SCUBAHUB
Annual General Meeting 2021
BSAC ’ s 2021 AGM presented a picture of a club determined to adapt and overcome in the face of operational challenges presented by the pandemic .
THIS YEAR ’ S AGM WAS CARRIED OUT ON 22 MAY VIA A virtual platform – Microsoft Teams – that enabled more people to attend than was the case when meetings were held in a physical but sometimes inconvenient location . Despite most diving activity being curtailed for long periods , and against a backdrop of widespread uncertainty , BSAC has endured , addressed its financial challenges and is adapting to the changing needs of divers .
Farewell to ...
Karen McKnight
Rachel Sharp
Mark Lovesey
View from the Chair
Virtual delegates were welcomed by BSAC ’ s Chair , Maria Harwood , who presented a picture of the club ’ s current position after the announcements of the 2021 Elections ( see below ). Outgoing Council members Karen McKnight ( Hon Treasurer ), Rachel Sharp ( Hon Secretary ) and Mark Lovesey ( Council ) were thanked for their service .
Inevitably , concerns centred on the pandemic ’ s implications for club life . Maria said the crisis had presented three immediate threats : curtailing diver training , limiting the supply of new members and reducing the income that keeps BSAC ’ s wheels turning . The club had to adapt quickly , introducing online training , home working for HQ Staff , and putting in place an online presence that would act as a salve for member retention .
Looking to the future , Maria set out a set of objectives to form a three-year strategic plan for the club ’ s development . “ Significantly , it ’ s a three-year plan instead of a five-year plan because we recognise the world is changing so fast , we ’ ve got to be continually re-assessing what the club is doing ,” Maria said .
“ We want to build on the new practices that came out of Covid and we ’ ve been looking to see what ’ s been going on in the market generally . We put together focus groups with different groups of members and the wider diving community , to refine our thinking .”
This involves meeting the changing demands of today ’ s scuba divers , at the same time making a tangible contribution to environmental protection and conservation .
Ultimately , Maria said , BSAC must aim to improve its member experience by providing accelerated access to training and diving . “ We need to recognise that different people have different interests ,” she concluded .
Treasurer ’ s report
Honorary Treasurer Janos Suto presented the club ’ s current financial position in light of the loss of fully paid members in 2020 . Fully paid member numbers fell by 3,265 ; with UK universities out of action and many pools and other facilities closed , new member recruitment was down from 4,383 to 1,976 .
More encouraging news came from the established membership , the majority of whom renewed and thus enabled BSAC to maintain operations . The overall membership for the year 2020 was 21,594 , compared to 24,859 for the pre-Covid 2019 .
“ The reduction in members meant that income from subscriptions fell by £ 176,000 in 2020 , while training pack and other sales fell by £ 192,000 ,” Janos said . “ Covid meant that we ran fewer events , meaning that course income was down by £ 100,000 .” The overall financial impact was a fall of £ 524,000 , reducing income from £ 1.9million to £ 1.4million .
Janos set out the actions taken to reduce costs , including £ 102,000 from switching to a digital-only version of SCUBA magazine for six months together with claiming furlough support to assist with staffing costs .
While BSAC made an operating loss of £ 158,000 , the club successfully applied for additional income from various sources . The club received £ 305,000 from a Sport England grant , split
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