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The day to day running and development of the Centre is spearheaded through a voluntary committee known as the MCA.
The Association is a registered charity in the UK with the Centre site and building being leased by the MCA from the Parish Council.
The Association is responsible for the internal refurbishment, staff wages and the costs associated with activities and equipment related to the Centre.
The Association has a constituted management committee made up of volunteers, centre users and representatives from Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and also the Markfield Parish Council. The Association organises and finances events for the community of Markfield.
These include:
- Easter Fun Disco
- Holiday Youth Activities
- Regular Youth Activities
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- Summer Disco
- Annual Trips
- Community Days
| If you would like further information, or could give a small amount of your time to help, or have any suggestions you would like the Association to consider, please contact the Community Centre or the Community Association Treasuser - Ron Grantham or Centre Manager Dawn Beesley
2011/12 Markfield Community Association Committee Members
Chair Dave Moss
Vice Chair Maggie Gondolo
Secretary Vacancy
Treasurer Ron Grantham
Parish Council Representatives Maggie Gordon and Barrie Gannon
Borough Council Representative Graeme Chilvers
Centre Users and Village Representatives
Dawn Beesley, Kev Fisher, Jean Lemmon, Jeff Moulding, Peter Thorpe, John Tully and Bill Walmsley
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A VOLUNTEER TO BECVOME THE SECRETARY/MINUTE TAKER TO THE ASSOCIATION - IF YOU CAN OBLIGE CONTACT Ron Grantham on 07904 222552
Mercenfeld Trading Ltd.
The Association has a trading arm registered with Companies House the Directors of this Limited Company are as follows:
Chair Dave Illingworth
Vice Chair Jeff Moulding
Company Secretary Dawn Beesley
Treasurer Ron Grantham
Member Andy Brown
MC4
The Association has a Management Agreement with Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council and Markfield Parish Council - a consultative committee (MC4) is in place to oversee this agreement. The Association's representation on this body are:
Ron Grantham Chair of MC4
Jeff Moulding Member
Annual Reports
The following Annual Reports were submitted to the AGM in October 2010
2011
As we enter the 25th year of the opening of the Centre perhaps it is time to reflect on all our achievements over a quarter of a century. The Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Community Council’s Col. John Heggs GOLD Award for Village Hall/Community Centres Achievements Awards 2011 clearly demonstrates just how much we have achieved over the past five years. This award clearly shows how much the Centre has moved on over the years with many positive attributes being demonstrated to the judges including policies, health and safety and other procedures, the wide extent and range of activities provided for all ages and backgrounds, disability access and facilities, cleanliness, environmental improvements, recycling and energy saving as well as a friendly and busy atmosphere. The award also recognised all of the other improvements that we have made to the centre including our new main hall extension, community office, public internet café, increased storage, the Borough Council officer’s touch down base, improved security, other improvements and partnership working. This award is something that we can all be extremely proud of and one we can truly celebrate with all those who have helped and supported us over the past twenty five years at our anniversary celebration event in April next year.
Despite a difficult winter caused by harsh weather and closures due to burst water pipes I am delighted that business at the centre remains on the up and up. The Centre is extremely busy for the majority of the time especially during the evenings. It is nice to see the Centre so well used by the village. We do however need to keep an eye on the current financial climate and make sure that we continue to remain competitive and give value for money and good facilities for all our customers. One area of work we have identified is to provide more work and facilities for young people aged 14+ and I am pleased that the Management Committee have agreed to concentrate on this particular area for the coming year and beyond.
One other area I would like to see addressed is the involvement of more people and users both on the management committee and with supporting and helping out with Centre activities and events rather than this being left to the usual dedicated few. I realise that this is a difficult area to improve on and whilst, as customer surveys have shown, people are happy with what is going on at the Centre they may not see the need to get involved. The forthcoming Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Village event on the 3rd June is a classic example of where we can all get together, help out and make it a truly memorable event for the village.
All our success and future development cannot have been achieved without the support and hard work of the Centre manager, staff, volunteers, customers and our partners especially the Parish and Borough Councils and for this I must conclude with my sincere thanks to all these people on behalf of the Committee and myself.
Dave Moss
Chair Markfield Community Association
October 2011
Manager's Report to AGM October 2012
I have just sat down to write this report, having read my report to this meeting last year. I now sit here with many mixed emotions, during a period of extreme staff shortages and feeling quite shattered! This has been a year of some very sad and low periods, but they are by far, outweighed by the good times!
The lows are as follows:
- The worldwide financial situation, that makes every day such a struggle.
- The loss of old friends and yet another loss of a young person that we have watched grow up.
- Trying to meet the expectations of all of the interested parties involved with the centre and often feeling that we can not please everyone!
The highs are as follows:
- The delight of securing new customers and classes, even if we have had to ‘poach’ and be a little devious!
- Watching the centre grow in strength, month by month, despite the lack of Grant Aid and support previously available to us.
- The strength of support from our customers and local people.
- The look of pleasure on tired faces at the end of a long day trip, whether it be a two year old that has paddled in the sea or a an eighty-five year old that has just enjoyed getting out in the sun and being somewhere different.
- A hug from grateful relatives, because we’ve made their family event so special and completely right. Whether it was a wedding, funeral, christening or something altogether different!
- Solving, what to us is a simple problem, an elderly person locked in or out of their house! A group of kids bothering someone, a stray pet, a grazed knee or something much worse, you name it, we get it!
- Supporting other local and national charities.
- Enjoying a much closer relationship with members and officers of Markfield Parish Council and gaining a greater understanding of each other,
- Enjoying the continued and invaluable support of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, including the Deputy Mayor, who thinks that we are mad, but in a good way!
- Sorting the lease out, thanks Maggie and Dawn!
- House training the police to make a cup of coffee and even to wash-up afterwards!
- Working hard to establish more Youth Facilities within the local community.
- Receiving a much appreciated grant of £6,500 from the proceeds of the sale of the Miners Welfare Institute to assist us in our future work.
- Winning a Gold Award for our achievements during the last five years.
This is not the most professional of reports, nor is meant to be, it is from the heart. Nobody has to be a member of the Markfield Community Association, they choose to be, this also applies to the members of Markfield Parish Council. We are very lucky to be in a position to work with people that care deeply about their local Community. That must never be underestimated and I sincerely thank you all for the support that you offer to the centre. I can not praise the few remaining staff that we have at present highly enough either!
My sincere thanks to Ron, Jeff, David, David, and Anne, who have all served as Officers this year on not only the M.C.A, but also the M.C.4. and the M.T.L. Thank you also to Peter and Jean who help us out on a weekly basis, this is particularly invaluable during times of staffing shortages.
Thank you to Barrie and Maggie for their help and support as the Representatives of Markfield Parish Council, they have worked tirelessly this year to solve numerous problems. My thanks also, to Andy, Kevin, Bill and John, the remaining members of the M.C.A. and the M.T.L. for all of their help. Bill was fantastic with the judges from the L.R.R.C.C. and I have no doubt, swung the award in our favour!
My final thank you must go to my long suffering boss, Graeme. Graeme has been solid as a rock as usual, I have noted that long intake of breath that he does when I tell that I need to tell him what I’ve done or that I want to try something a little different! He must dread every phone call!
That’s all for now, another tough year ahead, every day will continue to be different with new challenges to deal with. We are bigger than ever, we need to continue to grow, we need to be strong and financially stable, it is essential that we continue to operate as a viable business. But we must never loose sight of the fact, that above all, we are a COMMUNITY Centre!
Dawn Beesley.
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