Simon Rogerson reports on BSAC’s 2024 Annual General Meeting.
BSAC’s Annual General meeting for 2024 presented a dynamic club embracing change and adapting to the times. Membership numbers continue their gradual increase and sales of training courses are also on the rise. The club is working to its strategy and reaping the rewards, with positive news reported by Chair Edward Haynes and Vice Chair Yasmine Thorne. The AGM, held on the Microsoft Teams platform, also saw an ebullient farewell from outgoing National Diving Officer Dai Atkins.
Chair’s Report
Edward Haynes welcomed the delegates and delivered an upbeat presentation on BSAC activity over the past year. He led with an inspiring montage of photographs and film celebrating 70 years of BSAC diving, as October last year saw the club’s anniversary. There were reminders of congratulations received from the club’s President, the Prince of Wales, and of the special issue of SCUBA magazine featuring interviews with members representing each decade of the club’s history.
Edward also mentioned two key anniversary events held last year – the Thames Boat Run (Vice President Tony Marshall was praised for his contribution) and the day of celebration at Capernwray Dive Centre. Edward also drew attention to the activity of BSAC’s Council, who met eight times last year to keep the club’s organisational wheels in motion.
As always, thanks to volunteers were central to the Chair’s address, with Edward extending his gratitude to the many volunteers who make BSAC a unique organisation. He mentioned the National Diving Committee (NDC), the Regional Coaches and the HQ Team. “We wouldn’t be here without you,” he added.
Edward thanked outgoing Council members Geoff Duggan, Davs Brander and Paul Tarn, in addition to Honorary Treasurer Janos Suto and National Diving Officer (NDO) Dai Atkins, who was also making an instant comeback, having just been voted in as an ordinary Council member.
Vice Chair’s Report
Yasmine Thorn explained BSAC’s 2022-2024 Strategy and its progress. The vision appears straightforward – for everyone to enjoy and respect the underwater world – but Yasmine expanded on the principle, setting out our mission to be the go-to community for anyone wanting to learn about, enjoy and protect the underwater world.
Key to this mission is a set of values that should underpin everything we do, chiefly integrity, excellence, inclusivity and conservation. These values are judged by key organisational goals aimed at growing the membership and giving our members a satisfying experience. In the case of the former, membership grew by 2%, from 22,890 at the close of 2022 to 23,447 by the end of 2023.
Other indicators followed the upward curve, with 9% growth reported in the 19-35-year-old membership group and a target-beating 22% improvement in one-year renewals. There was good news also in the growth of training courses, with ITS and SDC sales up 14%. However, Yasmine reported a low key performance in entry-level training course sales, down 10% on the previous year.
Yasmine explained how the strategy has been implemented over the past year, showing how the club can prosper when it sticks to a carefully formulated plan. “Strategy is something that we'd love to hear feedback from in terms of the membership,” she concluded. “Anybody who wishes to learn a little bit more about how we go about our strategy, please do get in touch with us. We’re potentially looking at running a webinar on this subject later in the year.”
Independent Director
Honorary Secretary Andy Shenstone announced BSAC’s first Independent Director, Alistair Dickson, who joins BSAC’s board for a period of three years. His appointment was made possible by a change in the Articles of Association last year, the idea being to broaden the board’s overall perspective. Previously Director of Sports Development at the RYA, he is currently CEO of Canoe Wales. Andy said: “Council found [Alistair’s] insights into the challenges facing membership organisations particularly stimulating, alongside his knowledge of relevant applied research and the dynamics of volunteer-based organisations.”
HQ Report
The club’s CEO, Mary Tetley, began her section by expanding on the recent announcement that the BSAC Conference will return on Saturday 19th October at its previous venue, the Vox, at Birmingham’s NEC. The event will consist of a main stage complemented by a small exhibition and four breakout rooms.
The Conference has traditionally featured blue chip speakers from within and without BSAC, and a major figure has already been booked – Dan Orr, a former president of the Divers Alert Network (DAN) and a renowned expert on diving safety. More speakers will be announced in the run-up. Early bird tickets are expected to go on sale in the next few weeks, priced £32.50 against a standard ticket price of £40.
Mary also touched on a few recent organisational developments, such as the implementation of the new AMS (Association Management System) with the supplier Sport80, a deal signed in March.
She also addressed concerns that the club’s insurance does not include cover branch equipment. Boats, premises and equipment have not been included in the policy since its inception, but HQ has spoken to underwriters and there is a policy available to branches via David Roberts and Partners (DR&P) to ensure cover is available if required. In the meantime, a short-term insurance review group has been established by Council to review the existing cover.
Mary concluded with examples of BSAC’s invigorated presence on social media and support of university clubs. She reported growth of 10 per cent in uni clubs, though BSAC still needs to solve the perennial issue of undergrad members lapsing when they graduate.
Honorary Treasurer’s report
Janos Suto delivered his final report before completing a long stint of service on Council. He announced an increase in operating income of £113,000 or 7%, from £1.689m to £1.802m, due largely to increases in subscriptions and training courses. Meanwhile, expenditure increased by 11%, from £1.75m to £1.912m, partly due to increased pack and course costs, and also from increased staffing costs. Overall, there was an operating loss of £104,000 in 2023, mitigated by a revaluation of the HQ building to an overall loss of £67,000.
“Like all organisations, BSAC has seen costs increase due to inflation,” Janos said. “Staffing costs have increased due to a small cost of living increase, and also a new staff member. Direct costs have also increased, as they are linked to membership numbers.”
National Diving Officer’s report
Dai Atkins delivered his final report as NDO, setting out the activities of the National Diving Committee and thanking his many volunteers.
Dai commended Clidive’s award-winning Expedition Donegal alongside efforts in maritime licensing and the protection of shipwrecks. His conservation theme touched on BSAC’s collaboration with Seawilding and establishing ISO standards for scientific diving.
The Instructor Training Group oversaw the qualification of 240 new Open Water Instructors, 14 Advanced Instructors and two new National Instructors. Meanwhile, successful training events were held in the UK and overseas in Australia, Brunei and Cyprus. The ITS Review will continue to focus on the generation and development of OWIs, viewed as a critical pathway.
Dai also covered the activities of the Safety Group, notably the annual Automated External Defibrillator (AED) Instructor recertification, the Incident Report for 2022 and the Safety Awards.
He concluded with some highlights of his six years in the NDO hotseat, which yielded 13,857 diving qualifications, 3,011 instructing qualifications and a raft of new course products.
Election results
Honorary Secretary Andrew Shenstone declared the results of voting in the recent BSAC Elections.
• Sophie Rennie was elected National Diving Officer
• Richard Pettifer was appointed (unopposed) Honorary Treasurer
• Catherine Haworth and Dai Atkins were elected to BSAC Council (nine candidates stood for two available places)
Ordinary and Special Resolutions
Members voted to authorise BSAC Council to appoint and set remuneration of the auditors. In addition, a Special Resolution was passed to update the club’s Articles of Association, including the introduction of an independent member to Council who will not or have been a member of BSAC. The aim is to ensure that appointments contribute to creating a board that is balanced, inclusive and skilled. The updates to Articles of Association can be found online at bsac.com/proposedarticles
Author: Simon Rogerson | Posted 14 May 2024
