Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre Dews Lane Harvil Road Middlesex UB9 6JN Tel: 01895 824171 HOAC Latest News Find out all about what's happening with HOAC while we wait to move... AGM 2021 By Neil Maddock | 18 November 2021 Our AGM is scheduled for 25th November 2021 and will follow the same format as last year. The HOAC committee and the trustees will meet remotely. If members/friends of the centre would like to submit questions to be answered at the meeting please send them in advance to the office. After the meeting has taken place we will post draft minutes here for you to view. You will then be able to vote on the matters arising from the meeting, including agreeing the accounts and electing the committee. This will be posted on the website shortly after the meeting Please view the HOAC Centre Report 2021 Please view the draft HOAC 2021 Accounts (V2) Agenda • Chairperson’s Annual Report for 2021. • Principal’s Annual Report for 2021. • Presentation of Audited Accounts 2020/21. • Appointment of Auditor for CVY&CA. • Election of members to the General Committee of the CVY&CA (5). • Questions for the meeting • AOB and date of next AGM. • (Elected officers will be contacted after the meeting to fix the year’s timetable of meetings). Friends are defined as those people who support the aims and objectives of the association, which are primarily to promote youth training and education in an outdoor environment. Any friend as defined above is eligible for committee membership except those who may have commercial interests that conflict with those of the association. The final arbiters are the Trustees. Friends serving on the committee are expected to represent the interests of the Association as a whole and not any particular group. For the Committee to be most effective it is desirable that there is some continuity of members from one year to the next, and also that people with special skills to offer to come forward. Nominations, with proposer and seconder should be sent to the HOAC office in advance of the meeting. November 2021 update By Neil Maddock | 8 November 2021 I had hoped that by now we would have been able to give you a positive update for next season. Unfortunately we are still waiting to hear where we are going to be relocated to, the council are confident we will be operating in 2022 but other than that we do not have much of an update We are poised to move and reset up our operations as soon as we can and hope you will continue to be patient and as soon as we have a positive update we will share it with all of you. For those with boats still on the existing site, we have been keeping an eye on them; reattaching covers, draining puddles on covers and checking them after any windy days. If you do want to access them to check on them or move them please contact the office. Our phones are not permanently monitored so email is the best form of contact. AGM Our AGM was scheduled for this week, but has been postponed until the 25th November. This will be run similar to last season with a meeting of the trustees and committee, the accounts and centre report will be available before the meeting, and questions can be submitted to be answered at the meeting. voting will take place via an online poll after the meeting. More details to follow shortly 2021 Season By Neil Maddock | 5 February 2021 HOAC Update 5th February 2021 HOAC to remain closed for 2021 season – reopening in 2022 2020 was a difficult season for HOAC, dealing with the ever advancing HS2 project, protestors taking over our land and the global Covid-19 pandemic. We had remained hopeful that we would be able to undertake our move to a new site ready for an exciting 2021 season. Unfortunately delays to our move caused by the ongoing pandemic, the uncertainty of when we would be able to operate normally and time taken to renegotiate the funds have pushed our timeline to relocate further and further back. It has now reached the point that attempting to move for this season is no longer practical and the cost of a temporary move would be better spent ensuring our permanent move is to everyone’s benefit. Where is the new site? This is the big question everyone wants to know, unfortunately until all the pre-planning work and surveys have been done, we cannot announce where this is, however be reassured that the new site, which is local, will offer everything that HOAC currently does, and hopefully with you joining us at the new site we will be able to re-create everything that makes HOAC such a lovely place to visit. We hope a planning application will be submitted in the Spring and we can then announce where the new site is and start planning for a bright future What will happen in 2021? HOAC will remain closed, however a core team of staff will still be available to help out with enquiries and plan for future bookings. We will keep the front page of our website up-to-date with any relevant news. Whilst the country is still in the lock-down our phones are not manned so please direct any enquiries to admin@hoac.net What about any outstanding memberships? Anyone who has a current membership with us will be contacted to either offer a refund or a credit to use in the future. What about my boat? If you have a boat at HOAC, it can remain on site, access to it will be limited. However our staff are on site regularly and are checking boats and covers each time they are in. However we do not take responsibility for your boat and they are left here at your own risk. If you wish to either take away or inspect your boat, please email admin@hoac.net Unfortunately what we can’t offer is a regular pick-up and return service where you would store your boat here but sail elsewhere. Whilst your boat remains here and we are not operational you will not be charged for boat storage Can I visit the existing HOAC site? Unfortunately Dews lane now falls under the control of HS2 so there is no access to the site for the general public. The only access at current would be for pre-arrange access to personal boats. When will I find out more? As soon as a planning application is ready for submission we will share with you where the new site is and the plans for the site. If you are a member or on our website mailing list we will keep you up-to-date via these, alternatively keep an eye on our website for any updates. How to contact us? There is not usually anyone on site in the centre office at the moment, so please don’t call the centre. Please email admin@hoac.net with any queries. Staff are currently furloughed so response times may vary. I hope you all are all managing to stay safe during the latest lockdown and hopefully we will see you at the new site in the not too distant future Neil Maddock (Centre Principal) 2021 update By Neil Maddock | 4 January 2021 Happy New Year. I had hoped that by now I would have been able to give you a positive update announcing our new site and our plans for the coming season. Unfortunately we are not in that position yet and we still do not have confirmed plans for the season. I am sure this is very frustrating to hear, and i assure you that the staff at HOAC all feel the same, keen to move on and frustrated that we are not able to do so. We have packed up the current site and are eager and ready to move as soon as we are able to. Obviously as soon as we are able to share any news with you we will do so. If any boat owners wish to check on their boats please get in touch with the centre via admin@hoac.net and we will be able to arrange a time for you to come in In the meantime please ensure you stay safe and look after yourselves and your families and friends. HOAC AGM By Neil Maddock | 16 November 2020 We held our HOAC AGM on Thursday 12th November. For the first time ever this was an online meeting and to ensure we follow the correct protocol as suggested by the charities commission we would like to give our members the opportunity to vote on the key decisions that were highlighted at the meeting. Centre Report Draft Accounts Please read the draft minutes here Please vote here Voting will close on Sunday 22nd November HOAC Closure By Neil Maddock | 4 September 2020 HOAC to close due to HS2 From 1st October HOAC will be forced to close as the Centre finally succumbs to the advancing HS2 project. HOAC will continue to exist we have the funding in place to relocate and we will return. There will however be a period of time that we will be unable to operate. For the past few seasons HOAC have managed, with plenty of support from many influential people, to hold HS2 at bay and be able to continue offering this unique opportunity to a wide range of users. Those that have used the Centre this season will have seen how HS2 are advancing and closing in on us. 2020 season The 2020 season has been a very challenging one with managing both the disruption from HS2 and the Covid Pandemic. Despite that we have been very pleased to see so many people continuing to make use of the Centre through our Covid opening program and our summer holiday courses. Thank you all for managing to navigate our website (which wasn’t designed for how we have used it this summer) and apologies for those that have had issues trying to use it. I would also like to thank you for continuing to use the Centre despite having to navigate Dews Lane and the security teams on it. Seeing people making use of the facilities is what keeps us going and helps gain us political support when we are trying to negotiate our future. 2020 winter and beyond Unfortunately as already stated from 1st October we are being forced to close as HS2 will finally take over and destroy our Centre. We had always planned that when this day would come we would be able to move to a new site and continue our operations elsewhere. However due to stalled negotiations between HS2 and LBH (London Borough of Hillingdon) we are not yet ready to move to a new site, so the Centre will face a period of closure. At this stage we do not know how long we will be closed for or where our new site will be, however we are pushing the government hard to resolve the stalemate and hopefully in the near future I will be able to share some more positive news. We are still hopeful that by next Spring we will be operating at a new site. Membership Those with annual membership or longer deals, we thank you for your continued support of the Centre, as we will have a period of closure we can offer you a couple of options regarding your unused membership. We can refund you for the unused portion of your membership We can hold your membership fee and use this as a credit for future membership once we re-open. We would obviously prefer you to choose the 2nd option as this gives us greater negotiating power regarding our future with the safe knowledge that we have the support of our current members, and we will ensure that this deal is a better value than a refund. We will assume that if you do not contact us that you are happy to proceed with option 2. If at a later date you change your mind the refund option will still be available. When contacting the office please email admin@hoac.net we are still running with a smaller team in the office due to Covid-19 and may not always be around to answer the phones Boat Parking For those with boats at HOAC we will have staff continuing to ensure the Centre and your boats are stored safely so you are welcome to leave your boats at HOAC until such a point that we relocate. You will still be able to access the Centre to work on your boat or to take it away for a weekend trip for example. Access will need to be pre-planned with the office to ensure we have people here for you and that HS2 security are aware that you are coming. So regarding boat-parking we have a couple of options Leave your boat at HOAC with limited access Remove your boat from HOAC and get a credit for future boat parking once we re-open Remove your boat from HOAC and get a refund for your unused portion If you do not contact us we will assume you are happy for your boat to remain here. When contacting the office please email admin@hoac.net we are still running with a smaller team in the office due to Covid-19 and may not always be around to answer the phones Groups We are still hopeful that we will be able to run our school and groups program in 2021, we have groups reserving dates for the summer of 2021 and again this helps us with our negotiations and future planning. As we get further into the Autumn we will be in a better position to know what we can do and will contact all the groups booked in once we have more updates HOAC’s Future Although, at present our future doesn’t look particularly bright, HOAC will carry on once we get over this short-term closure. Due to our negotiations and persuasion the funding for moving HOAC is guaranteed and is written into the Hybrid Act, so HOAC will move and get funding to execute that move. I do hope you are able to continue to support the Centre as we negotiate this latest hurdle in what has been a 10-year battle. Once we re-open free from the shackles of the HS2 burden that has blighted the Centre for many seasons we can again look positively towards the future and start to re-build the Centre and continue to offer the unique facilities that you have all continued to enjoy. Thank you all for your continued support and we will see you back out on the water in 2021 Neil Maddock Centre Principal Contact us Name* First Last Email* Subject* Select an option... Membership Query Course Booking Query Groups Query Jobs Query Young Leaders Query General Query Message* HOAC Newsletter If selected, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription. Please subscribe me to your newsletter HOAC Brochure If selected, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription. Please send me your brochure