{"id":11895,"date":"2025-11-16T20:15:56","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T20:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/?p=11895"},"modified":"2025-11-16T20:28:04","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T20:28:04","slug":"minute-of-community-council-agm-18th-november-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/minute-of-community-council-agm-18th-november-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Minute of Community Council AGM, 18th November 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ST. MONANS AND ABERCROMBIE COMMUNITY COUNCIL<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Minute of the annual general meeting<\/u> held in the Church Hall, Station Road on<\/strong> Monday 18th<\/sup> November 2024 at 7.15 pm<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/strong> Present:<\/strong>  <\/strong>  <\/strong><\/td>Marjory Ashworth (Chair), Morven Syme (Vice Chair), Eileen Montador (Secretary), Niamh Syme (Social Media), Mervyn Blank, Cllr Alycia Hayes, Cllr Fiona Corps, Cllr Sean Dillon, Diane Martin (Minute Secretary)  <\/td><\/tr>
Apologies:<\/strong><\/td>David Robertson (Treasurer)  <\/td><\/tr>
Members of the public:  <\/strong>8<\/td><\/tr>
 <\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
<\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>Welcome and apologies.<\/strong> Marjory Ashworth welcomed everyone to this first AGM since December 2022. Apologies were received and recorded.   <\/td><\/tr>
<\/strong> <\/strong><\/td>Declarations of interest<\/strong> There were no declarations of interest.  <\/td><\/tr>
<\/strong> <\/td>Last minutes and matters arising<\/strong> Marjory Ashworth reviewed and summarised the minutes from 2022.  <\/td><\/tr>
 4.<\/strong><\/td>Chairperson\u2019s Report for 2024 \u2013 Marjory Ashworth<\/strong> Thanks were extended to the committee for all their support this year.The CC held a local Beach Clean, which was supported by St Monans Primary School and Fife Council, and also a very successful Burns Supper. The CC funded the hanging baskets which will hopefully be removed in the coming week.Thanks were extended to the community for their help in distributing the letters requesting support for the funding of the work of the floral group.  <\/td><\/tr>
5.<\/strong><\/td>Treasurer\u2019s Report \u2013 short text update from the treasurer read out by Marjory Ashworth<\/strong> No formal financial report made available at the meeting.Email received regarding possible dispensation for the water rates for the heritage.Floral account \u2013 flower bill has been paid.Heritage account \u2013 finished for the year.Cash flow account \u2013 ring fenced funds transferred to the Cash Flow account for the Memorial Garden.  No up-to-date statement received.  <\/td><\/tr>
6.<\/strong><\/td>St Monans Heritage Collection Report for 2024 \u2013 Mary Henderson<\/strong> See attached report<\/td><\/tr>
7.<\/strong><\/td>Election of Office Bearers<\/strong> Chairperson \u2013 Marjory Ashworth – proposed by Morven Syme and seconded by Niamh Syme Vice Chair \u2013 Morven Syme – proposed by Marjory Ashworth and seconded by Eileen Montador Treasurer \u2013 TBC Secretary \u2013 Eileen Montador – proposed by Marjory Ashworth and seconded by Morven Syme  <\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
7.<\/strong><\/td>Close of AGM<\/strong> Marjory Ashworth closed the AGM and moved to the ordinary general meeting. \u00a0<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong>

ST MONANS HERITAGE COLLECTION<\/u><\/strong> Report for Community Council<\/u><\/strong> October\/November 2024<\/u><\/strong> \u00a0<\/u><\/strong> Work done during the winter months[1]<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/u><\/strong> Before opening to the public in the spring, a significant amount of structural work was done in the premises at 5 West Shore, dealing with long-standing problems of dampness.\u00a0 The entire right-hand wall in the front room was removed, loose material was removed, damp-proofing membrane inserted and the wall replaced.\u00a0 This has dealt with one source of dampness, but moisture still comes down from the roof and chimney breast[2]<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0 Members of the Community Council helped set up the exhibition space once the work was completed, and David Robertson provided a dehumidifier which has run continuously throughout the season and needs emptied every day or two.\u00a0 \u00a0 The lock on the front door was replaced, and keys were given to current volunteers. \u00a0

Opening to the public<\/u><\/strong> The centre opened a little later than usual, around the end of April.\u00a0 Opening times were determined by the availability of volunteers.\u00a0 We were able to open most weeks on a Wednesday morning, all day on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and for a slightly shorter period of time on Sunday.\u00a0 We continued until the end of the October school holidays, closing on Sunday 20th<\/sup> October. \u00a0 As the season progressed, we were able to notify the public of opening times through a printed notice in the window and a post on our Facebook page.\u00a0 \u00a0 Visitor numbers have been strong, with 2,540<\/strong> people coming to see the collection.\u00a0 Even on days when fewer people have come through the doors, there have been fascinating conversations between visitors and volunteers,\u00a0 Some people drop in briefly out of curiosity; others come with knowledge to share, and many are engaged in a quest to find out more about their family history.\u00a0 It is particularly satisfying to volunteers when we are able to help in some way, either through local knowledge or increasing familiarity with the resources available in our collection. \u00a0

Fundraising<\/u><\/strong> Until this year, a clause in the lease agreement has prevented us from selling merchandise.\u00a0 This was changed partway through the session, and we have had considerable success selling a variety of items:\u00a0 William Easton and other prints donated by Peter Marr; sea-themed artworks from Billy Morris; information leaflets and bookmarks about the change of name from \u2018St Monance\u2018 to \u2018St Monans.\u00a0 It is hoped in the future to have more such items available.\u00a0 The total raised from sales and donations this year has been \u00a32,672.57.<\/strong> \u00a0<\/strong> A major project was undertaken by Jerzy Morkis, whose book, We Live by the Sea:\u00a0 a selection of photographs from the St Monans Collection of William Easton (1860-1929), was published privately in September 2024.\u00a0 It has generally been very well received but, as reported to the October meeting of St Monans & Abercrombie Community Council, this has not converted into sales within the town. It is expected a number of books will be donated to the Heritage Collection to help with its future fund-raising efforts. \u00a0 Author Christopher Rush has also agreed to donate a number of signed copies of his early works to boost the Heritage Collection\u2019s fundraising in 2025.\u201d \u00a0 Two successful fundraising events were held in July:\u00a0 a psychic evening in the Masonic Hall, and a book-signing with author Val McDermid, who generously donated copies of some of her books to sell.\u00a0 Plans to create a Heritage Gin from an old recipe found in the archive and launch it at an event in the Town Hall have not so far come to fruition.\u00a0 A sample batch was made for us by a distillery in Arbroath, but licensing regulations made it too complicated to proceed any further. \u00a0 It has been something of an issue for volunteers not knowing how much money has been raised, what it is for and who is responsible for deciding how it is spent.\u00a0 It would be disheartening to think that it was simply going towards water and utility bills which have previously been met by the council on our behalf.\u00a0 If it is to be used for preservation and enhancement of the Collection then conversations need to be had about how this can best be achieved. \u00a0

Volunteers<\/u><\/strong> At the start of the season there were eight volunteers covering the weekly rota:\u00a0 Billy Morris<\/strong>; Peter Marr<\/strong>; Jerzy Morkis<\/strong>; Chapman Mathers<\/strong>; Eleanor Mathers<\/strong>; Rena Ovenstone<\/strong>; Mary Henderson<\/strong> and Linda McPhail<\/strong>.\u00a0 We were joined in July by Hailey La Voy<\/strong> and in October by Dave Malcolm<\/strong>.\u00a0 Linda McPhail<\/strong> has had to step back due to work commitments. \u00a0 We have also had valuable support from a number of other people: \u00a0Margaret Sutherland<\/strong> who provided information, advice and storage boxes; Robert Pyle<\/strong>, who supplied and set up the new computer; Niamh Syme<\/strong> who has been our contact person on the Community Council; and David Robertson<\/strong>, CC treasurer, who deals with the accounts. \u00a0 Two new volunteers \u2013 Russell Galt<\/strong> and Annette Pyle<\/strong> \u2013 will join the team when we re-open in the spring, and one or two other people are thinking about it.\u00a0 Val Spencer<\/strong> hopes to return when she retires in a couple of years\u2019 time. \u00a0 Within this team we have a rich variety of interests and expertise:\u00a0 some have local knowledge, going back many generations; others have experience writing and research; others again have practical and IT skills.\u00a0 If communication could be improved, our effectiveness would be even stronger. \u00a0<\/u><\/strong>

Organisation of the Archive<\/u><\/strong> The Heritage Collection was opened 25 years ago, and its curator for the first twenty years was Ian Reekie, who retired as Head Teacher of the Primary School in 1995.\u00a0 The entire collection bears the stamp of his passion and organisational skills. \u00a0 However, he also had a tendency to keep anything and everything that might be of interest, resulting in cupboards and boxes quite literally overflowing with materials that were disorganised, inaccessible and which presented a significant fire hazard as well as the risk of valuable documents and artefacts being damaged by dampness. \u00a0 A major task this season has been making a start on sorting out this material, in particular the contents of the back cupboard.\u00a0 A lot of material \u2013 for example plastic bags full of old newspapers \u2013 has been thrown out or sent for recycling because it was not relevant to St Monans.\u00a0 The contents of other boxes have had to be examined one at a time to see what is relevant and what is not. \u00a0 There is still a long way to go, but there are now around 45 large, and 20 smaller archive storage boxes which are properly labelled according to their contents, and items on display have been arranged according to subject matter.\u00a0 Roughly speaking, items relating to fishing, and the William Easton photography collection are in the front room, while the back room has sections on topics such as shops and businesses, St Monans in wartime, schools, church, boatbuilding, railway, Salt Pans and Newark Castle. \u00a0 There have been wonderful treasures to find in amongst vast quantities of clutter and rubbish.\u00a0 These treasures include: Primary school logbooks from 1872 to 1969 (missing one volume which is in Glenrothes Archive)Primary school admissions registers from 1901 (including register of evacuees from 1939)Boatbuilding tools used in Miller\u2019s yardA necklace made from \u2018crowpies\u2019; fossils found locally and thought to be luckyA cannon-ball found in the Bowling Green garden which may date back to the Battle of St MonansTwo lead musket-balls found at Newark FarmNumerous ledgers and account-books from the Auld Kirk, Miller\u2019s boatbuilders and other shops and businesses throughout the townPersonal letters and records relating to two young men who died in the First World WarPlans for fortifications to prevent enemy tanks landing and coming through the town in 1939.Memoirs of various local people, including oral history recordings made in 2000. \u2026.. and much, much more! \u00a0 A good start has been made, but a great deal of work remains to be done. \u00a0<\/u><\/strong>

Communication, Technology and Online Presence<\/u><\/strong> We were, and still are hampered by not having a system of communication that suits all the volunteers.\u00a0 For some, Facebook Messenger<\/strong> works well, but others do not use Facebook or have no access to the internet at all.\u00a0 Simply organising the rota has been a challenge, never mind discussing matters of planning and future direction together.\u00a0 Everyone tends to do their own thing, and many miss out on knowing what is happening. \u00a0 All the old IT equipment<\/strong> has been removed and new computer installed.\u00a0 Unfortunately this has not yet been used as it is not clear exactly what it is for and, significantly, because there is no internet connection in the Centre.\u00a0 \u00a0 All payments and donations currently have to be made in cash, which many visitors do not carry with them.\u00a0 It also means that money is lying about in collecting tins until it can be banked.\u00a0 A WiFi<\/strong> connection<\/strong> would enable payments to be made by card or phone[3]<\/a>. \u00a0 Jerzy Morkis set up our Facebook page<\/strong>, which has enabled people all over the world to see some of the contents of the Heritage Collection, to engage in discussion with others and to submit information of their own.\u00a0 \u00a0 It is limited, however, in that not everyone uses, or wants to use Facebook.\u00a0 Pictures and information quickly drop to the bottom of the pile, and it is not easy to find them again.\u00a0 Having a proper website<\/strong> would be a great advantage and Hailey LaVoy and Robert Pyle have been working together on this[4]<\/a>. \u00a0 Jerzy has done a lot of work digitising photographs<\/strong> from the Collection both to preserve them, should anything happen to the originals, and, potentially, to make them more widely available.\u00a0 So far they are in his personal storage because there is nowhere else, other than the Facebook page, for them to be shared.\u00a0 A dedicated website would make this material more widely accessible. \u00a0 We have a lot of other materials in outdated formats:\u00a0 cassette tapes, slides, CDs,\u00a0 video cassettes and DVDs.\u00a0 It will be a huge task, but an important one, for this material to be sorted, catalogued and digitised for the future. \u00a0<\/u><\/strong>

St Monans Primary School<\/u><\/strong> A valuable contact has been established with one of the teachers and classes at the primary school.\u00a0 Mrs Louise Michie had P5\/6 last year, and some of the same pupils have continued with her into P6\/7.\u00a0 Mary Henderson has been in twice to speak to the class about local history and she is going in again at Hallowe\u2019en to tell them about local witch trials[5]<\/a>.\u00a0 The class visited the Heritage Collection on 27th<\/sup> May, and a \u2018treasure hunt\u2019 worksheet was prepared for them.\u00a0 This is now available for any other children who come to visit. \u00a0<\/u><\/strong>

Fife Cultural Trust (OnFife)<\/u><\/strong> Fife Cultural Trust (then possibly under a different name) was involved when the Heritage Collection was set up 25 years ago, and remains a potential source of advice and support.\u00a0 Unfortunately it tends to be regarded with suspicion locally as it has \u2018taken away\u2019 certain items \u2013 notably three paintings, including one by Eugene Dekkert \u2013 for safe storage in its Collections Centre in Glenrothes, and there is a fear that the same will happen to other items, such as the Baillies\u2019 Chairs.\u00a0 \u00a0 Having visited the Collections Centre on a recent \u2018Doors Open\u2019 day, I (Mary) can see that valuable items are very much safer there,\u00a0 with trained staff, security, temperature and humidity control,\u00a0 than in our rooms where there is a lack of space to display them, danger of moisture damage and they are uninsured.\u00a0 Anyone can make an appointment to view items in storage, and they could be requested back for a special occasion, but only if they could be displayed in suitable, safe conditions.\u00a0 It is a delicate balance between having local items available for local people to see and ensuring that they are kept safe for the future.\u00a0 At the moment the only local item of any significance in the OnFife archive is one volume of the school logbook, the rest of which are in our back cupboard. \u00a0 A \u2018Local History Day\u2019 is to be held in Kirkcaldy on 13th<\/sup> November.\u00a0 Mary Henderson is planning to attend, not in any official capacity, but with the Heritage Collection in mind, and will report back on any useful information gleaned. \u00a0<\/u><\/strong>

Hopes and Concerns for the Future<\/u><\/strong> A lot has been achieved this year by a small number of volunteers, but a lot remains to be done, some of which has been mentioned already. \u00a0 There is still a large amount of clearing and sorting<\/strong> to be done of items that have been lost in cupboards and boxes for many years.\u00a0 We are getting close to having papers sorted into boxes with the correct labels on them, but each box needs to be sorted, catalogued and properly filed.\u00a0 \u00a0 There are huge numbers of photographs<\/strong> which need to be sorted, labelled and, ideally, scanned.\u00a0 Some are in old frames, some in albums, and some loose.\u00a0 One very large box contains nothing but Sea Queen photographs and ephemera.\u00a0 There are also many\u00a0 maps and diagrams<\/strong> in rolls that have not yet been looked at. \u00a0 There is also a large storage unit at Coal Farm<\/strong>, with around twenty boxes of Heritage Collection material.\u00a0 At the moment no-one knows what these contain.\u00a0 Pete Peddie has said that we can continue to use the storage space at the farm, but it needs to be examined, sorted and catalogued. \u00a0 One major book and some smaller items have been published this year.\u00a0 We have a huge amount of interesting material from the past, including stories of significant individuals who lived and worked in St Monans.\u00a0 It is hoped to make more of these available by producing booklets<\/strong>, and possibly another book<\/strong>, to sell. \u00a0 Oral history records<\/strong> from the past need to be transcribed and made more readily available.\u00a0 Ideally, we should also be recording the memories of people now, before it is too late. \u00a0 Having a website<\/strong> would be a great advantage.\u00a0 We have the expertise needed in some of our new volunteers, but funding may be required.\u00a0 It would be useful to know what is available in the Common Good fund and how it can be accessed. \u00a0 There is a possibility of using a small room in the Library<\/strong> as an extra exhibition or study space.\u00a0 We need to decide how best to use this.\u00a0 It would provide a warm space for people to visit when the Heritage Collection is closed, and increase awareness of all that we have to offer. \u00a0 Various other projects are possible if there is sufficient interest and support:\u00a0 for example, providing a memorial<\/strong> to fishermen lost in the 1875 disaster<\/strong>; collaborating with RAWS (Remembering the Accused Witches of Scotland) to research and record what is known about witch trials<\/strong> in St Monans; setting up an interactive map<\/strong> of St Monans which visitors could access on their phones in return for a small fee. \u00a0 An ongoing concern is what would happen if the premises at 5 West Shore<\/strong> were to be sold and the lease terminated[6]<\/a>.\u00a0 It is worrying that the contents of the Collection are not insured, although the items themselves are irreplaceable.\u00a0 We pay a substantial amount for water rates, despite using very little water.\u00a0 On the other hand, due to confusion over meter numbers, no electricity bills have been received since 2017[7]<\/a>. \u00a0 Good communication<\/strong> will be vital to explore these, and other issues, with all parties concerned in the future. \u00a0 Mary Henderson (volunteer) 25th<\/sup> October 2024[8]<\/a> \u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
<\/td><\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n

[1]<\/a> Since the centre closed on 18th<\/sup> October, the back cupboard has been completely emptied and work has begun on ventilating, painting and reshelving it so that it can be used more effectively for storage in future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[2]<\/a> Russell Galt, who lives at 4 West Shore, told us that he is waiting for repairs to be done on his roof.  This may have a beneficial effect on our building too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[3]<\/a> Russell Galt has kindly offered to provide his security code so that we can use his WiFi, if accessible, in the short-term<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[4]<\/a> They reported that it should be possible to set up a good quality website which would serve the dual purpose of cataloguing our archive and enabling merchandising and online donations for around \u00a3150 p.a.  A more detailed proposal will be prepared in time for the next Community Council meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[5]<\/a> This happened and was very successful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[6]<\/a> We are apparently now on a rolling lease which could be terminated at any time<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[7]<\/a> This is now in hand and two recent bills have been passed to the community council treasurer for payment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[8]<\/a> With notes from informal meeting of volunteers held in the Giddy Gannet on Saturday 26th<\/sup> October.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minute of Community Council AGM, 18th November 2024<\/p>\n Continue reading →<\/span><\/a>","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":10408,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"Minute of Community Council AGM, 18th November 2024","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[195],"tags":[255],"class_list":["post-11895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-council","tag-minutes"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C300&ssl=1","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C300&ssl=1",1200,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=300%2C75&ssl=1",300,75,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=768%2C192&ssl=1",768,192,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=1024%2C256&ssl=1",1024,256,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C300&ssl=1",1200,300,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/image.jpg?fit=1200%2C300&ssl=1",1200,300,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Dave","author_link":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/author\/dave\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Minute of Community Council AGM, 18th November 2024","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3rNeI-35R","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11895"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11903,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11895\/revisions\/11903"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stmonans.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}