Committee Meeting 14/09/2008
OxVeg E-Committee Meeting 14 September 2008 Place: Barton Name of Note Taker: Heather Shepherd Agenda: 1. Membership (subs, email only?) 2. Members Discounts 3. Website 4. OV Online News 5. Dining Out Club 6. Other Activities (information stalls, public meetings) 7. New Officials (Sec, treasurer, etc.) 8. Meeting at Oxford Town Hall 9/10 9. AOB Attendees: Paul Appleby (PA), Heather Shepherd (HS), Rachel Foster (RF), Pam Hopcraft (PH), David Huish (DH), Penny Catt (PC). Apologies: Paul Freestone, Sue Tibbles Meeting Minutes: 1. Membership • Currently around 150 (134 – updated by PA 18/9/08). Only 3 new this year. This is in part due to uncertainty of OxVeg continuing, and will hopefully reverse when activity picks back up. • It was decided to formally refer to the society as OxVeg. • Approx 20-25 postal only members. Suggestions put forward to provide discounts to email only members, or to request SAEs from postal members. However, majority felt this is unnecessary at moment. • Subscriptions to remain as are, with review in one year. It was acknowledged that we need to create more activity to justify current fee (£5 waged, £4 unwaged, £6 family). • PA advised that members liked membership being cheaper than national societies (i.e. Vegetarian and Vegan Societies) • PA currently holds membership database. • As Sue Tibbles was unable to attend, we did not have un-to-date details on financial position. Suggestions made to seek funding from bodies such as OCVA. To be reviewed by Treasurer after 9/10. 2. Members Discounts • Current list compiled from questionnaire sent out two years ago when paper directory put online. • Approximately 18 establishments. PA suggests little use is made of them. Possibly not promoted? • List needs updating (simple questionnaire sent out), and exercise repeated on annual basis. To be reviewed by Secretary after 9/10. 3. Website • Excellent source of information. PA currently tasked with updating. However, acknowledged that appearance looks a little dated. • New committee post to be formed to take on responsibility. • Suggestion of moving to www.lvw.makessense.co.uk (free) which has good existing template for layout, free IT support, and will potentially link our information with other local groups. • PA would like to see link remaining with IVU.org, which was accepted. Currently pay £12/year. This could be linked through to above. • Also suggestions made to register www.oxveg.co.uk. • Suggestions to be reviewed by Website Manager after 9/10. 4. OV Online News • PA currently distributing. HS said personal email from Secretary is appreciated. • PH said some members were unable to receive email, and did not get this, just a quarterly events calendar. Suggestions to post out, requesting SAEs if funding would be an issue. • PA mentioned printing of addresses for postal information can be difficult, but other members believed this problem could be overcome. 5. Dining Out Club (DOC) • Links broken down between DOC and OxVeg – i.e. no promotion of OxVeg at DOC. • PC and HS will take along membership forms to future DOC evenings. • The August DOC evening was an excellent success following information sent by PA to the Pub (The Star, Stanton-St-John), as they provided a variety of choices, and a special desert, including vegan cream/ice-cream. Future DOC evenings will have catering pack sent out in advance. • Natasha Williams has helped a great deal in organising the DOC, and it was acknowledged that this is very much appreciated. However, as she is not a full dietary vegetarian, it was unanimously decided that she should not have an executive role on the committee. However, her help would be welcome in an informal capacity with the DOC. 6. Other Activities • Many ideas flowed including: • Organised Events: o One World Day (PA to investigate) o Green Fair • Social events: o Christmas Social (venues e.g. Brookes, Oxpens, etc.) o DOC o Dining In Club / Pot Lucks round members houses (for few individuals at a time!) o Cookery Demos o Walks o Caterers o Taste Testing (Obtain samples of new products e.g. Cauldron to try) o Wine Tasting (Vineyard in South Oxon that’s vegan?) o Coach Trips (e.g. West Midlands Vegan Fair, Christmas Without Cruelty Fair. N.b. may have to start as car/minibus trip!) • Campaigning Events: o Freshers’ Fair (Too late for Oxford Brookes. VERO have stall at Oxford University - PA to speak with his contact to see if we are in time to arrange a stall, e.g. handing out Student Veggie Recipe Booklets. Would be great to get a student contact for future) o Talks / Speakers (Free entry to encourage non-members to come and see the benefits of Veg*nism; held at Friends meeting house (£40), or other regular venue. N.b. Town Hall gives free meeting/month, but small room on Tues/Thurs. May not allow food. Paid speakers may draw in more people. Publicity of event essential.) o World Vegan Day – (PA to make information packs for local libraries to distribute) o Veggie / Vegan Pledge (pledge for 1 week/month. Launch evening with GP, cookery demos, etc.) o Veggie / Vegan Buddying for new veg*ns o Free Food stalls in streets / markets o Free Food stalls outside supermarkets with recipe & shopping list for that supermarket. o Free Veg*n food fairs (following success of RF event last month) o Ban sale of Foie Gras in Oxford (Lobby a Green Party member to propose?) 7. New Officials • PA is to stand down as Secretary at meeting on 9/10. We will ask Sue Tibbles and Paul Freestone to consider nominating themselves for Treasurer and Media committee posts respectively (with appreciation that Sue has many other commitments, and may not be able to give much time). PH will consider Stalls Co-Coordinator. • Outgoing committee members will be asked to give support to those joining. • Committee members will be expected to commit to regular committee meetings (e.g. 1 hour fortnightly, tbc). • Committee members must be full dietary vegetarians. • New posts to be created, leading to the following posts: o Secretary  Online Newsletter  Membership Database (if no membership secretary)  Contact Person for Vegan / Vegetarian Society (? – could be shared. PA has volunteered to remain contact for Vegetarian Society)  Review Membership discounts o Treasurer  Bookkeeping  Cheque Signing  Annual Financial Report  Fund raising (e.g. OCVA grant applications)  Reviewing current financial arrangements (HS mentioned CAF, which offers high interest rates for charities, and is banked through HSBC branches) o Media Representative  Publicising events, including talks.  Responding to media enquiries o Social Secretary  DOC  Organising other social events e.g. Christmas social o Stalls Co-ordinator  Keeping diary of events in area to represent OxVeg at  Ordering stock of sale goods and leaflets for stalls  Arranging volunteers to man stalls at events o Campaigns Co-ordinator (could be brought in with above if appropriate)  Arranging talks  Arranging on-street stalls (e.g. Cornmarket Street, Abingdon Market, Cowley Centre)  Arranging Demos  Co-ordinating other events for e.g. World Vegan Day, National Vegetarian Week, etc. o Website Manager  Review existing arrangements  Keep website up-to-date  Manage email enquiries from Website, passing on to appropriate party. o Membership Secretary (if sufficient nominations)  Manage membership database  Post out postal information to those who request. o Chairperson (if sufficient nominations)  Be aware of all activities  Run committee meetings  Allocate tasks as appropriate  Assist in Secretary tasks, and any others requiring additional assistance o Other members (if above posts are filled), who are willing to assist any of the above. 8. Meeting at Oxford Town Hall 9/10/08 • Nominations for above posts to be invited prior to meeting if possible. • Meeting to be primarily devoted to election of posts. • We will also share ideas of activities to assess uptake. • PA to investigate size of room (Panel Room) • All members to be encouraged to come, but requested to RSVP if possible to assess size of meeting. • PA to investigate what refreshments are allowed. Tea & Coffee would be good as minimum. • RF suggested going to pub afterwards. Mitre? • PA will email / post invites to members with information, and requesting nominations. 9. AOB • None Next Meeting: 9/10/2008 7.30pm at Oxford Town Hall.
Author: Heather Shepherd
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