The PSPS Council of Management met by video conference on Saturday 26 June 2021; all of the trustees were in attendance.
Decisions Since the Last Meeting
A slight increase in rent for Chatham had been accepted by the Executive Committee.
Treasurer’s Report
Small amendments to the Statement of Financial Activities and Balance Sheet were approved. Council also approved wording for the resolution of membership subscriptions for the 2021 AGM.
Ships
It was reported that current funds should pay for the first phase of the refit for Kingswear Castle. The numerous difficulties in returning Waverley to service were noted. Capacity would be about a third of normal, set at 300 due to Covid. Dr Colin Smith had been appointed as a trustee of WSN and Scott Johnson as a director of WEL. Significant fund-raising is expected to be needed to cover costs for next winter. The operational and financial risks of running in the south were noted. Council recorded its heartfelt thanks to Paul Semple and the team for all the hard work under very difficult circumstances. Jim Mitchell was welcomed as the new Council representative for LLSC. Maintenance of the hull was the main priority for the Maid. The ship was going on the slipway in July and expected to be out of the water for about a year. It was planned to repaint her in her original colours. Medway Queen was to be moved to Ramsgate for slipping in July.
AGM
Arrangements for the AGM were delegated to the Ex Com; meeting to be in Glasgow if face-to-face is possible, on 15 October if Waverley is sailing, 16 October if not.
Branch Meetings
Agreed that Branch AGMs could again be postponed if wished, to 2022, if requested to the Council Chairman. Face-to-face meetings will resume when possible, but two online meetings are planned, with presentations by Paul Semple and John Megoran respectively.
Development Plan
The legacy leaflet will be circulated with the September issue of Paddle Wheels.
PSPS Collection
The disposal of duplicate, not required, books from the collection to WEL, MQPS, Balmoral and accredited museums was agreed.
Communication Channels
It was reported that Waverley related Twitter and Facebook postings attract a lot of interest. Council recorded its thanks to Roy Tait for his considerable work over the years on the PSPS website, and the work he had done on Kingswear Castle and Waverley websites.
AOB
On behalf of WEL & WSN Deryk Docherty thanked the Society for its support.
Future Meetings
The AGM will be on 15 or 16 October, with next Council meeting 20 November 2021. The format will depend on Covid restrictions in place.
Meeting dates for 2022 were agreed: 19 March, 25 June and 19 November, with the AGM on 22 October.