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1 <?xml version='1.0'?>
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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 pound '£'>
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5 ]>
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6 <doc>
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7 <head>
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8 <title>Future of 7 VT working group: Ninth meeting</title>
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9 <author>This informal summary by Henry S. Thompson, Convenor</author>
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10 <date>Held at 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh on 24 April 2009, 5:30 p.m.</date>
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11 </head>
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12 <body>
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13 <div>
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14 <title>Attendance</title>
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24
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15 <p>Present: Madeleine Harding,
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16 Phil Lucas, Brian Mayes, Laurie Naumann, Rufus Reade, Henry Thompson (in the clerk's chair)</p>
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17 <p>Prevented: Alison Burnley, Eileen Schott</p>
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18
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18 </div>
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19 <div>
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20 <title>Status of form distribution/collection</title>
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21 <list type="defn">
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22 <item term="Financial experts">LN has sent email summarising his telephone
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23 interviews with Paul Kenny, Caroline Evens and John Phillips.</item>
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19
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24 <item term="Lettings comparison">ES has done this, discussed last
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25 time. Some more info to come re out-of-town sites.</item>
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26 <item term="Quaker groups">MH sent email with interim results, has now
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27 gotten 12 replies, will re-circulate an updated tabulation</item>
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28 <item term="Central Edinburgh">HST has a substantial number of completed
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29 forms, will tabulate and circulate this evening.</item>
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30 <item term="Midweek meeting">AB has tabulated the 8 returns she has received.</item>
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31 <item term="Local meetings">PL has had replies from S. Edinburgh and
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32 Central Fife</item>
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33 <item term="MH staff">PL has only just received the individual
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34 responses. He also has a "discerned corporate response" from a meeting of MH staff.</item>
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35 </list>
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36 </div>
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37 <div>
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38 <title>Additional input from the Meeting House Managers</title>
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39 <p>We considered the question of whether we needed further input from the
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40 Meeting House Managers. They have conveyed a concern that we do not yet fully
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41 understand the nature of their work and the work of Meeting House staff. We
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42 agreed that HST will invite the MHMs to our next meeting, at the beginning.</p>
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43 </div>
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44 <div>
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45 <title>Financial experts interviews</title>
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46 <p>LN summarised. Overall answers were fairly similar, although they were
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47 arrived at by differing routes. All were enthusiastic about the property,
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48 albeit in one case in part because it offered such an attractive proposition as
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49 a rental property itself. None thought that selling was a good plan. Renting
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50 for ourselves was judged to be beset with difficulties. Minimum lease would
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51 likely be five years.</p>
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52 <p>A point which came up was that more use means more cost to offset wear
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53 and tear. The Festival is a particular case in point.</p>
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54 <p>This is to some extent subject to manipulation: by stopping the
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55 consumption of hot drinks in the Meeting Room, the wear and tear is reduced,
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56 but the Library gets more use as a breakout room, thereby reducing the
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57 opportunity for letting.</p>
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58 <p>There was not complete unanimity on the question of whether we should or
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59 could increase income by raising our letting rates.</p>
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60 <p>The question of strategy: maximising income versus maximising utility for
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61 Quaker use, comes up again. PL reminded us of the history of AM's decisions in
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62 this area.</p>
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63 <p>The proposition that we are subsidising groups by default was clarified:
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64 we do charge a low rate to some groups, which means that <emph>if</emph> no-one
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65 else was in the building by the time that group meets we end up losing money as
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66 against the cost of opening the building.</p>
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67 </div>
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68 <div>
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69 <title>Responses from Quaker Groups</title>
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70 <p>Although not dependent as such, many groups expressed a sense of
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71 ownership wrt 7VT. Overseers did feel dependent on 7VT as their base.</p>
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72 <p>"The atmosphere can be felt when you walk into the place" like any other
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73 religious place, so it's appropriate to meet here.</p>
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74 <p>The opportunity to plan in advance, and thereby had access to resources,
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75 was welcomed.</p>
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76 <p>Groups were willing to meet elsewhere. In particular, study groups were
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77 happier meeting in homes, for greater intimacy, and because it addresses
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78 childcare needs.</p>
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79 <p>Facilities generally liked, one or two niggles.</p>
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80 <p>Parking and, at least for the time being, access on foot a bit of a
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81 problem, but public transport good.</p>
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82 <p>Availability was characterised as 'good'. Some asked about the
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83 possibility of there being particular designated Quaker slots in the diary.</p>
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84 <p>Big meetings (e.g. Scotland GM) needed the whole building.</p>
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85 <p>Our ability to host young people's events was discussed in some detail</p>
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86 <p>The value of being a central venue was remarked on a number of times.</p>
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87 <p>Car parking will of course always be an issue for a central venue, but
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88 the impact of that on those with physical disabilities has to be managed.</p>
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89 </div>
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90 <div>
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91 <title>Planning for open meetings</title>
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92 <p>[Note that the date of the 1st meeting was changed following consultation
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93 to Sunday 26 April.]</p>
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94 <p>We agreed to have the meeting in the hall, and to start as early as we
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95 think feasable.</p>
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96 <p>Aim for 2:30 finish</p>
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97 <p>HST suggested opening with an introduction</p>
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98 <p>BM suggested that we had to include the basic outline of the financial
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99 difficulty that provoked the establishment of our group.</p>
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100 <p>LN wanted to be a bit less explicit, focussing on the broad picture, 20
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101 years on, 10 years with balanced books, 10 years during which a gap has opened up</p>
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102 <p>MH: The questionnaires and a lot of our fact-finding to date have been
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103 about the nature of our current (and immediately past) situation: now we need
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104 to look to the future.</p>
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105 <p>Focus on "What is your vision for the Quaker presence and witness in
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106 Central Edinburgh for the <emph>next</emph> 20 years." Offer an
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107 opportunity to stay behind afterwards for more focussed questions to the group.</p>
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108 <p>Is it appropriate to make notes during a worship sharing session? Yes,
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109 if it's made clear at the beginning, and explained as based on the special
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110 nature of the meeting itself.</p>
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111 <div>
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112 <title>Meeting on 26 April</title>
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113 <list>
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114 <item>HST to introduce</item>
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115 <item>PL to take notes</item>
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116 <item>MH, BM, RR will also attend.</item>
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117 </list>
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118 </div>
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119 <div>
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120 <title>Meeting of 4 May [subject to revision]</title>
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121 <list><item>HST to introduce</item>
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122 <item>LN to take notes</item>
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123 <item>PL, MH, BM will also attend.</item></list>
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124 </div>
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125 </div>
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126 <div>
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127 <title>Actions review and new actions</title>
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128 <p>ES to get some costs of out-of-town units </p>
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129 <p>HST to get publicity out about the vision input meetings. [done]</p>
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130 </div>
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131 <div>
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132 <title>Next Meetings</title>
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133 <p>Our next meeting will be at 7 Victoria Terrace at 5:30pm on Friday 1 May
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134 [RR apologies]. We
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135 tentatively agreed on Friday 15 May 5:30pm and Friday 29 May 5:30pm [apologies MH] for our next meeting after that.</p>
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136 </div>
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137 </body>
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138 </doc>
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