AGM 2016

 

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting

held on 15th February 2016 at 7pm

 

1. Apologies: Janet Jones, Bridget Sachs, Jo White, Mike Inman

2. Minutes of 2015 were read and signed by Chairman Annie Inman as a true record. This was proposed by Jan Gasper and seconded by Mary Boon.

3. Matters arising: None

4. Chairman's Report:

The Society has had a good year. Again we have had an interesting variety of talks ranging from ' Snowdrops' last February to 'Birds in Devon Gardens' in November.Two successful outings were enjoyed. Forde Abbey looked wonderful on a beautiful day last May and Hidden Valley Gardens in September was equally stunning with wonderful late summer colour - the dahlias were 'to die for' and it was a very interesting and varied garden. Some even came home with raspberries and cut flowers!

Thank you to Janet, our outings secretary for her work. Also thank you to Janet for her work with the calendars. They have made a profit for the Society. There are still some available here. If anyone would like one. Please do take one and perhaps a small donation could be made to Martin.

Our social evening in May was in Jo White's beautiful garden and conservatory and was very much enjoyed. After a damp day we were treated to a drier interlude for the exploration of her garden.

Our shows - The Spring Fun Show was judged by David and Jenny Miles. Entries were slightly fewer but there was a good standard in all classes. The 'Decorated Hat Competition' provided amusement and was won by Kay Moore and the best exhibit was again from Stephen Pine; this time with his magnificent 'Maranta Prayer' plant.Our Summer Show was blessed with lovely weather. Our guest of honour was Michael Parle, who helps so much with our part of the Meavy website; Jenny Sharp also is an invaluable help with her computing of the results.

There was a high standard of entries in all classes and the show went really well. The only sadness was the disappearance of most of the money raised from the sale of teas during the prize giving. Hopefully we have learned some lessons from this.Many thanks to David, our show secretary for all his hard work. David had also organised a new design of prize cards.David, Kay and Janet manned our stall at the Meavy Oak Fair and we received £250 from the Oak Fair Committee.

We have been delighted to welcome some new members in the last year, have said farewell to some who have moved away and sadly we know of three recent members who have died. Denis Walker, Joan Down and Christine Maddock.We have felt it necessary to put up the subscriptions to £7.00 for a single member and £10.00 for a couple. Fees, and in particular travel costs, for speakers has continued to rise. In the future we may decide just to offer one rate membership.

On the committee front, Lis Mawhinney resigned due to pressure of commitments and we welcome Dave Carter who we co-opted in January.I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to a very hard working and supportive committee. I feel I must mention Martin's work as Treasurer and Kay's work as Secretary but if I start mentioning any more names I will leave someone out! The Society would not function without your hard work. Thank you to you all.

5. Treasurer's Report:

Martin thanked Gordon Duffy for auditing the books and Michael Parle for maintaining the website. Martin said that he had revised our 'Dear Neighbour' letter to ensure new households knew something of the MGS and said that copies were available so that they could be spread around the members local area.

Martin reported that we had welcomed several visitors to the Society and they were now being charged £2.00 entry fee. Due to the unfortunate loss during the Summer Show, the proceeds of teas and cake sales have been combined throughout the year. Martin explained that out net income was a little down. Meavy Parish Hall Committee have increased their hire charges for 2016, so that we expect to pay some £250 including any use of AV equipment.

You will note the significant increase in speaker's charges. This varies a little year on year depending on which particular speakers and their travelling, but almost always goes one way!

The Summer Show date on the large advertising banners will need revising each year but the fee is small.

Having made a surplus in 2014 our normal activities made a loss in 2015. Now for some good news!

Under Special Donations our thanks go to all who manned (or womanned) the plants stall at Meavy Oak Fair, and the MOF Committee were most generous. Kay held a tea and cake day and Joyce Williams made a donation.

The calendars, organised mainly by Janet Jones, made a surplus of £154.00 and further proceeds at the years' end brought this to £199.00. Also, Mike Ashton brought £30.00 from sales of scrap Aluminium, and Sylvia Gokhale £90.00 of proceeds from tea sales. Thus turning our deficit into a grand surplus of £647.00, and giving a healthy bank balance.

Publicity. The local village magazines are very willing to print what we send and we have occasional mentions in most of them . My grateful thanks go to Annie and Stephen for writing interesting and often technical reports for the Tavistock Times. Nine reports and several advance notices were printed. However, our need is for someone to actively take on the publicity role to keep everything up to date.

6. Committee

6a.  Cyril Sparey spoke on behalf of the members to express thanks to Annie and the Committee for all their hard work. He proposed the re-election of the Committee.

6b.  Election of the Committee: All existing committee members were willing to continue to stand. Committee members were re-elected en bloc. All were in agreement. The Treasurer's report was also accepted by the meeting proposed by Mary Helby and seconded by Stephen Pine.

7 The Year Ahead and Outings:

The Spring Fun Show will be held on 14th March 2015 - the second Monday rather than the third. The schedule is on the back of the January news letter. The different class this year is an arrangement in an egg cup! The emphasis is on 'FUN' so please do enter! Staging of entries is from 7pm. Mrs Joey Warren will be the judge and there will be 'finger food' kindly provided by the committee, a raffle and some light- hearted competitions. Donations of raffle prizes will be very much appreciated.

Our talks, after Joice Reith's talk tonight on the Scillies - Hostas, Carnivorous Plants, Planting a Perennial Border, Pruning of popular shrubs, Clematis, Medicine in the Garden and Winter Cheer.

There will be a member's plant stall at the May meeting. If you can, please grow seedlings or cuttings for that. It raises funds for the Society.

Other events that members may be interested in going to: Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at Boconnoc April 2nd and 3rd. Powderham Castle Garden festival on Friday 29th and Saturday 30th April Fortescue Garden Lecture on Tuesday 12th April, Kieth Wiley. Need to ring the Garden House to book.Sheepstor Open Gardens June 4th and 5th Meavy Oak Fair will be on Saturday 18th June.

OutingsCoach Outing on Thursday 12th May to Pinsla Garden and Trelissick £30.00NT members will have their entrance £7.80 refunded on the day, on production of their NT Membership cards. Coffee and tea for sale at Pinsla.Wednesday 14th September Coombe Trenchard. Afternoon outing in private cars. £11.00 for entry and tea and cake on arrival. Gardens, tour of the house - main reception rooms - disappearing wall, and a talk from the owner.Possible Wild Flower Meadow Walk - Paul Rendell. Max 20 people. 2.5 - 3 miles. Paul £40.00 plus £5.00 per person for a cream tea. Possible dates Tues 14th , Wed 15th, Thurs 16th (preferred date) or Tues 21st June.The Social Evening is in the process of being arranged.

8 AOB:

Sylvia Gokhale made an appeal for volunteers to put their name on the list for helping with teas and coffee throughout the year.

Meeting closed at 20.00 hours.

After the AGM, members were treated to a talk by Joice Reith, a MGS Member on the Scillies.

THE SCILLIES BY JOICE REITH AND ASSISTED BY DAVE CARTER

We arrive on Scilly by Scillonia or small aircraft. The islands were once all one but with the rising of sea levels they became five large islands and many small islets. The first inhabitants were about 1500BC and the remains of many from the Bronze Age have been found.

The Granite on Scilly is very different to that of Dartmoor, much coarser and softer and the soil, being near the sea, is very free draining.

Monks settled in St Nicholas Abbey in about 1042, part of Tavistock Abbey. In about 1549 the islands started to be fortified. The old blockhouses and walls had fallen into disrepair. Cromwell's Castle and Star Castle was started in 1593 and it is now a hotel. The guns around the defences are replicas of the originals and were put there in the 1960's.

The islanders relied on shipbuilding and fishing and this was once a fairly substantial living. Wrecks, of which there are many, provided a supplement, the latest being found in March 1997. It was amazing what was in the cargo, clothes, tyres, toys, batteries, tobacco etc. In 1834 shipbuilding was declining and the islanders did not have much to fall back on.

A certain Augustas Smith visited the islands. He was a wealthy young man and decided to help. He leased the islands and became Lord Proprietor. He decided that the only way to help was to rule the islands with a strict hand. He settled on Tresco and built a school. Children had to go to school for a halfpenny but if they stayed away it cost a penny. The girls were taught housekeeping skills and the boys Navigation and Seamanship. He finished the church on Tresco and extended the quay. he then set about making the gardens for which Tresco is famed. Many of the boys, who were now on Merchant Ships, travelling all over the world. They brought back rare and unusual plants and seeds from exotic places, thus bringing a great diversity from all over the world to the islands.

Joice showed the members several wonderful slides from her many holidays taken on the Scillies. These lovely slides covered historic buildings, and the beautiful flora and fauna of the Scillies. She brought a couple of samples of rocks to demonstrate the difference from Dartmoor granite.

The audience thoroughly enjoyed her talk and slides.

 

A post meeting note.

Coombe Trenchard : The committee decided to revert to Coombe Trenchard's original offer of Tea and homemade biscuits on arrival for £9.50 per person.

Wild Flower Walk has been booked for Thursday 16th June at 2pm at Postbridge. Cream Tea is £5.50.

The Social Evening will be on Thursday 26th May between 6 and 8pm by kind invitation of Captain and Mrs David Wixon (David and Poppet)