2023 ANNUAL REPORT

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COUNTY CRICKET CLUB 2023 ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 62 But all of these initiatives were now under threat due to funding challenges. With current funding cycles coming to a close, Mr Clifford said that the Trust urgently needed to source £25,000 to maintain their current level of service. £10,000 of this would be covered by grant funding from the National Lottery, and programme participants had been challenged to raise £5,000 through a number of initiatives, but there was clearly much work to be done. From forming partnerships with business to holding fundraising events and crowdfunding appeals, Mr Clifford pledged to leave no stone unturned to raise the remaining £10,000. He and his team knew, however, they would have to be increasingly creative with fundraising as cost-of-living pressures continued to bite. Mr Clifford said his team were determined to avoid having to make difficult decisions about who they could afford to support, and which services would have to be scaled back. The feedback his team received showed that Forget Me Notts worked wonders for those who attended. Mr Clifford said that his team had now enlisted the University of Notting- ham to carry out a year-long study which would provide us with a more scientific analysis of its benefits. He concluded by reiterating that the Trust’s mission remained the same as it always had: to raise aspirations and create a brighter future for those in need across the county. The charity would need to be resourceful, and would need the support of their community, if they were to help as many people as possible in the years to come. The Chief Executive thanked Ms Wright and Mr Clifford and asked if there were any questions. Mr Andrew Peel enquired about future developments at the club’s Lady Bay facility. In response, Ms Pursehouse confirmed that Lady Bay remained very important to the club, but that the ownership model was very complex.The club very much wanted to develop facilities at the venue, but this was a work in progress. Mr Nick Evans sought clarity in relation to the women’s participa- tion figures given in MsWright’s update. Ms Pursehouse confirmed that those figures included women’s softball participants. 9. TO ANNOUNCE THE RESULT OF THE VOTE ON PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION The Chair introduced the seven proposed amendments to the constitution which had been pre-circulated to all members eligible to vote: Amendment One – (Proposer Mr Evans): Existing: • 5.3 No Nominated Member shall serve for more than three years without being submitted to the Nominations Panel for re-appointment following the agreed procedure. • 5.4 Elected Members and Nominated Members that retire in accordance with 5.2 and 5.3 above shall be eligible for re-election or re-appointment. Proposal: • 5.3 Replace ‘…being submitted to the Nominations Panel for re-appointment following the agreed procedure’ With ‘…seeking re-election from the Club’s membership’. • 5.4 Delete ‘or re-appointment’ from the end of the second line. New: • 5.3 No Nominated Member shall serve for more than three years without seeking re-election from the Club’s membership. • 5.4 Elected Members and Nominated Members that retire in accordance with 5.2 and 5.3 above shall be eligible for re-election. Effect of changes above: To ensure that a Nominated Member can only continue to serve on the General Committee, having served their first three-year term, if they are elected by the membership – thus removing the option to be re-appointed by the Nominations Panel. Statement For (Mr Evans): 5.3The Rules presently allow for a member of the committee, appointed by the Panel, to seek re- election (after their three- year term) via the Panel. I do not consider this to be what the ECB had in mind.These individuals have had three years in which to make themselves visible and available to club members, whilst demonstrating their ability and commitment to the role. As such I am proposing that at that time they put themselves before the members for election. If not, after this year’s appointment potentially the Panel could spend the next six years re-appointing the same people! Not what the ECB envisaged and not the best use of the Panel. Statement Against (General Committee): The role of Nominated Member and their route into General Committee was created to maximise opportunity for attracting and appointing individuals with the skills and experience needed by the General Committee at any particular point in time. Once their first three- year term has expired, a Nominated Member may still have a skillset that the General Committee has identified a need for.This rule change would remove the option for the Nominations Panel to reappoint that Nominated Member, thus potentially reducing the ability of the panel to fulfil its obligations under the Rules. Furthermore, this Rule offers an important safety net to ensure that if this cannot be fulfilled by the Elected Member process, the composition of the club’s General Committee is compliant with the ECB’s Code of Governance in relation to gender and ethnically diverse representation.This was part of the game’s united commitment to equity, diversity