--- a/7vt/report.xml	Fri Jun 05 08:29:53 2009 -0400
+++ b/7vt/report.xml	Fri Jun 05 15:51:57 2009 -0400
@@ -84,19 +84,18 @@
 so access was a problem. It was an L-shaped room which made it difficult to sit
 in a circle as in 7 Victoria Terrace and you could get "lost" at one end or the other of
 the L-shape
-and not hear or see the rest of the meeting.</p>
-
-<p>The coffee room was a bit of a squash.</p>
-
-<p>The children were in the basement in three
+and not hear or see the rest of the meeting.  There were a number of smaller
+problems, which added up to a lot of discomfort:</p>
+    <list>
+     <item>The coffee room was a bit of a squash.</item>
+     <item>The children were in the basement in three
 small rooms. The young people were like sardines in the smallest room. The
 cr&egrave;che was at the front of the building and the 5&ndash;12s at the back---neither
-room was very big and there was very little room for storage.</p>
-
-<p>There was lack of office space.</p>
-
-<p>Letting possibilities were minimal and the
-Meeting House was not open to all during the week.</p>
+room was very big and there was very little room for storage.</item>
+     <item>There was lack of office space.</item>
+     <item>Letting possibilities were minimal and the
+Meeting House was not open to all during the week.</item>
+    </list>
     <p>A property developer had approached the Meeting several times offering to purchase
 the building on very attractive terms, and after a series of Meetings for Business and
 threshing sessions the Preparative and Monthly Meetings agreed to the move, even though
@@ -142,7 +141,10 @@
 but particularly for the children---a garden opens up lots of possibilities for
 fun and learning.</p>
     <p>Over the years the Meeting House has hosted many link group weekends. These have allowed young people from all over Scotland to come together for a residential weekend, to share their thoughts and feelings in a safe environment, to learn more about being a Quaker and benefit from being with like-minded young people.</p>
-    <p>It is hard to quantify/evaluate just how important these events are, but speaking to young Quakers now in their twenties and thirties they say how important these events have been for their own spiritual development. If we are going to keep our young people we need to care for and nurture them. 7 Victoria Terrace is an ideal place to do this.
+    <p>It is hard to quantify/evaluate just how important these events are, but
+speaking to young Quakers now in their twenties and thirties they say how important
+these events have been for their own spiritual development. If we are going to keep
+our young people involved with Friends we need to care for and nurture them. 7 Victoria Terrace is an ideal place to do this.
 </p>
    </div>
    <div>
@@ -215,13 +217,15 @@
 </item>
 <item>
 <p>
-The <name>Foyer</name> (also not shown in the plans) is fairly spacious, but its adaptability is inhibited by two structural pillars.  The original entrance to this space, when it was a shop under the
+The <name>Foyer</name> (also not shown in the plans) is fairly spacious, but its
+adaptability is inhibited by two structural pillars.  This space was originally a shop under the
 Original
 Secession
-Church, was in its present position under the Victoria Terrace arches.  At some point in
-the twentieth century, this had been made into a window and a new entrance made on the
+Church.  At that time the entrance was in its present position under the Victoria Terrace arches.  At some point in
+the twentieth century, that original entrance was made into a window and a new entrance made on the
 Upper Bow elevation.  When the decision was taken in 2002 to make the building
-wheelchair-accessible, it proved impossible to add a ramp to this entrance, so the original entrance was re-opened and a stone ramp installed on the terrace. At the same time, the foyer was completely refurbished and redecorated, with the installation of a seating area, also suitable for informal meetings, and a reception desk.
+wheelchair-accessible, it proved impossible to add a ramp to the Upper Bow
+entrance, so the original Victoria Terrace entrance was re-opened and a stone ramp installed. At the same time, the foyer was completely refurbished and redecorated, with the installation of a seating area, also suitable for informal meetings, and a reception desk.
 </p>
 <p>
 During the past ten years, spacious storage cupboards have been built into an alcove in the eastern end of the foyer and in the passage linking the foyer to the Bow Room.
@@ -235,7 +239,8 @@
 </item>
 <item>
 <p>
-The <name>managers' office</name>, situated between the foyer and the Bow Room, is quite small and has a timber-barrelled ceiling installed in the 1950s, when this style was in vogue.
+The <name>managers' office</name>, situated between the foyer and the Bow Room, is
+quite small, with room for a single person to work.  It has a timber-barrelled ceiling installed in the 1950s, when this style was in vogue.
 </p>
 </item>
 <item>
@@ -251,21 +256,19 @@
 Rooms, while one ground floor flat provided the present Managers'
 Office and Bow Room. The other ground floor flat was retained by the
 Boys' Brigade for income and let as an office, first to a taxi company
-and in recent years to the 6 Victoria Terrace Youth Cafe project.  One second floor flat was sold to the Boys' Brigade caretaker, who lived there until 2004, when she sold it to a member of the Meeting.  The other four flats were offered to the Meeting, which bought the fourth floor two-bedroomed flat in 1987.  The Meeting also rented a single-bedroomed flat on the third floor (Flat 3F2), which was eventually also purchased in 1995. The remaining two flats were bought by a member of the Meeting, who subsequently sold them to other local Quakers.
-</p>
-<p>
-The spacious <name>top floor two-bedroomed flat,</name> owned by the Meeting, is occupied by the Managers.  Some basic improvement work was done to this when it was purchased and secondary glazing has subsequently been installed in both bedrooms.  It is in reasonable order and has gas-fired central heating, but the roof is poorly insulated.
-</p>
-<p>
-The <name>third floor flat</name>, currently occupied by the assistant manager, has, for most of the past 20 years been occupied by Meeting House staff.  There was a period in the late 1990s when it was not required for this purpose.  It was then refurbished, refurnished and let for income until it was again required for staff.  Gas-fired central heating was installed in 2004. 
-</p>
+and in recent years to the 6 Victoria Terrace Youth Cafe project.  One second floor flat was sold to the Boys' Brigade caretaker, who lived there until 2004, when she sold it to a member of the Meeting.  The other four flats were offered to the Meeting, which bought the fourth floor two-bedroomed flat in 1987.  The Meeting also rented a single-bedroomed flat on the third floor (Flat 3F2), which was eventually also purchased in 1995. The remaining two flats were bought by a member of the Meeting, who subsequently sold them to other local Quakers.</p>
+<p>The net result of all this is that of the six flats on the stair, one is owned
+by the Boys' Brigade, three are in private (Quaker) hands, and two are owned by the
+Area Meeting:</p>
+ <list type="1defn">
+  <item term="The spacious top floor two-bedroomed flat">Occupied by the Managers.  Some basic improvement work was done to this when it was purchased and secondary glazing has subsequently been installed in both bedrooms.  It is in reasonable order and has gas-fired central heating, but the roof is poorly insulated.</item>
+  <item term="The third floor flat">Currently occupied by the assistant manager, has, for most of the past 20 years been occupied by Meeting House staff.  There was a period in the late 1990s when it was not required for this purpose.  It was then refurbished, refurnished and let for income until it was again required for staff.  Gas-fired central heating was installed in 2004.</item>
+ </list>
 </item>
 </list>
   </div>
   <div>
    <title>Outline history of building use</title>
-   <p>QVS, (not) GMfS, Venue 40, AM and GM groups, Commercial/charitable
-letting; Wardens and Managers timeline</p>
    <p>
 The principal reasons which led to the decision to purchase the Victoria Terrace building were:
 </p>
@@ -340,7 +343,7 @@
 <div>
 <title>Venue 40&mdash;the Festival Fringe</title>
 
-<p>The Festival Committee introduced a tiered seating rake to the hall, turning it into a 65 seat black box theatre, for the first time in August 1995.  Use of the theatre that year was dominated by one theatre group, which was reluctant to share facilities with others.  Setting up the theatre in this way involved considerable hire costs, so the Committee decided for 1996 to take firmer control and, to recoup hire costs, to run for three weeks.  Use of the space developed over subsequent years until there were up to six shows per day, six days each week, with the caf&eacute; now open also for three weeks. The increased staffing this required was provided almost entirely from volunteers, many of them Quakers from other parts of
+<p>The Festival Committee introduced a tiered seating rake to the hall, turning it into a 65 seat black-box theatre, for the first time in August 1995.  Use of the theatre that year was dominated by one theatre group, which was reluctant to share facilities with others.  Setting up the theatre in this way involved considerable hire costs, so the Committee decided for 1996 to take firmer control and, to recoup hire costs, to run for three weeks.  Use of the space developed over subsequent years until there were up to six shows per day, six days each week, with the caf&eacute; now open also for three weeks. The increased staffing this required was provided almost entirely from volunteers, many of them Quakers from other parts of
 Britain
 or the world, who are accommodated in Friends' homes.  Exhibitions continued to be organised in the Meeting Room, but the Local Meeting became uncomfortable with the annual transformation of this room.  Continuation of the Fringe involvement was endorsed but use of the Meeting Room for exhibitions ceased.  The Festival Committee works through the year, but a considerable proportion of the organisational work falls on the Meeting House managers.
 </p>
@@ -349,10 +352,20 @@
 <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
+<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 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>
+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, which has resulted in a great improvement in the
+cleanliness of the carpet.  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, in
+part to the current recession and in part to the impact of the more stringent
+enforcement of Health and Safety regulations.</p>
 </div>
   </div>
   <div>
@@ -464,7 +477,16 @@
     <caption>7 Victoria Terrace: income and expenditure 2000&ndash;8 (All figures shown are thousands of pounds)</caption>
    </figure>
 <p>
-For about the first 15 years, until 2004, of its operation, Victoria Terrace covered its general running costs, there was a balance between income and expenditure. From 2005 onwards there has been a growing annual `loss'; when calculated in this way. The latter has been due to a combination of reduced income from lettings, especially in the last two years, and the cost of redecoration including new carpets, improvements to the lift, roof repairs and insulation to the property having been undertaken. There has also been an increase in staffing costs over the same period with them assuming greater responsibility for internal financial matters and providing more intensive cover from 0900 to 2200 each weekday. The deficit, ranging from &#163;12,000 to &#163;30,000 <emph>per annum</emph>, has been met from Area Meeting contributions from Friends and attenders. The contribution to Britain Yearly Meeting has, as a consequence, had to be reduced. Throughout the two decades it has not been possible to set aside sufficient funds for undertaking large pieces of work that regularly occur, whether major repairs or improvements.
+For about the first 15 years, until 2004, of its operation, there was a rough
+balance between income and expenditure associated with 7 Victoria Terrace. From
+2005 onwards there has been a growing gap between the two. This can be attributed
+to a combination of reduced income from lettings, especially in the last two years,
+and the cost of redecoration including new carpets, improvements to the lift, roof
+repairs and insulation to the property having been undertaken. There has also been
+an increase in staffing costs over the same period with them assuming greater
+responsibility for internal financial matters and providing more intensive cover
+from 0900 to 2200 each weekday. The difference, ranging from &#163;12,000 to
+&#163;30,000 <emph>per annum</emph>, has been met by Area Meeting. Area Meeting's contribution to Britain Yearly Meeting has, as a consequence, had to be reduced. Throughout the two decades it has not been possible to set aside any funds as a provision against future requirements, whether major repairs or improvements.
 </p>
 <p>
 Given the limited number of rooms that are available to let, the management
@@ -474,8 +496,10 @@
 both routine and one-off capital costs that have to be met both to keep the building safe, wind and watertight as well as to meet disability access legislation for properties open to the public. While the routine maintenance and repairs can be met from regular letting income, contributions from Friends and attenders and donations, specific appeals have had to be made for the redevelopment of the foyer and the Bow Room costing nearly &#163;70,000. In 2008 the cost of the stonework repairs of about &#163;30,000 was largely met by two legacies recently left to the Area Meeting.</p>
 <p>
 Lettings are not of course the only use made of the building.  Central Edinburgh Local
-Meeting worships there, Area Meeting groups have meetings there, and study days and
-workshops organised by Local and Area Meeting are held there.  The scale of that use
+Meeting worships there, Local, Area and General Meeting groups have meetings there,
+and study days and
+workshops organised by Local and Area Meeting are held there, as well as weddings,
+memorial meetings and the occasional party.  The scale of Local and Area Meeting use
 would have cost in the region of &#163;17,000 in 2008, based on the current
 charitable rate that would have been charged in Victoria Terrace for the
 relevant rooms and facilities. This sum represents just over half of the shortfall met by
@@ -509,7 +533,9 @@
 <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 0900 to 2200 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>The Meeting House is open every day from 0900 to 2200 and five hours on Sunday.
+The managers, Anthony and Sue Buxton, are employed to share a 38-hour-per-week
+post, but in practice often work more than that.</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
 period and have looked at the groups who used the Meeting House and how long the lets
@@ -534,12 +560,12 @@
 <tr><td>Family Fed. of World Peace Development</td><td>0&ndash;15</td><td>Library</td><td>£88.00 (3 sessions)</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Edinburgh Drug &amp; Alcohol Action Team</td><td>20</td><td>Hall</td><td>£105 (5 sessions)</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Blake &amp; Stevenson</td><td>4&ndash;5</td><td>Bow</td><td>£64</td></tr>
-<tr><td>I.A. Support Group</td><td>30</td><td>Hall &amp; library</td><td>£45.00</td></tr>
+<tr><td>Ileostomy Association Support Group</td><td>30</td><td>Hall &amp; library</td><td>£45.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Scottish Natural Heritage</td><td>20</td><td>Hall</td><td>£45.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Parkinsons Disease Soc.</td><td>10</td><td>Bow</td><td>£60</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Collective Gallery</td><td>10</td><td>Bow</td><td>£60.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Built Environment Forum</td><td>20+</td><td>Hall</td><td>£75</td></tr>
-<tr><td>C.E.C. Welfare Rights</td><td>4+</td><td>Room 5</td><td>£80.00</td></tr>
+<tr><td>City of Edinburgh Council Welfare Rights</td><td>4+</td><td>Room 5</td><td>£80.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Ramblers</td><td>20</td><td>Meeting</td><td>£32.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>College of Occupational Therapists</td><td>10</td><td>Bow</td><td>£50.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Fruit-market Gallery</td><td>4</td><td>Bow</td><td>£40.00</td></tr>
@@ -548,8 +574,8 @@
 <tr><td>No 2 I.D.</td><td>20</td><td>Meeting</td><td>£32.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Darfur training Committee</td><td>4&ndash;6</td><td>Bow</td><td>£30.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Action learning Group</td><td>10</td><td>Bow</td><td>£30.00</td></tr>
-<tr><td>Alzheimer Scotland</td><td>10&ndash;12</td><td>Library</td><td>£28.00</td></tr>
-<tr><td>Alzheimer National</td><td>50</td><td>Meeting &amp; Hall</td><td>£156.00</td></tr>
+<tr><td>Alzheimers Scotland</td><td>10&ndash;12</td><td>Library</td><td>£28.00</td></tr>
+<tr><td>Alzheimers National</td><td>50</td><td>Meeting &amp; Hall</td><td>£156.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>British Assoc. of drama Therapists</td><td>20</td><td>Hall</td><td>£198.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>World Development Movt.</td><td>6</td><td>Bow</td><td>£72.00</td></tr>
 <tr><td>Spiritualist Friends of Edin</td><td>4&ndash;5</td><td>Room 5</td><td>£82.50 (11 sessions)</td></tr>
@@ -597,13 +623,24 @@
       <caption>Number and duration of lets, by week,
 spring 2009</caption>
      </figure>
-     <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>In all there were approximately <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, and what rate they were charged: following Area Meeting policy,
+charges vary depending on size and charitable status. There is also a cost for refreshments, including tea, coffee
+and/or lunch.  The above figures can give only a rough picture of current lettings,
+and are not complete, but are included to give a sense of the breadth and volume of
+letting.</p>
+<p>We do not have quantitative information from the non-Quaker users of 7 Victoria
+Terrace regarding how they rate the premises. However there were over thirty groups
+using the building which feels very positive, and the feedback forms the Meeting
+House Managers solicit contain many very warm endorsements.</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>
+<p>The challenge for Meeting House staff is to strike a balance between the
+lettings business as a business, on the one hand, and supporting the role of the
+Meeting House as the face of Quakerism in Edinburgh.  The evidence we had available
+to us suggests they are responding admirably to this challenge.</p>
     </div>
     <div>
      <title>Festival Fringe</title>
@@ -631,7 +668,7 @@
 <p>The building is ideal for young people's
 link weekend---there is no other Quaker building in Scotland
 that is big enough. We do need to nurture and care for our young
-people if we are going to keep them.</p>
+people if we are going to keep them involved with Friends.</p>
 
 <p>People did feel they could meet elsewhere
 if necessary. Occasionally they did so out of choice for practical reasons such
@@ -834,7 +871,7 @@
 </item>
 </list>
 <p>
-There are probably many more visions for the Meeting House and a strategy for fund raising on a larger scale would need to be put into operation.
+There are probably many more visions for the Meeting House and to support these a strategy for fund raising on a larger scale would need to be put into operation.
 </p>
 </div>
     </div>