Ski Club of Manchester AGM, October 2022

Reporter: Andrew Walker (Club Secretary)

I have to start this report with a mea culpa to anyone who actually read my AGM report in the Newsletter last year and spotted my schoolboy error. In comparing an on-line AGM with an actual, real-life, in-person AGM, I referred to the savings in CO² by not having to travel to it. I did of course mean CO₂. There is no such thing as CO², at least not as a chemical formula.

The on-line format is proving to be popular. Before Covid the number of attendees used to be somewhere between the mid-20s and the mid-30s. It’s not that easy to count numbers using Zoom, as some people have usernames which give no clue as to their actual identities, and in others there is more than person watching via a single connection link. We identified a certain 44 this year, but the actual number watching was possibly closer to 50.

There were no changes to the Committee. The Officers (Ruth, Phil, Janet and me) remain in place, and there were no changes to the rest of the Committee or to the auditors.

Once on our way again, we headed past Entwistle station and uphill to follow a ridge above Broadhead Brook. The low water level in both reservoir and brook was a stark reminder (if any were needed) of how dry and hot this summer has been. By this time, the sun had come out, and it was very warm again!

In her Chair report Ruth reflected on an enjoyable if eventful ski season, not least because of Covid. She said that the Committee had a busy year ahead, which included looking at getting new merchandise and investigating the use of an on-line membership scheme, and Jen leading on sustainability issues. She also paid tribute to Ian Harford, a former Chair of the Committee, who died earlier in the year and who had made a huge contribution to the club over many years.

Before handing over to the Treasurer’s report she explained that this year Janet had produced a consolidated report which more clearly presents the club’s financial position. This highlighted the club’s reserves, which has for a number of reasons grown in recent years, and Ruth explained that we will be looking to reduce the reserve and invest in the club.

The meeting started at 7:33 pm and ended at 7:54, equalling the 21 minutes for last year’s AGM.

Before the intermission, and Tess Burrows’ talk about her walk to the South Pole, Tosh presented a summary of the results of the 2022 club survey.

We had a full schedule of holidays last season, and have another full season to look forward to. We can’t promise that the snow will be perfect or that it will be Covid- free, but on this latter point the runes (touch wood) look reasonable.

Bon Ski! (Unless you’re going to Sauze, I don’t know what it is there.)