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NOTTINGHAM AND NOTTINGHAMSHIRE DRAMA ASSOCIATION
Minutes of the Meeting of the Executive Council held on Tuesday 17th December 2013 at Ruddington

Present:- Joan Wildgust (Chairman), Christine Davison (Secretary), Neil Mackintosh (Treasurer), Mike Stewart, Madeline Lord, Tony Vokes, Bob Wildgust, Roy Ainscough

1 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE were received from Sonja Oates, Mel Reynolds, Linda and Howard Whitehurst

2 MINUTES AND MATTERS ARISING. - The minutes of the previous Council Meeting held on Tuesday 12th November 2013 had been circulated and these were signed as a correct record.
There were no matters arising.

3 HON TREASURER'S REPORT - as at 17th December 2013
Balance = £8423.47
NS&I = £2289.94
Current = £5823.53
On hand = £310.00
Increase = £255.00
SINCE LAST MEETING
INCOME Play of the Year Competition
Entries - 3 @ £60 each = £180
OPERATIONS
Subscriptions-
Group membership - 4 @ £25 each = £100
EXPENDITURE
Affiliation to AETF Central Area = £25
Regarding the accounts prepared for the AGM and submitted to the auditor, the treasurer noted that the AETF payment had been moved to "miscellaneous" this year. The auditor was happy for this item to remain in "Operations" rather than be entered under "One Act". The Gurd Award - after a discussion, it was resolved unanimously that this did not need to be in a separate account: NM will put it in a separate column within the NS&I account. AGM - It was agreed to give a donation of £15 to WBDS for the use of their premises and refreshments at the AGM.

4 FESTIVALS
a) Play of the Year 13/14 and Dinner
There are seven entries so far (to the end of February) with another provisional entry from Magpie in January.
The adjudicator had reported that entries so far had been of a very high standard.
b) One Act Festival -
Bob Wildgust said there was little to report; there were still no entries, but some groups had expressed interest. He had written to 22 newspapers in the area (including Lincolnshire) to publicise the event and generate interest. The Nottingham Post had published an article about the Festival and he hoped that others would follow. He had also written again to member societies.
He reported that, at the AETF meeting in December, there was an indication that there might be 2 entries from Warwickshire, one from Market Harborough and one children's group. There was concern that the One Act Festival generally was not thriving, but Warwickshire and Leicestershire were going ahead with their festivals.
Regarding NANDA's festival there had been no indication as yet of the cost of the Bonington Theatre for the event, or for the hire costs for the 2015 AETF regional festival.
A reminder will be sent out about the 31st January deadline for entries.
c)Youth Festival
Nothing to report. Madeline Lord will contact Sonya Oates about progress.

5 THEATRE LUNCHEON
Nothing to report.

6 NEWSLETTER/WEBSITE
No further information as yet about the Facebook users' course, however the Chairman confirmed that this will take place in the new year and that a course leader had been found.

7 CORRESPONDENCE /AMENDMENTS TO MEMBERSHIP
There have been four group renewals this month. Only two groups - Chilwell and Dukeries have not renewed.
Details of the new group are as follows:- theatreimp@gmail.com Contact - Chantelle Thornley

8 AOB
Roy Ainscough reported the latest news from SHUG (Stanford Hall Users'Group)
SHUG is preparing for the next round in its campaign to preserve the Stanford Hall theatre. Planning permission requires the developer to enter into legally binding agreements concerning, amongst other considerations, the theatre. SHUG hopes to be involved in the next round of discussions.
There will be a meeting at John Storer House, Loughborough on February 26th for the re-establishment of SHUG. Funds at present are low and those interested will be asked for a £5 donation towards "fighting funds" with the aim of getting the theatre to re-open.
Mike Dowdeswell, who is leading the campaign, will be contacting all those who signed the petition.
There was a discussion about the need for more high profile publicity. To this end, it was suggested that SHUG contact Sir Anthony Hopkins (first performed at Stanford Hall theatre) and Simon Weston (Falklands veteran).

9 DATE AND VENUE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday February 11th at East Leake
The meeting ended at 8.15pm