FRIENDS OF ST LAURENCE CHURCH CHORLEY
CONSTITUENT MEETING
SUNDAY JANUARY 13 2019, 12.00
at
ST LAURENCE CHURCH CHORLEY


MINUTES
PRESENT: Rev’d Fr Neil Kelley (President), Michael Welsh (Project Leader) and 32 members (see attached attendance list)
APOLOGIES: Mark Baybutt, Jenny Cree, Phil Hall, James Laidler, Paul Matthews, Linda Merrington, Marion Rawnsley, David Shackleton, Michael Shackleton, Anne White, Anne Wray.


1. President’s Opening Remarks:
Neil Kelley welcomed members to the meeting and thanked them for their attendance. He expressed his excitement at the progress made which meant that the Friends of St Laurence would now become a functioning organisation.
2. Adoption of the Agenda:
Approved.
3. Minutes of the inaugural meeting, November 25 2018:
Approved.
4. Progress Report:
Michael Welsh reported that unfortunately Kerry Doughty had been compelled to resign as Volunteer Social Media Manager on account of severe family problems. The operations volunteer, Cameron Higgins, was now working full time for Victim Support so his time was limited. As a result, there had been delays in developing the web site but he expected the basic architecture to be completed by the end of the month. The next stage would be to commission the social media platforms so that they were up and running by the time of the public launch on April 5.
The Friends had exhibited a “Mayflower Christmas Tree” as part of the Christmas Tree Festival in December with a Newsletter that made a connection with Mayflower celebrations later in the year. The exhibit had received a number of favourable comments and helped raise the profile of the friends through the Myles Standish web site. Thanks were due to Anne Wray and Louise Parkinson who had designed the tree and decorations.
A meeting with Barclays Bank had been set up for Tuesday January 15 and, provided the meeting approved the necessary resolutions, banking arrangements would be established. Pledges would then become active with January 31 as vesting day. Members were urged to pay their subscriptions by standing order wherever possible, details of sort code and account number would be circulated after Tuesday’s meeting. Members who preferred to pay by cheque should send them to the Acting
Treasurer c/o the Church Office. Members were asked to notify Michael when they had executed their standing order, this could be done on line or by submitting the appropriate form to their bank.
5. Appointment of Officers and Committee Members:
The following appointments were made by acclamation
Chairman: Michael Welsh
Treasurer: Mark Baybutt wef 31 March 2019
Committee: John Davies
Marjorie Hayward
Alistair and Jane Morwood
Margaret Shackleton
Anne Wray
The Committee would appoint a Secretary from among its members.
6. Appointment of representatives nominated by the PCC:
Nominees were confirmed as follows:
James Laidler
Paul Lengden
Bernard Oakley
7. Adoption of resolutions:
The following resolutions were approved unanimously by show of hands:
* That James Laidler be appointed Acting Treasurer until 31 March 2019.
* That all pledges should be called in and vested with effect from 31 January 2019.
* That the Chairman and Acting Treasurer be authorised to make arrangements with Barclays Bank Chorley to open a bank account and make deposits and payments on behalf of the friends of St Laurence Church Chorley.


8. Next Steps
Web Site and Social Media: These were critical tools in raising the profile of the Friends and attracting member, sponsors and partners. The present arrangements would be sufficient to establish the basic architecture and commission the platforms but thereafter there would need to be something more permanent and extensive. Experience had shown that this was too much for one person to take on and a member of the Committee would be asked form a team which would run Facebook and Twitter and keep the website up to date. Volunteers to support this work were urgently needed.
Meanwhile all members were asked to provide a photograph (head and shoulders) and a short statement of support for posting on the members page of the web site. These should be emailed to [email protected].


Fundraising and membership: It was emphasised that all members had a role to play in expanding the membership and attracting donations and other forms of support. In the immediate future the committee would be considering the following:
* Building links with the local community in the form of affinity groups and potential partners,
* Approaching local businesses with a view to sponsorship and promotion of mutual interests,
* Identifying potential patrons.
In all these cases the website and social media platforms would be essential tools in publicising our activities and offering partner organisations the benefit of using a powerful communications tool as well as attracting casual donors.
Survey of sources of external finance: Paul Matthews had kindly agreed to undertake a survey which would identify possible sources of external finance, including organisations such as the Churches Trust, identifying the terms and conditions attaching to their giving financial support and assessing whether the Friends might qualify. It was intended to identify two or three of the most promising funders with a view to approaching them after the public launch on April 5.
Launch Event – April 5: This would be held in the Lancastrian Room at the Town Hall by kind permission of Chorley Council. Neil Kelley reported that he had provisionally booked an hour of Songs of Stage and Screen provided by Danielle Louise Thomas and Nick Harvey who had both performed at St Laurence concerts, he would provide the accompaniment. This would be followed by a buffet supper and then an hour of music and dancing with a group of talented students (sax, piano, drums, bass) from the Royal Northern College of Music. Initial estimates indicated that the cost of approximately £2,250 would be covered by selling 150 tickets at £15.00 per head but we should aim for more than 200 participants.
The object of the evening would be to introduce the Friends to the Chorley community by listing up to eight projects selected by the PCC to be supported by our fund raising. These would of different orders of magnitude and listed on the donors page of the website so that potential contributors could choose which project they wished to support. The support of all members would be essential to making a success of this ambitious project.
9. Any Other Business:
It was suggested that for initial fund raising purposes it would better to concentrate on one single project rather than a spread. The Committee will consider this when discussing the public launch.
In answer to a question it was confirmed that annual subscriptions by standing order could be paid in quarterly or monthly instalments.


Certified as a true and correct record




Rev’d Fr Neil Kelley
President Friends of St Laurence Church Chorley