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1 4 *Edinburgh Meeting House*
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2
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3 Henry Thompson reported for Meeting House Management Committee. Duncan
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4 Wallace has joined the committee, and along with Rachel Fitzgerald
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5 will take the lead on matters to do with the fabric and maintenance of
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6 our property in Edinburgh.
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7
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8 The Warner Brothers filming went ahead without major incident, but
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9 having someone on duty overnight was clearly necessary.
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10
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11 After extensive consultations, agreements have been reached about
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12 upgrading both our intruder alarm and our fire alarm systems, for a
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13 total cost of just over £2,000, as agreed with the Treasurer. Managers
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14 will have better control over their operation, and gain a "lone worker
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15 alarm" function. Hartley Kemp of C Venues has been involved in the
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16 procurement process and is happy that the functionalities he needs for
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17 the Fringe will be met. Henry Thompson has begun to review the C
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18 Venues programme of shows, which has only just appeared.
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19
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20 Henry has conducted a six month review at the end of the probationary
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21 period for the Meeting House managers, Andy Tucker and Sammi
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22 Searle. This was a positive experience and their appointment is
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23 therefore confirmed.
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24
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25 MHMC will confirm whether the draft quinquennial report from John
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26 Renshaw can be accepted. A number of questions on next steps will be
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27 agreed with MHMC and put back to John Renshaw by our clerk. Trustees,
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28 MHMC and staff are continuing to consider possible improvements beyond
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29 the routine maintenance recommended by the architect in his
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30 quinquennial inspection, for consideration along with the budget
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31 process for future years. To that end the Meeting House Managers,
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32 Katrina McRea, Ian Robertson, Martin Ward, Jacqueline Noltingk (from
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33 MHMC) and David Sterratt (one of the authors of the Affordability
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34 Group Report in 2023) were able to tour the meeting house again today
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35 to look at some features.
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36
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37 We have reviewed our published lettings policy and the procedure for
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38 controversial bookings dated March 2023 in the light of the police
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39 raid on Westminster Meeting House and subsequent legal advice provided
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40 to BYM. We do not see a need to change the policy and procedures at
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41 present but will review them again next year or when asked by MHMC,
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42
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43 We have reviewed toilet provision at our meeting houses in the light
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44 of the recent Supreme Court ruling on the meaning of ‘sex’ in relation
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45 to the Equality Act 2010. In line with recent statements by BYM
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46 Trustees on facilities at Friends House and Swarthmore Hall, we
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47 confirm that we wish SESAM meeting houses to be welcoming to all
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48 including, as confirmed in minute 31 of BYM in 2021, trans and
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49 non-binary people. We do not police the biological sex of those using
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50 our toilets and note that single user facitilies are available at both
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51 meeting houses.
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