Draft Minutes of The Fakenham Society Annual General Meeting

Held at The Gallow, Fakenham at 7.30pm on Thursday 21st March 2024

The Chairman welcomed 53 members to the meeting noting that the relevant papers, together with an invitation to raise any queries, had been circulated earlier in the month.

1. Apologies. Noted that apologies had been received from 4 members.

2. Minutes of the last AGM. No issues were raised and the meeting confirmed that the minutes were a true record of the previous AGM (23rd March 2023). Proposer: Rob Mallett, Seconder: Helen Shaw.

3. Matters arising. No matters had been raised beforehand and nothing was raised at the meeting itself.

4. Treasurer’s Report. The Society had benefitted greatly from the Lottery funding and enabled it to replace the audio/visual equipment at The Gallow, provide a subsidised trip for the members and engage in advertising activities. The Treasurer’s Report shows that the Society is in a more secure financial position than it was 18 months ago.

5. Chairman’s Report. The Chairman thanked the committee for their dedication and support throughout the year, facilitating a wide range of evening talks and events, and a social outing to Cromer Pier. He noted that the Lottery funding had allowed the Society to offer the above, and a reduction in subscription, but that this would need to revert to £25, the previous year’s amount, for the 24/25 season.

6. Election of officers and committee. The President of the Society, Dave Siseman, took the chair for this item. He took the opportunity to thank the outgoing committee for their hard work as an effective and cohesive team. The names standing for election for the new season were read to the meeting and the President recommended that they be elected en bloc. This was proposed by Colin Vogel and seconded by Susan Riddle, and a show of hands confirmed that the following were duly elected for 24/25:-

Officers: Neville Lunness-Barnes (Chairman), Sue Parry (Vice Chairman), Annie Cooper (Treasurer) and Annie Clausen-Reynolds & Roy Reynolds jointly as Secretary and Membership Secretary.

Other Committee roles: Steve Brettell (Meet & Greet), Steve Fuell (Health & Safety), Sue Parry (Speaker Finder) and Neville Lunness-Barnes (Audio Visual / IT).

The President stated that the committee was looking for a volunteer to organise a trip, and another to produce advertising graphics, then handed back to the Chairman.

9. Any other business. The incoming Chairman, Neville Lunness-Barnes, stated that the plans for the next season had already commenced and confirmed that the first evening would be Thursday 3rd October. He invited the Speaker Finder, Sue Parry, to update the meeting on the speakers arranged so far.

Before bringing the AGM to a close, the Chairman asked that members to spread the word about the Society, as new members are always welcomed to secure its future. A question was raised about reverting to a previous format for the meetings whereby directly after the talk there would be a break for coffee before the Q&A. The Chairman explained that the format had been changed because a number of members used the coffee break as an opportunity to leave. It was felt that this was awkward and embarrassing for both the hosts and the speakers.

The Chairman also mentioned that the theatre-style layout for the meetings enabled everyone to see the projected visual images during the talks. It was recognised that a table layout is more sociable so that where possible, this would be used in future.

No other business was raised and the meeting was closed by the Chairman.

The minutes are subject to approval by the membership at the 2025 AGM