TYNEDALESMAN
NEWSLETTER OF THE SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY
NUMBER 143����������SUMMER 2005MINUTES OF THE 2004 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The 2004 Annual General Meeting Minutes appear below:-
Annual General Meeting: 5th November 2005
Agenda Item 2:
Minutes of the 21st Annual General Meeting,
held on 13th November 2004Minutes of the twenty-first Annual General Meeting of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society (limited by guarantee; company registration no. 1850832; registered charity no.514939), held on Saturday 13th November 2004 in the Masonic Hall, Alston, Cumbria. Twenty-five members were present.
Opening Remarks
The retiring Chairman, Mr J.M. Sutton, opened the meeting at 14.00 hours and welcomed those attending.
Apologies
Apologies for absence were received from fourteen members.
Minutes of previous meeting
The minutes of the twentieth Annual General Meeting of the incorporated Society, held on 8th November 2003, copies of which had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting, were adopted as a correct record.
Reports of Chairman, Officers and Heads of Departments
The written reports submitted by the following, copies of which had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting, were received:-
- Chairman - Mr J. M. Sutton;
- Company Secretary - Mr S. G. Dyke;
- Membership Secretary - Mrs K. A. Aveyard
- Infrastructure Department (Forum 1) - Mr R. N. Graham;
- Operating Department (Forum 2) - Mr R. A. Alderson;
- Engineering Department (Forum 3) - Mr E. A. Blackburn;
- Commercial Department (Forum 4) - Mr I. Ward.
No questions were raised relating to the content of the reports.
Treasurer�s Report
The Treasurer, Mr J.M.Ryan, presented the statutory reports and accounts for the year ending 31st March 2004 in respect of the Society and its subsidiary trading company, copies of which were circulated at the meeting. They had been presented to, and approved by, the Council of Management on 28th August 2004.
A financial summary had been issued to all members in advance of the meeting, with copies of the full statutory reports and accounts available to members on request.
A formal audit was not required under the current legislation for small companies, but there was independent examination of the financial records in the course of preparation of the statutory reports and accounts by Dodd & Company.
The Treasurer acknowledged that the �Review of Activities� section of the Society report had omitted to mention the achievements of the 2003 �trackwork week� and pointed out a minor error in the numbering of notes to the accounts. He summarised the main features of the accounts, provided additional background to several notes to the accounts, and acknowledged the work of Mr N.A. Johnson in dealing with Gift Aid claims. It was noted that although there are separate bank accounts for the Thomas Edmondson project and the Extension Appeal, they are incorporated into the financial report of the Society. There was brief discussion of policy relating to ticket sales commission payable to the trading company. The meeting then agreed to accept the statutory reports and accounts for the year ended 31st March 2004.
The Treasurer then presented a short report on the first half of the current year, copies of which were circulated at the meeting. This made reference to: the decline in fare income following reduced passenger numbers in the latter part of the season; slight rises in other income; and the mixed results of special events. There was brief discussion of the trading company�s anticipated year-end out-turn, which was likely to show an improvement. The Chairman�s favourable comments on the work of Mr J.Wilks, who had been employed to operate the shop and ticket office, met with the approval of meeting. The meeting then agreed to accept the financial summary for the first half of the current year.
Mr Ryan had indicated that he would be standing down as Treasurer at the end of the current financial year. The Secretary drew attention to the Council of Management�s appreciation of his work in that post. The Chairman endorsed those remarks and referred also to Mr Ryan�s work as a Council member.
Election of the Council of Management
In accordance with Article 39(a)(i), Mr J.M. Sutton was retiring as Chairman and not eligible for re-election to that office.
One nomination had been made for the office of Chairman, in accordance with Article 43, in respect of Mr M.J. Le Marie.
In accordance with Article 39(a)(ii), Mr E.A. Blackburn was retiring as Deputy Chairman and eligible for re-election. He had, however, indicated that he did not wish to offer himself for re-election to that office.
One nomination had been made for the office of Deputy Chairman, in accordance with Article 43, in respect of Mr R.N.Graham.
In accordance with Article 39(b), Mr N.H. Cook, Mr J.M. Ryan and Mr I. Ward were retiring as ordinary members of Council and eligible for re-election. Mr Ryan and Mr Ward, however, had indicated that they did not wish to offer themselves for re-election.
In accordance with Article 43, the retiring Deputy Chairman, Mr E.A. Blackbum, had offered himself for election as an ordinary member of Council, and new nominations for ordinary members of Council had been made in respect of Mr J.M.Beckwith, Mr J.R.Gillott and Mr D.Wheeler.
As the number of candidates did not exceed the number of vacancies and there was no request for a ballot, the meeting agreed that Mr Le Marie (as Chairman), Mr Graham (as Deputy Chairman), Messrs Beckwith, Blackburn, Cook, Gillott and Wheeler (as ordinary members of Council) be declared elected en bloc.
The retiring Chairman handed over the badge of office and expressed his good wishes to his successor, who then took the chair for the remainder of the meeting.
The new Chairman thanked his predecessor for his work over the past three years, which was endorsed by the applause of the meeting. He then gave a brief outline of his aims and aspirations for the Society during his term of office, concluding by saying that his greatest hope was that work would start on constructing the Slaggyford extension.
Appointment of reporting accountants
The meeting was asked to consider re-appointment of Dodd & Company as reporting accountants. The Treasurer recommended their re-appointment, saying that he was very happy with their work and that there had been little increase in their charges over the past four years.
It was resolved to approve the re-appointment of Dodd & Company, at a remuneration to be agreed by the Council of Management.
Adoption of subscription rates
It was resolved to adopt the recommendation of the Council of Management, as referred to in the Membership Secretary�s report, that, for 2005, the annual membership subscription should be �15 for full rate and �10 for reduced rate or junior associate, and life membership should be �225 for full rate and �150 for reduced rate.
Eligibility for life membership
It had been proposed by the Council of Management, as stated in the Membership Secretary�s report, that eligibility for life membership should be restricted to those who had been annual members for a continuous period of five years, with the option of payment in two annual instalments.
After brief discussion of the reasons for this change and a related question concerning eligibility of subscription payments for Gift Aid, it was resolved to approve the proposal, which would be implemented as a Rule made by the Council of Management in accordance with Article 68.
Closing remarks
The Chairman closed the formal meeting at 15.05 hours.
(Note: The A.G.M. was followed by an informal meeting to provide an opportunity for discussion of items raised by members.)
SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY
Registered Office: The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3JB
Tel. 01434 381696.���Talking timetable tel. 01434 382828
Registered Charity No. 514939.E-mail addresses - click on links below:-
South Tynedale Railway information - Send e-mail to South Tynedale Railway
STRPS membership information only - Send e-mail to Kathy Aveyard
Tynedalesman information only - Send e-mail to Tynedalesman compilersMission Statement for the South Tynedale Railway:-
�To provide satisfaction for our customers and volunteers
by operating a friendly, safe and efficient narrow-gauge railway.�
� South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, September 2005.