EGM and AGM Report

Chairman Barry Reid welcomed 54 members to the Societies Extraordinary General Meeting which preceded the 54th Annual General Meeting, an impressive number and certainly the most there had been in attendance in many years.

The EGM had been arranged as, in order to gain consistency between the rules that had been put forward in order to safeguard the long term security of all of the Society assets, there was a need to update an existing rule that could only be amended at an EGM.  The motion was passed unanimously and so the EGM was closed. 

The AGM started by reflecting on the loss of two previous members, both of which had made important contributions to the Society, these being Frank Courtman and John Page, the latter the joint owner of Sam Hooks Sports. Both had previously been made honorary life members and a minute's silence was observed.

Moving on to other business, the minutes of the previous years AGM were agreed and both the Chairman and Treasurer gave verbal reports reflecting and updating those that had been previously circulated to members in the invite.

President Graham Denny made a welcome return following his forced absence the previous year. He commented on how great it was to see so many in attendance adding that it was a fantastic Society that delivered not only the fishing but a good mentally positive pastime for all involved. He reflected that none of what had been achieved was possible without  a dedicated committee with strong leadership and that as a result the Society continued to flourish, going on to say that whilst members enjoy the facilities they were often unaware of the work that went on in the background in order to provide them. He thanked the committee for their work and concluded by reinforcing the need for members to support the work parties.

All of the committee recommendations were approved. 

Subscriptions, which are now due, and must be paid by midnight on the 15th May, are now as follows, Seniors £70, Senior Citizens, Disabled and Intermediates £60, The proposal to increase the age of a senior citizen from 65 to 67 (age at the 16th June) was also approved. Subscriptions for Juniors remain free but donations are encouraged. Please note that paying in slips must still be returned for Juniors to confirm if they wish to retain their membership. Remember also that if you have changed your address then your I.D. Card should be returned so a new one can be issued (the same photo can be used). The price of joining fees, day memberships and guest memberships remain as last year.

The proposals to introduce the two major clauses were also approved. One dealt with the assets of the Society whilst the other covered procedures should the Society ever be dissolved. The wording of these had been extensively worked on, and legal advice sought from Fish Legal, in order to ensure that the land and assets that the Society own are protected for fishing, in the main for local anglers, in perpetuity.

Treasurer Paul Moss stood down from his position and was replaced by Mo Bridges whilst Kelly Pritchard came forward to fill the vacant position of Secretary. Having completed his three years as a committee member, Brer Cornish was re-appointed and was joined by Carl Hawes (previously co-opted for a year) and Christopher Philippou. All other Officers and Committee Members remained in post or were re-elected.

The Chairman presented Mrs Bridget Denny and Mrs Beverly Reid with flowers to thank them for their continued support after which Mrs Denny was invited to draw the raffle. Thanks are given to all those who donated raffle prizes including Avenue Angling for their support. Thanks also to Beth Harrison for providing cake, a first and welcome addition for our AGMs. The raffle raised £306 and concluded a very successful evenings business.

Photos show the general view of those in attendance.