Val Kilby, Peter and I attended the June meeting of the GCCF on behalf of the club.

This was a very serious meeting and I will try to be accurate in my reporting. Members became very heated at times with many interruptions so I may have missed some decisions. 

Mr Hanson and Mr Scruton were voted back as Chairman and Vice Chairman, and did their best to control the meeting and keep it centered on the main discussions.

Voting for the committees and for the Executive was done between other discussions, with very few changes. 

The most important item on the Agenda was the Treasurer’s report. This was explained in great detail with many questions being answered very clearly. It was accepted by the members. 

As I understand the figures the GCCF needs to raise an extra £100,000 by the end of the year to remain in business, and just to pay the annual bill s which will become due in the new year.  

Most of the meeting was concentrated on discussing ways to raise this money. 

The annual prefix charge which would have raised about £30.000  both this year and in future years and would have been an immense help was with drawn as there was  so much opposition against it. Members spoke for and against the charge. Some  pointed out that if the GCCF ceased to exist, there would not be any prefixes Other members felt that small breeders could not afford £15 a year.

To concentrate on other measures the Chairman withdrew the proposal. After much heated discussion the meeting voted in a package of price rises, and cost cutting across the board.  

All registration charges will have to rise, and there will be a small charge for registering each litter. Members were urged to persuade new owners to transfer their kittens.

Medals will be sent out but would not be engraved. Charges to clubs and to shows will be increased. Details of all these charges will be put on the GCCF website. They will come into operation by 1st August.  

There was much discussion about the Disciplinary Committee  which is a major expense and efforts will be made to curb expenditure.  

Meetings will be held in smaller halls and refreshments cut.

The Staff at Bridgewater will be allowed to shrink, several staff members were leaving and will not be replaced. This will save on the wages bill, but paper work may be slower in being dealt with.  

On behalf of the club I seconded a motion from the South and South Western  Birman club that an owner’s prefix could be added to a purchased kitten as a suffix.  For example, if I bought in a Smokeyhill cat for showing or breeding for an extra charge it could be registered as Smokeyhill Whatever of Panjandrum. This has still to be formally agreed and will raise some money over the years but a drop in the ocean compared to what the GCCF needs.  

Mr Hanson urged members to consult their clubs and to come back with  any other money raising, or cost cutting ideas. Letters to be sent to the office for his attention. Any individual member can send in ideas.  

The Yorkshire Cat Club announced that they were prepared to make a loan to the GCCF if needed. Some other clubs had discussed this at their AGM’s and made similar announcements. I stated that this had been discussed at the Birman AGM and that members present had voted in favour.

Should the GCCF become insolvent, the property at Bridgewater would be sold to refund any such loans.  

Savings for the Supreme Show were outlined, by the new Show Manager Mrs Leighton. Expenses were being cut in every department. The hall would be smaller, and the Judges hotel much cheaper.  Sponsorship was being arranged. New methods of judging were being considered. 

There were a number of other important items on the agenda but most were put back until another meeting. If the GCCF ceases to exist they will cease to be important. 

I came away from this meeting feeling very depressed, I don’t think that the measures agreed will raise the money needed, and that we still need the £30,000 the prefix maintenance fee would have raised.