Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 14th March 2016 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham MBE,Chair
Anna Tizzard, Director
Gavin Macleod, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Dave Rhoney, Director
Oliver Barsby, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
Iain Smith, Director
Mark Gaffney, Opportunities & Events Manager
Jennifer Livingstone, Opportunities & Equality Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies

Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Gerry Milne, Director
Jennifer Griffin, sportscotland Partnership Manager

Welcome, Apologies, Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register

Gerry Milne was hoping to attend the meeting but failing this it was intended that the Chair would meet him separately.

There were no reported conflicts of interest and no legal matters outstanding of which the Board were aware.

Agreement of Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 1st February 2016 were agreed.

Matters Arising

• Iain Smith would report on the Articles and policies for accuracy.
• The Commonwealth Games 2016 sports and events had been made public and for disability sport there will be 38 medals available over seven sports: athletics, swimming, powerlifting, bowls, cycling, para-triathlon and table tennis. A full list is on the SDS website.
• The target tracker has not yet been received from Jen Griffin and the CEO will circulate it once available.
• The GOGA project is under way. A UK steering group meeting had been held in London, attended by the CEO. A draft memorandum of understanding has been prepared. The agreement will be between Spirit of 2012 and EFDS, then between SDS and EFDS. Iain Smith has checked and is satisfied with the memorandum of understanding with details to be confirmed. The monitoring and evaluation framework is in place at a high level and will be put out to tender to consultants, with the job description for a national co-ordinator prepared this week. There is an expectation on Scotland to have a national steering group and it was suggested that the three Branch sites, national partners, Spirit of 2012, Volunteer Matters and SDS should form this. Dates have been set to meet with the Branches, and in April meetings will be held with the three national partners: Scottish Swimming, Paths for All and Blazing Saddles. A position is currently being advertised for British Blind Sport and it is hoped that the successful candidate might move into GOGA once the contract is finished.
• The Sportsman’s Charity dinner had been held and was considered to have been a good night. It was attended by athletes Scott Quin, James Clegg, Samantha Kinghorn and Alan Oliver, and Board and staff members Claire Morrison, Anna Tizzard, Catherine Goodfellow, Gavin Macleod, Gary Fraser and Neal Herbert. The silent auction raised £1,800 for SDS and other items were also auctioned with the final amount raised to be confirmed. It was considered to have been good profile for SDS and thanks were noted for the athletes, Board and staff who had attended. Thanks to board member Gerry Milne for donating a framed and signed Mark Cavendish cycling jersey.
• The possibles/probables list for Rio had been amended.
• The CEO has met with a student from Napier University who is currently undertaking a dissertation into triathletes including Stefan Hoggan and Alison Patrick. A questionnaire has been circulated.
• A meeting had been held with PR consultants Burt Greener and a refreshed media plan produced re-aligned around Rio.
• A decision on funding from Education Scotland is awaited for the UKDIT training and the equipment grant.
• Confirmation of funding from the Celtic FC Foundation is awaited.
• A pay increase of 1% for staff had been agreed and the CEO passed on thanks from staff to the Board.
• The Chair would speak with Gerry Milne about potential support from students at Glasgow Caledonian University. Suggestions of areas for support were invited from the Board. The Performance Manager had met staff from the ophthalmology department and put in place a formal visual impairment classification agreement for athletes, with the bowlers already able to take advantage of this. There was no cost associated with this service.
• Concerns had been raised about the SDS database software. A request had been made to sportscotland for funding through Project Fusion and a meeting arranged with Azolve who have been re-appointed. sportscotland had agreed to fully fund the set-up of a new database and running costs for three years. Negotiations are currently under way regarding the VAT cost which is around £1,700. Oliver Barsby offered to provide a presentation on the Scottish Target Shooting database which was provided by Azolve and a similar offer had been received from Scottish Swimming. A design meeting will be held in April/May.

Presentation

A presentation was given by the Opportunities & Events and Opportunities & Equality Managers. The following points were raised in questions and comments from the Board:

• The transition for Grampian Branch becoming a SCIO was considered to be very positive. The process has been documented as a template and it is planned to profile Grampian at the Branch Conference.
• It was clarified that the Branch Co-ordinator post in Forth Valley is still full time. Sport Central funding had run out but the post was covered by the Robertson Trust and the Branch. Funding applications are being reviewed this week.
• Funding is always a concern especially where a Branch post is funded. This is a key target for SDS to support both in kind and with funding applications.
• The Board is considering appointing a member with a remit for Branches. Targets are identified by Branches at the Branch Conference and they are encouraged to look at the main targets as well as development, planning and strategy.
• The 11 of 13 Branches who have achieved MOR were not the same as the Branches attending the Branch Conference. There can be challenges with engagement and communication is the main issue. Staff are trying to access more committee members to influence and engage.
• All Branches have engagement with Active Schools although not always as much as would be preferred. It was considered a very positive link.
• Where areas are not currently covered by a Branch, this will be addressed in the new strategic plan. This is partly dependent on local support as well as capacity.
• An open invitation was extended to Board members to attend Branch meetings.
• The Equality Action Plan was circulated and agreed.
• It was noted that SDS had achieved Intermediate Level of the Equality Standard for Sport and were now seen as a source of advice and support by other SGBs.
• Work towards the Advanced Level of the Equality Standard for Sport will begin this year with an estimated two-year turnaround. The national steering group has not met for over a year.
• It was suggested by the Chair that as SDS are now seen as a resource for Equality and in view of SDS’ unique position, support to other SGBs should be documented in a submission to sportscotland. The workload involved should be tracked.
• Colin MacDonald, Scottish Swimming official and regular supporter of SDS SWIMMING, will be stepping down from his voluntary role this year and it was suggested that his efforts and contribution should be recognised, possibly with a special award.
• The Opportunities team was thanked for their time and the information provided and for their work on the presentation which had been productive and very informative.

Sub Groups

Governance

• A short life working group had agreed to look at pulling together the key points from the strategic plan consultations as they come in. It will also look at other key issues such as staff workload whilst the plan is being developed. As a result a staff survey has been developed which would be returned electronically to the Vice Chair once circulated after Easter.
• The voting procedure for the next and subsequent AGMs was clarified by Iain Smith per the Articles of Association. Interest in becoming a Board member had been noted from Jay Runga. The CEO and Chair would meet to discuss and it was agreed that Jay would be invited to present at the next Board meeting.
• The issue of incorporation was raised at the Branch Conference concerning liability of trustees. Iain Smith will look into this and report back.
• Strategic plan consultations are ongoing and a good response has been received to date.
• The job shares relating to Performance Manager and East Regional Manager have been in place for some time and are currently working well.

Board Members’ Updates

• Some Board members had attended the Sportsman’s Charity dinner at Prestonfield House.
• Iain Smith had met with the Standard Life Social Investment Management regarding the possibility of SDS becoming one of their chosen charities which covers strategic and fundraising work with national charities.
• Claire Morrison had met Martin Perry in Sheffield and although he has not qualified for the Rio Paralympics he is very positive about his training and development.
• The Chair had attended a Highland Branch meeting and the recent staff meeting. It was felt that the West consultation had been interesting but disconnected and showed the need for a Branch. The Chair and CEO had attended an Inclusive Futures event.

Sports/Events

National/International

• At the recent CP Football three-nation international competition Scotland had lost two matches to Russia and drew twice with the Dutch.
• The Boccia World Championships are being held in Beijing this week and six of the ten GB players are Scots with Jamie McCowan playing for the first time as a BC3, this being a ranking opportunity for him. The Paralympic team will be selected at the end of May or beginning of June.
• GB had won the rugby test event.
• The swimming trials will be held in Glasgow and tickets are still available.

Partners Update

• UKSA had been invited to submit a second bid for a year’s extension but were not hopeful. Some funding had been identified but nothing sustainable. Further funding options were being investigated. The Chair had circulated a paper regarding the possibility of UKSA applying for funding from the JS Trust (formerly the Jimmy Savile Trust) for discussion on Scotland’s position. After discussion it was agreed that SDS would not support a bid to the Trust.

AOB

• It was noted that the Scottish Sports Association had been informed their funding from sportscotland would cease in one year’s time. The Chair and CEO would be attending a meeting and would report back to the Board.
• Claire Morrison will circulate new BISFed competitions proposals for information and it was noted that some items, e.g. the female quota for the Paralympics, would change the dynamics of the squad make-up.
• The GBDFA had written to the International Federation of CP Football as GB have never been allocated ranking points from the Paralympics which affects the world ranking. Geoff Davies proposed that ranking points for the GB team should be split by percentage of players from each home nation but after review the international body agreed to allocate a percentage of ranking points to England only according to what percentage of the GB team is English, as England was the agreed team nominated to qualify. The CEO will write to the international body to protest as will England and GB.

Date of Next Meeting

25th April in Glasgow with Gerry Milne hosting. CL will circulate the postcode.

 

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 1st February 2016 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham MBE,  Chair

Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair

Gavin Macleod, CEO

Oliver Barsby, Director

Claire Morrison, Director

Iain Smith, Director

Jennifer Griffin, sportscotland Partnership Manager

Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Dave Rhoney, Director

Sandra Proudfoot, Director

Anna Tizzard, Director

Gerry Milne, Director

Welcome, Apologies, Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Vice Chair recorded a conflict of interest in any potential discussions about Commonwealth Games Scotland.

There are no legal issues of which the Board are aware.

Agreement of Minutes

The minutes of the previous meeting held on Monday 14th December were agreed.

 Matters Arising

• The Risk Register and IT Policy are on the agenda, along with the Operational Plan and GOGA.
• The Articles of Association have been forwarded to Iain Smith for review.
• Sub groups will update during the meeting.
• It was noted that sports and events for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games are yet to be made public.
• Board members’ updates had been added as an agenda item.

sportscotland Target Tracker

The paperwork has been submitted for the investment and will go to senior management this week then to the sportscotland Board for approval.  The Partnership Manager will forward the proposal to the CEO to circulate to the Board with a recommendation for full funding.  The decision will be communicated to the CEO this Friday.

Presentation

A presentation was given by the Performance Managers.

 

 

Reports

Operational Plan Update

Local and Regional

• GOGA funding had been confirmed as £4.6m across the UK with £130k per year to Scotland to be channelled to the three Branches.  A meeting will take place with partners in March and the programme will start in September 2016.
• Eight Branches applied for Celtic FC Foundation funding and £26k was split between them with an emphasis on severe disability.
• The Tayside Inclusion Forum has been established and plans are ongoing in West and Central.  Five of the six regions now have Inclusion Forums in place.
• Work is taking place with Scottish Student Sport and institutions in tertiary education and all Regional Managers have now established links in their areas.

Talent and Performance

• Fifteen of a proposed eighteen events have taken place over six sports.  Participation statistics indicate a 10% increase in participants with a physical disability or sensory impairment.
• The BC3 boccia players had competed at the World Open in Columbia and succeeded in gaining selection for Rio.
• A very successful residential training camp had been held for the Scottish Boccia squad with support from GB Strength & Conditioning coach Bob Smith.
• 24 of the 43 swimmers in the national squad have transitioned through the regional network.
• Six Academy athletes have moved onto world class potential programmes.

Coaching and Education

• 48 courses have taken place in 2015-2016.

Governance and Infrastructure

• Cheryl Brykajlo has left SDS.  Kate Shaw has taken on additional hours to cover the workload.
• Gary Fraser is now in post as part time Performance Manager and part time East of Scotland  Regional Manager.  Neal Herbert is filling the part time East Regional Manager through a partnership agreement with Lothian Disability Sport with effect from 1st January 2016.
• The skills analysis was changed to amber.
• The Sportsman’s Charity dinner will be held on Friday evening and SDS have been able to donate some auction items.  Five athletes are expected to attend along with Gavin Macleod, Gary Fraser, Catherine Goodfellow, Anna Tizzard and possibly Iain Smith.

Communication and Leadership

• The communications group had met and a possibles and probables list for Rio was circulated along with a timeline including looking at selections, athlete profiles and roles and responsibilities.  A further meeting will be held one week from today.
• Claire Morrison requested an addition to the possibles/probables list.
• The Vice Chair suggested former Paralympians could be enlisted for communication roles.
• Burt Greener are still working with SDS and have re-aligned the project times.  There is a possibility of a student from Napier University working in a communications role.  There is also a possibility of an arrangement regarding photographs with sportscotland.
• Mission 2018 meetings have begun with the sportscotland Institute of Sport and Commonwealth Games Scotland.  There will be an increase in medal events across more sports and some more medal events within sports.

Operational Plan 2016/2017

• Education Scotland funding is in question for the next year.  There has not yet been confirmation of Celtic FC Foundation funding so some of the plan is aspirational at present.

Sub Groups

Finance

• The Finance Manager presented a costing of the Operational Plan with financial projections for 2016-2017.  The income resources were based on the current year with a breakdown of income and an Education Scotland underspend carried forward due to different timeframes.
• The management accounts for the current year were presented.  The budget had changed throughout the year with the income not as high as anticipated due to a drop in Education Scotland funding.  Major savings had been possible of around £120k in Performance.
• The sub group had met last week and scheduled meetings quarterly involving the Finance Director, Chair, Vice Chair, Finance Manager and CEO.  More detail would be presented on budgets in October.
• A 1% increase in pay for staff was agreed.
• It was suggested that support could be offered by Glasgow Caledonian University, for example in patronage or fundraising expertise.  One possibility was training for GCU students perhaps with a link to physio or sport science.
• The Vice Chair will circulate the minutes of the Finance Sub Group meeting.

Governance

• The audit review update will be completed by the end of March 2017.  The Risk Management Policy is with the Finance Director for review.  The IT Strategy should be reviewed and a draft completed by December 2016.
• The Fraud Policy will be reviewed by Iain Smith to replace some named legislation which relates to English law, notably the Theft Acts.  The Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 should replace Police and Criminal Evidence.  Public Interest Disclosure in Appendix 2 should also be checked.  The document was agreed in principle subject to the changes listed with amendments pending.  Iain Smith will update and feed back to the Board under Matters Arising.
• The Health & Safety Toolkit will also be reviewed by Iain Smith for accuracy of legislation.  It was agreed in principle pending the checks.
• Under the Risk Register IT section, the server has been refreshed but the database remains a risk.  The sportscotland expert resource is currently out to tender so this is in hand.

Board Members’ Updates

• The Chair had met with the CEO, Education & Development Manager and Pathways Manager to review workload, capacity and the strategic plan.  Some feedback has already been received on strategic planning.  A short life working group should be established to run to the end of the year or longer.  Any volunteers were welcome to join the group.  Members were asked to notify interest to the Chair by the end of the following week.
• It was agreed that a staff satisfaction survey should be circulated to assess capacity considerations and returned to the Vice Chair.  Both proposals were agreed.
• Claire Morrison had recently been at a Boccia training camp in Cardiff.  There had been an opportunity to communicate the work of SDS and direct a member of Disability Sport Wales to the Education & Development Manager.
• Iain Smith noted that his employers are currently sponsoring the British Lions, Ryder Cup and Andy Murray.  There is an opportunity for staff to vote to support a charity and Iain Smith will investigate the process of nomination.  Staff could support events, volunteering and fundraising and the company may match funds raised.  SDS could reciprocate with athlete visits etc.

Sports/Events

Domestic

The carpet bowls and swimming events are imminent as well as the regional Boccia championships.  The Opportunities & Events Manager has circulated an availability survey for completion by the Board.

National/International

Boccia selections for Beijing will be announced on Friday and Claire Morrison will notify the Board on Monday.

Partners Update

• A UKSA Board meeting will be held on 24th February and it is hoped there will be an update on the financial situation.
• A GB Disability Football Association meeting had been held and five Scots remain in the long list for selection for Rio.  Final selections will be made in June and the CEO is on the panel.
• There had been a Scottish Boccia Group meeting with discussion around the GB Boccia Championships and a plan update, as well as the camp, kit and classification.

AOB

There was no other business.

Date of Next Meeting

Monday 14th March 2016

 

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 14th December 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Oliver Barsby, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Iain Smith, Director
Dave Rhoney, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Gerry Milne, Director

Welcome, Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register, and Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.  There were no conflicts of interest and no legal matters of which the Board were aware.

Matters Arising and Agreement of Minutes

• Condolences were expressed to the family of David Thomson, who had recently passed away.  He was formerly Treasurer of SDS for 25 years and recognition was made of the appreciation for his work in the organisation.
• The Vice Chair was thanked for the minutes of the previous meeting.  It was noted that under Governance, the Risk Policy and IT Plan are under review with Gerry Milne.  The Governance sub group has still to meet.
• GOGA: Consortia interviews had been held the previous week and one consortium has withdrawn.  A decision is expected in January.
• A meeting had been held regarding the re-development of Inverclyde and it may include a hydrotherapy pool.

Board Away Days

• The Vice Chair circulated a summary focussed on actions.
• The away days were considered to be useful and had covered discussion around sports and the responsibilities of the Board including attendance at Branch meetings and events.  Dates had previously been circulated and Board members were requested to consider these and identify meetings and events to attend before the next Board meeting.  National events and Branch meeting dates were to be noted and attendance fed back to CL.  The CEO will notify the Opportunities Managers.
• Sub groups had been discussed.  It was suggested the Articles of Association be reviewed and possibly updated as some current items refer only to the first year of the current Board.  Iain Smith offered to mark up the Articles and circulate to the Board with comments.
• It was agreed that the Board meeting on 14th March should re-visit points from the away days, and that KPIs should be mentioned in the operational plan.
• A governance action was to ensure awareness of financial and legal responsibilities for clarity and any implications.  Before the next Board meeting Gerry Milne would be requested to clarify what Board members should know regarding finance.  The Chair would contact GM to progress provision of a staff member to advise, and one Board meeting in the next year would be held in Glasgow.

Strategic Planning

Consultations are under way and have taken place so far at:

• Branch conference
• Tutor training day
• Disability Sport Coach and Education Group – Scotland meeting
• Swimming regional meeting
• Professional Officers Group meeting
• sportscotland senior management team meeting.

Regional meetings are planned between February and April.  Feedback to date has been varied.

Dates of regional meetings are on the SDS website as follows:

• 2nd February 2016: Grampian
• 18th February 2016: Central
• 25th February 2016: Tayside
• 26th February 2016: East
• 29th February 2016: Fife
• April 2016: Highland

Sub Groups

Governance

The Governance sub group had not met.  A date should be scheduled before the next Board meeting.

Boccia

The Boccia sub group had met and the next meeting will comprise the January strategic plan consultation.  The GB meeting had raised the need for more classifiers.  A reciprocal classification agreement is in place with England and an appeals procedure should be formalised.

Sports

National

• Both junior galas have been held at Grangemouth and Tollcross.  Numbers of swimmers with a physical disability are slightly increased from last year.
• The GB Boccia Championships have been held very successfully for Scotland, with two gold, two silver and two bronze medals.  The huge effort involved in organising the championships in Edinburgh was recognised and SDS had been commended for the representation from staff and Board.
• The West Schools Boccia Competition had been held at the Emirates with around 70 participants.

International

• The wheelchair curling team has not qualified for the World Championships, which is the first time Scotland will not be represented and risks qualification for the Winter Paralympics.
• In Columbia the BC3 boccia players secured qualification for Rio 2016.  The BC4s qualified at the European Teams & Pairs.
• The bowls test match had been held in Nottingham in November and was considered to have been a worthwhile competitive experience.  The home nations international is planned for June at Kelvingrove.

Partners

• The sportscotland investment paperwork has been received and will be returned by 4th January 2016.  The CEO will copy to the Chair once it has been submitted.
• The operational plan for next year has been drafted and will be circulated to the Board for endorsement at the next Board meeting.
• A Mission 2018 meeting had been held with the sportscotland Institute of Sport and Commonwealth Games Scotland.  The sports for the Gold Coast are not yet known.  There will be five more Mission 2018 meetings before the Commonwealth Games.  The Commonwealth Games general selection policy has been issued.
• The CEO had met with Alan McMillan from Bowls Scotland and it is anticipated that work on integrating the performance pathway will start early in the new year.
• The BPA Board meeting included a presentation from Sue Campbell regarding the UK School Games, a review of the year, parasport programme, taster days, sponsorship and a Ready for Rio presentation.  Project Quantum is a public campaign for 2016 in the run-up to Rio.
• There is a possibility of Sportsfests being run regionally including in Scotland.
• The UKSA AGM had been held and the financial situation is still not positive.  The My Sport, My Voice pilot had been held in Glasgow to enable access opportunities for people with a learning disability.  Funding from UK Sport has been withdrawn for eligibility and classification and sports are now classifying athletes.  Charging for classification has necessarily increased and is currently £500 per classification but this may be reduced.
• The Commonwealth Games Scotland half-yearly general meeting was held at the end of November.  Bruce Cook gave a presentation on the commercial viability of offering a package for sponsorship.  The General Assembly contained updates on Gold Coast and selection policy, and feedback from the Youth Games.

AOB

• It was suggested that a possible future agenda item could be a members’ report on activities attended.
• The Chair and Vice Chair had attended the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame induction where Kenny Cairns MBE was inducted.  Also in attendance were Jim Anderson OBE, Eddie McCluskey and Richard Brickley MBE.
• Eleven of the 13 SDS Branches had been represented at the Branch conference.  Good feedback has been received on the format of the conference and next year it is planned to combine it with the AGM on 2nd October.  It was suggested a Chairs’ forum should be set up in electronic form for discussion around governance.
• In the sportscotland Coaching, Officiating and Volunteering Awards, Amanda Saville had been awarded Disability Coach of the Year and Marion Murdoch was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award.
• In the Daily Mail Scottish Sports Awards, attended by West Regional Managers Lynn Allison and Lori Ure, Gordon Reid received the Disability Sports Award and Newington Primary in Annan won the School Sports Award.
• The Sportsman’s Charity dinner will be held on 5th February 2016 at Prestonfield House and SDS has booked a table of 10 and is donating some auction items.  SDS will be the joint recipients of the fundraising with Alzheimers Scotland.  The dinner should be attended by some Board members and athletes and suggestions would be invited from the Performance Manager.  Any Board member interested in attending should notify the CEO.
• Messaging around Rio 2016 should be under consideration along with preparing for requests for information etc.  The communications group meeting will update the list of probables and possibles.  Athlete profiles should be prepared.
• Dave Rhoney commended Gary Fraser in his capacity as Performance Manager for his prompt and efficient provision of support and training opportunities to a possible triathlete.
• The Board agreed a contribution towards the staff Christmas night out of £300 towards food only.
• The Chair thanked all Board members for their attendance and efforts at Board meetings and wished everyone a merry Christmas.

Date of Next Meeting

1st February 2016

Minutes of the Board meeting of Scottish Disability Sport held on Friday 30 October 2015 in the Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling

Present:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair/Minute Taker
Dave Rhoney, Director
Gerry Milne, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Oli Barsby, Director

Attending:

Gavin Macleod, Chief Executive
Ailien Pallot, Finance Manager

Apologies:

Claire Morrison, Director
Iain Smith, Director

Welcome & Introductions

• The Chair welcomed Board members to this Board meeting being held during of the annual Board review and forward planning session.  Particular welcome was extended to Oliver Barsby who had been elected to the Board at the recent AGM.
• Before starting the meeting, the Chair and Board devoted a short period of time to reflect on the dedication and contribution Jed Renilson, a previous Board member, had made to disability sport.  His death had just been announced and the Chair, on behalf of the Board, wished to extend to his family and friends both in the Borders and worldwide, the condolences of the Scottish disability sport community.
• The Board then congratulated the five Scottish athletes for their selection for the World Athletics Championships held in Doha and the medal haul of:2 Gold,2 Silver and 2 Bronze  won By Jo Butterfield, Samantha Kinghorn and Maria Lyle

Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register

• There were no additional conflicts of interest to be noted.
• There were no further items to be added to the Legal Register.

Minutes of the Previous Board Meeting: 17 August 2015

The minutes were accepted as an accurate record of the above meeting.  It was reiterated that any confidential elements of previous minutes would be withheld prior to being published on the website.

Matters Arising

• Volunteer policy: will be covered under the review of policies.
• The branches of Angus and Ayrshire received the Minimum Operating Requirements (MOR) at the 2015 AGM in September.
• Use of Assets Policy: it was agreed to incorporate this aspect into other similar policies, such as Use of IT/Equipment and the Code of Conduct.
• Annual General Meeting (AGM): it was agreed that the change of venue had been successful, with networking prior to the AGM working well.  A record number of delegates attended the AGM this year and the external guests from sportscotland had complimented SDS on the organisation of the AGM and the support received by its membership and partners.  Stirling Court Hotel agreed that a larger venue could be made available for future similar events.  The Chair paid tribute to the CEO and staff for the guidance and organisation of the event.
• With regards to the next year, it had been agreed to trial combining both the Branch Conference and AGM. From feedback at this year’s AGM, the majority were in favour of doing so.  It was intended that this would reduce the demand on Branch representative’s time to attend a number of events. The majority of responses received from the AGM were in agreement for combining both events.  However, the Board agreed to review after the 2016 AGM and Conference.
• It was agreed that the 2016 AGM and Branch Conference would be held on Sunday 2 October.
• The Performance Manager had returned from maternity leave on a part time/job share basis.  Recruitment internally had been undertaken for the additional part time post and Gary Fraser had been appointed.

Reports

Finance

• The Finance Manager joined the Board to present on the draft Management Accounts and Financial projections.
• There was discussion on the information presented and timing of budgets and subsidiary reports being presented to the Board.  The Finance Group would be scheduled prior to the February meeting.
• The Finance Manager was able to explain the income and expenditure changes in detail.  She highlighted the sources of income, particularly the endowment fund and its uses.  Unrestricted income from the Celtic Foundation had been received which could be allocated to support general programme support.  It would be useful to have an overview of expiry dates of existing income streams.
• The funds in reserve were discussed: the Board reviewed the reserves policy regularly to ensure this was being put to best utilised.
• It was questioned as to the status of pension payments and SDS was already complying with legislation ahead of timescales.
• With regards to the new strategic plan from 2017, it will be important to project how it will be financed.  It was anticipated that sportscotland investment will remain static.  There will be a need to address funding the payroll, the greatest expenditure of SDS and it was essential to incorporate a fundraising strategy within the overall new plan.
• The timeline for submitting the operational plan for 2016-2017 will be 3 February and the focus of the Board meeting in December would be the operational plan for final year of this current Strategic Plan.

Annual Operational Plan

The Chief Executive reported on the Annual Operational Plan which had been circulated with Board papers.  He highlighted a number of areas of success and discussion centred on areas of possible risk.

• Classification of athletes with a learning disability within the three Paralympic sports of Athletics, Swimming and Table Tennis now lies initially with the GB Governing body and then on to UKSA for final sign off.
• The Academy programme has been accelerated recently with media training, provision of kit etc
• A direct approach had been made to Scotland to provide support with a Boccia Officials course in Columbia and two of the Scottish officials had delivered this workshop.
• Through the sportscotland Coaching Futures programme, three years funding commitment had been made to support an athlete to transition into a coaching role.  Lewis McConnell had been appointed.
• Burt Greener, PR Agency, had been commissioned to support SDS in the approach to the Paralympics in Rio.  An approach had also been received from a University student to support the area of communications which would be progressed.
• The Spirit of 2012: GOGA had been progressed to the next stage.
• The Chief Executive had been part of a meeting with the Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn which focused on tertiary education.
• Dave Rhoney, SDS Board member, had been appointed to the sportscotland Trust which was responsible for overseeing the re-development of the National Sports Centre: Inverclyde.  A facilities team meeting had been held, allowing SDS to influence and contribute to the plans.

Governance

A list of policies held by SDS had been circulated previously and the Board agreed to its cycle of review. The Equality and Action Plan, previously circulated, was also adopted by the Board.

Outstanding areas were:

• Risk: this was being progressed by GM.  GM
• Sponsorship Relations: this had been a recommendation following the external audit by sportscotland.  However, after exploring options and consulting with partners, it was agreed that this would form part of the Communications policy.
• HR Handbook: had been finalised with the sportscotland Expert Resource in HR: Gravitate.  Recent additional policies inserted had been on paternity and flexibility leave.
• IT Plan: GM would provide examples which should be developed and maintained by SDS.

The PR plan had been circulated for information.

With regards to staffing, the Chair had taken the opportunity to receive comparisons of salary scales from other similar sports bodies and could report that SDS was comparable to others.

International and Domestic Events

The following was noted:

• IPC: medal success of Scottish athletes.
• As number one in the world, Shelby Watson had been named on UK Sport support programme.
• Wheelchair Curlers would be heading to Finland in November which was a qualifier for the World Championship.

The Calendar of Events had been circulated.

Partners Update

• British Paralympic Association (BPA): meeting due to be held on 11 November focusing on Rio.
• INAS: The funding to the GB member UKSA was now at a critical stage.  GB body looking to Scotland for expertise and resources.
• sportscotland Trust: was slightly behind schedule for Inverclyde.  The contractor, Morrisons, had now been appointed.

AOCB

• Hall of Fame: SDS would be represented.
• sportscotland Mission 2018 meetings process had started.
• 2019 World Disability Bowling Championships: Scotland was exploring options to host this event.
• A part time appointment had been made to work with the bowls squad.
• Future agendas would list forthcoming opportunities for Board representation.

Date of Next Meeting

14 December 2015

Minutes of the fifty second annual general meeting of Scottish Disability Sport held on Wednesday 23rd September 2015 at the Stirling Court Hotel, Stirling at 1930 hours.

Attendees and Apologies

A list is attached.

Welcome and Apologies

The Chair Janice Eaglesham welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Adoption of Minutes

The minutes of the previous AGM were adopted as previously circulated.

Presentation of Audited Accounts

The audited accounts were presented by Gerry Milne.  The accounts had been circulated in advance of the AGM and a copy was available to view at the registration table.  Thanks were given to the Finance Manager for diligence in the preparation of the accounts.  They had been agreed with the auditors and there were no comments.

Report by Gavin Macleod, Chief Executive Officer

An update and overview of the strategic plan were given with a review of the previous year including the 2015 Branch Conference, international successes, education and coaching, governance, communication and then a timeline for the next strategic planning and consultation process to produce the 2017-2021 plan.

Thanks were given to:

• The SDS Management Board;
• Branches and volunteers;
• Sport specific officers and coaches;
• Colleagues in Fife and Edinburgh;
• Local authorities, leisure trusts and sport governing bodies;
• sportscotland, in particular the Partnership Manager Jo Bell;
• Sponsors and key partners; and
• Athletes.

Election of Directors

In accordance with the Articles of Association introduced last year, Board members would be elected for a term of three years with one third to step down in the next two succeeding years.  In 2015 the Chair and Vice Chair positions were not up for re-election.

Eight nominations had been received for Directors – Anna Tizzard, David Rhoney, Gerry Milne, Iain Smith, Sandra Proudfoot, John Reid, Claire Morrison and Oliver Barsby.  A poll was taken immediately prior to the meeting and the following directors were elected: Anna Tizzard, David Rhoney, Gerry Milne, Iain Smith, Sandra Proudfoot, Claire Morrison and Oliver Barsby.

Re-appointment of Honorary Auditors

Geoghegans were re-appointed as honorary auditors with particular thanks to Mike Crerar and Denise Meikle.

Proposed: Eileen Ramsay

Seconded: Gordon Quinton

Membership Subscriptions

Membership subscriptions would remain the same as the previous year, at £200 for branches and £50 for associate members.

Proposed: Gordon McCormack OBE

Seconded: Neal Herbert

Company Matters

There were no other matters to discuss.

AOCB

There was no other competent business.

With the official business completed, it was noted that the AGM had been exceptionally well attended and all were thanked for coming.

Guest Speaker: Peter Drysdale, CPISRA Member at Large

The CEO welcomed Peter Drysdale as guest speaker.  Peter expressed appreciation for the invitation and gave a presentation (attached) including speaking on the recent CPISRA World Games which had been attended by a Scottish team including Peter’s son.

Minimum Operating Requirements

SDS Minimum Operating Requirements have been introduced across all 13 Branches and having considered the submissions the Board agreed that a further two Branches had fully met the requirements. Laura Smith received the certificate on behalf of Angus Disability Sport and Dianne Campbell received the certificate on behalf of Ayrshire Sportsability.  Re-accreditation certificates were presented to Disability Sport Fife (accepted by Richard Brickley MBE), Forth Valley Disability Sport (accepted by Angus Whyte), Highland Disability Sport (accepted by Jennifer Livingstone) and Lothian Disability Sport (accepted by Neal Herbert).

Presentation of Awards

The SDS Awards were presented by Peter Drysdale.

• Russell Hogg Bursary: Kayleigh Haggo and Ruairi Logan
• Archie Cameron Bursary: Shelby Watson
• Special Recognition Award – Lyndon Williams
• Special Olympics Trophy: Scottish athletes who attended the World Games in Los Angeles
• Capability Scotland Salver for Most Promising Newcomer: Alison Patrick
• Glasgow Trophy for Service to Sport: Irene Lochrin
• Elspeth Watson Trophy for person outwith SDS contributing to disability sport in Scotland: Elaine McKenna
• Russell Hogg Trophy for Development Coach of the Year: Tina Gordon
• Fife Trophy for Coach of the Year: Andrew Jackson
• Dedication to Football Award: Special Olympics Scotland
• Findlay Calder Trophy for Athlete of the Year: Samantha Kinghorn
• Brian Dolan Memorial Trophy for Swimmer of the Year: Andrew Mullen
• Angus Trophy for Sportsperson of the Year excluding athletes and swimmers: Neil Fachie MBE
• Gordon Brown Memorial Trophy for Athletes’ Athlete of the Year: Irene Edgar

The CEO thanked Peter Drysdale for his presentation and introduced Jacqueline Lynn, Head of School and Community, sportscotland.

Closing Remarks: Jacqueline Lynn, Head of School and Community, sportscotland

Jacqueline Lynn gave a presentation (attached).

Gavin Macleod, CEO, Scottish Disability Sport

The CEO thanked Michael Cavanagh for his remarks and congratulated him on the success of the Games and the inclusiveness of Glasgow 2014.  Thanks were also given to Julie Hogg for presentation of the Russell Hogg Trophy.

Date of Next AGM

Date to be arranged.

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 17th August 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Dave Rhoney, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
John Reid OBE, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Jennifer Griffin, sportscotland Partnership Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Iain Smith, Director
Gerry Milne, Director

Welcome and Apologies,  Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register

The Chair welcomed everyone and particularly Jennifer Griffin to her first SDS Board meeting, and apologies were accepted from Iain Smith.

No conflicts of interest were recorded.  There were no ongoing legal matters of which SDS was aware.

Minutes of Previous Meeting –2015

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed for accuracy.

Matters Arising

• The Volunteer Policy was still with Gerry Milne for review. Action: GM
• A video taken at the summer sports camp would be shown during the meeting.
• Rob Claridge is no longer working with SDS due to ill health.
• The CEO had spoken with Ron McArthur regarding the bowls invitation to Israel and it was indicated the team may choose to travel independently without the support of SDS or SABB.
• A paper had been circulated on funding for the Coaching Matters programme with the cessation of sportscotland funding. After discussion it was agreed that SDS should continue to fund the programme to the value of £5,000 but suggested that SDS should aim to raise a further £5,000 from grants.  The Coaching Matters conference may be held at the start of 2016 rather than the end of 2015.
• Some Board appraisals have been completed with three outstanding. Action: Chair
• Spirit of 2012: The Board agreed that SDS should remain focused on the key target group of disability sport.
• Celtic FC Foundation: SDS was the beneficiary of a fundraising dinner held in March 2015 and had been notified there would be a donation of £40,000 to fund sport programmes across Scotland for participants with a severe disability. Information had been circulated to Branches to invite bids and the CEO will update.  Monitoring and evaluation would be undertaken six-monthly.
• Harry Richmond of the Sportsman’s Charity had indicated they would like SDS to be a beneficiary of the charity dinner held at the end of 2015. The CEO was meeting Harry Richmond this week.

Accounts

• The draft accounts were agreed.
• The first quarter accounts (April-June) were presented. The budget had recently been finalised so these contained the first figures and included anticipated income not yet received but pledged.  The endowment draw-down had been completed twice at £50,000 but shows in last year’s accounts, although added to this year’s so it can be seen in the budget but will not show as income.
• There have been no large changes on the payroll. The next tranche of Tayside consultancy funding to be paid once confirmed.  Other costs were broadly the same as leading into last year’s AGM.  Developing Talent & Performance remains the highest spend, and had been budgeted for the maximum spend but this may be less than anticipated.  The only independent income SDS currently receives is from education and training courses and it was suggested this might be a topic to consider at the Board away days, possibly with assistance from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Sub Groups

Governance

• Angus was expected to have put some policies in place during July towards their MOR accreditation and the timescale had been extended to 31st August with a view to presenting the award at the AGM or Branch conference.
• Three policies had been due to be presented but the Anti-Bribery Policy had been amalgamated into the Anti-Corruption Policy.
• The Use of Assets Policy and Sponsorship & Relationships Policy were under development but it was considered that the Use of Assets may be covered by the HR handbook.
• The Vice Chair agreed to look at the Use of Assets Policy. Action: CG
• The Anti-Corruption Policy was agreed.
• The Risk Register had been presented in June and forwarded to the Finance Director for review with GCU HR department. The sportscotland Partnership Manager was invited to comment and suggested that only the highest risks should be presented to the Board for six-monthly review.  It was considered that IT risk should be lowered in view of the new server being in place and the CEO would amend this.  It was suggested that other governing body policies or a sportscotland template should be reviewed.  It was also agreed to downgrade loss of data and to review the register twice yearly.  The CEO should alert the Board to any concerns.  The register should be presented with changes and comments highlighted.

AGM

• Peter Drysdale, Member at Large of CPISRA, had agreed to be the guest speaker.
• The awards had been decided by the sub group.
• Guests would be invited at 6.30pm for a buffet supper with the AGM beginning at 7.30pm.
• A vote for ordinary Board members would be held at the AGM as seven nominations had been received for the six available positions.
• The Minister was unable to attend and provide the closing remarks. Stuart Harris had been invited and the sportscotland Partnership Manager was asked to follow up.
• Rebecca Lee had been asked to take photographs.
• Sound & Vision had been booked for audio visual.
• The first draft of the annual report had been received from the printer and was being proof read.
• The nominations were still open for the Athletes’ Athlete of the Year Award with information on the SDS website and facebook page.

HR: Maternity leave paper

• The CEO presented a paper based on a request by the Performance Manager to reduce her hours on return from maternity leave. Discussion centred around the fact that this is a new situation for the organisation and would require flexibility on all parts. This would need to be managed with all the individuals involved to ensure a smooth transition to two part time posts. All agreed that the Chair and CEO would meet with the Performance Manager to discuss the detail and look at how this is likely to work in practice. Action: Chair, CEO

Board Away Days

• The Board away days would take place on 30/31 October 2015, probably at Stirling Court Hotel, and suggestions for content were being invited through Board appraisals.
• Board meeting dates were circulated for consideration. It was noted that the Paralympics would finish on 18th September 2016 and the AGM may need to be re-scheduled accordingly, although consideration was also being given to merging the AGM and Branch conference.  It was confirmed that the dates were for consideration only at this stage.
• It was noted that the November Board meeting was scheduled for shortly after the away days and it was agreed instead to hold the Board meeting on the evening of Friday 30th October.

Strategic Planning

• The sportscotland Partnership Manager provided a brief overview of the sportscotland Corporate Plan and circulated the Plan. She agreed to check the reason for reference to sport rather than physical activity.  It was noted that it was positive to see inclusion as a priority.
• A paper outlining staff thoughts on the new SDS Strategic Plan had been circulated for discussion and consideration. Broad headings to take to the AGM were agreed as follows:
  • Vision should be reviewed
  • The Z shape diagram should be reviewed with the content and design available for consultation
  • Some suggestions had been made by staff regarding the SIM, terminology, impact on resources, etc. as it was noted that it was well recognised.
  • Priority Areas for review as to whether they are still relevant, any others to be added, wording, etc.
  • High Level Impacts/outcomes.

• Strategic Planning consultation dates would be displayed at the AGM and an overview of how the plan has worked so far will be made available at the consultations.

Sports/Events

• A video of the summer sports camp prepared by the student Hatty Cumber was shown and was very well received by the Board. The Opportunities & Events Manager was commended on the huge amount of work put into the camp, which worked extremely well at a different venue from previously.
• Lawn Bowls – 5th September
• Senior Athletics Perth – 9th September
• International events included the IPC Swimming Championships, the CPISRA World Games and the Boccia European Teams & Pairs.
• Scotland lost to the USA in the group stages of the World Football Championships finishing in 9th place.
• In the Boccia European Teams & Pairs the BC1/2 team including Scot Joshua Rowe won gold meaning automatic qualification for the Rio Paralympics in 2016. The BC4s came second and currently their ranking makes them secure of a place at Rio.  The BC3s will compete in Columbia in October giving them a chance to qualify for Rio and they are still in position at this time.  Claire Morrison was congratulated on the success of the squad.
• CPISRA World Games – Lynne Glen and the management team were congratulated on the spirit within the SDS team. This was commented on by other people at the Games. All agreed events like this are of huge benefit in terms of athlete development

Partners

• The BPA AGM would be held in November 2015.
• UKSA has received funding to remain operational until June 2016 and was encouraging the Paralympic sports to take on classification. It was becoming apparent that the UKSA has a  key role in facilitating the handover.
• INAS-FID are considering a functional disability classification.
• Commonwealth Games Scotland are meeting on Thursday and the CEO would be attending.
• Dave Rhoney had applied to join the Inverclyde Board and been invited for interview.
• The GBDFA had confirmed seven Scots on the longlist. Funding was being sought for heart screening which would be required.  Neither GB nor the Scottish FA will cover travel expenses for squad training so this will be covered by SDS.  GB had been requested to look at recruiting a Scottish coach and a job description had been circulated with a requirement for an A licence.

AOB

• It was noted that Andrew Slack had very sadly passed away. An article has been placed on the website.
• sportscotland have awarded SDS a boccia coach apprenticeship for a retired athlete with the salary covered for three years. The sportscotland Partnership Manager fed back that the panel had been very impressed with the presentation, the information provided and the committed shown towards the post.

DONM

Wednesday 23rd September – AGM

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 22nd June 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Dave Rhoney, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
Gerry Milne, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Iain Smith, Director
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Heather Lowden, Education & Development Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Jo Bell, sportscotland Partnership Manager

Welcome, Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register, and Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and no conflicts of interest were recorded.  There are no ongoing claims of which SDS is aware.

Apologies were received from Sandra Proudfoot due to annual leave.

Matters Arising and Agreement of Minutes

It was noted that in the previous minutes (page 1) funding was not for strength and conditioning training, but funding from the Celtic FC Foundation was received for strength and conditioning needs within Branches and the roll-out of UKCC Boccia Levels 1 and 2 nationally.

• IT: the new server and hardware were in place with computers received from Commonwealth Games Scotland for which a donation of £500 had been made.
• The CEO would meet with the Performance Manager regarding maternity leave. Action: CEO
• The volunteer policy review was ongoing.
• The summer sports camp would take place from 8-10 July at Badaguish and would involve outdoor-based activities.
• The Chair had attended the South Lanarkshire Branch awards ceremony and the Grampian and Fife Branch AGMs with the Opportunities Managers. Dave Rhoney had attended a Forth Valley Board meeting and the Glasgow Branch AGM.  Feedback had been received from Forth Valley Branch to indicate the visit had been greatly appreciated.
• Board appraisals: one is complete and two have been arranged. The aim is to complete all appraisals by August 2015. Action: Chair
• A skills analysis would be circulated by email before the next Board meeting. Action: Chair
• Finance and pensions were on schedule for 2017, with pensions possibly being introduced earlier than scheduled but not appreciably so.
• A presentation would be made regarding education and training.
• Fit for Purpose Audit: a policy review cycle had been circulated to be progressed before the next audit in two years’ time.
• Governance would be covered in the agenda.
• The CPISRA World Games and bowls would be covered in the agenda.
• Discussions had been held with British Cycling and Scottish Cycling regarding the proposed part time consultancy/contract coaching post. Funding would be contributed by Help for Heroes and SDS.  Scottish Cycling are advertising a para sprints coach and may have additional funding to contribute towards handcycling, trike and road cycling.
• Outside companies had been approached regarding sponsorship with a poor response. Rob Claridge was addressing previous contacts and would be invited to the August meeting to present.
• Documents had been circulated relating to the Equality Standard Intermediate Level. It was noted that a significant amount of good work had been completed and the Equalities & Opportunities Manager was commended for this.  A timescale of three years was indicated to begin work towards the next level.

Reports

Operational Plan

The operational plan had been circulated and the following points were highlighted.

• Perth & Kinross Branch were advertising a Branch co-ordinator post with funding received from the Ryder Cup.
• The Branch Conference was scheduled for 15th November at Huntingtower Hotel in Perth.
• The sport specific working group with scottishathletics had been postponed due to restructuring. Support for the national events programme is to be finalised and will involve Shona Malcolm OBE.  A meeting had been held with sportscotland RCVMs.
• The team for the CPISRA World Games comprises 35 athletes and 17 coaches not including footballers. Wales had withdrawn from the competition because of concerns about numbers and the quality of competition. Canada and South Africa would not be competing.
• Numbers had fallen for the physical disability swimming gala and the 5 a side football but were higher for the learning disability gala with a total of 263 entrants.
• The Czech Open Boccia Competition had been held in Prague and was considered to have been a worthwhile event for players and coaches.
• The SDS Athlete Academy incorporated 25 athletes across 10 sports. The review by Best & Randak had been circulated and would be distributed to sportscotland.
• SDS was likely to host the GB Boccia Championships on 12/13 December but the venue was yet to be decided. Napier University in Edinburgh and Dundee are both possibilities but the event may be postponed until January 2016.
• A timeline is in place to launch the strategic plan process at the AGM. A draft is being shaped and will be brought to the next Board meeting, following which regional consultations will be held and built around with key partners.
• 30/31 October were suggested as dates for the Board away days.
• The policy review document and audit recommendations had been circulated.
• At a recent Safeguarding in Sport meeting it was confirmed that the current liaison officer, Dougie Arneil, was retiring and a meeting was scheduled with Campbell Bell to meet the new partnership manager Pamela Finch.
• Discussions with Burt Greener are ongoing.
• A meeting had been held with Richard Brickley MBE and the Chair regarding continuing the regional partnership agreement which was very positive and a draft agreement is being compiled by the Pathways Manager.
• No communication had yet been received regarding funds raised by the Celtic FC Foundation dinner.
• The communications sub group had met and reviewed and updated the communications plan with particular reference to key messaging and information gathering for Rio 2016. Profiles of athletes would be posted on the SDS website after selection.
• The CPISRA World Games swimmers and athletes had profiles on the SDS website and bowlers were scheduled to go on next week.
• A very positive meeting had been held with Mark Allan, the new Scottish Government liaison from Active Scotland, formerly the Sports Policy Unit. SDS is the only governing body with a direct link to the government.
• The sportscotland Partnership Manager would be taking maternity leave and the replacement for six months would be Jen Griffin. A handover meeting had been held and it was envisaged the replacement would be temporary.
• A very positive meeting had been held with sportscotland regarding Inverclyde, attended by the Chair, CEO, Dave Rhoney and Claire Morrison. It was hoped the facility would re-open at the end of 2016 with 60 fully accessible rooms in one building providing 120 beds.

Finance

The finance sub group had met with Mike Crerar for an overview of the audit and to review year end accounts.  These were very much in line with previous presentations excepting adjustments as follows:

• Adjustments from the close of last year end;
• A small omission on a pensions matter;
• Specific treatment on a new grant from sportscotland which had previously been shown as deferred income.

No concerns were raised regarding the company operation and unqualified accounts will be issued.  The next stage will be a written report then final accounts which will be circulated for review and sign off in August.  A single sheet will be produced for the annual report.  The Finance Manager was congratulated for good and consistent accounts and the Finance Director was thanked for his input and support.

Spirit of 2012

A potential funding opportunity had arisen via Go Out and Get Active.  The CEO had attended a meeting with other home nations and funders and an application process was being followed.  The focus of the programme is mainly on increasing activity and changing perceptions of disability through existing provision and on combining disability and mainstream activity.  It was suggested SDS should apply as the lead body and Disability Rights UK and Volunteer Matters would remain as supporting partners.

£425,000 from a potential £4.5m would be ringfenced to cover core costs including monitoring and evaluation which were seen as vital.  Over three years there was the potential of £450,000 for Scotland to direct the money into programmes.  England were formulating the bid and following another telephone conference on Monday the bid would be submitted.

Education and Development

• A presentation was delivered by the Education & Development Manager.
• A paper will be submitted to the Board on the subject of SDS funding the Coaching Matters conference.
• The Education & Development Manager was commended on her professionalism and the large amount of work being undertaken.

Events

A paper was circulated on the subject of event entry fees.  Concerns had been raised by Branches about individual events and it was therefore recommended that individual entry fees remained at £4 with the cross country being lowered to £3 as there had been a 65% drop-off in entries.  Both recommendations were agreed by the Board.

Sub Groups

Boccia

A meeting of the boccia sub group had been held recently covering the GB meeting, governance, policies and procedures, strategic plan and the participant pathway.  Scotland and Wales had delivered a presentation on home nation programmes.

Governance

The Terms of Reference had been circulated for review.  Terminology should be changed to include Chair and Vice Chair.  The Terms of Reference were agreed.

The following policies were circulated for agreement:

• The complaints policy was agreed.
• The fire safety policy was agreed.
• It was clarified that the risk management policy should be taken in conjunction with the risk register.

The policies were circulated as part of the policy review cycle.  All were unchanged and were considered to be fit for purpose.  The CEO would send the risk register to Gerry Milne for review and re-circulation if required, and the risk register would be reviewed by the Board six monthly.

The risk register should appear on the next Board agenda.

AGM

• All current Directors had indicated they were willing to stand for re-election if nominated.  A resume had been requested from all Directors to circulate to the Branches with role descriptors and a request for nominations.
• Suggestions were sought for a keynote speaker and after discussion it was agreed an athlete was favoured.  Scott McCowan was suggested and his availability would be requested.
• Nomination requests for awards had been circulated.  The invite list would be addressed in early July.  A site visit to the Stirling Court Hotel was planned for 29th June.
• Contributions had been confirmed from local authorities of £1,250 to date with more anticipated.  Work would begin the following week on the annual report with a draft compiled in August and final delivery the week prior to the AGM.

Fit for Purpose Audit

The policy review cycle and audit recommendations had been circulated.  This will be updated on an ongoing basis and appear six monthly on the Board agenda.

MOR

The MOR sub group had met comprising the Opportunities & Equality Manager, Opportunities & Events Manager, Chair, CEO and Dave Rhoney.  It was agreed that progress was good with the two submissions considered.  Ayrshire Sportsability was recommended for the MOR award and Angus should be agreed once a few remaining conditions had been met with a view to completion in July 2015.  This was agreed by the Board and it was anticipated both awards would be presented at the AGM.

Sports

Domestic/Regional

• Preparations for the CPISRA World Games are continuing.
• The football CP World Championships are currently taking place with the best possible finish 9th place.  GB has qualified for the Rio 2016 Paralympics through England’s ranking points.  It had been confirmed that there would be no FA contribution towards Scotland’s travel costs for training and this would be discussed at the next meeting in July.  There was a potential for a contribution towards costs from the Performance budget.
• The IPC Swimming Championships would take place in Glasgow and Board members were invited to attend for CPD.  Anna Tizzard will be volunteering at the Championships.

International

The proposed bowls competition in Israel was discussed, a paper having been circulated.  It was agreed that SDS would not fund the bowlers to attend and the CEO would report back to Ron McArthur following the Board meeting.

Partners

• The Scottish Sports Council Trust was seeking three Board members including a remit for an interest in disability sport.  John Kent had indicated an application from SDS would be welcomed with the commitment being to attend four meetings a year.  CVs were invited by 27th July 2015 and the closing date was 3rd August.  Dave Rhoney was asked to consider applying. Action: DR
• UKSA is awaiting a report from UK Sport.
• A presentation had been made at the last BPA meeting by the four home nations.
• It was noted that Michael Kerr had resigned as Captain of the GB Wheelchair Rugby squad, but remained a member of the squad.

Date of Next Meeting

17th August 2015

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 27th April 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair

Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Dave Rhoney, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
John Reid OBE, Director
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Ailien Pallot, Finance Manager
Lynne Glen, Pathways Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Jo Bell, sportscotland Partnership Manager

Welcome and Apologies,  Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register

The Chair welcomed everyone and apologies were accepted from Sandra Proudfoot due to family illness, Anna Tizzard due to conflicting meetings, and Jo Bell.

No conflicts of interest were recorded.  There were no ongoing legal matters of which SDS was aware.

Minutes of Previous Meeting – 9th March 2015

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.

Matters Arising

• No news had yet been received about the Celtic FC Foundation fundraising dinner.  A proposal document had been prepared covering potential funding for the Severe and Complex Needs Training and Levels 1 & 2 Boccia.
• IT – the new server was in place.  Commonwealth Games Scotland were thanked for providing replacement hardware in return for a donation.
• Maternity cover was in place for the Performance Manager role.  A timeline would be prepared for the Performance Manager’s return.
• Hard copies of the Volunteer Policy will be given to Gerry Milne for review.
• Applications had started to come in for the summer sports camp.  Initial site visits had been completed and water sports and orienteering would be considered on the next visit.
• Board members were encouraged to attend Branch meetings.  The Opportunities Managers would confirm details and progress.

Board Away Days

• Following the away days, Board appraisals should be carried out by the Chair by the middle of June.
• Some recommendations had been implemented and feedback was invited.  A skills analysis required to be undertaken.

Finance and Pensions

The Scottish Sports Association had received positive feedback regarding pensions proposals and therefore phased introduction would be carried out with SDS on schedule for 2017.  Pension arrangements required to be put in place for others.

Education and Training

A successful grant application had been made to Education Scotland for equipment to provide support for young athletes.  Good feedback had been received and the money had been allocated.

Fit for Purpose Audit Report

A table of policies should be drawn up, and a table of recommendations from the audit with comments on progress.

Equality Standard

Confirmation of result was awaited but the assessment was complete and a positive verbal indication had been given.  The recommended timescale for the next level was a five-year gap.  The Opportunities & Equality Manager was commended for her work on the standard.

Reports

 

Operational Plan

The operational plan had been circulated.

Finance

• The accounts had been circulated at the meeting.  This was the first year SDS had reached £1,000,000 income which included the increased Education Scotland funding.  An overview was given with the spend close to what had been anticipated.  No major changes were forecast and the year would end with a surplus instead of the predicted overspend.
• The accounts would be finalised for the auditors and the budget circulated the following week.

Pathways

The Pathways Manager was thanked for an interesting presentation and the Pathways and Regional Managers were commended for their hard work.

Sub Groups

Boccia

A classification panel was in place and Lynn Allison was now a tutor for the referees course.  An audit would be conducted again at the end of the year.  A competition calendar was in development and would be standardised.

Governance

The sub-committee was to meet.  Karen Darke was suggested as a guest speaker and other Board members were asked to consider anyone else they thought would be appropriate.  Board members were asked to consider whether they wished to stand again for election.

Sports

An events update had been circulated by the Opportunities & Events Manager and it was noted that this and the events reports were very helpful.

International

The CPISRA World Games final deadline was in early May and a meeting would be held this week with two further swimmers to be added to the entry.  The staff structure was complete with Nicola Tennant as physio joining previous appointees.

Eighteen nations in total had expressed interest.  Scotland anticipates a team of 50+.  It had been planned to place the kit order through the Scottish FA but due to changes in circumstances this was no longer possible and another supplier was in place.

CPD opportunities to circulate to the Board included:

• Cerebral palsy football world championships;
• IPC swimming championships;
• CPISRA World Games;
• Boccia European Pairs.

The GB Boccia selections for the World Open in Poland had been made and the team of 14 included 10 Scots.

Bowls

An invitation had been received by the blind bowlers from Israel to attend a test match, which would be heavily subsidised by the host country but would also require funding from SDS.  It was noted that Bowls Scotland had recently turned down a similar mainstream invitation on the grounds of Foreign Office advice.  A discussion was held and it was agreed to establish whether a World Championships would be held in the next year and if so that would be a priority for funding.  In the absence of a World Championships the decision would be deferred until the June meeting when it was hoped more Board members would be present and a decision could be taken.

It was requested that further information be provided including the bowls events calendar, any implications for other bowlers and other potential opportunities.

Partners Update

UKSA currently has a reduced financial capacity and is in discussion with a consultant.  INAS is considering a second learning disability classification at the General Assembly with a view to approaching the IPC.

A presentation would be made to the BPA next week and feedback would be given at the next Board meeting.

AOCB

£3,000 had been committed from the Performance budget towards a potential part time cycling post, and Help for Heroes had committed £3,000 towards handcycling.  British Cycling is considering and funding is being sought to make the post viable.  The focus would be the UK Games in September.

The Marketing & Commercial Manager had suggested consulting with another person to gain a different perspective on the sponsorship position and an update will be circulated to the Board.

Date of Next Meeting

Monday 22nd June 2015

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 9th March 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Dave Rhoney, Director
Gerry Milne, Director
Anna Tizzard, Director
Iain Smith, Director
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Ailien Pallot, Finance Manager
Jennifer Livingstone, Opportunities & Equality Manager
Mark Gaffney, Opportunities & Events Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Claire Morrison, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
John Reid OBE, Director
Jo Bell, sportscotland Partnership Manager

Welcome, Conflicts of Interest and Legal Register, and Apologies

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and no conflicts of interest were recorded.  The recent audit had recommended a legal register and it was noted that there are no ongoing claims of which SDS is aware.

Apologies were received from Catherine Goodfellow (conflicting meeting), Sandra Proudfoot (family illness), Claire Morrison (GB Boccia camp) and John Reid (funeral).

Matters Arising and Agreement of Minutes

• Changes to TOIL would be implemented from 1st April 2015 for a three month trial period.
• The Celtic FC Foundation fundraising dinner had been successfully held the previous week.  SDS had taken a table and it was considered good profile.  Overall about £70,000 had been raised and SDS were to be the main beneficiary.
• The Fit for Purpose audit had recommended the IT Policy be accompanied by a strategy so these will be presented together.
• The installation of the new server was scheduled for 18th March 2015.
• The Board was requested to notify the Opportunities & Events Manager of intention to attend any domestic or regional events.
• A meeting had been held between the CEO and Mark Gaffney, Jennifer Livingstone and Gary Fraser, who would jointly be covering the Performance Manager maternity leave.  The workload had been divided and a variation to terms and conditions would begin on 1st April 2015.  The situation would be re-assessed at the end of September with the intended return of the Performance Manager.

Reports

• A presentation was given by the Opportunities & Equality and Opportunities & Events Managers covering Branches, Equality and Events.  Four Branches are under consideration for renewal of Minimum Operating Standards: Disability Sport Fife, Highland Disability Sport, Lothian Disability Sport and Forth Valley Disability Sport.  It was recommended that all four be granted re-accreditation and this was agreed by the Board.
• The Volunteer Policy is covered by the handbook but may need to be re-visited although it was considered important not to discourage people from volunteering.  Gerry Milne offered to take responsibility for having the policy reviewed with a view to providing a framework for event, club and regular volunteers.
• The Branch conference would probably become an annual event and consideration was being given to hosting it at Stirling Court Hotel in future.
• The summer sports camp would be held at Badaguish in summer 2015 with the temporary closure of Inverclyde.  Application forms would be sent out in the next week.
• It was requested that clarification be made regarding Board members’ attendance at Branch meetings.  It was recommended that visits take place with either the Opportunities & Equality or Opportunities & Events Manager with a record of attendance.  The Opportunities Managers would contact Board members with the confirmed dates.  The purpose of Board members’ attendance was considered to be:

1. Clarifying the role of the Board;
2. Clarifying the role of Board members;
3. Investigate successes and challenges for each Branch;
4. Ask what Branches would best make use of in terms of available resources.

It was noted that Branches do feel appreciated and value the experience of Board members.  Board members should be briefed before meetings for background.

Board Away Days

The evaluation had been received from John Bull with the following recommendations:

• To agree: an ongoing process but not to specific targets. Can be expanded through contact with the Chair and CEO.
• The programme should be reviewed against goals: a good audit report had been received and recommendations would be implemented.
• The Board should be a sounding-board for staff: questions to staff would be useful and it was recognised that the role of the Board would be more than previously and more of a two-way process. Informal conversations would be useful and opportunities should be taken such as travelling to Branch meetings.
• Effective critical decisions should be taken.
• Ambassadorial role: Branch meetings and national events would provide this opportunity. If capacity allows events such as conferences and sport specific AGMs etc. would be appropriate.  Invitations could be offered to Board members.
• Agenda: changes had been made to the Board agenda following the away days. It was considered that timings were helpful and three hours should be the maximum length of Board meetings.  The 5pm start was being trialled and dates should be set for the year immediately from the AGM.
• Quality topics: the Board should question and make contributions, with all Board papers read in advance.
• The diversity of the Board should be positive and balanced, with an environment where everyone was comfortable contributing.
• Staff presentations were of great value.

Finance and Pensions

• A performance grant of £50,000 had been received from sportscotland, with £30,000 for bowls and £20,000 for boccia.
• A meeting would be held the following week to construct the first draft of next year’s budget.  There was potential of income from the Celtic FC Foundation fundraising dinner, £50,000 in trust for the Athlete Academy and confirmation of core funding.  The money from Celtic FC Foundation would impact on the Branches.
• A bid had been submitted to Education Scotland for around £40,000 for equipment, videos and filming of positive case studies.
• The SSA had approached SDS had other governing bodies regarding pensions auto-enrolment and tenders had been invited with Chase de Vere the preferred bidder.  Feedback was awaited regarding the number of governing bodies wishing to be involved to determine the final cost.  SDS would likely be affected in late summer.  Verbal notification of agreement had been given following Board agreement and emails sent to the staff concerned.

Sub Groups

Governance

• The operational plan had been circulated in draft and would be budgeted following Friday’s meeting.
• The audit report had been received and circulated with few changes received to the self-assessment.  It was considered that SDS compared well to other governing bodies.  Recommendations would be implemented with some already in place.  The Chair and CEO would develop a timeline for reviewing procedures in order to maintain the high standards set.
• It had been agreed to re-visit the Anti-Doping Policy and the Performance Manager had consulted with the sportscotland Institute of Sport and UKAD regarding re-wording and recommendations, with a Policy produced.  The Board approved the proposed Anti-Doping Policy and adopted the UKAD Rules which came into effect on 1 January 2015, signed off by the World Anti-Doping Agency.  The UK Anti-Doping Rules support the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code within the UK.
• A Purchasing & Procurement Policy had been formulated and consideration was required for expenditure levels in particular.  Tenders would be required over an agreed amount although there was scope for single-use justification where appropriate.  It was agreed that expenditure over £7,000 would require Board approval and the policy was agreed by the Board.

Sports

Domestic/Regional

• The updated calendar of events was circulated.
• Two Para Sport Festivals would be held in the coming week, in Edinburgh with 58 attendees registered and Glasgow with 138 attendees registered.  The Celtic CEO and trustees would attend the Glasgow event.  A visit from the MSP Marco Biagi was expected at the Edinburgh event.

International

• Preparations for the CP World Games were progressing.  The team was expected to number around 50 with the four sports of bowls, swimming, athletics and football represented.  The Pathways Manager would be Team Manager and Jennifer Livingstone and Claire McDonald would be Assistant Team Managers.  Janice Eaglesham would be Athletics Team Manager with John de Courcy, Jennifer Quinton and Don McFarlane would be Swimming Team Managers and Peter Drysdale and Bill Condie would be volunteer coaches.  Athletes have been informed that a contribution of about £250 would be required per person.
• At the IBD World Championships in New Zealand the bowlers had retained second place in the medal table and won a total of five gold and two silver medals.

Partners

• The BPA AGM will be held in April 2015.
• The Boccia sub-committee had met to discuss the strategic plan and championships.  A boccia Board meeting would be held later this month.
• The Chair and CEO are now directors of UKSA.  UK Sport funding for classification and eligibility would cease from 1st April 2015 and there was an aim to develop an interim plan.  A Board meeting will be held this week and report made at the April SDS Board meeting.
• The Commonwealth Games conference and review had been held the previous week with external evaluations, and plans and criteria for the Gold Coast.  A list of all events except the para sports had been issued and confirmation was expected in April.
• A paper was circulated on membership of the International Federation of CP Football and a proposal to accept the invitation was agreed by the Board.

AOB

The Chair, CEO and Finance Director had met and agreed to explore further areas of partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University, e.g. expertise, research or participation.  Board approval was sought for further investigation and this was agreed.

Date of Next Meeting

Monday 27th April 2015.

Minutes of the meeting held on Monday 19th January 2015 at sportscotland, Caledonia House, South Gyle, Edinburgh  EH12 9DQ at 1700 hours.

Attendees:

Janice Eaglesham, Chair
Dave Rhoney, Director
Claire Morrison, Director
Gavin Macleod, CEO
Ailien Pallot, Finance Manager
Becky Bisland, Performance Manager
Caroline Lyon, Company Secretary

Apologies:

Catherine Goodfellow, Vice Chair
Anna Tizzard, Director
Sandra Proudfoot, Director
Gerry Milne, Director
John Reid OBE, Director
Iain Smith, Director
Jo Bell, sportscotland Partnership Manager

Welcome and Conflicts of Interest

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and no conflicts of interest were recorded.

Minutes of previous meeting – 11th November 2015

The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.

Matters Arising

• Paperwork for the Fit for Purpose audit had been submitted on 15th December 2014 and a meeting held with Jo Bell.  The verification visit had been moved to 30th January.
• The Chair and CEO had met with Gerry Milne to discuss his concerns around attendance at meetings.  The Board is keen to retain his expertise and suggested a change of start time for meetings and the possibility of holding some meetings in Glasgow.
• A letter had been issued to staff regarding the stakeholder pension scheme.
• A paper describing the main partner organisations had been distributed to Board members for information.
• Liz Mendl had been appointed Team Manager for the IBD World Championships in February.
• Changes to the management meeting agenda had been implemented.  Reports were issued to the Board in advance of the meeting and agenda items flagged for discussion, information or approval.  Feedback was invited from the Board members and it was agreed to try the new format.

Reports

A presentation was given by the Performance Manager.  The Best & Randak review of the Commonwealth Games had been circulated and was very positive.  The Performance Manager agreed to circulate a list of World Class Podium athletes and a calendar of international events to the Board.

sportscotland had indicated that increased investment would be available through the Sport and Recreation Fund.

Best & Randak were being commissioned to research the Athlete Academy including reports on past and present athletes and case studies.  This would be used to provide evidence for future funding.

CEO Report

The Operational Plan had been circulated before the meeting for information and the following points were noted:

• Highlife Highland have indicated they are considering a two year extension to the post of Regional Manager.
• There was a potential £50,000 extra investment available through the sportscotland Sport and Recreation Fund.
• Education Scotland funding had been confirmed of £170,000 over the next two years.
• The Celtic FC Foundation had confirmed another year of funding and that SDS would be the main beneficiary of their sporting dinner this year at which SDS would be taking a table.

Communications Action Plan

The communications group had met and formulated the plan which had been circulated.  There is no dedicated communications resource at present but the potential of using a PR company is being explored.  Welcome actions from Board members would include press releases following events and representation at functions etc.  The CEO would amend the Communications Action Plan to reflect Board involvement.

Sub Groups

TOIL Paper

The CEO had previously circulated a paper on TOIL.  In order to make the changes suggested, contracts would have to be amended.  A trial period was suggested with the CEO, Pathways Manager and Education & Development Manager managing the timesheets.  It was agreed to trial the new scheme for a three month period to give staff and managers the opportunity to see it in practice, once a starting point for carrying over hours had been agreed.

Branch Meetings

Board members had been asked to indicate their availability to attend Board meetings and several members have still to respond.  Once everyone has responded meetings will be allocated and the Branches will be contacted to explain the purpose of their attendance.

Boccia Plan

A meeting had been held with GB Boccia who indicated this was the first plan they had seen from a home country and it was very well received.  The plan was approved and it was agreed that the plan should be reviewed annually.

Finance

• Finance papers had been circulated.  The budget was currently over-running compared to agreement at the start of the year, largely due to the IBD World Championships in New Zealand, but an extra £50,000 was expected from sportscotland.
• The only major issue for agreement was computers and a decision was required on the paper prepared by the Finance Manager.  It was agreed that a new server and should be ordered and all hardware more than four years old should be replaced.
• It was acknowledged that IT working practices are currently outside of procedures but this was connected to storage issues.  The practices would be re-issued to staff and it was agreed that a staff audit and file cleanse be carried out in preparation for new equipment.

Actions:

• Finance Manager to contact Virtuous IT for a final quote for additional laptops.
• Ways of working to be considered and reflected in an updated IT policy.

The Finance Manager was thanked for her work on this matter and it was agreed to notify staff once all details were confirmed.

The potential to re-visit an arrangement with Glasgow Caledonian University could be considered once an upgraded broadband line was available.

Policies

The risk register had been circulated for approval.  It would be submitted to Board meetings in line with the operational plan.

SDS Policies

• The Anti-Doping policy should reflect responsibilities of athletes, players and relevant support staff. Claire Morrison offered to forward the GB Boccia statement to the CEO for information.  The policy was agreed.
• The Business Continuity Plan required to have names updated.
• The Complaints Policy should have “Chairman” changed to “Chair”.
• All policies should be checked to ensure “Chair” was the term in use.
• The IT policy required to be updated in line with the replacement server and laptops.
• The Recruitment policy had been reviewed recently by Iain Smith and Gravitate, the expert resource, following work on the Equality Standard to ensure it reflected protected characteristics.
• The Ethics Policy was agreed.

Sports

Domestic/Regional

The Opportunities & Events Manager had circulated dates of events for Board members to indicate their attendance.  Some Board members had yet to respond and it was requested that responses be submitted to the Opportunities & Events Manager by the end of January.

International

• The bowls squad would be competing in the IBD World Championships in Wellington, New Zealand in February.
• The CPISRA World Games in Nottingham would be multi-sport. It was initially thought approximately 16 athletes would attend but an Under 19 football squad for the world championships is being considered.  The Pathways Manager would be Team Manager and three applications had been received for the Assistant Team Manager position, which has now closed.  Team kit was being arranged and sport specific kit would be supplied by governing bodies.  There was an expectation that Board members could attend the games as CPD.

Partners

• A paper on the partner organisations had been circulated for information.
• The NPC meeting of the BPA and the AGM had been held and the issue of membership was no longer under discussion.
• UKSA are currently waiting to hear about funding from UK Sport.  A project called My Sport, My Voice! has been funded to raise the profile of elite athletes with a learning disability.
• The Education & Development Manager was being replaced as the SDS representative on the GBBF Board by the CEO.  The Pathways Manager would remain on the Technical Group and the Education and Development Manager remained on the Coaching group.  A meeting was to be held with GB Boccia regarding aligning the structures.
• A recent meeting of the GBDFA Board had involved governance restructuring and the addition of two new members.  The World Championships would be held in England this year and England will carry the ranking points for GB.

Board Away Days

A proposed discussion on the Board away days was postponed until more Board members were available.  John Bull’s report had been circulated to all members to read and consider and was overall very positive.

AOB

• Two new sessions had been opened by the Rowing Group involving Battle Back and Scottish Rowing.
• A new disability football team had been set up at Broxburn United in co-operation with Battle Back.
• An internal advert had been circulated to cover the Performance Manager’s maternity leave.  It was proposed that this be covered by three members of staff under a variation to terms and conditions which had been drafted by Iain Smith.  The workload would be divided between the three staff and the CEO over a six month period.

Date of Next Meeting

9th March 2015