New Years News Letter
LIBC NEW YEAR NEWSLETTER
LINCOLN & DISTRICT INDOOR BOWLING CLUB COMPANY LTD
COMPANY RESTRUCTURE
A GUIDE FOR MEMBERS & OPPORTUNITIES TO GET INVOLVED
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Since 1972 the Lincoln and District Indoor Bowling Club has provided members with a first-class indoor bowling experience. This will not change.
What has changed is the operational structure of the club which is designedto ensure we can continue to provide these facilities whilst enhancing our offer to keep pace with a challenging financial climate.
There are 11 Directors on the Board – some appointed by the Directors as necessary, and elected by our members/shareholders at the Annual General Meeting.
OUR AIMS
It is the responsibility of the Board of Directors to operate the club in a financially viable way, whilst ensuring it provides a welcoming and vibrant social environment, an attractive venue option for meetings, events, and functions and an ongoing engagement with the local community. All of this in addition to providing world class indoor bowling facilities to club members.
Our Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) status, whist granting us certain financial reliefs, also provides for a valued local opportunity for social connection and physical activity, now and in the future.
Note - We have recently engaged specialist consultants to advise on ongoing CASC compliance. Our structural changes align with these recommendations. Any historical issues are now fully resolved, and we can move forward fully embracing our CASC status as part of our strategy.
We intend to implement innovative initiatives designed to retain and increase membership, attract visitors, and generate revenue, so that the club continues to deliver the best possible Indoor Bowling Club experience.
We want to operate in a friendly, positive, and forward-thinking manner, creating a sustainable future alongside an atmosphere of harmony and belonging.
CHANGES IN 2023
Constitutional changes adopted by the Members, all of whom are shareholders in the Club have allowed the BOD to implement key operational changes to reshape the way the club is run and provide a sound foundation into the future. As well as a collective Board responsibility, all our Board Members now have their own area of responsibility on which to focus. Each will lead a defined ‘Directorate’ and will look to utilise any expertise in these areas within the membership. Our Board of Directors now looks like this:
LINCOLN & DISTRICT INDOOR BOWLING CLUB COMPANY LTD
REVISED COMPANY STRUCTURE (2023)
OFFICERS OF THE COMPANY
Chair of the Board Andy Andrew
Company Secretary Brian Smith
Company Treasurer Dean Morley
The following Directors each will have a directorate responsible to the Board of Directors:
Directorate (Area of Responsibility) Lead Director
Bowling Lin Mountain/Alistair Weir
Health & Safety Alistair Weir
Human Resources Michele Scott
Catering & Bar Claire Erwin
Facilities & Utilities Steve Tinker
Events & Hospitality Dean Morley
Membership Recruitment & Retention Steve Derby/Vacancy
Responsible to the Board of Directors:
General Manager Danny Brown
POINTS TO NOTE
Directors will enlist club members/shareholders to assist them in their area of responsibility (Directorate) – Key roles may be templated as ‘posts’ and incumbents elected at the AGM and Task Groups/sub committees may meet on a regular basis as necessary.
Directors & Shareholders sitting on any of the Directorates must operate within the Company Articles of Association and Company Constitution.
We are actively looking to recruit assistance on a voluntary basis and we appeal to our members to let us know if they can help us in any of the following areas:
DIRECTORATES , KEY RESPONSIBILITIES & MEMBER OPPORTUNITIES
Bowling Directorate
Undoubtably the largest area – covering all the club’s bowling activities in the calendar. The Club Management Committee, Over 60s Committee and Ladies Committee will no longer exist as separate entities. That is not to say that member input will reduce – quite the contrary.
We need help from our bowlers in key roles – all of which will be essential for the smooth running of our bowling operations (Leagues, Competitions, Representative Matches, Social Bowling etc etc…..)
The ‘Bowling Committee’ under the joint direction of Lin Mountain and Alistair Weir will have task groups sitting within it. Each task group will consist of club members/shareholders to supplement and support the Directors on different aspects of the bowling operation.
Competition, Domestic Leagues, County Club, Friendly and National Team Selection sub committees will incorporate Ladies and Over 60s bowling matters and provide for a standard approach to administrative tasks.
Volunteers Required include:
- Club Team Captains (County, National and Friendly);
- League Managers (Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Men’s Sunday am, Ladies Wed pm),
- Club Team Selectors,
- Competition Secretaries (Club, County, National)
- Markers – Open Singles; Grand Prix; County Singles Play offs
- Umpires
- Coaches
- Team Co-ordinators (Find me a Team/Find me a player)
- Fundraisers
- Minute Secretary (Bowling Committees)
Health & Safety
Working with Club consultants Citation to ensure all legal aspects are covered.
Mike Grimwood – North Lincolnshire Council H&S Officer for 15 years - has already come to our assistance as our volunteer Health & Safety Advisor, Mike has all the necessary skills in this area and is typical of the type of specialist volunteer we will need going forward. Mike’s risk assessments have been of great benefit to the club in ensuring the safety of all members and employees.
Have you noticed any potential risks around the club? Please let us know – See Alistair Weir/Mike Grimwood
Human Resources
The club employs 16 staff, all of whom have a contract of employment and will need to be managed, appraised annually and will have annual leave entitlements, wages etc.
Club consultants Citation will assist in this area and their Atlas System will be the basis of managing our staff.
Catering & Bar
Café Jaxx has proved a huge success since we rebranded our restaurant after Covid. The operation needs staffing and pricing, suppliers reviewing to ensure a profitable return.
Bespoke catering activities require pre-planning and we are actively marketing these.
An increased emphasis on visitor & community participation and the hosting of communal activities in our restaurant space has made for additional demands.
Larger functions may require some volunteers:
- Dirty cups, plates, and glass collectors
- Kitchen Hands
Facilities & Utilities
The Club needs to be adequately insured and utility contracts managed. Special building projects arise from time to time and also require careful management.
All maintenance aspects of our building including security and fire alarms, air conditioning, safety checks, CCTV etc must be covered and reviewed annually.
Events & Hospitality
A new concept for us going forward. Playing bowls alone will not sustain our club given the overheads and costs involved and we must look to diversify our activities to continue to thrive. That is now our working strategy.
Already members have attended Tommy Cooper and Comedy Nights with the ‘Elvis Experience’ next up on 3rd February. These events, alongside our now regular external/community participation activities (Quizes, Hosting Grand Prix Bowls, Boultham Park Action Group HQ, Meeting Hosting, Willow Making, Mindfulness, Yoga, Park Run, Car Parking, Meeting Room leasing etc ) and the securing of the English Bowling Federation National Championships in April, will all help to relieve the direct cost on our members and help us keep prices as low as we can. This Directorate is key to our business plan and strategy going forward and will need help from members in the planning and operational phases of such events which will be advertised as necessary.
If you are willing to assist with such events, please contact lead Director Dean Morley
Membership Recruitment, Retention & Communication
The structure required to recruit members and (just as importantly) retain their participation in indoor bowling. Coaching and social bowling activities are becoming increasingly important, alongside the annual recruitment drive and all the communication that goes along with these activities.
Above all we need to make sure people who are new to the club feel a part of it and getting them engaged in regular activity is key
Volunteers Required include:
Open Days
- Design, Print & Distribute (leaflets, posters, etc)
- Social Media helpers
- Meet & Greet roles
- On rink helpers
- Bowls Coaches
- Admin Assistants
- Website & material updates
Ongoing Roles (Member retention)
- Team Co-ordinators (Find me a Team/Find me a player)
- Coaching Assistants
- Bowls Buddies (looking after new bowlers & helping them settle)
- Facilitation of new events, leagues, and competitions for new members
If you are willing to assist, please contact lead Director Steve Derby
SUMMARY
I hope this special newsletter gives our members a good insight into the structure of the club’s hierarchy and the direction in which we see the club heading.
We have also outlined some of the voluntary roles that provide opportunities to engage the help of our members in the day to day operations of the Club.
I Think I Can Help – How Do I Get Involved
If you can help please let us know – You can either write to the Club Secretary Brian Smith via email ([email protected]) or simply come along in person and have a face to face discussion with members of the Board of Directors who will be on hand in the Club Lounge to host a ‘Club Volunteer Week’ from Monday 22nd January 2024 – Friday 26thJanuary 2024.
CLUB VOLUNTEER WEEK ITINERARY
Members of our Board of Directors will be on hand in the club bar lounge area should you wish to find out more about how you can assist or simply have a chat about how the club operates.
Monday 22nd January 2024
9.30am – 1pm
Tuesday 23rd January 2024
9:30am – 1pm
Wednesday 24th January 2024
9:30am – 1pm
Thursday 25th January 2024
5.30pm - 7pm
Friday 26th January 2024
12.30pm - 4.30pm
If you are interested but cannot make these times, please drop the secretary an email ([email protected])
It is also important to note that as shareholders of the Club, our members are all eligible to put their name forward for election to the Board and to serve as a Club Director if elected. This can also be discussed with the Directors present.
We look forward to seeing you there and thanks for your support.
Danny Brown
General Manager