Corner House & Memorial Hall Annual Meeting

Tue 23 Sep, 18:53 (last edited on Tue 23 Sep, 19:01)

I’m writing as the Chair of the Deli & Café.  We have a shareholder meeting on Thursday – entirely by coincidence – when shareholders will be discussing options for the future of the business.  One of those will be an offer from the CH trustees for us to occupy the kitchen and Anne Downer room.

I find it helps in considering the sort of issues John outlines to refer to the original documents rather than relying on someone’s memory and/or interpretation of them.  I hope (John?) the actual wording as to the purpose(s) of the gift will be available to refer to at the meeting if not before.

All I have available just now are the restrictive provisions under para 7.  This states that: “No part of the Centre (ie the CH) shall at any time be let sold or used for the purposes of a …. restaurant café to or by any person or corporation for the purposes of individual personal or private profit” (my italics).   So to my mind, it’s the private profit aspect that’s important not the function itself – which in our case is designed both to provide a service to the community and an income for the Corner House - and would only take up part of the ground floor.

Para 7 goes on to exclude the sale of “intoxicating liquors” except for consumption  “in the cases of dinners suppers or Wedding Breakfasts”.  No off sales in other words.  And ‘dinners’ back then meant lunches!

The trustees’ offer to the Deli includes a prohibition on private profit being made, with any profits after expenses to be put to charitable use.  The restriction on alcohol sales is not total but is the basis on which shareholders will understand the offer is made, at least at present.

This will be a meeting called by the trustees not by us but as I understand it, its purpose is to seek people’s views, not to make any decision.  I currently intend to speak on behalf of the Deli to let people know our position.  But seeing Susie Finch’s comment, I hope this is a useful contribution.