The Lower Windrush Garden Club is administered by a club president and a vice president and a committee elected by the members.
The Committee has a chair person, secretary, treasurer and a show secretary. Other committee members take other duties of publicity, membership and help look after the general running of club meetings and outings.
Our Annual General Meeting is held every year in September. This is a public meeting and can be attended by anyone interested.
The minutes of the most recent AGM can be viewed below.
Our Organisation Constitution can be downloaded by following the link at the bottom of the page.
The Committee has a chair person, secretary, treasurer and a show secretary. Other committee members take other duties of publicity, membership and help look after the general running of club meetings and outings.
Our Annual General Meeting is held every year in September. This is a public meeting and can be attended by anyone interested.
The minutes of the most recent AGM can be viewed below.
Our Organisation Constitution can be downloaded by following the link at the bottom of the page.
LOWER WINDRUSH GARDEN CLUB.
Minutes of the 42nd AGM held by Zoom on 22 September 2020.
Due to the restrictions caused by Covid-19, the AGM was held using the video meeting website Zoom. All Club members had previously been posted a ballot paper with relevant documents to enable them to vote on items detailed on the AGM agenda. By the deadline for replies, noon on 22nd September 2020, 20 completed ballot papers had been received. The Chairman, Paula Gaffney, hosted the Zoom meeting which was attended by 14 members of the club which was adequate to constitute the quorum required by the Constitution.
Message from the President.
The President, Eva Rogers, had sent a message to the AGM which was read out by her deputy Paula Gaffney. She welcomed everyone to this most unusual AGM and detailed that this had been a most difficult year for us all due to the Pandemic. She thanked the Committee and Club members for their support while so many of the Club’s activities had to be cancelled. In spite of the problems she did highlight the success of the May plant sale, June photographic completion and the September scaled down Annual Show. She also thanked the Chairman, Paula Gaffney and the Show Secretary, Emma Welch, for all their commitment and hard work, and with the hope that things will return to normal in the near future.
Matters Arising
The Chairman asked if there were any matters arising or comments regarding the 2019 AGM minutes. As there were no matters arising the 2019 AGM minutes were approved.
Chairperson’s Report.
Paula Gaffney thanked all Committee member for their help and support, without which the Club would not be able to operate. She also thanked the President Eva Rogers and Vice-President Bob Perry for always being on hand to offer advice and suggestions.
She then reviewed the Club’s activities during the year which had been much hampered from February onwards by the coronavirus restrictions.
The year had started well with the Christmas meal at The Plough in Alvescot organised by Peter Fullerton. Four meetings with speakers had been held during the year, and despite social distance restrictions the annual plant sale successfully held in May thanks to Emma, Gillian and Lin. A slightly slimmed down Annual Produce Show had been arranged in September, and she thanked Emma for making the show possible, it was the only produce show to be held in the local area this year.
She also thanked Emma for running the photo competition in June, and for keeping the Garden Club website up and running which had been a really useful source of information and enabled the Club to keep in touch with members.
Treasurer’s report.
The Treasurer presented the Club accounts for 2019/20 and said that the Club’s finances remain in a healthy state with a surplus of £681 fo the year. This was partly due to the fact that we had not been paying as much on rent or speakers as expected. She had recommended, and the committee had approved, a reduction in subscription of only £10 for the year 2020-2021. She thanked Ian Bone for once again having audited the Club Accounts.
The Chairman then asked for any comments, and as none were made she proposed approval of the accounts. The meeting showed approval with a show of hands, none dissenting and the returned ballots papers were also in favour of approval.
Events Secretary’s Report.
Speaking as Events Secretary for the year 2019, Paula Gaffney said that the year started well with speakers in October, November, January and February but then everything was halted due to Covid-19.
The evening outing planned to Bunkers Hill and the visit to Bowood House had, with much regret, had to be cancelled due to Covid-19.
She would try and reschedule our speakers over the next year, but everything would be dependent on coronavirus restrictions.
Show Secretary’s report.
Emma Welch said that it had been a very strange year. It was a real pity that we had been unable to run the Spring and Summer Show but a joy to have been able to organise a socially distanced Annual Show. Instead of the Summer Show we held a summer rose and scented flower photo competition. All the entries can be viewed in the gallery on the Website. Anne Carter was the winner with a beautiful photograph of the rose James Galway.
The Annual Show was a great success, and she thanked everyone who exhibited, visited, judged and helped run the show in any way. It was brilliant to see some fabulous produce, particularly from the allotments, and also some new participants and exhibitors for the first time this year.
She congratulated Eva Rogers for winning the Cyril Collins Cup for the highest points in total at the shows this year. All other trophy winners and category results can be viewed on the website. She also thanked Ian Bone for taking photographs of the 2020 show which will mark it as one quite different from normal years but which had been well attended and with a lovely atmosphere.
Constitution.
The Chairman explained that the Committee had deemed it necessary for two amendments to be made to the original Club Constitution. The first was to bring it into line with the current Club organisational structure and the second to permit internet banking for the Club.
The Chairman then asked for any comments, and as none were made she proposed approval of the revised constitution. The meeting showed approval with a show of hands, none dissenting, and the returned ballots papers were also in favour of approval. The revised constitution will be adopted by the Club.
Election of new committee Members.
The Chairman said that all members of the Committee, including herself, have retired from the Committee:
Lin Burton , Emma Welch, Peter Fullerton, Gillian Tarran, Jane Everex , Julie Geller and Christine Bone.
Lin, Peter, Emma, Gillian, Jane, Julie and Paula have kindly volunteered to serve again.
The Chairman, therefore, proposed that all willing retiring Committee members be re-elected. This proposal was approved with a show of hands and the returned ballot papers.
Annual Subscription.
The Chairman said that in the light of Covid-19 restrictions, and the uncertainty of what will happen over the next 12 months, the Committee had recommended that the subscription for 2020/21 should be reduced to £10. Members would still be able to receive the club discounts at local nurseries and garden centres and the committee would work to try and hold events within the constraints of the Covid-19 restrictions. The paper voting ballots were all in favour of this proposal, and she asked for added confirmation by a show of hands. This was duly confirmed.
Other Business.
- It was noted that members subscriptions are due between now and the end of October.
They can be made via bank transfer, cheque or cash. Details will be posted or emailed to members with the AGM minutes.
- No Christmas dinner is planned for this year.
- The orders for bulbs placed by members with Eva Rogers will be available shortly as will the daffodil bulbs for next year’s Spring Show. If members would like to have the club bulbs collection/delivery can be arranged by contacting Eva Rogers. Contact details to be sent out / emailed with the AGM minutes
- Members are invited to keep an eye for further announcements on the Club website at: www.lowerwindrushgardenclub.weebly.com
- Emma will be producing the 2021 Spring and Summer show schedules which will be available on the website or paper copies by post on request.
Closure of meeting.
Before closing the meeting Paula thanked everyone for attending the the AGM by zoom and she hoped that the club would be able to get back to normal meetings in the not too distant future
| lwgc_constitution.pdf |
