Catch up

[Vincent Brissenden]

Hello Mike

Sorry I haven't been involved with BEG over the last few months. I hope I am still considered as an active member.

 

Two things/questions:

I have accepted the invitation to be one of the Directors of Bristol Energy Network (CIC). BEN would like BEG to sign up as a member of the newly constituted Community Interest Company. I wanted to ask BEG if OK before I sign on the dotted line. So is it a yes?

The official deadline has passed but there maybe still a slim window to apply for the North St Summer Market Fair, Sat 14 June 2014, 10:30am - 5pm. Would BEG be happy to have a stall/pitch?  

  

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Vincent Brissenden

There are those that think and those that do and those that think then do.

[Vincent Brissenden]

Hello 

I think my wording 'ask BEG if OK before I sign on the dotted line' was in hindsight, badly put. Didn't mean to cause alarm:-).

Of course, without question BEG must have more information and to set date for meeting to discuss. I'd just thought I throw it out there knowing that BEG is already part of the Bristol Energy Network (BEN before they became a CIC), and may have attended previous BEN open meetings where they had discussed it..

Please see below email (blue text) which will give you a bit of background and will outline the benefits of becoming a member of BEN CIC. This email was sent to me few days ago and some of the dates mentioned has now passed.

Please also see the following attachments:

• BEN Governance Structure
• BEN Articles of Association
• Memorandum of Association of Bristol Energy Network C.I.C. 

Some of you may know that this sort of stuff is a little heavy going. I'm not sure if I completely understand it all. However most of it is standard stuff for CIC structures so I'm afraid it can't be altered. 

Please let me know when next meeting:-)

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Dear BEN member,

Just a quick reminder that BEN are becoming a Community Interest Company (CIC) to give us more flexibility in what we can do. We are going to become a CIC with a large membership, which is where you come into it! We'd like to have as many founding members as possible and this email contains all the information you need to become one of them. Outlined below there are a few documents that you might like to read, as well as some key features of the CIC, benefits of becoming a member and the next steps. We'd like you to come along to the sign-up meeting on Wednesday 7th May from 7pm in Roll for the Soul (details below) to complete the process, alternatively you can return signed copies of the memorandum to one of the BEN team. 

 Documents (attached):

• BEN Governance Structure April 2014
• BEN Articles of Association April 2014
• BEN Memorandum of Association April 2014 (to be signed by members)
• BEN Declaration (CIC 36) April 2014

Key features of new CIC:

• Two types of membership: voting and non-voting (voting members will consist of community energy initiatives/organisations in Bristol and the surrounding area, non-voting members will consist of individuals and organisations interested in the activities of the network and member groups)
• Two representatives per member organisation will have voting rights
• The current directors (Jake Barnes, Paul Adams and David Tudgey) will form the initial founding directors of the company with more directors/executive directors being sought once incorporated (please let us know if you are interested or know anyone who might be)
• Members will only be liable for £1
• Strategic partner involvement have not be written into the articles of association of the company but will negotiated later

Benefits of becoming a member:

• Continued involvement in the BEN’s work
• Greater influence over the BEN's decisions/direction, through the direct election of directors
• Opportunity to benefit from resources the BEN has access to, now and in the future (including knowledge and best practice sharing, peer-to-peer support, expert advice and guidance)
• Use of the BEN as a platform for coordinated work across the city with other groups and strategic partners
• Having a presence at events that the BEN attends
• Promotion of events and news through the BEN network
• Access to free insurance for events, if undertaken under the BEN umbrella

Next steps:

• Please read the attached documentation and ask any questions you may have, preferably before the Friday 2nd May
• Check with your group and seek any clarifications from us
• Hopefully be ready to sign up as founding members and attend the sign-up meeting:

Sign-up meeting

Date: Wednesday 7th May

Time: 7pm, for 7:30pm (until 8:30pm)

Location: Upstairs in Roll for the Soul (Unit 2, St Lawrence House, Quay Street, Bristol, BS1 2JL)

Agenda: Overview of governance structure and documentations, opportunity to ask questions, collection of signed memorandum’s (copies will be available to sign), update on process going forwards

Other information:

• Groups can sign up after the BEN is incorporated, but we'd like as many as possible to sign up and be founding members!
• Agreement on the principles of incorporation is being sought, unfortunately there is little scope for change due to the nature of some of the documents, but comments/questions are very welcome.

I hope that this is all clear, on another note as part of the BEN Coordination role I would like to attend at least one of your group meetings to introduce myself properly and familiarise myself more with the exciting work you're doing across the city. Please do suggests dates when this would be suitable and I'll see what I can do! As always, if you'd like information about your group's activities to be featured on the BEN website, on twitter and in our monthly newsletter then do please let us know and we'll do the rest.

Thank you very much for reading this far and I hope you want to become a founding member and you're able to come along on 7th May. I hope to see all of you soon, maybe at the next BEN Open Meeting on Wednesday 30th May, when we have a CAT talk on the Zero Carbon Britain Strategy, with an opportunity to discuss what this means for Bristol.  

Take care,

Katy (BEN Coordinator) and the rest of the BEN team 

On 12 May 2014 19:12, Bridget Newbery <b_ne...@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Hi both

I'm sure everyone will be in agreement, but it sounds to me like exactly the kind of thing that should be decided at a meeting, with info circulated in advance and can't just be assumed as a yes without some more details!

Vincent - do you have info on what the benefits are of membership, what would be required of the group, and any other relevant info about the aims, governance, activities etc of the new CIC?

There is a meeting scheduled in soon I think, if info was circulated before then and we put it on the agenda you would have a group decision very quickly.

Best wishes

Bridget

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From: Vincent Brissenden <ecov...@gmail.com>
To: John Knee <finec...@yahoo.co.uk>; Mike Ginger <BEG...@yahoo.co.uk>
Cc: "bedminst...@googlegroups.com" <bedminst...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, 12 May 2014, 13:51
Subject: {Bedminster Energy Group} Catch up

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