Have your say on the future of your region at the North West’s upcoming AGM!

The North West Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be taking place this year on 15 October with nominations being open until 1 October. This is an opportunity for members in the region to give their own feedback and have a say on how the sport moves forward. 

The AGM is an important event in the planning of new initiatives in the North West region and the committee secretary, Lee Mathison, is hoping to gain valuable insight into the wants and needs of members across the region, saying: “What we are hoping for in the AGM is to have members give their feedback in terms of what they think we should be focused on. 

“The reason behind that feedback from the member community is then to develop a twelve-month to three-year plan. It’s also to make sure that we’re clear on what initiatives we are going to focus on as well as whether we need to secure funding or resources to make it happen.” 

This year’s AGM will be held virtually, with the committee drawing from their previous experience of operating online. 

“We have what we call ‘coaches network’ and we held the first session online using Zoom,” said Mathison. 

“I think because the North West is such a large region, going from the border with Scotland all the way down to Merseyside and Manchester, we are looking to use technology more,” he added. 

Looking forward to the AGM in October, Mathison commented: “The main purpose is to reflect on what’s happened in the year. So, all of the members will give an update and it gives an opportunity to go through any notifications. 

“One of the key things that we are looking to do is bring in a new constitution which is on the back of all of the work that the regions have been doing with Triathlon England.” 

The previous AGM was well attended and Mathison hopes to continue that enthusiasm to grow the sport within the region, saying: “There is a new committee that consists of a blend of coaches, athletes and parents and we are looking to add representation for officials as well which is important. 

“We’re looking to improve engagement, so our club coordinator, Sarah Scott, has already been working on that and we’re starting to look at new initiatives going forwards. For example, how can we bring more young coaches into the sport?” 

This year’s AGM is an exciting opportunity for members in the region. Whilst the past six months have been difficult as a result of the pandemic, the committee have a lot of ambition for the region going forwards. 

“This year we were hoping to try and run a few initiatives to raise the profile and effectively try and create more of a community across the North West where we have clubs, athletes, event organisers and officials all involved in that to try and improve the sport,” said Mathison. 

“We want people to get involved. Either by joining the committee or getting involved through activities across the region.” 

You can get in touch with your regional manager here