Back ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 19TH NOVEMBER 2011

Our Annual General Meeting was held last Saturday, the 19th November. Our day started with a sunny walk, led by Mike. We met in the car park of Rodborough Tabernacle URC and headed down into the valley at Lightpill. From there we climbed up to Selsley, pausing to look in the church before continuing to the top of Selsley Common where we had some wonderful views over the Severn Valley. Our path then took us down into the valley, past Woodchester Church to Rooksmoor then back up through Kingscourt to our starting point.

Back at the Tabernacle the ladies had the tea and coffee on and we sat down to eat our sandwiches followed by a selection of home made cakes kindly made by several of our members.

Once hungers had been satisfied we got the formal business of the day under way. Introducing his report, which had previously been circulated, our chairman Richard Davis drew members' attention to changes at the top in Ramblers. He also confirmed that in the last year the organisation had met with some success financially, although efforts to stabilise membership had been a failure and must remain one of our main objectives for the coming year. To this end our Group's recently introduced Start The Week Walks had so far been met with considerable enthusiasm.

In his previously circulated report the footpath secretary outlined another busy year, not helped by the cutbacks in the PROW team at Shire Hall. He produced photographic evidence of clearance work which had been undertaken and reported further progress in kissing gate installation, finishing with an appeal for members to join the footpath committee.

Diana Davis, the Treasurer, who was standing down at this meeting, presented her report and the accounts. They showed a continuing satisfactory situation although income from book sales was expectedly down.

There then followed the election of officers. The main changes were at Treasurer, where Brian Witcombe replaced Diana Davis, Vice Chairman, where Mike Garner replaced Ron Dowdeswell and Independent Examiner where Steve Priddey was appointed. The Footpath Sub-Committee also lost Ron Dowdeswell and Bernard Smith and are looking for additional members. Anybody who thinks they might be interested in this most important and rewarding area of our work should make contact with Richard Davis, Mike Garner or a member of the Footpath Committee. Thanks were expressed to all officers retiring at the AGM and to all volunteers for their efforts over the last year.

Following completion of our formal business the meeting listened to a talk with a slideshow given by Dr Ray Wilson of the Gloucestershire Society for Industrial Archaeology. Ray talked to us about the many aspects of Gloucestershire’s, and in particular Stroud’s, industrial heritage, producing a number fascinating photographs from his collection.