Page 58 - Simply Vegetables Summer 2023

Southern Branch
MEMBERS 50000 TO 59999
Chairman’s Report
Southern Branch
Championships
2023
We look forward to welcoming everyone to the Southern Branch Championships, 25-27 July, at The New Forest Show Showground, New Park, Brockenhurst, Hants, SO42 7QH. T: 01590 622400 www.newforestshow.co.uk
The show schedule is available
on the NVS and NFS websites. This year’s front cover is courtesy of Erica Tully from County Roscommon, Ireland. Many thanks for the photo, Erica!
SHOW INFORMATION:
Traffic to the New Forest Show is always heavy and can cause lengthy delays getting into the showground.
If you are staging exhibits on Tuesday morning, please leave PLENTY of time to allow for traffic. Staging finishes at 8am prompt.
The Purple Gate is well sign posted and brings you closest to the Flower Show marquee where the Vegetable section is located.
Exhibitors wishing to collect their entries on Thursday can gain entry to the show after 4pm without the need for a ticket.
For those lucky enough to win prize money in the NVS show, if you would like to be paid by BACS instead of cheque, please provide your bank details to our Treasurer Helen Cox at the show. BACS payments will be made AFTER the show, not on the day. Prize money for the NF Open Show is made via prize money cards which can be redeemed at the show on the day or afterwards by contacting the NF Show Office.
Exhibitors and their partners are cordially invited to a social evening on Tuesday 25th July from 7pm. Please ask for details when you enter your exhibits.
We look forward to welcoming visitors to the show. Good luck to all our exhibitors.
Ali Clarke
Show Secretary
The Southern Branch held their AGM
on Monday, 17th April 2023 via Zoom.
It was intended that this be held at the RHS Gardens Wisley on 16th April as
a hybrid live and Zoom event but for
two reasons, we decide to hold it only via Zoom. These reasons were, and the main one being, that with me not able to drive yet due to medical reasons it would be almost impossible for me to get to Wisley. The second was that there was no IT available in the room that we were allocated and would therefore be unable to also use Zoom. All things being well we will hold a hybrid AGM in 2024.
The Zoom AGM was attended by 19 members with apologies received from 6 members. After the Chairmans Welcome, a brief resume of the 2022 AGM held at the Thatchers Hotel was given which was followed by the Chairmans Report for 2022. A key element
of the Report was that
most DA’s reported that
meeting numbers in 2022
had not yet achieved Pre-
Pandemic levels, which is
somewhat disappointing.
Neil Hope then gave his
final annual report as
Treasurer of the Southern
Branch as his replacement has now been found.
It was noted in the Membership Secretaries Report that membership has fallen against the numbers reported at the 2022 AGM and is reflected across all NVS Branches. We are also looking to recruit
a new Membership Secretary for the Southern Branch thus allowing Norman Dickinson to concentrate on National Membership Registrar duties. All interested members please contact Norman, his details are in the SV magazine.
Neil Hope took the meeting for the election of the Chairman, Norman Dickinson, who was duly proposed, seconded and unanimously voted in, using the polling facility in Zoom, as
were all votes. Jan Lovel (Secretary), Helen Cox (new Treasurer) and Norman Dickinson (Membership Secretary) were all individually nominated, seconded and voted in. A block vote for the Committee Members made up of Ali Clarke, Ian Clemens, George Francis, Barbara Gould, Nigel Gould, Andrew Green, Keith Hine, Kelvin Mason, Chris Passey, Emily Plumb,
Fred Plumb and Sherie Plumb was taken with only 1 vote against. As the Zoom polling is anonymous, we do not know who voted against.
Ali Clarke provided a brief report on
the progress of the Southern Branch Championships scheduled for the end of July, where she reported that progress is going well. There were a number of items raised under Any Other Business, some
of which will need to be discussed at the next Trustee Meeting on 25th April. A copy of the 2023 AGM Minutes together with all Reports has been circulated to Southern Branch members via email.
Neil Hope finally stood down as Southern Branch Treasurer after several years of trying to do so. On behalf of all Southern Branch members, I thank Neil for all of the hard work that he has put into the Branch over many many years and wish him well
for his “retirement” As
a mark of appreciation, the Committee at our meeting on 13th April offered Neil the position of Southern Branch President, which I
am pleased to say, he accepted, (although we would not have accepted
a no response) and as some of you may know, Neil is also one of a reducing number of National Vice-Presidents.
I mentioned in the last SV that we welcomed Helen Cox as Neil’s Assistant Treasurer. As noted above, she has now been formally voted in as Branch Treasurer and has full access to the TSB bank account, including on-line banking. Any Branch financial issues should be made to Helen and not to Neil.
No final decision regarding my allotment has yet been made but the likelihood is that I will give it up when the rent becomes due in September. This will also mean that I must relocate my bees to home, which will not be too much of a problem. I have also decided to cut back this year on growing for Show, concentrating on produce for the table. Most of which will be under cover here at home.
However and whatever you grow may you have success and enjoy the fruits of your labour.
Norman Dickinson F.N.V.S. Southern Branch Chairman
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We are also looking to recruit a new Membership Secretary