Notes of AGM Meeting held on Monday 6th November 2017 at 7:30pm at Bramcote Memorial Hall.
25 members present. Apologies from Stan Heptinstall, Viv Chamberlain. Norman Clyde-Watson was in the Chair.
1. Matters Arising from AGM 2016
- Tree stumps on the left of the path, Markham Road site, have now been removed to reduce the risk to users.
The following Reports were presented:-
2. Chairman's Report
A copy of the full report is held by the secretary, Sheila Hardy.
- Implementation of the long-term Management Plan for the area had started with clearance of some trees & shrubs beneath the outcrop near the Bridle path. Other work will be incorporated in future Working Sessions.
- Norman reported that after much time & energy to obtain funding from the Lottery to create a new entrance to the Markham Road site, this had been rejected on the grounds that the land was not owned by the F of BR. Chris Riley of Broxtowe BC had assisted over many hours & meetings before submission of the application in February. Norman felt that had ownership been made clear as part of the conditions early on in the paperwork, the application would not have been made! Norman expressed his profound disappointment & thanked Chris Riley for all his help. It was decided that funding be sought from other sources as a last attempt to obtain funding for this project.
- For the 9th year, the Ridge was awarded the Green Flag Community Award having had a “Mystery Shopper” visit the site in October with a positive report of observing volunteers working for the Friends.
- An Award, by Wollaton Rotary Club, for “Service above Self” had been presented to F of BR & Norman had received it in July on behalf of the Friends.
- A new Wild Flower area will be established overlooking Thoresby Road.
- Help had been given by the Ambulance Service to a gentleman who had fallen on the site. Access to & locating the person had been difficult. A post giving the Postal Code & a Phone Number has now been sited, in case of future need.
- Norman concluded by thanking Chris Riley and Tim Crawford of BBC, Committee Members, Sandra Appleton for IT support, Geoff Fewkes for maintaining the Web Site and Enid Swetnam for organising Walks.
3. Treasurer’s Report
Eric Curtis circulated copies to members present. (Copy with Sheila Hardy).
- Currently Membership down a little at 45 including 2 Hon Members.
- Subscriptions at £5.00 per member and donations resulted in a Balance of £921.38 in hand.
Reminder – Membership Subscription to remain at £5.00 per member – now due (Nov 1st). Cheques, made payable to ‘Friends of Bramcote Ridge’ and passed to the Treasurer, Eric Curtis before the year end please.
YOUR SUPPORT IS VALUED & IMPORTANT.
4. Working Sessions Report
John Appleton reported (copy on file).
- An average of 10 members attended monthly sessions ( 12 last year ) but 19 turned out for the Bulb planting.
- Workdays included pathway clearing, seeding of Wildflower areas, repair of path edging, replace bark chips, cleaning signs, clearing shrubbery & general tidying.
- Monthly litter picking continued throughout the year.
Thanks to all who have helped in any way.
5. Bird & Butterfly Surveys
- 43 species of Birds recorded as seen on the Ridge including Buzzard & Tawny Owl.
- Butterflies - 19 species recorded including a late show of Red Admirals.
John thanked those who spent time undertaking these recordings.
6. Committee & Constitution
- The term ‘Vice’ to be removed from the Constitution as it was agreed it was not a functional post.
- The term ‘New’ to be removed as applied to the Committee. Changes approved by Members present.
All 7 current Committee Members are willing to continue at present and as no other Nominations were received, were re-elected unopposed.
7. AOB
- A Vote of Thanks was made by Enid Swetnam to the Chairman & the Committee.
The AGM meeting closed at 8:15pm followed by refreshments.
Norman then introduced Charles Langtree who spoke about the impact of Green Spaces to the Environment and the Community. A few of the benefits he mentioned of having & using Green Spaces included – reduced anxiety – fewer GP visits – improved mental health – acquiring new skills – reduction in pollution – water management & cleansing.
He encouraged Members to ‘Spread the Word’ whenever possible.
Questions followed and Charles was thanked on behalf of the Group.
The meeting ended at 9:15pm.
The Friends are always looking for extra pairs of hands to help out or to simply support their work, so...
- to find out when the next work session will take place, click here, or
- to find out about becoming a member please contact us here, or
- to discover what goes into managing the sites click here.
