Solent D A
Solent DA Comittee
Solent DA Committee – Now how does that work?
Solent DA does not run itself but is reliant on a team of volunteers who give up their time to help make the DA the success it is. The DA is always looking for new members to join the committee. Posts typically run for a year (some run longer) and the members of the committee are elected at our AGM in February. I hope this little narrative helps understand who does what and, if you are interested, what the DA would expect from you if you decided to join the committee.
Before looking at the roles, a bit of background on how the committee works. The committee meets once a month, usually the first Wednesday of the month, in Porchester near Fareham. We do not have a meeting in August due to the summer holidays.
The meetings follow an agenda where we receive reports from various members of the committee, plus we have agenda items to discuss on forth coming events, and any issues or feedback we have received. From this, we plan for future meets, activities, entertainment etc.
The committee follows the rules and guidelines of the club as well as our own constitution. This also sounds a little prescriptive, but it is done for the good of the DA and we do have fun!
As all committee members are volunteers, there is no pay! That said, we do not want to see anyone out of pocket so travelling expenses are covered to the meetings, should the members chose to claim them and we do provide a coffee or tea to boot!
The role of the committee is to organise all of the events our campers enjoy. Hidden behind the committee is a whole raft of volunteers who help out such as our stewards and those that generally join in to help. These are the true un-nominated un-sung heroes of the DA and to those we thank you.
Just one other point to mention is that the DA is self insured and self funding. The DA receives no money from external sources and has responsibility for the money it raises and spends such as marquees, generators, cookers etc. So any fund raising goes back into the DA for the benefit of the members
Lastly, within the committee are five members of the executive committee (*) who have a secondary role of meeting outside of formal committee meetings to manage any immediate challenges or needs.
Ok, on to the roles in the committee and what they do: (Those marked (#) do not attend the committee meetings)
Chairman*:
The Chairman is the elected figure head of the DA. This person runs the committee meetings and is normally engaged by all members of the DA for any issues. Also, the Chairmen typically runs the Coffee mornings and is the spokes person for the DA at events.
Vice Chairman*:
The Vice Chairmen supports the Chairman in their role and looks to take over the Chairman’s position in the future through on going mentoring and guidance.
Secretary*:
The secretary takes the minutes of the meetings and interfaces with our Head Office on club policies, notifications etc. The Secretary acts as a single point of contact for any correspondence to and from the committee, the Region, the members and the Club HQ.
Treasurer*:
The Treasurer looks after the financial accounting of the DA. They collect and make payments on behalf of the DA. They reports to the committee on the financial performance of the DA, assist in financial planning, and report to the members at our AGM on the overall financial position of the DA.
Note: This position is elected by the committee by the financial year end and not by the members at the AGM. However, a volunteer is sought around October time.
PRO*: Public Relations Officer
The PRO is focused on communications on behalf of the DA (Out & About, flyers, programmes etc) and meeting and recruiting new members to the DA
Sites Officer:
The Sites officer arranges venues for us to camp. This involves site surveys, liaising with farmers and camp owners, working closely with our stewards, and creating a varied list of sites to meet the needs of the members.
Southern Region Rep:
The Southern Region Representative is our DA representative at the Southern Region Committee feeding comments and ideas into the Region Committee and taking feedback into Solent DA committee.
Social Secretary:
The Social secretary arranges out of season events and support in season entertainment needs.
Regalia:
The Regalia officer sources all club regalia and local regalia needs such as camping plaques and pennons
Youth Leaders:
The Youth Leaders look after the youth section to encourage our 12 – 18 year olds to camp and organises special Youth Events such as attending the national Youth Rally. They are also key in supporting training of youth for the club youth test.
Note: This position is elected by the committee prior to the AGM and not at the AGM by the members. Volunteers sought around October time.
Assistant Youth Leaders (#)
Assistant youth leaders support the Youth Leaders as needed. This role is nominated by the Youth Leaders to the committee
CCJ Leaders(#):
CCJ Leaders encourages 8 – 11 year olds to camp in preparation to join the youth section.
This post is nominated by the Youth leaders to the committee.
Committee members:
There are four ‘general’ committee member posts – They provide support for any activities run by the DA. They are elected to serve for a two year term. Depending on their rotation, their post may appear at the AGM or not as the case may be.
Web Master (typically one of the committee members holds this role – i.e. a dual role) – They manage and provide updates to Solent DA’s web site for information to our members (www.solentda.org.uk)
Past Chairman:
The Past Chairman is invited to spend one year in this post after their role as Chairman. This is to provide the committee with continuity and guidance for the DA based on their experience. This post is not voted for.
Madam Sweetie!(#):
Madame Sweetie kindly provides sweeties at meets – run on behalf of the DA
Auditor(#):
The Auditor provides quarterly inspection and financial year audits of Solent DA accounts to ensure all governance is followed. This post is elected at the AGM and cannot be a person related directly to any member of the serving committee.
Mainbrace Editor(#):
Mainbrace is the locally published magazine of Solent DA. It contains information about past and future events and interesting articles from members. It is delivered by post on a subscription service.
Unless otherwise stated above, all posts are for one year. These individuals undertake a huge amount of work behind the scenes to make the DA a success. As volunteers, they will try their best but if other demands take priority such as work, family etc, naturally these will come first. Because of these life changes, the committee work together as a team to cover each other and provide support to each other.
Some time committees come across as ‘clicky’ i.e. often talking in little groups etc. Please do not take this the wrong way. Often they have ideas they are keen to share with others or discuss events etc. All committee members welcome an opportunity to talk to all our members to know their feelings and to feed these back in to the committee for the good of everyone.
As a group of volunteers, they will try their best, but on occasions’ it may appear that they get it wrong. This is the way of the world and they will try to correct any mistakes and it is not done with any malice. Where it is easy to criticise, please feel free to volunteer yourself and have your input to how the DA is run and managed. As I keep reminding you, these are all volunteers with a common desire for the success of the DA. Go on, volunteer now. The DA would welcome your enthusiasm!
Here is listed the names of Solent D.A. committee. Please fee free to talk to any member of the committee while camping with Solent to discuss any issues you may have or any information you may need.
List: (Solent D.A's executive committee shown in bold)
Chairman: RUSSELL PAGE
Secretary: Helen Haines
Treasurer: DAVE BUTLER
PRO: CHRIS DEANE
Sites Officer: Gary Parsons
Southern Region Rep: John Simmonds
Social Secretary: Lyn Smith
Regalia: Steve Page
Youth Leaders: Don Cushing and NICOLA SILLENCE
CCJ Leaders: KAREN AND ANDREW SILLENCE
and DEBBIE AND CHRIS DEANE
Committee members:
Paul Toogood
Barry West
Graham Maunder
Colin Haines
Past Chairman: Steve Parrett
Madam Sweetie!: Mary Parrett
Auditor: KEVIN JEPP
Mainbrace Editor: Karen Sillence
Mainbrace is the locally published magazine of Solent DA. It contains information about past and future events and interesting articles from members. It is delivered by post on a subscription service. If you would like to see a copy or subscribe, please contact Helen our Secretary, our Webmaster or any of the committee members on site.
