1. APOLOGIES: Cyril and Joan Sparey, Sonja Cheadle, Caroline Jennings, Lis Mawhinney, Barbara Walsh, Janet Jones, Gaynor Shaw, Chris Gibson, Anne Hilton-Evans.

2. MINUTES FROM AGM ON 20TH FEBRUARY 2017: The minutes were read and signed as a true record by Chairman Annie Inman.

3. MATTERS ARISING: None

4. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT: Read by Chairman Annie Inman. “Again I feel The Society has had a good and active year. We have had an interesting variety of speakers ranging from ‘Nerines’, to ‘Honey Bees’ to ‘How to Rejuvenate a Tired Garden’. Thank you to Gaynor, our Programme Secretary. Several speakers have brought plants to sell and we also have had members with plants to sell on several occasions who have kindly donated the funds to the Society. Mike Ashton also collects silver foil and aluminium foil and sells it to raise funds for us.

We had two successful shows – our Spring Fun Show last March and our Summer Show. Thank you to David Winter our show secretary.

Our Social evening, where we were kindly invited to David and John Stratford’s garden was rather dampened by the weather, but 15 stalwart members still managed to make it an event! And it was a beautiful garden despite the weather.

Our two outings were very successful – I was not on the visit to Thorn near Wembury but it seemed to be much enjoyed even if initially half the party ended up in a different place nearby! And the trip to Abbotsbury in September was also much enjoyed. Thank you to Janet our Outings Secretary.

The usual Society again ran the plant stall at the Meavy Oak Fair and at our summer show, manned by committee members. Also, some members help with the Meavy School Gardening Club under the leadership of Patrick. If there is another person who would like to help with this Patrick has said that they would be welcomed. You do have to have a DBS check done.

A team took part in the Inter-garden club quiz and came 3rd.

Michael Parle kindly continues to manage the Meavy website which includes the Garden Society part of it. Kay Moore, our Secretary also via this website organises the e-mails to the membership each month. Thank you to Kay.

All of this does not go on without a lot of background work. All the committee and others work very hard in all sorts of ways and I am enormously appreciative of all their support.

Martin Burt is stepping down from the committee after many, many years and he has worked tirelessly for the Society and really still does. He was the Treasurer for a long time and has been very involved always with the publicity – getting posters printed in Tavistock, going around putting them up, sending reports to the Tavistock Times. And in many more ways.

If I mentioned everyone we would be here for a long time, so I would like to end by a huge thank you to the committee and to everyone who has helped in all sorts of ways.

Committee 2017 has been:

Annie Inman Chairman Brenda Burt Vice Chairman

Sylvia Gokhale Treasurer Kay Moore Secretary

Gaynor Shaw Programme Secretary Martin Burt

David Winter Show Secretary Joice Reith

Janet Jones Outings Secretary David Carter

Gill Knight (Co-opted… teas) Mike Ashton

Stephen Pine (Co-opted …report writer)

Martin stepping down. Gill to be an elected member.

To co-opt Stephen Pine and Liz Brown

5. TREASURER’S REPORT: The report was read by Sylvia Gokhale. She also added her thanks to Martin Burt for his hard work over the years as Treasurer and for leaving the books in such good order as well as for his help with her transition to Treasurer. Sylvia reported that the Society had a small surplus and that the books had been audited by Gordon Duffey. She said that we will need to find a new auditor for 2018 as Gordon is hoping to move soon.

Sylvia said that the Donation received from the Meavy Oak fair was down from previous years. She expected that there will be a few printing costs to be incurred in 2018, as printing will be done by Dart Print. Sylvia provided a Society Income and Expenditure document which Society members were able to read. In summary, the Society is currently in a healthy financial state.

6. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE: On behalf of Cyril Sparey (our President), Mary Helby thanked the committee for all their hard work. The re-election of the committee en bloc was proposed by Mary Helby and was approved by acclamation. Annie explained to the members that we have 11 elected members and 2 co-opted as per the Society’s Constitution.

7. THE YEAR AHEAD: The Spring Fun Show is on March 19th. The Schedule is on the back of the January news letter. The different class this year is a Spring Posy of flowers. The emphasis of the show is on ‘fun’ so please do enter! Staging of entries is from 7pm. Dr Frances Howard will be our 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 much appreciated.

Our talks, after Patrick’s talk tonight on Sheepstor Open Gardens will cover Growing Vegetables, Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Butterflies and Moths, Alpines, Ferns and Gladiolus.

We plan to have a table available if members have any plants or seedlings to sell or share at a meeting but if you bring anything, please take it home again if it has not been sold!

The Summer Show’s special class is to grow a Cosmos of any variety, so you need to purchase your chosen seeds soon.

Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show at Boconnoc is on 7th and 8th April – if any member plans to go and has spare seats, please let members know.

OUTINGS: The Coach outing will be on Thursday 24th May to Tremenheere Sculpture Garden and Trengwaington near Penzance. A 27seater coach has been booked. It will leave Dousland at 8.30am and be at Yelverton for 8.40am. In shared cars – Trematon Castle near Saltash will be on Friday 31st August.

SOCIAL EVENING: This will likely be on Monday 4th June at Annie’s garden at Moorholme.

Anyone who would like to receive the e-mails, please give your e-mail address to Kay who will pass it onto Michael Parle. You will be asked to agree to receive the e-mails. Your details will not be shared with any other party.

8. AOB: Dave Carter brought a Clivia for sale and Derek Hall some Sweet Pea seedlings and home-made plant stands. Joice Reith will be taking orders for Grit and Compost next month