rsof: 7vt/report.xml comparison

comparison 7vt/report.xml @ 41:ca4ff55e05f8

spellcheck, highlight all open issues

author	ht
date	Tue, 02 Jun 2009 11:55:15 -0400
parents	c6b7b5eced00
children	9262f74116b2

comparison

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-:c6b7b5eced00
+:ca4ff55e05f8
 <date>2 June 2009</date>
 <style>td.t, td.s {text-align: right}
 td.n {text-align: center}
 td.s {font-weight: bold}
 td.d {color: red}
+td.h {text-align: center}
 table {border-collapse: collapse}
 tr.t td {border-bottom: 2px solid black; border-top: 1px dashed black}
 tr.gt td {border-bottom: 5px double black}
 tr.ti td {padding-top: 6pt}
 thead.r th {text-align: left}</style>
 attempt to find somewhere which provides essentially the same facilities as 7 Victoria
 Terrace, or somewhere more modest, or more than one place?  Do we look for somewhere to
 share, or somewhere of our own?  If we stay, do we reduce our use, and with it our costs, or
 do we continue more-or-less as at present, or do we try to do more?  How do each of these
 choices align with our vision for Quaker presence and witness in Edinburgh?</p>
-<p>[more, or leave it at that?]</p>
+<p><emph color="red">[more, or leave it at that?]</emph></p>
 </div>
 <div id="history">
 <title>The past</title>
 <div>
 <title>Origins</title>
 The building was in quite a poor state when it was purchased by the Monthly Meeting.
 Apart from the internal work which gave us the basic rooms layout, substantial repair work had to be undertaken to repair badly weathered sandstone on the exterior and some roof repairs were also necessary.  Urgent repair to stonework was necessary in 2007-8 to make the building safe and opportunity was taken, while the scaffolding was in place, to do general stonework improvement with a view to preventing the need for further such work for the next 20 years or so.
 </p>
 <figure>
 <caption>
-[Insert room plans from publicity leaflet -- argh, where are these coming from?!]
+<emph color="red">[Insert room plans from publicity leaflet -- argh, where are these coming from?!]</emph>
 </caption>
 </figure>
 <p>There follows a description of each room, working down from the top.</p>
 <list>
 <item>
 <title>Recent developments</title>
 <p>Pat and Phil Lucas retired in April 2007 and Sue and Anthony Buxton succeeded them as Meeting House managers, also sharing one full-time job.  The changes that have taken place during the past two years reflect in part their priorities for the development of the building and developments in health and safety and particularly food hygiene regulations and the way in which these have been interpreted.</p>
 <p>An early bird meeting for worship has been initiated at
 8 am
-each weekday for 30 minutes.  Use of the Meeting House kitchen has been tightened up and restricted with home-made food not permitted to be brought in or served.  The ambience of the hall and library have been improved through redecoration and new table storage.  Food and drinks (other than water) are no longer served in the Meeting Room or its lobby.  Groups using the second floor during the day and requiring refreshment come down to the Library for that purpose, usually taking the Library out of use as a place for separate meetings at those times.  The lettings calendar is considerably less busy than it was four or five years ago; this may be due in part to the difficulty of access during the building work on the terrace and in part to the current recession.
+each weekday for 30 minutes.  Use of the Meeting House kitchen has been tightened up and restricted with home-made food not permitted to be brought in or served.  The ambiance of the hall and library have been improved through redecoration and new table storage.  Food and drinks (other than water) are no longer served in the Meeting Room or its lobby.  Groups using the second floor during the day and requiring refreshment come down to the Library for that purpose, usually taking the Library out of use as a place for separate meetings at those times.  The lettings calendar is considerably less busy than it was four or five years ago; this may be due in part to the difficulty of access during the building work on the terrace and in part to the current recession.
 </p>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Outline financial history</title>
 part of this. The most recent of these took place in December 2008 and was held in the meeting room. It was very positively received. This event can only take place at 7 Victoria Terrace because of the need for a large meeting room in which to hold it.</p>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Lettings</title>
 <p>Since 2000 income from lettings has increased gradually until 2008 when there was a small decline.</p>
-<p>The main use of the Meeting House as a venue is for voluntary and community groups who want a relatively cheap but central location for one-off meetings, or a series of meetings, or one day conferences with a good ambience. (People frequently say they do not like the formal service they get from hotels). We are not in the market for corporate events.</p>
+<p>The main use of the Meeting House as a venue is for voluntary and community groups who want a relatively cheap but central location for one-off meetings, or a series of meetings, or one day conferences with a good ambiance. (People frequently say they do not like the formal service they get from hotels). We are not in the market for corporate events.</p>
 <p>This means our clients cannot afford commercial rates that would bring us a clear profit. However the small number of rooms available limits the number of staff required for cleaning and catering.</p>
 <p>7 Victoria Terrace is not in the same league as other large Meeting Houses such as Friends House or Manchester Mount Street, to be a large Quaker centre.</p>
 <p>The Meeting House is open every day from 9.00am – 10.00pm and five hours on Sunday. The managers, Anthony and Sue Buxton, are employed for twenty hours a week each but in fact work nearer thirty-four hours a week.</p>
 <p>Tom Nisbet, assistant warden is employed for three days a week. In addition there are a number of staff working a varying number of hours a week.</p>
 <p>To give an idea of the pattern of non–Quaker lettings we have taken a recent six-week
 </tbody>
 </table>
 <caption>Non-Quaker groups using the Meeting House: number of people, the rooms used and the rent charged</caption>
 </figure>
 <figure>
-<p>??? didn't get anything for this from Madeleine ???</p>
+<table>
-<caption>How long the lets were for and the number each week</caption>
+<thead>
+<tr><th></th>
+<th>Week of
+6th-12th April</th><th>Week of
+13th-19th April</th><th>Week of
+20th-26th April</th><th>Week of
+27th April-3rd May</th><th>Week of
+4th-10th May</th><th>Week of
+11th-17th May</th>
+</tr>
+</thead>
+<tbody>
+<tr>
+<td>All-day bookings</td><td class="h">
+3</td><td class="h">
+2</td><td class="h">
+4</td><td class="h">
+4</td><td class="h">
+4</td><td class="h">
+7</td>
+</tr>
+<tr>
+<td>2-3 hour bookings</td><td class="h">
+15</td><td class="h">
+13</td><td class="h">
+20</td><td class="h">
+21</td><td class="h">
+24</td><td class="h">
+19</td>
+</tr>
+</tbody>
+</table>
+<caption>Number and duration of lets, by week,
+spring 2009</caption>
 </figure>
-<p>In all there were 132 lets over this 6-week period.
+<p>In all there were <emph color="red">136 [??]</emph> lets over this 6-week period.
 Costs will depend on size of group, length of time they needed space and which room(s) they rent. There is also a cost for refreshments, including tea, coffee and/or lunch.</p>
 <p>It was not possible to know from the non-Quaker groups how they rated the premises. However there were over thirty groups using the building which feels very positive.</p>
 <p>It is unclear if we should or could increase income by raising the letting rates. Trustees are aware the lettings levels have fallen, especially daytime use. A possible reason for this could be greater competition in the area for the level of provision we offer. Our letting charges are comparable with other churches/halls in the area.</p>
 <p>On the plus side it is an advantage having managers on site and we
 have a good informative website.</p>
 <p>At the end of the day the staff are not here to run a business but to be the face of Quakerism in Edinburgh.</p>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Festival Fringe</title>
 <p>The use of the building for the Festival is a major undertaking (see 3.3.4). The main hall is made into a small theatre with raked seating. Several small theatre groups rent this space during the Festival.</p>
-<p>There is also the Rainforest Café that runs at the same time – from around 10.00am – 6.00pm. The income form this has increased over the years but again last year there was a drop. The main income is from the theatre lettings but the café does not make much of a profit but adds to the feel and ethos of the venue.</p>
+<p>There is also the Rainforest Café that runs at the same time-from around 10.00am-6.00pm. The income form this has increased over the years but again last year there was a drop. The main income is from the theatre lettings but the café does not make much of a profit but adds to the feel and ethos of the venue.</p>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Summary of input from Quaker Groups which use the Meeting
 House</title>
-	  <p>See Questionnaire ?? in Appendix ??</p>
+	  <p><emph color="red">See Questionnaire ?? in Appendix ??</emph></p>
 <p>People felt they were not entirely
 dependant on Victoria Terrace but for meetings it was felt to be accessible,
 convenient and the "right" place to meet. Good access by public transport.</p>
 <p>Disabled access is difficult at present but
 <p>Ideally placed for outreach</p>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Building staff and management</title>
-<p>AM, Trustees, Fabric &amp; Maintenance, [Managers' support group?]</p>
+<p><emph color="red">AM, Trustees, Fabric &amp; Maintenance, [Managers' support group?]</emph></p>
-<p>Managers, Ass't Mgr, as-required staff</p>
+<p><emph color="red">Managers, Ass't Mgr, as-required staff</emph></p>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Building finances</title>
 <p>
 The table below summarises the 2008 income and expenditure and demonstrates the dependency on lettings and members and attenders' contributions for income. As far as expenditure was concerned, 2008 was what could be considered a fairly unusual year with elements of one-off capital expenditure on the stonework and the fees for the architect's quinquennial technical review of the property that we have to have to plan for its future maintenance.</p><figure>
 </figure>
 <p>Of the total 2008 shortfall, roughly £9,000 is owed to one-off expenditures,
 leaving only £27,000 owed to ongoing operations, that is, roughly the same as
 that for 2007.</p>
 <p>
-[<emph>Need for a 2009 budget summary to be added and commented upon.</emph>]
+<emph color="red">[Need for a 2009 budget summary to be added and commented upon.]</emph>
 </p>
 <p>
 In order to meet the requirements of the 21st century, in terms of
 premises that can be let out, a number of further improvements would
 have to be undertaken. Health and safety requirements have stipulated
 improvements to the kitchen likely to cost in the region of
-&#163;30,000 if cooking is to be undertaken and offered for sale, for example in conjunction with the <emph>Rainforest Caf&#233;</emph> at the time of the Festival Fringe. Extending and improving the toilets is estimated would come to about &#163;50,000 and opening the cr&#232;che to the library about another &#163;5k. No figures are available [<emph>as far as I can remember</emph>] for the re-hanging and further insulation of the windows to the south west of the building or for improving the heating.
+&#163;30,000 if cooking is to be undertaken and offered for sale, for
+example in conjunction with the <emph>Rainforest Caf&#233;</emph> at
+the time of the Festival Fringe. Extending and improving the toilets
+is estimated would come to about &#163;50,000 and opening the
+cr&#232;che to the library about another &#163;5k. No figures are
+available [<emph color="red">as far as I can remember</emph>] for the re-hanging and further insulation of the windows to the south west of the building or for improving the heating.
 </p>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div id="future">
 <p>It is felt that we should be in the centre of Edinburgh for a number of reasons, such as the
 presence of the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish offices of financial, church and
 corporate bodies, such as Christian Aid. This would enable us to present our Quaker
 witness to these bodies and to the general public, including the large numbers of tourists
 and visitors to the city. However, it cannot be assumed that Friends in Scotland outwith
-Edinburgh would be happy to recognize us as a Scottish Quaker Centre. Indeed, there
+Edinburgh would be happy to recognise us as a Scottish Quaker Centre. Indeed, there
 are Friends in the Area Meeting who  do not have any feeling of 'ownership' of 7
 Victoria Terrace nor any sense of involvement in its activities. It is also the case that not
 all members of Edinburgh Central welcome the disruption and disturbance arising from
 our Festival activities.</p>
 <p>Overall, we feel that most people have been positive about staying in Victoria Terrace
 because it is central and visible, available and open. The doubts are about finance and
 the Festival.</p>
+<p><emph color="red">Is this enough?</emph></p>
 </div>
 <div>
 <title>Conclusions</title>
-<p>How the practicalities and the vision fit (or don't).  What does AM do
+<p><emph color="red">How the practicalities and the vision fit (or don't).  What does AM do
-next. . .</p>
+next. . .</emph></p>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div id="appendices">
 <title>Appendices</title>
 <p>Material we've gathered (what do we keep back?)</p>
 </div>
 <div id="open">
 <title>Appendix C: Summary of contributions from open meetings</title>
 </div>
 <div id="other">
-<title>Appendix ?: What else?</title>
+<title><emph color="red">Appendix ?: What else?</emph></title>
+</div>
+<div id="refs">
+<title>Other sources</title>
+<p>The following documents, while not part of this report, have been
+submitted to Area Meeting as they provided input to our work:</p>
+<list>
+<item>Summary budget figures from John Phillips</item>
+<item>Report to Trustees by Kath Russell of Woodbrooke</item>
+<item>Meeting House Managers' input(s) ???</item>
+<item>Results of questionnaire to Central Edinburgh members and attenders
+<emph color="red">or maybe not ???</emph></item>
+<item><emph color="red">What else?</emph></item>
+</list>
 </div>
 </div>
 </body>
 </doc>

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comparison 7vt/report.xml @ 41:ca4ff55e05f8