1. Welcome & apologies for absence.

Apologies – Jon Musgrave (JM), Ewan McCarthy (EM), Dave Kershaw (DK)

2. Register of interests – check & update.

All present checked and signed the register of interests.

3. Approval of the Minutes of the Meeting of Directors on 12th March 2018

Approved.

4. Matters arising from previous meetings (not covered in the agenda below)

a. 6 December

Hardware replacements: 1 new lap top and 2 refurbished laptops have been purchased

Update SOA website to remove Ross as S6D Marketing Director and add article for expressions of interest for new Marketing Director to CM: Action CM

b. February

None

c. 14 March

GDPR – DK has updated privacy statement.

5. Finance report (KR)

KR had paid all outstanding invoices (WOC 2022 Bid fee [Euro 1.5k] and new equipment [£2.5k])

£140 k in bank account.  Account was now accessible through on-line banking.

6. Royal Deeside 2017

Funds have been distributed to clubs (£10k) as per previous 2015 allocation model.

An explanatory article for Score on allocation of funds was still to be produced Action: Jon Musgrave, Pat Bartlett (KR to advise Pat)

7. Strathearn 2019 – 28th July to 3rd August 2019

CM presented his report:

Central Organising Team

A few COT places to be filled, Terry O’Brien proposes filling Technical Coordinator role. Meeting due 19 June at Morrisons Academy, Crieff.  Issues over involvement of other clubs in addition to FVO.

Areas and Mapping

Final list of areas has been agreed – CM advised at meeting of need to swap Day 4 and 6 areas. This is reflected in table below.

• Auchingarrich – email permissions from landowners (area used for SOL). Parking and bussing still to be resolved.
• Edinchip – LiDAR flown by Cyient.  Quality excellent.  Site meeting agreed on remote finish and combined parking/race arena. Verbal permissions from land manager.  Bridge reinstatement required.  Local contact Duncan Francis will carry out work.
• Dundurn – St Fillans Golf Club have asked for £200 fee for closing course for the day.  LiDAR coverage as per Edinchip.  Drummond Estates permissions through email but nothing formal.
• Grandtully – good parking field identified and excellent arena.  Steep needing 4×4 access.  Farmer very helpful.  Map extension completed by Stirling Surveys for STAG – map copyright fee to be agreed.
• Craig a Barns – good parking fields identified and possible race arenas on a slope.  Met with Atholl Estates and farmer (Rotmell) and they were both positive.  Formal agreements sent but no feedback yet.  Original JK 1990 area included plus small extension.
• Culteuchar & Dron – Lost parking and race arena area and investigating alternatives.  Complex landownership and farming but all main parties contacted and helpful.  Map extension required (no LiDAR, PG plot)). Definitely no dogs.
• Reserve areas could include Kinnoull Hill and Dumyat.

Activity day

• Sprint at Macrosty Park agreed.
  • It was agreed that sprint would be controlled by S6D. The committee were happy for other clubs/ people to take the lead in organising the sprint. The distribution of any surplus funds would be on same basis as 2017, but including the Sprint as a “7^th” day.
• MTBO in Trossachs not taken forward – too hilly
• TrailO – Anne Hickling to be asked if interested.

Event Centre

Use of Morrison’s Academy had been agreed for a token fee.  Parking and facilities (to be checked on forthcoming COT meeting

Event Campsite

Comrie Croft will provide event campsite and bookings would be taken through Ben Finch website.  Thus no risk to S6D company.

Local Authorities and other officialdom

• Further meeting with Michael Boyle of Perth & Kinross Council.  Waiting for wish list from us.
• Keir Stephenson at Stirling Council not responding to emails despite earlier meeting.
• PoliceScotland informed and met on site at Edinchip
• BEAR Scotland no objection to road crossing in Lochearnhead.

Sponsorship

EventScotland have sent application form but no ideas taken forward yet.

This was briefly discussed. Any ideas for funding request to Event Scotland to be advised to CM for enhancing the event: Probably will ditch big screen, repeat daily videos as last time, consider printing “blown up” (A0) courses to put up in Arena after last start.

Budget

Action needed on event budget working with Gareth Bryan-Jones

Publicity

2,000 postcards designed and printed.  ToB distributed at JK and further postcards available at BOC.  Lindsays’ are taking some to O Ringen.

Volunteer Officials

Six controllers were now in place; however only around half planners and organisers required had volunteered – none so far for Days 1, 4 and 6. D Nicol was chasing clubs up.

Mapping update (TOB)

DOLM (JM update by email):

• Culteucher & Dron – first check done on most of area (small area at east not on base map I took out), of plot not yet received.
• Auchingarrich – first check of 85% of area, small section at NE still to be visited.
• Edinchip, on second visit this week. Good bits are fantastic but a bit broken up by fences.
• I aim to get the Edinchip survey and check surveys of the other 2 areas done by end June, the weather is being kind just now! Will send on artwork as and when it is finished with notes to highlight any areas not covered.

Stirling Surveys start work on other two areas this month, with completion by end of July

Rationalising of courses was discussed and actions placed – any rationalisation would need to be agreed before planner’s handbook was issued:

Provide participation by course for 2015 to CM ad TOB –  Action: RS

Review of courses with view to rationalisation of some courses – Action: CE & TOB

8. 2021 Six Days

Coordinator still being sought – various people had been approached.

CM will arrange to meet local contact – who has expressed interest on setting up a new club in Fort William. Action: CM

Pull together list of possible areas for Fort William based Six Day. Action: CE/CM

Invite expressions of interest through SOA website for 2021 Coordinator Action: CM

9. Edinburgh WOC Sprints 2022

A glossy bid document had been produced using EventScotland design company and been issued.  EventScotland had covered costs of producing the bid document. The only other bidder was Paris. An IOF visit to Edinburgh went very well, and the Paris visit is 8-10 June. Decision expected on 6 August.

10. Risk Register

This was carried forward. Action: RW

11. Equipment Matters (RS)

Since the last meeting in March, about £2.5K has been spent upgrading and extending the IT facilities of the 6 Day Co.

A new high specification laptop was bought for £800. This was needed to act as the server at medium to large scale events. Two refurbished slightly less powerful laptops were bought for £375 each allowing us to retire laptops bought second hand for Tay2009.

Following the problems with internet access at RD2017 we decided to take access to satellite broadband in house. This involved a capital expenditure of £400 and an annual contract of approx £300. (for RD2015 we were charged over £1100 for two days access).

All this enhancement was used at BOC2018 which did not have any of the computing problems which plagued other major events such as RD2017 and JK2018.

Our policy is to allow clubs in Scotland free use of any of the kit bought by the company. It is less clear whether this free use should be extended to events where a significant number of entries are not members of Scottish clubs, such as BOC2018, WOC2022 and JK202x.

If we had hired kit (laptops, printers, units etc from SIUK and radio controls from GPProjects) instead of buying it, the charge to BOC 2018 would have been approx £3000.

It was agreed that a charge would be made to for use of kit for events where significant numbers of entries are not members of Scottish clubs such as BOC2018, WOC2022 and JK.  A charge of £874 to BOC2018 will be made.

Arrange transfer to S6D company of £874 for BOC equipment hire. Action: CM

12. SOA Events Manager

BOC 2018 was very successful (Limelight performed well). Some minor issues on relays – lessons learned document had been written.

13. SOA business relevant to 6-Day Company

Roger Scrutton had retired as President in May 18.  RO is splitting job with Anne Hickling who will chair the SOA board.

RO provided summary of survey performed earlier in the year on strategy for SOA and this would provide focus for future activity; the key themes were:

• Event calendar
• Event standards
• Volunteers (welcoming new ones and incentivisation)
• Club support
• Non elite juniors
• Promotion & marketing

14. AOB

TOB asked why competitor club was not included on BOC race numbers.  Nobody at the meeting knew the answer.

The Board recorded its condolences to Lyndsey Knox (Former S6D Director) on the recent death of Jim Knox.

15. Future meeting dates

Wednesday 19th September 2018.

The meeting closed at 8:40 pm