2017 Chairman’s Report

Cronkbourne Sports & Social Club Limited
2017 Chairman’s Report

Welcome to all of you that have taken the time to attend this year’s AGM, thank you.

It is hard to believe that this is the tenth time that I have stood before you to deliver my assessment of the year. A lot has taken place in those years, most of which has been to the benefit of the club and its members.

You will already have seen the sport section’s reports which show mixed fortunes for the last year, however one thing is for sure, you have all enjoyed the various sporting competitions and have a clubhouse that you can be proud of.

I mentioned last year that we were still in negotiations with Government regarding a renewal of the ground agreement that expired in 2014. Well I am pleased to say that, after long and frustrating negotiations, we have agreed, signed and received the new agreement that safeguards our position until the year 2037. I should like to express my appreciation to the club’s President, Mr Geoff Karran, for his efforts, time and invaluable advice that achieved an excellent conclusion to the matter.

One of my primary responsibilities is to ensure the effective management and sustainability of the club in financial terms, so I will highlight some of the more important aspects. The financial statements have been circulated prior to the meeting so that you will have had a chance to look at them, however, I think that it is worth repeating that each of the three sport sections run their own bank account, so monies raised by them will be spent as the respective section committee considers best. These numbers are set out on the last page of the accounts.

The general running of the club itself, particularly the bar facility, is reflected in the Income and Expenditure Account on page 4. You will see that during the year we generated appreciably more income through bar sales and functions, allowing us to spend money on improving facilities. These were in a range of areas, including new radiators, security, decoration, upholstery and groundwork. The result of all this was that we still posted a surplus of £8,061 against a previous year’s surplus of £9,039.

Bar sales +25%
Net bar profit +36%
Donations (Hire) +65%
Improvements +661%

The directors intend to continue with improving the club’s infrastructure as and when suitable opportunities are identified, and we do of course remain open to suggestions from you the members, which we can consider.

A club like ours needs helpers to survive, and whilst I should like to see many more that are willing to assist, I should like to mention a number of them so that we can all recognise the efforts that have been put in to make the whole club a success.

My fellow directors, Geoff, Tim and Tony, who put in so much time behind the scenes which largely goes unnoticed.

Mike Gardner acting as our independent examiner.

Andrew Gerrard acting as the club’s treasurer.

Members of the sports’ committees, particularly the section treasurers and coaches.

Les Crellin and Bill Arthur for tending the two grounds with such tender loving care.

We are also very grateful to the generous sponsors that we have supporting the club and the individual sport sections, the lead sponsors of which are:

Baker Tilly Isle of Man (cricket)
Ramsey Crookall & Co (hockey)
Celtic Associates (football)

Additional fantastic support coming from the following:

Cains
Callin Wild
Canada Life
Capital International
Harding Lewis
KPMG
MAC Financial
Manx Business Solutions
Manx Gas
Randles
Synergy IT
Tower Insurance

The bar profits are vitally important in helping us to maintain and improve facilities.
These have been on an upward curve ever since Sharon Stevenson took on sole responsible for its operation, whilst additionally handling functions from start to finish, the clubhouse cleaning, other ancillary tasks, and of course assembling the wonderful team that assists her. She continues to do a great job, and her efforts and those of her team do not go unnoticed. So my sincere thanks go to her once again.

Remember that Cronkbourne is a fabulous place for a party and is available to members, so next time you need a venue, consider the club, and contact Sharon.

Thank you all.

James Stokoe
Chairman
Cronkbourne Sports & Social Club Limited
24 August 2017