2025 AGM report
The AGM was held on Wednesday 29th October and was very well attended by members of the Society. Speakers Secretary Cath Thomas had very kindly brought tins of chocolates which were handed round and gratefully received - thank you Cath!
Our Chairperson, Bill Lee, opened the meeting by thanking everyone for attending, noting how pleasing it was to see so many members. He also thanked the committee, and Gwennan, who manages the Society`s website, for their ongoing hard work, and for providing their time so readily. He also asked for volunteers to consider joining the committee to ensure the Society keeps moving forward.
Kath Pugh, our Treasurer, provided a breakdown of the Society`s finances, talking through the entries and giving additional information where required.
Our Show Secretary, Tim Prior, gave his report on this year`s annual show, noting the pleasing number of exhibitors and entries, and also the high quality of the exhibits. 11 children exhibited in various classes which was lovely to see, and again the exhibits were of a high standard. Tim thanked his team of helpers, also the 3 judges who willingly support the show, and all the exhibitors, without whom there would be no show. 2026 is our 50th annual show and will also sadly be Tim`s last, and any ideas on how to celebrate this anniversary are welcome.
There were some proposals for changes to the constitution and these were voted on, and unanimously agreed by the members present. Full details of these proposals will be outlined in the AGM minutes.
Cherrill Barrett, currently a general committee member, was voted into the post of Membership Secretary, Alan Price was elected as a general member and Steve Martin was co-opted on to the committee as Deputy Treasurer. The remaining committee members were unanimously re-elected.
Steve outlined the work of a subcommittee, made up of himself, Cherrill and Gwennan who have been meeting for a number of months to evaluate our current membership process. The subcommittee have been analysing whether the current process is fit for purpose, and if not, how the society can move forward to create a more streamlined, less manual process that’s easy for members and committee alike. The subcommittee is due to present their findings to the committee at the end of November, and members will be updated in the new year.
Members in attendance were also reminded of the increase to the annual subscription to the society which was raised from £5 to £10 per annum in January 2025. Over half our of membership have yet to pay the increased fee for 2025, and Cherrill Barrett and Cath Thomas have been working extremely hard over the last few months to contact members and correct their subscriptions.
The committee remain concerned that the same issue will occur in January 2026 when the next year’s subscription is paid and we implore you to check your standing orders and ensure you’ll be paying the correct £10 subscription for you and your partner/spouse.
We have thus far given a year’s grace as we work through our membership list but those who do not pay the correct £10 subscription will cease to be members in 2026.
We would again like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all those in attendance, and the whopping 27 who sent apologies ahead of time - it is fantastic to see we have such an engaged and supportive membership and we look forward to the new year and all we have to celebrate.
Full minutes of the AGM will be published on our website later this month.