS, Principal of the new Hethersett Academy, spoke about his support for sport and wanting to work alongside HaMSA. He is hoping to increase the amount of sport and fitness at the school and launch a sport enrichment programme. Volleyball is already proving extremely popular at the Academy. He is hoping to work with HaMSA in an attempt to encourage more pupils to take up regular exercise.
PS pointed out that Mustard Television has been launched and is available on Freeview in Hethersett and could be a very good way of promoting sport and the sports association to a wider audience. He agreed to contact presented Darren Eadie.
MP reported that there hasn’t been any real progress with regards to a community fireworks display but this is still being looked into by Hethersett Athletic Football Club. Crusaders Rugby Club have also shown an interest in helping to organise an event.
PH reported on the new Quest Treasure Hunt which is being launched at Easter and will run through until July. It features a series of walks of between three and five miles with 12 numerical clues along the way as part of a competition to find treasure. It is hoped Quest will encourage more people to take up walking. It is free to enter and a web site for registration has been launched.
MP reported that plans to launch a village sports challenge has had to be postponed this year. He is hoping to launch the initiative in the future.
PH reported on the continued success of Hethersett Methodist Church Table Tennis Club which continues to meet on Friday evenings. It is likely in future weeks to hold just the one session – between 7 and 9 p.m.
BD reported on the Respect Yourself group and asked for any donations of cakes for the coming Easter Fair which will take place in Hethersett Village Hall on April 19th from 10.30 a.m until 1 p.m.
MP said that Hethersett Hawks’ Cycle Speedway season is underway and the Memorial Field will host the British Under-19 championships on May 24th. Hawks will have a presence at Hethersett Junior School’s Spring Fair and were also looking at a link up with Hethersett Velo Club.
MP reported on more success for Hethersett Athletic Football Club with the Under-19s finishing league runners-up and reaching their league cup final, the Under-14s winning their League Cup and the Under-11s winning their league with a 100 per cent record.
PS reported that Hethersett and Tas Valley Cricket Club had held a very successful charity cricket match which saw Hethersett take on a Tony Selby Select XI. Hethersett won the game and £600 was raised for the Wymondham based Star Throwers cancer charity.
MD reported on the continuing success of Crusaders Rugby Club with 110 youngsters attending the Tiny Tryers sessions. The club is now accredited by the Rugby Football Union. PS pointed out that many of the clubs affiliated to the sports association hold nationally accredited Clubmark status.
Requests for Financial Support PS applied for funding for cones for the Hethersett Running Club. MD said he was sure Crusaders Rugby Club could provide some.
PS also applied for £50 to purchase new bats for the table tennis club and this was unanimously agreed.
South Norfolk Council
DB outlined changes to the River Valley Board set-up. This will see each councillor being given £1,000 to use to benefit their wards. In addition each of the boards’ chairman will be given £25,000 to spend over their 11 parishes. Money will still be available to local communities under the Your Neighbourhood, Your Choice scheme.
Marketing and Publicity
To be discussed as a major item at the next meeting.
Any Other Business
BA said that the 30/60/90 event in subsequent years would be prepared to award HaMSA £500 for association funds for providing marshals. This was thought to be an excellent way of raising funds.
Date of Next Meeting
30th June at 7.30 p.m at Park Farm Hotel.
Apologies
Apologies were received from Maria Alborough, Colin McDermott, Harold Kerslake, Claire Burke, Leslie Dale, Fiona Whiting and Mark Heazle.
Round Table Introductions
There were 17 members present – Gary Wyatt (GW), Mel Perkins (MP), Ron Butcher (RB), David Bills (DB), Bart Anderton (BA), Maurice Durrant (MD), Shane Hull (SH), Peter Hoult (PH), Peter Steward (PS), Bobby Dowling (BD), Peter Davis (PD), Allison Utting (AU), Paul Binney (PB), Ron Butcher (RB), Gareth Stevens (GS), Jacqui Horsfield (JH) and Toni Horsfield (TH). Round the table introductions took place.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
These had been circulated and were taken as read.
Treasurer’s Report
SH produced the latest accounts showing that the association has a surplus of £1,012.35. The association has received a grant of £1,375 from South Norfolk Council for the purchase of a digital race clock and £400 has been ring fenced for the junior netball section. SH collected a number of club fees during the evening.
Election of Officers
The following officers were elected:
Chair – Peter Steward
Secretary – Peter Hoult
Treasurer – Shane Hull
It was decided that there is no necessity to have a vice-chair.
New Clubs/Equipment Reports/Club Updates
PS stated that he is looking to organise a come and try tennis and rounders event during the summer.
BA reported that Hethersett Velo Club has 175 members with regular club rides attracting over 40 riders for each session. The club is also close to obtaining sponsorship deals. The annual Hethersett 30/60/90 ride will take place this coming Sunday (April 20th) with about 500 riders taking part. The 90 mile event will start at 8 a.m, the 60 mile at 9.30 a.m and the 30 mile at 11 a.m.
PH reported that Hethersett Croquet Club’s season has started and will run through until the Autumn with sessions on Saturday afternoons and Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. Two lawns have been mowed and dressed.
TH and JH updated members on Hethersett Netball Club and steps to start a junior section.
AU gave a report on the out of date skateboard facilities in Hethersett which compared badly with those in other places. She will be doing a costing a feasibility study which she will put before Hethersett Parish Council and bring back to the association’s next meeting.
PB reported that sadly the community gym has finished due to the withdrawal of funding and insufficient numbers to keep it going. The gym attracted 8 to 10 regulars with other people dipping in and out. This was not enough to continue with the project which would have to be self funding. Similar comments had been received from Mark Heazle of South Norfolk Council. The association felt that the gym had not been publicised sufficiently within the village and many people had been unable to attend due to it being held during the day. Fitness gyms are also available at Hethersett Park Farm and Wymondham.
PD of Norfolk Boards gave a presentation on Shuffle Board and members felt that come and try sessions should be organised in the Autumn, possibly as an extension of the croquet club. PD will demonstrate the game at the come and try sports event in July. The cost of a fully functional roll out court would be between £400 and £960.
SH updated members on progress with regards to an all weather sports facility on land at Hethersett Junior School. A quote of £250,000 had been obtained and negotiations with the Diocesan Board of Education are continuing.
Richard Headicar from Woodcote Sheltered Housing will be looking into the possibility of starting a petanque club on the Memorial Field. The petanque piste is available for general use.
PH reported on the continued success of Hethersett Queen’s Road Badminton Club with Thursday night club nights attracting up to 30 youngsters alongside established players.
SH and GW reported on proposals to site a trophy/archive cabinet in Hethersett Library. This has been given the go-ahead by the library manager and a cabinet has been sourced. The majority of the cost of the cabinet will be met from the £500 award received by the village for winning the Norfolk Community of the Year competition in 2012. It is hoped that the parish council will meet the remaining cost. The cabinet will be used to display trophies, awards and displays from the village archives.
SH reported on the progress of Hethersett Open Weekend which will take place from July 5th to 6th. The come and try sports event will be held on the Saturday and there is the possibility of a rock choir music event in the evening. Sunday will feature an inter-denominational church service and the annual two mile funrun. The ladies five-a-side football tournament will not be taking place.
PS reported on the Active Norfolk/HaMSA come and try sports event on July 5th. Sports lined-up include: Archery, five-a-side football, quick cricket, rounders, bowls, cycle speedway, petanque, croquet, netball, tag rugby, cycling, tug of war, shuffleboard, table tennis and badminton. The Queen’s Head will be running a barbecue and Hethersett Bowls Club will provide teas and coffees.
SH and DB reported that a digital racing clock has been purchased by HaMSA through a grant from South Norfolk Council. It is hoped to have this available for Sunday’s 30/60/90 event when publicity will be undertaken. HaMSA will be responsible for maintaining the clock and SH will approach the parish council regarding insurance. The clock will be available free of charge to HaMSA affiliated clubs. It will also be available for hire with South Norfolk groups given priority. The hire fee will be £30 with a £30 deposit. The clock will be one of only two in the whole of Norfolk.
PS reported that the Hethersett Running Group has started its summer session on Hethersett Memorial Playing Field from 6.30 until 7.30 p.m on Thursdays. Norfolk Olympian Paul Evans will be leading a six week course from May 22nd which will be free and available to all ages and abilities.
RB reported on the improvements to the premises at Hethersett Bowls Club. The work has cost £2,200 and been funded by club members and grants from Hethersett and the Meltons Sports Association, the Geoffrey Watling Trust and Active Norfolk. A special opening cheese and wine event will take place on April 26th with the opening by Neil Haverson of the Archant Newspaper Group. Tickets for the opening at £5 are available.
Hethersett Societies Day is being held in Hethersett Village Hall on Saturday September 6th. Members agreed that the association should have a presence and that individual clubs could use the sports association banner to promote their own clubs. In the absence of organiser Leslie Dale it was agreed to discuss this matter at the association’s next meeting.
PH and MP reported on the Hethersett Memorial Playing Field Trust and updated members on progress with regards to the pavilion improvements and extensions. The next step is to obtain quotes from local builders. There was a short discussion on vandalism on the park, which seems to have dropped.
PS reported on the Active Norfolk Village Games. Hethersett and the Meltons will once again be entering a team in all sports in an attempt to win the South Norfolk event for the fourth successive year. This year’s area event will be held at Long Stratton on June 8th with the county finals in July. DB will look into the possibility of having special shirts for the games.
DB reported on the manager of Hethersett Hall’s wish to be an integral part of the community. The possibility still exists for games/sports to be played at Hethersett Hall to entertain residents. Tony Vale from Wymondham has already undertaken some work in this sphere and PS will contact Tony to discuss further.
GS, Principal of the new Hethersett Academy, spoke about his support for sport and wanting to work alongside HaMSA. He is hoping to increase the amount of sport and fitness at the school and launch a sport enrichment programme. Volleyball is already proving extremely popular at the Academy. He is hoping to work with HaMSA in an attempt to encourage more pupils to take up regular exercise.
PS pointed out that Mustard Television has been launched and is available on Freeview in Hethersett and could be a very good way of promoting sport and the sports association to a wider audience. He agreed to contact presented Darren Eadie.
MP reported that there hasn’t been any real progress with regards to a community fireworks display but this is still being looked into by Hethersett Athletic Football Club. Crusaders Rugby Club have also shown an interest in helping to organise an event.
PH reported on the new Quest Treasure Hunt which is being launched at Easter and will run through until July. It features a series of walks of between three and five miles with 12 numerical clues along the way as part of a competition to find treasure. It is hoped Quest will encourage more people to take up walking. It is free to enter and a web site for registration has been launched.
MP reported that plans to launch a village sports challenge has had to be postponed this year. He is hoping to launch the initiative in the future.
PH reported on the continued success of Hethersett Methodist Church Table Tennis Club which continues to meet on Friday evenings. It is likely in future weeks to hold just the one session – between 7 and 9 p.m.
BD reported on the Respect Yourself group and asked for any donations of cakes for the coming Easter Fair which will take place in Hethersett Village Hall on April 19th from 10.30 a.m until 1 p.m.
MP said that Hethersett Hawks’ Cycle Speedway season is underway and the Memorial Field will host the British Under-19 championships on May 24th. Hawks will have a presence at Hethersett Junior School’s Spring Fair and were also looking at a link up with Hethersett Velo Club.
MP reported on more success for Hethersett Athletic Football Club with the Under-19s finishing league runners-up and reaching their league cup final, the Under-14s winning their League Cup and the Under-11s winning their league with a 100 per cent record.
PS reported that Hethersett and Tas Valley Cricket Club had held a very successful charity cricket match which saw Hethersett take on a Tony Selby Select XI. Hethersett won the game and £600 was raised for the Wymondham based Star Throwers cancer charity.
MD reported on the continuing success of Crusaders Rugby Club with 110 youngsters attending the Tiny Tryers sessions. The club is now accredited by the Rugby Football Union. PS pointed out that many of the clubs affiliated to the sports association hold nationally accredited Clubmark status.
Requests for Financial Support PS applied for funding for cones for the Hethersett Running Club. MD said he was sure Crusaders Rugby Club could provide some.
PS also applied for £50 to purchase new bats for the table tennis club and this was unanimously agreed.
South Norfolk Council
DB outlined changes to the River Valley Board set-up. This will see each councillor being given £1,000 to use to benefit their wards. In addition each of the boards’ chairman will be given £25,000 to spend over their 11 parishes. Money will still be available to local communities under the Your Neighbourhood, Your Choice scheme.
Marketing and Publicity
To be discussed as a major item at the next meeting.
Any Other Business
BA said that the 30/60/90 event in subsequent years would be prepared to award HaMSA £500 for association funds for providing marshals. This was thought to be an excellent way of raising funds.
Date of Next Meeting
30th June at 7.30 p.m at Park Farm Hotel.