Dear Members, the club’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) is approaching – this year it will be held on Monday 7th July at 7:30pm at the Mindsports Centre.
The Committee gives notice that the following members will stand for re-election:
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- President – Adam Cranston (currently Secretary)
- Treasurer – Christof Brixel
- Club Captain – Gastón Franco (currently Webmaster)
- PR & Events Officer – John White (currently Chairman)
- Diversity Officer – Anastasija Royce
- Junior Officer – Tom Townsend
- Auditor – Nadim Osseiran
We are sorry to announce that Robin Sarfas and Matt Perchard have decided to step down from the Committee this year.
As Club Captain for several years, Robin has carried out a demanding and vital role with dedication and professionalism. Responsible for overseeing 16 teams, he introduced several initiatives to support our ever-changing roster of captains. These include comprehensive documentation to help new captains avoid common pitfalls, as well as organising the now-annual end-of-season captains’ dinner.
In his role as PR & Events Officer, Matt has brought numerous prominent speakers to the club, delivering both entertaining and thought-provoking lectures. His creativity and expertise have been instrumental in shaping the club’s identity — our current logo, branded scoresheets and pens are all the result of his remarkable work.
The Committee is deeply grateful for Robin and Matt’s significant contributions and lasting impact.
With this in mind, David Lambert intends to run for the position of Secretary, and David Steyn for the role of Webmaster. All members are encouraged to stand for any Committee position, and all applications are warmly welcomed.
This year, the Committee proposes to make a significant amendment to club’s status. In short, we are looking into setting up Hammersmith Chess Club as a charitable incorporated organisation (CIO for short).
We have struggled sometimes with not being an official organisation, including difficulties with bank accounts, lease agreements and software to help us manage the club better.
What is a CIO?
The CIO was created in response to requests from charities for a new legal form that could provide some of the benefits of being a company, but without some of the burdens.
What are the advantages of CIOs?
- We can enter into contracts
- We can receive gift-aid
- Other benefits as that of a charity
Specifics of the proposed changes to the club constitution will be shared in due course.
Any member who wishes to stand for a Committee position, or to submit a motion for the meeting, should do so at least 21 days prior to the AGM – that is, 16th June. If you want to support any of the Committee roles, we would love to hear from you too, as there is a lot of work to run the club and any time is valued. There are a number of subcommittees reporting to the Committee that are vital to the club, on which volunteers to help out are invaluable. We are constantly looking for members to help out in areas including (but not limited to) the following:
Operations
– Running club night events
– Point of contact and friendly face for new walk-ins
– Providing suggestions for different types of events to run
– Running occasional club nights on Mondays and Thursdays
Captaincy
– Captains for the 2025/26 season
Juniors
– Coaching at Monday night Junior Hour (6-7pm)
Events/PR
– Help with organising club tours, events and matches
Website/Social Media
– Writing articles for the website
– General maintenance of website
– Creating other useful pages for the website
– Creating content for our social media channels
Please contact Club Secretary Adam if you wish to stand for a Committee position, submit a motion, or are willing to help out in any other way: adam1234321@gmail.com
Thank you for your continued support!
