A letter from the Chairman of the Management Committee
Monday April 3rd 2006
Dear all,
At the end of March, Warwick transferred his shareholding in Cardinbrook
(the company that owns the Young Chelsea) to a discretionary trust. Becoming
a discretionary trust means that the ownership is now in the hands of the
members, but with certain rules over what they can and can't do with the
club. At the moment, the trust has two trustees, Tim Gauld and Simon Cearns.
At the first club AGM there will be an election for five members of the
new Management Committee of the club. These five people will fill the roles
currently filled by the management committee, but with legal responsibilities
as directors of Cardinbrook Ltd. Until the AGM, I shall continue as chairman
of this and the club committee, which is larger and concerned more with
playing than business matters. The equivalent of this latter committee will
be appointed by the new board/committee, probably under a new name.
The current management committee wants to see work on the dilapidations
schedule attached to our renewed lease well under way before the AGM. These
works should start soon. The climate will soon be suitable for the all-important
(and expensive!) external work. Having said that, however, we also want
the AGM to be as soon as possible. As soon as a date is arrived at, it will
be announced and well-publicised. Nominations for the board will be invited
(five vacancies).
Mahmoud Sadek has been asked to be the club's (and the company's) secretary.
He has accepted. Gordon Rainsford will continue working at administrative
chores. Warwick will, in the first instance, be helping Gordon, but will
soon be seen more out and about in the club rather than in his office. Maciej
will probably be seen less in the club, as his commitment to the building
work increases. Now is perhaps a suitable point to thank him for the work
he has done helping the club get in order over the last year, particularly
with regards to the bar.
I would also like to thank my colleagues on the management committee. When
we convened just over a year ago, the club was in a poor state. We are still
not out of the woods, but two major hurdles have been overcome, the lease
renewal and the transfer of ownership. Please do not underestimate the amount
of graft this has involved – not for me, I’ve just been nodding
sagely. Tim Gauld (lease) and Simon Cearns, (assisted by his wife Kathryn
and, at a crucial point, Mike Scoltock) (transfer) have been toiling away
like mad. We should all be grateful to them for facilitating this fresh
start.
Perhaps the man we should be thanking most of all, though, is Warwick Pitch.
After the effort that he has put in for the last few decades you might have
thought he’d be after some sort of financial reward. Quite the reverse.
The biggest assets in the world of duplicate bridge are the Young Chelsea
name and the lease on the premises at Barkston Gardens. And he’s just
given them to you and me.
They don’t, I am reliably informed, make them like that any more.
See you soon,
Ian Payn, Chairman, YC Management Committee.