Trip reports
34th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Sunday, 5 August 2007
Present: 27 members. List of names attached to official copy of these minutes.
1. Welcome Derek Lyford, Group Leader, welcomed all present.
2. Apologies Ray Thatcher, Pete Adams, Jane Baldwin, John Booth.
3. Minutes of 2006 AGM: The minutes were approved.
Proposed: Bob Philpott. Seconded: Lyn Adams.
4. Group Report: Kathleen Wyatt thanked everyone who had made the past year another happy and successful one. As always, many people had been involved in organising, helping at, and attending events, ranging from our monthly talks and slide shows to farm surveys and helping on sales stalls and servicing sales points for pin badges. Work was ongoing at Brook Meadow reserve. Also, after a gap of a few years, this year a weekend away trip was held, the venue being Kent.
We currently had 109 group members.
5. Treasurer's Report: Ray Thatcher had produced copies of the audited accounts, which were circulated to all present. Ray was unable to be present at the meeting as he was in hospital, so on his behalf Derek thanked everyone who had helped in any way to achieve this year's good results. Our finances remained very healthy. The accounts had been audited by June Webb, as David Bavin had moved to another part of the country during the past year. It was unanimously agreed to give this year's donation to the new Manor Farm reserve.
6. Election of Committee for 2007/2008: Vic Austin stepped down as field trip organiser. Derek said that as field trips were not very popular at the moment, none would be run this coming year unless there were requests for trips to a particular place. Therefore it was not necessary to vote to fill the vacancy. The remainder of the committee were re-elected unanimously. They are as follows:
Group Leader and Newsletter Editor Derek Lyford
Treasurer Ry Thatcher
Secretary and Membership Kathleen Wyatt
Talks Organiser Vera Raymont
Birdseed Sales Sylvia Pilot
7. Appointment of Community Talks Organiser: Brian Timbrell was re-appointed.
8. Appointment of Website Manager: Bob Philpott stepped down from this post. Derek said that this matter was in abeyance until problems with the RSPB website had been resolved.
9. Appointment of Auditor: The appointment of June Webb, who had audited this year's accounts, was confirmed.
10. Close of Meeting: Derek Lyford declared the meeting closed at 8.05 pm.
After the interval, Patrick Cashman, Manager of the new Manor Farm reserve on Salisbury Plain, gave us an illustrated talk about his first year's work on the farm and arranged a date for us to visit.