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2 <?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="../../../lib/xml/doc.xsl" ?>
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3 <!DOCTYPE doc SYSTEM "../../../lib/xml/doc.dtd" [
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4 <!ENTITY prev "https://www.dropbox.com/s/7leals7ain2hk1t/sesam-management-2023-06-06-minutes.pdf">
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5 ]>
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6 <doc>
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7 <head>
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8 <title>Agenda</title>
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9 <title>Edinburgh Meeting House Management Committee</title>
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10 <author>Henry S. Thompson, Convenor</author>
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11 <date>Thursday 13 July 6:30 p.m., in 7 Victoria Terrace</date>
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12 <style type="text/css">.minute {margin-left: 1cm; border-left:
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13 2px solid red; padding-left: 2px}
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14 div.toc ul.naked {padding-left: 0 ! important}</style>
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15 </head>
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16 <body>
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17 <div><list type="1defn">
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18 <item term="Present:">Miranda Girdlestone (MG), Jackie Noltingk (JN), John
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19 Phillips (JP), Laragh Quinney (LQ, via Zoom), Henry Thompson (HT)</item>
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20 <item term="Prevented:">Sue Sierra (SS)</item>
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21 <item term="Copies to:">Marilyn Higgins (MH), Neil Turner (NT)</item>
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22 </list></div>
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23 <div id="next">
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24 <title>Date and time of next meeting</title>
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25 <p class="action" on="HT">Email membership for available weeks
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26 in September, then poll for date/time.</p>
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27 </div>
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28 <div id="arising">
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29 <title>Matters arising</title>
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30 <div id="6a">
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31 <title><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/st5me0skwfrrm89/sesam-management-2023-04-20.docx?dl=0">MHM_2023-04-20</link>
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32 6a bullet 3: Staffing</title>
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33 <p class="action" on="MG">Lone worker lanyard alarms. Carried forward.</p>
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34 </div>
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35 <div id="9c">
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36 <title><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/st5me0skwfrrm89/sesam-management-2023-04-20.docx?dl=0">MHM_2023-04-20</link>
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37 9c: Fabric and maintenance</title>
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38 <p class="action" on="MG">Installing LED lighting. Carried forward.</p>
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39 </div>
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40 <div id="p_3.2">
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41 <title><link href="&prev;#PAT">PAT Testing</link></title>
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42 <p class="action" on="MG">Draft a proposal and send it, noting our agreement, to the Safety Officer of AM
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43 Trustees. Carried forward.</p>
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44 </div>
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45 </div>
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46 <div id="MGupdate">
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47 <title>Manager's update</title>
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48 <div id="QCG">
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49 <title>Quaker Centres Gathering</title>
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50 <p>HT and MG attended this. Hearing from other
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51 Quaker management teams about their situation, their difficulties and
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52 their strategies was very helpful.</p>
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53 <p>We heard particular details relevant to us of how others manage the booking
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54 process, incoming email and staffing. Integrating these is an urgent
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55 project for us: MG and Majk Stokes will tackle planning for this
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56 during August. We hope to get help from Hallmaster (the suppliers of
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57 our room booking software).</p>
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58 </div>
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59 <div id="Risk">
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60 <title>Risk Management Strategy</title>
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61 <p>We have a Risk Assessment, but what about a mitigation strategy?</p>
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62 <p class="action" on="JN">forward MG anything we have along these lines.</p>
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63 </div>
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64 </div>
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65 <div id="fringe">
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66 <title>Fringe update</title>
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67 <p>[from David Sterratt (DS)]</p>
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68 <display>
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69 <p>We finalised the contract with the Fringe Society and both parties have
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70 signed it. Regarding the issues raised in the last minutes: (1) We
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71 agreed that the Fringe Society will have use of the meeting room from
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72 1pm on a Sunday and that meeting house staff will be using the kitchen
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73 up until 1.30pm. Friends will need to start departing at 12.45pm. (2)
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74 The Fringe Society were content with the liberalised media clause we
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75 proposed. (3) The Fringe Society did not, after all, want to use our AV
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76 system.</p>
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77
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78 <p>We have liaised with the Fringe about operational details including
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79 moving the furniture and internet/Wifi connectivity. The conversation
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80 with the Fringe networking staff has led to us contacting User2
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81 computing and learning how to administer the Wifi access points, which
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82 has allowed us to set up a private network for the office and foyer
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83 computers. However, the admin interface is set up on David Sterratt's
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84 computer, and it may be desirable to install it on a meeting house
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85 computer. </p>
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86
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87 <p>David Sterratt and Miranda have agreed with David Clarke (Elder) and other
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88 Friends attending 9.30 meeting that it will not be held in the meeting
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89 house during the Fringe, but it can still be held on Zoom.</p>
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90 </display>
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91 <p>[From MG] The Fringe Society visited 7 Victoria Terrace to look
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92 at office space planning. They have been invoiced, but no money has
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93 been received as yet.
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94 They will visit again next week to look at accessibility issues.</p>
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95 </div>
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96 <div id="VTAG">
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97 <title>Victoria Terrace affordability group update</title>
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98 <p><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/0dg79uqslj6jbbi/victoria-terrace-affordability-group-2023-05-30-notes.docx?dl=0">Notes from meeting 2023-05-30</link></p>
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99 <p>See the above for details. Some topics of interest to us:</p>
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100 <list>
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101 <item>Quotes from various rental agents for the Upper Bow
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102 flat, with our without upgrading</item>
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103 <item>Some details on the suggested use of some of the foyer as a café.</item>
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104 </list>
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105 <p>If the cafe idea goes ahead, we would need to look at
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106 possible impact on our relief from Council Tax.</p>
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107 </div>
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108 <div id="staffing">
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109 <title>Staffing</title>
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110 <div id="org">
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111 <title>Moving to operation with one resident manager</title>
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112 <p><link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/jl98oczqh611cpe/Staffing%20proposal%20May%202023.docx?dl=0">Background paper</link> from MG</p>
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113 <p>See above for details. Key points:</p>
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114 <list>
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115 <item>Permanent part-time MH Assistant post not refilled, needs to be</item>
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116 <item>Shift in Majk's role and hours</item>
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117 <item>Two new casual staff</item>
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118 </list>
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119 <p>Taken together this will free MG to do BizDev.</p>
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120 <p class="minute"><href name="MHMC_2023-06-06_1"/><name>Minute MHMC_2023-06-06_1</name> We ask Trustees to agree to the creation of a new permanent
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121 part-time MH Assistant job starting in September, to be
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122 advertised widely.</p>
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123 </div>
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124 <div id="flat">
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125 <title>Ongoing staffing issues</title>
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126 <p><name>Issue for decision:</name> Resident Assistant Warden
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127 post renewal</p>
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128 <p class="minute"><href name="MHMC_2023-06-06_2"/><name>Minute
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129 MHMC_2023-06-06_2</name> We agree to move to operation with one
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130 resident manager. We will not ask Trustees to agree for Richard and Lauren to
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131 remain in the flat after 31 July.</p>
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132 <p class="action" on="HT">Tell R&L that they have to vacate.</p>
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133 <p class="action" on="HT">Ask DS for time at the next
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134 Affordability Group meeting (26 June 1200) for an informal chat with members of the MHC to discuss the
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135 flat(s).</p>
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136 </div>
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137 </div>
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138 <div id="lettings">
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139 <title>Room hire & marketing</title>
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140 <div id="controversy">
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141 <title>Controversial bookings: Common Knowledge</title>
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142 <p>HT reported that following the cancellation of the Common Knowledge 13
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143 April booking on the subject of vaccination, we received
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144 concerned queries from several Friends about their meeting scheduled for 11 May,
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145 entitled "Censorsing Debate—Marie Mamulova & Lisa Randall",
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146 about their struggle to have a meeting last year, in Portobello, about their concerns
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147 regarding teaching about trans-gender issues in schools.</p>
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148 <p>After extensive consultation within this Committee, also
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149 involving AM
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150 Clerk and the Clerk of AM Trustees, agreement was reached
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151 in two stages:</p>
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152 <list type="enum">
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153 <item>Because there had been security problems with the original
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154 (Portobello) meeting, MG contacted the Community Policing unit and on 28 April HT and
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155 MG met with two police, who were reassuring both about the fact that
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156 they did keep an eye on potential sources of trouble in such cases,
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157 and that they would make sure local patrols were aware of the 11 May meeting
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158 if it went ahead.</item>
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159 <item> We asked for and
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160 received reassurance that the
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161 meeting would be focussed on freedom of speech and that a statement setting out our expectations could
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162 be made by the AM Clerk at the beginning of the meeting.</item>
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163 </list>
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164 <p>We then agreed to allow the meeting to go ahead, with the two
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165 Clerks in attendance.</p>
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166 <p>HT emailed the Friends who had expressed concern explaining our decision.</p>
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167 <p>In the event there was no disturbance from protesters, but
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168 the Clerks did not feel that the agreement to avoid anti-transgender
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169 topics and rhetoric had been respected.</p>
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170 <p>[Extracts from an email from AM Clerk]</p>
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171 <display><p>I don't think we should offer further bookings to this group when gender issues are on the agenda (and possibly not at all). While the chair made a point of saying all are welcome in their meetings, I didn't feel particularly welcome and as discussion went on I felt anyone who was trans would have felt very uneasy indeed.</p>
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172 <p>I opened the meeting by reading the 2021 BYM minute to explain where Quakers are coming from and said that while we don't expect to agree with everything that is said in meetings on our premises, we do ask that those present understand and respect where Quakers are coming from.</p>
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173 <p>Particularly in discussion there was no evidence that this had made
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174 any impact. While there was no abuse of trans people, they were
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175 continually seen as 'other', pushing forward an ideology which had
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176 taken over corporate decision making in government and education. The
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177 speaker said LGBT 'is all about the T' these days; 'it's a belief
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178 system'; an audience member said it's a vicious ideology.</p></display>
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179 <p>Further email discussion concluded with clear agreement that
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180 although we try to be a <emph>broad</emph> church in terms of making
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181 our facilities available for hire to a wide range of groups, we are a
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182 church, this is our home, and we don't have to allow people to say
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183 whatever they like. The amount of time and emotional strain it was
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184 taking from all of us was out of all proportion to the benefit.</p>
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185 <p>Accordingly HT drafted a short note to Richard Ennos for MG to
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186 send, cancelling the remaining (three) bookings. MG refunded the amount
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187 already paid for those.</p>
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188 <p>Ennos replied to the Office asking for an explanation, and AM Clerk
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189 provided the following:</p>
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190 <display><p>One audience member spoke of gender identity ideology as a 'vicious'
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191 ideology. This was unchallenged by anyone, and was in line with a
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192 general sense of antagonism towards the fact of trans identity. There
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193 was no moderation of the discussion, and no attempt to question things
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194 that were stated as fact.</p>
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195 <p>Our clerk, who had introduced the meeting by explaining where Quakers
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196 are coming from, felt that his contribution was ignored by those
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197 contributing to the discussion. Although it had been stated that
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198 anyone was welcome to the meeting, he felt that any trans person would
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199 have felt unwelcome and excluded by the tone of the discussion, which
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200 throughout showed that participants regarded trans identity as
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201 something alien. On this basis, he felt that the group had not
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202 respected the terms on which the letting had been made. We recognise
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203 that some disagree with how trans issues are addressed within the
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204 education system, and that you have the right to air this; but we
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205 don't feel that the approach taken by Common Knowledge shares our
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206 values of pluralism and kindness.</p>
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207 </display>
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208 <p>All mention of 7 Victoria Terrace has now been removed from
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209 Common Knowledge online publicity for future events, and we hope the
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210 matter is closed.</p>
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211 </div>
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212 <div id="weddings">
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213 <title>Quaker weddings: Griffiths/Lawrence</title>
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214 <p>Wedding planning going well. They've quite likely
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215 over-catered, but fridge issue sorted. Photographer will come early.
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216 IT for overlow in the Hall is an issue but we can work with what we
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217 have: Emma and Andy were aware of what the MH provided when they booked.
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218 Additional purchase of AV equipment is <emph>not</emph> required, MG does not recommend it for AM.
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219 With respect to numbers, looks like 80–90 from outside invitees, not much feedback from
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220 local Friends, but usual suspects would be 20–30, so probably 100+.</p>
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221 </div>
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222 </div>
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223 <div id="IT">
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224 <title>IT</title>
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225 <div id="split">
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226 <title>Private and public networks</title>
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227 <p>Done, thanks to DS. Now two SSIDs: quaker (old
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228 pw) and quaker-office (new, staff-only). Relevant instructions are
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229 in the 'WiFi' folder in the office filing cabinet, and on HT's
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230 personal machine at home.</p>
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231 </div>
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232 <div id="email">
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233 <title>Email issues</title>
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234 <p>There's too much email on too many diverse topics coming in
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235 to <code>office@equaker.org.uk</code>. Things get lost.</p>
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236 <p class="action" on="HT, MG">Meet with Majk to explore
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237 options, e.g. multiple folders, multiple email addresses</p>
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238 </div>
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239 <p></p>
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240 </div>
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241 <div id="building">
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242 <title>Fabric and maintenance</title>
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243 <p>In the past responsibility for keeping track of this topic
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244 has been delegated to a member of the committee.</p>
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245 <p class="action" on="HT">Put this on the agenda for next time.</p>
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246 <div id="large">
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247 <title>Large projects on hold</title>
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248 <p>Heat pump, courtyard, waiting on finance (see <link href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/st5me0skwfrrm89/sesam-management-2023-04-20.docx?dl=0">MHMC
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249 minutes for 2023-04-20, item 9a</link>)</p>
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250 </div>
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251 <div id="issues">
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252 <title>Ongoing issues</title>
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253 <div id="wifi2f">
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254 <title>Meeting room wifi</title>
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255 <p>Still broken</p>
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256 <p class="action" on="HT">Meet with DS to discuss state of
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257 networking in 7VT, possible remedial actions</p>
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258 </div>
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259 <div id="glazing">
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260 <title>Glazing in flats</title>
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261 <p>Status unclear, issues with both 3F2 and 4F</p>
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262 <p class="action" on="MG">Prepare brief report for next meeting</p>
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263 </div>
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264 <div id="dialer">
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265 <title>Emergency phone in lift</title>
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266 <p>GSM dialler was installed in the lift on 2023-06-06,
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267 engineer said that it is <emph>not</emph> at risk from end of voice
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268 connnectivity.</p>
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269 <p>There is an issue with the (re)direction for
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270 calls from this phone, which currently is set up to dial MG, then SS.
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271 For obvious reasons, MG's work phone is set up to go to voicemail, but
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272 if that means the call is taken to have gone through, that's a
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273 problem.</p>
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274 <p class="action" on="MG">Experiment further to determine
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275 what the facts are, contact engineer for advice if necessary</p>
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276 </div>
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277 </div>
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278 <div id="carpets">
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279 <title>Carpets</title>
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280 <p>No decision yet on carpets. The impact of building changes / cafe could change
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281 decision to be made. No action until after the Fringe at the earliest.</p>
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282 <p class="action" on="MG">Send quotes to JN</p>
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283 </div>
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284 <div id="signs">
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285 <title>Signage</title>
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286 <p>MG invited quotes from two firms, both visited but no
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287 response from either. We suppose they are either too busy or the job
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288 is too small. MG will develop alternatives for us to review.</p>
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289 <p class="action" on="MG">Bring a proposal to MHMC in due
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290 course</p>
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291 </div>
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292 </div>
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293 <div id="woStaff">
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294 <title>Time without staff</title>
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295 <p>HST and MG have agreed to meet regularly to share status updates.</p>
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296 </div>
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297 <div class="appendix" id="actions">
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298 <title>Action items</title>
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299 <div class="actions"/>
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300 </div>
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301 </body>
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302 </doc>
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