BSAC’s 2021 AGM presented a picture of a club determined to adapt and overcome in the face of the operational challenges presented by the pandemic. If you missed the event, here's a round-up of the key messages!
This year’s AGM was carried out on 22 May via a virtual platform that enabled more people to attend than was the case when meetings were held in a physical but sometimes inconvenient location. Despite most diving activity being curtailed for long periods, and against a backdrop of widespread uncertainty, BSAC has endured, addressed its financial challenges, and is adapting to the changing needs of divers.
The recording of the AGM can now be viewed online and the presentation slides can be downloaded.
View from the Chair
Virtual delegates were welcomed by BSAC’s Chair, Maria Harwood, who expressed that she and Council are especially pleased with how loyal our members have been, and thanked everyone for sticking with us during the last year when diving was restricted.
Maria presented a picture of the club’s current position after the announcements of the 2021 Elections (see below). Outgoing Council members Karen McKnight (Hon Treasurer), Rachel Sharp (Hon Secretary) and Mark Lovesey (Council) were thanked for their service.
Inevitably, concerns centred on the pandemic's implications for club life. Maria said the crisis had presented three immediate threats: curtailing diver training, limiting the supply of new members and reducing the income that keeps BSAC’s wheels turning. The club had to adapt quickly, introducing online training, home working for HQ Staff, and putting in place an online presence that would act as a salve for member retention.
Looking to the future, Maria set out a set of objectives to form a three-year strategic plan for the club’s development.
Significantly, it's a three-year plan instead of a five-year plan because we recognise the world is changing so fast, we've got to be continually re-assessing what the club is doing.
We want to build on the new practices that came out of Covid and we've been looking to see what's been going on in the market generally. We put together focus groups with different groups of members and the wider diving community, to refine our thinking.
This involves meeting the changing demands of today’s scuba divers, at the same time making a tangible contribution to environmental protection and conservation.
Ultimately, Maria said, BSAC must aim to improve its member experience by providing better access to training and diving. "We need to recognise that different people have different interests," she concluded.
Treasurer's report
Honorary Treasurer Janos Suto presented the club's current financial position in light of the loss of fully paid members in 2020. Fully-paid member numbers fell by 3,265; with UK universities out of action and many pools and other facilities closed, new member recruitment was down from 4,383 to 1,976.
More encouraging news came from the established membership, the majority of whom renewed and thus enabled BSAC to maintain operations. The overall membership for the year 2020 was 21,594, compared to 24,859 for the pre-Covid 2019.
The reduction in members meant that income from subscriptions fell by £176,000 in 2020, while training pack and other sales fell by £192,000. Covid meant that we ran fewer events, meaning that course income was down by £100,000.
The overall financial impact was a fall of £524,000, reducing income from £1.9million to £1.4million.
Janos set out the actions taken to reduce costs, including £102,000 from switching to a digital-only version of SCUBA magazine for six months together with claiming furlough support to assist with staffing costs.
While BSAC made an operating loss of £158,000, the club successfully applied for additional income from various sources. The club received £305,000 from a Sport England grant, split between £197,000 in 2020 and £108,000 in 2021. Ultimately, BSAC concluded the year with a surplus of £88,000, bringing the club's reserves to a respectable £397,553.
Nevertheless, Janos predicted that 2021 would also be to be a tough year for the club.
While there is some delayed demand, there remains a risk that the fall in membership will be permanent. Our losses will be balanced by the deferred part of the Sport England grant of £108,000, but that will be a one-off.
Diving and training – the NDO's Report
The third of the main speakers was National Diving Officer Dai Atkins, who had stood unopposed for a second term. Dai pointed out that despite all the challenges the club faced, it had adapted quickly to the new rules of engagement. Indeed, an encouraging amount of diving activity had eventually taken place.
Over the original lockdown period, the club had adapted quickly to provide a raft of online learning, notably the hosting of 220 webinars which attracted 8,000 attendees. Elsewhere in the coaching spectrum, advice was formulated for the safe operation of future events. There was new training in 'Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity', plus a scheme funded by Sport England to develop more Dive Leaders into OWIs.
BSAC took the opportunity to reinvigorate its ethos of diving with a purpose. With a new group devoted to the subject headed up by Jane Maddocks, we are likely to see project expeditions and branch activities gearing up and engaging members of all levels of experience.
Turning to training, Dai announced that the Sports Diver review was complete and a Dive Leader review was underway, with an emphasis on leadership and management. Dai was determined to keep the Instructor Training Scheme active, with the updating of the ITS Resource Library and the Instructor Crossover process.
BSAC's technical divers remained at the forefront, with reviews complete in MOD 1 and the MOD 1 Top-Up of the CCR course. A review of MOD 2 is now underway, as are reviews of BSAC Technical standards and the Technical Instructor Course.
Above all, the emphasis has been on keeping BSAC divers safe by issuing medical advice on Covid-19, and detailed guidance for the return to diving. A safety webinar series was launched to instil the new processes.
Dai concluded by celebrating the fact that many BSAC divers managed to go diving in 2020 and beyond. He thanked all the staff and volunteers, including the Diver Resources Team, the National Diving Committee and the Regional Coaches.
BSAC Election 2021: The results
Honorary Secretary: Edward Haynes is voted in
Honorary Treasurer: Janos Suto stood unopposed
Council members voted in
- David Brander: 1041 votes
- James Mudge 1010 votes
- Paul Tarn: 944 votes
- Geoffrey Duggan: 542 votes
National Diving Officer: Dai Atkins stood unopposed and will serve a second term
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Author: Simon Rogerson | Posted 26 May 2021
