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Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday 6th.
February, 2002
1. Present were Marion Anderson, Eric Davidson,
Jimmy Kelly, Sue Lawson, Fred Moore, Jimmy Paterson and Dane
Sherrard. Apologies had been received
from Peter Fettes and Graeme Small. The Chairman welcomed Sue Lawson,
the Headteacher of Arrochar Primary School, who was with us for the
first time.
2. The Minutes of the meeting of Wednesday
14th. November were approved.
3. The one item which arose from the previous
minute was that of VAT. Jimmy Paterson
reported that his professional advisers had been investigating the
whole matter of VAT and agreed that we ought to be able to reclaim
most of the VAT which we had paid. His accountant had now taken on
the task of attempting to reclaim the VAT from the VAT authorities.
4. Treasurer's Report:
Marion Anderson reported that the present bank
balance stood at £2,112 .60. £10,000 had also been drawn
down from the Church of Scotland Consolidated Fabric Fund to pay for
window restoration.
Marion told the Trust members of the generosity
of many people in making donations to her for the work of the Trust.
Not so much was now being received in the collecting cans - people
had got used to them - but individuals continued to be extremely generous.
The Trust learned that a special Fund-raising
group would meet on Friday to consider the programme for this year. A
four-pronged strategy was to be adopted:
1. Reclaim our VAT and use the money for the next
phase of the programme.
2. Organise one large sale to provide an
opportunity for everyone to contribute to the funds.
3. Create a 'Friends of Arrochar Parish Church'
with an annual membership, magazine and once-a-year meeting to
generate an annual income for the Trust.
4. Investigate a 'Bequest Tree' to provide a
regular income in the future for the maintenance of the Church.
The fourth suggestion generated considerable
discussion. Some members thinking that what was most needed now was
actual money, not just the interest on capital. Others felt that it
was important that the Trust provided a menu of options for people to
provide support for the Church. The matter will be further debated on Friday.
5. Report on the Progress of Church Restoration:
Jimmy Kelly reported that since the last meeting
the new light fittings had been installed; that above the ceiling had
been insulated and that the Vestry had been completed. It was all
looking very good!
The light fittings generated quite a bit of
discussion. Everyone agreed that the lampshades were superb but had
we got the light fittings quite right? No doubt we shall experiment
with different types of bulb (and perhaps even bulb holders) until
everyone is happy; and it will be good to see the final effect once
we have got the up-lighters fitted.
Discussion moved to the heating system. Jimmy
Paterson will purchase three new elements for the radiant heaters
(four if they are not too expensive, so that we have one in reserve).
It was agreed not to install a time-control system at the present
time as Jimmy Kelly didn't mind coming in to operate the system
manually and as we already had a frost control system in the form of
our night storage heaters.
The final discussion area was our lack of
disabled access. Of course, we want to have wheelchair access and
have recently installed hand-rails at the front door of the Church to
help elderly folk use the steps, but it is difficult to create
wheelchair access without significantly altering the building which
is protected by its listed status. At present Jimmy Kelly has asked
the Planning Department for advice on what we should do. We will
consider that advice as soon as it is given to us and in the meantime
we shall continue to investigate what options are open to us. These
include moving the front steps forward by six feet or so and then
ramping down on either sides parallel with the front of the building;
and opening another door in the side of the building with a ramp
running the length of the side of the building to service it.
6. Report on the use of Church Facilities.
The Chairman reported that the Church had had its
most successful year ever! Most successful in the number of people
attending worship; most successful in the money given and in the
money raised by the Church; most successful in the number of people
in the Church's organizations and most successful in the numbers of
community organisations making use of the Church facilities. This was
a justification, if ever there was one, for all of the hard work
which has been put in by all those who have worked so hard to save
the Church. It was also noted that more and more people are now
approaching the Church to be married. It was good that so many people
were falling in love with our beautiful little Church!
7. The next meetings of the Trust were agreed as:
Wednesday 1st. May, 2002
Wednesday 7th. August, 2002
Wednesday 6th. November, 2002
The meeting closed at 8.45 p.m.
Arrochar Parish Church Community Trust
The three monthly meeting will be held on
Wednesday 1st. May, 2002 at 7.30 p.m.
in Arrochar Parish Church Hall.
Agenda
Apologies for Absence.
The Minutes of the Meeting of Wednesday 6th. February, 2002.
Matters arising from the Minutes.
Treasurer’s Report.
Report on the progress of Church Restoration.
Report on the use of the Church facilities.
Any Other Business.
Dates of future meetings.
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