Page 5 - ALG Issue 3 2016

chairman’scomments
I am sitting here on a beautiful Sunday morning; in fact, it is the day following our 2016 Annual General Meeting. I should really be outside on my allotment, not slaving away here; however, I know this item has to be in immediately after the weekend so here I am.
be able to be amended via the correct process. Instead of keeping these rules for the next sixteen years, perhaps we should consider making amendments as they become necessary; maybe a change in the law, such as the recent one making full audits unnecessary for smaller companies such as ours, or changes in technology that may make electronic proxies, electronic voting or even electronic meetings viable. Well drafted proposals and amendments can only
The AGM, held at the Royal Hotel York yesterday, on Saturday
4th June, was attended by over 100 people and I believe it was a successful meeting. Our thanks must go to our NAS staff and the staff of the hotel for the physical success of the
day. Of course, the main business of the day was
the three motions and the many amendments.
I must, at this stage, thank the members of the
Rules Sub Committee who have spent many
days on this re-write and, in particular, Jenny
Crawford and Jeff Barber who must have
spent literally hundreds of hours on the project
culminating in his presentation to the meeting; thanks Jeff. Of course, we have to also thank the many people and organisations who took the time and trouble to read, comment on, suggest alterations to and generally help produce the nished product.
Of course, the Draft Version 3.0, before it could be voted on, was subjected to several proposed amendments. The eventual vote
on the Draft Version 3.0, as amended, was voted for by a heavy majority. The rules, of course, remain a draft until the document
is approved by the FCA, which hopefully will only be a matter of weeks. We will then be governed by a set of rules that are t for the 21st century. As I have said before, I believe that rules should
fromthepresident
Dear Members,
Having just returned from York where we held this year’s AGM, let me rst thank all of you that attended and all that sent in their proxy votes. The AGM is an important event in the NAS year; it is an opportunity for the members to get together
and to have their say, discuss matters and make decisions concerning your Society. The rules that have been worked
on for the past two years were, after some
discussion, passed and we look forward to
going into the next phase of the Society with
rules appropriate for a modern Society.
bene t the rules and those of us that they seek to govern.
One part of the meeting that we all enjoyed was the presentations, by the President, of several awards; Honorary Life Memberships, Honorary Life Vice Presidents and, of course, the Jim Tandy Award. There is neither time nor space to do justice to this part of the proceedings, so
I will leave it to others who will no doubt give fuller accounts of the day’s events.
I will close these notes by thanking those people who came along to support the AGM with their trade stands and I hope that they found the day worth the effort they put in. There would be no Annual General Meeting if it were not for the effort that you, the members, put in to attend the meeting. I know that some of you travelled hundreds of miles to attend and to you all, I extend my personal and warmest thanks.
Tony Heeson,
Management Committee Chairman
at the Suffolk County Show; we thank all members that do this excellent promotional work throughout the year. Of course, we are all preparing for this year’s National Allotments week from 8-14th August when we really go to town and show vast amounts of people what allotmenteering is all about. Our theme of ‘Growing Together’ this year is so important and the cornerstone of the allotment movement, ensuring an all-inclusive opportunity for a
The work continues and Diane Appleyard
and I will shortly be making our way to
Brighton to represent the Society at the
Faculty of Public Health (FPH) Annual
Conference in Partnership with the Royal
College of Nursing. We shall be exhibiting the
work of allotments relating to health issues
and making some new and important connections, which will further raise our pro le in the health sector.
The season is upon us when you will be representing the Society at your local shows. Leeds has once again gained Premier Gold at Harrogate and Suffolk has received another Gold
One part of the meeting that we all enjoyed was the presentations
I will remind you once again to be on the lookout for your next President as this is my nal year...
recreational activity that has so many bene ts, as well as feeding our families with wholesome food. I wish you all good weather for your open days and shows.
I will remind you once again to be on the lookout for your next President as this is my nal year and we need to be considering proposals so that you have a good selection of candidates from which to choose.
Where are those projects I asked for? I want to tell the world about the work you all do!
Hoping you all enjoy a good summer.
Karen
Your President karen.kenny@homecall.co.uk 01473 718874
Head Of ce
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