Chairman’s Report  3^rd November ‘19

Welcome to you all and thank you for coming to this, the Annual General Meeting of Your Association.

In many ways, this is a very sad occasion for me, as this is the last AGM that I shall be attending! I mentioned to you at our last meeting that I have been intending to sell my unit and now, if all continues to go to plan, the sale will be completed next Monday 11^th November. This means that I shall no longer be an owner and will no longer be eligible for membership of the CMOA. Which in turn, of course, means that the position of Chairman of the Association becomes vacant.

It is not an arduous job and it has been a real privilege to work with David to represent your views and concerns to Martyn Fowler regarding the Fowler sites and to Ed Newbold for Kenegie. So, as this meeting continues, I ask you all to consider carefully whether you might be prepared to take on this role from today. We will be calling for nominations or volunteers when we get to item 7 on the Agenda, then we will also be calling for a new secretary, a vice-chairman and as always, additional site representatives.

I am particularly sad to leave the CMOA, because although I have only been your chairman for six years, I acted as site rep for some years before that and indeed my membership of the Association dates back twenty seven years to 1992 when my late-husband and I bought our unit, (then a new build on St Ives) and he later acted as site rep for St Ives until he died in 1997. During my more active participation, Richard and I have much enjoyed your support and friendship, not to mention the parties that we have attended with you over the years.

Despite being a relatively small association, the CMOA has proved to be surprisingly influential! There is little doubt that we punch above our weight! There have been times which many of you will remember, when the owners have held very genuine grievances regarding the fulfilment by the park owners, of the necessary maintenance obligations, whether of individual units or of the whole holiday parks. Members have voiced suspicion concerning the fairness in how we, the owners, are charged for the services we receive, as well as many other lesser but nonetheless significant concerns. The CMOA meetings have enabled those grievances to be aired and discussed, and in all cases they have subsequently been taken to the Fowler management (and recently to MJL at Kenegie) for consideration, and in just about every case,  positive action has been taken to address our concerns.

At this point, I had planned to return to the subject I have harped on about at every CMOA meeting I have chaired:- that of the need for good communication between us and the management as well as among ourselves.  However, as we prepare to leave our holiday home in the capable hands of its new owner, it hit me that it is because of its communication, the thing that Richard and I are going to miss most is our involvement with the CMOA.

Without membership of the owners’ association, how do you get to meet other holiday home owners on our parks? How can we compare how we are doing, or any hints or helpful tips, – where’s the best place to buy beds or get carpets? The CMOA recommended providers list can be invaluable, if you aren’t local.

If you get the feeling that things aren’t right or, not to put a finer point on it, that you are being cheated, who do you as an individual, turn to? Our side meetings give us the perfect opportunity to meet fellow owners and compare notes. And also, provided we have the reps, we can contact them, if necessary, between meetings to voice our concerns and know that they will be passed on to the managers or via the secretary and Chairman to Fowlers or MJL. At the AGM we also get to hear from the Fowler’s site managers about their plans and frustrations. A much healthier way to be sure that we are all on the same side. After all, it is in everyone’s interest for your unit and your park to have a successful season with lots of satisfied holiday guests!

But, as I touched on earlier, it is not just the work of the CMOA that we will miss, – we will very much miss the opportunity to meet up with you our fellow owners and as well as sharing our moans and groans – share a laugh and, at the parties, sharing maybe a glass of wine! I do strongly encourage you to get fully involved and to make the most of your association.

So as I prepare to hand over at the end of this meeting, it is with the hope that the Association will flourish, that membership numbers will increase and that you will continue to work together to get the greatest enjoyment from your friendship with other owners and from owning your holiday home in this beautiful part of the country.

Thank you for listening.                                                                         Liz Ashenden