Minutes of the 17^th Annual General Meeting of the Hardy Orchid Society at Exeter Hall, Kidlington, Oxford on Sunday 28^th March 2010

1. Apologies for absence

There were no apologies for absence

2. Minutes of the last meeting held on 27 April 2009

On a proposal by Maren Talbot, seconded by Bill Temple, the minutes of the last AGM held on 27 April 2009 were adopted and signed by the Chairman.

3. Matters arising

There were no matters arising from the minutes.

4. Chairman’s Report

The Chairman presented his report, and noted that he was coming to the end of his 3 year period of office, during which time field trips had been expanded, the journal was still of a very high standard, with thanks to Mike Gasson, and lecture meetings continued to be excellent. A digital class had now been introduced into the photography competition, and he offered his thanks to Anne Kitchen & Christine Hughes for their help in running it. The online discussion forum had recently been introduced (with thanks to Vicki Batten, Bill Temple and Moira Tarrant). A successful OPAL Grant application had been made (with thanks to Mike Gasson) which resulted in a grant of almost £2000 being awarded to the HOS for a new PA system, the balance to be used for purchasing additional journals, and display material, and hardware for the seed sowing workshops that were being developed. There was considerable involvement of the HOS in conservation matters (thanks to Bill Temple). The Chairman offered his thanks to other members of the Committee for their help, and welcomed the new Chair, Celia Wright.

5. Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer offered his thanks to Tony Beresford for his help in preparing the accounts, which showed a £1000 increase in net value over the previous year. He noted that there would be no increase in subscriptions. On a proposal by Ann Kitchen, seconded by Iain Wright, the 2009/10 accounts were unanimously adopted.

6. Membership Secretary’s Report

The Membership Secretary presented her report, and informed the meeting that membership was buoyant, with total memberships was now 547, which represented 688 members.

7. Election of Officers and Committee

On a proposal by Ann Kitchen, seconded by Paddy Stephenson, the following Officers and Committee were unanimously voted into office :-

President                                                          Prof. Richard Bateman

Chairman                                                         Celia Wright

Vice Chairman                                                  David Hughes

Secretary                                                         Alan Leck

Treasurer                                                        John Wallington

Membership Secretary                                       Moira Tarrant

Plant Show Secretary                                        Vacant

Photo Show Secretary                                       Christine Hughes (ex Committee)

Journal Editor                                                  Mike Gasson

Kidlington & Wisley Meeting Organiser                Betty Barber

Harlow Carr Organiser                                      Vacant

Publicity Officer                                               Simon Tarrant

Seed Bank                                                       Philip Seaton

Journal Distributor                                           Iain Wright

Conservation Officer                                         Bill Temple

Website                                                           Bill Temple

Field Meetings                                                  Malcolm Brownsword

The Chairman asked for volunteers to fill vacant posts.

8. Election of Auditors

On a proposition by Anne Kitchen, seconded by Paddy Stephenson, Tony Beresford was unanimously appointed as Examiner of the Accounts for the ensuing year. In addition, a reserve examiner, Iain Wright, was elected in the event that Tony Beresford might be unavailable.

12. Any Other Business

A brief discussion took place about future dates for the AGM and Plant Show. It was noted that the venue had already been booked for next year. It was agreed that where possible, in future years, dates could alternate between March and April.

The next Spring Show and AGM will take place on 27 March 2011.