Apologies for absence

Bob David (BD)(President), Dilo de Alwis (DdA),

Minutes from last meeting held on 12^th October 2022.

No amendments. The minutes were signed by JA.

Open Actions :- one item ongoing. One item – ‘Retrieve yearbooks from DdA ; organise deliveries in Ricketts Hill’ not yet done. Amended to ‘Retrieve yearbooks from DdA’. All other items : done.

Review of Recent Events

AGM 15^th November. Rather poorly attended. Speaker (Nick Hagon, Biggin Hill Horticultural Society) knew his stuff but did not put it across well. PM reported that BD would like to keep the format the same, but this was not the general opinion. After a lengthy, animated and wide-ranging discussion, it was decided that the 2023 AGM should be a more modest affair. It would not be held in the Village Hall on November 21^st as planned, but instead would be held in the Aileen McHugo building on November 29^th before the planned committee meeting, with members of THS invited to the AGM only. This is the model successfully used for many years by the Village Hall Management Committee. In addition, THS will hold a committee meeting in January 2023, before the yearbook sub-committee meets on the 18^th January to discuss the future direction that THS should take. CG will circulate a list of dates suitable to her, from which a date and venue will be agreed.

Finances

See attached reports from MA. He was now expecting an overall deficit of £180 for the year. He was expecting income from yearbook sales – our principal source of income – to fall. But printing costs should be reduced if the number of pages was reduced. Advertising income would also be reduced, as part of the income in 2021/22 was from outstanding invoices. PM agreed to provide MA with details of the two applicants for the job of Village Hall treasurer who were not successful, with a view to one of them taking over as THS Treasurer.

Forthcoming events

Garden Club 7 February 2023. Agreed to have a quiz, which DdA had previously agreed to provide. In the event that DdA could not organise this, JR offered to provide a quiz. JA said that he could set questions for the horticultural section.

Garden Club 7 March 2023. Bryan Everest had agreed to speak, and had a ‘special subject’ in mind.

Spring Show : now organised for April 22 2023. In view of reduced entries in recent shows, CG said that social media advertising was key these days. Something should be put on the relevant Facebook pages every day, or every second day, for at least two weeks before the show. She offered to organise this.

CG

Regular Updates

Subscriptions : CS – see attached report. She had been having great and increasing trouble recruiting volunteers to deliver the yearbook, and other methods must be considered. CG asked whether it was necessary to have a printed yearbook. JR asked if the Scouts could be involved, with the promise of a donation. JaR said that they knew of a number of younger mothers who might be persuaded to help. After some discussion, it was decided that yearbooks would be produced in time for the Spring Show, where they would be sold to potential members. After that, CS would produce a list of those who had purchased membership in 2022, who volunteers would visit, and yearbooks would also be sold by committee members sitting outside Sheree’s Stores on a Saturday. JaR suggested that a poster advertising this could be put in the book exchange on the green, and other posters could be sent to other village societies and put on noticeboards.

TIB : JA reported that violas and pansies had been planted for the winter, but would need regular dead-heading. Several more members of the public had volunteered to help, and the main task over winter would be tidying up.

Composting : no report from DdA. MA reported verbally. The site was now closed for the winter. He would be applying for grants from the Parish Council for £650 to service the shredder, and £550 from Surrey CC. There was to be a meeting of volunteers to consider the way forwards.

Website : no report from DdA. MA reported verbally. MA was continuing to update the ‘old’ THS website, and DdA the ‘new’.

Village Hall Management Committee : JA reported. He had attended one meeting, and was impressed, and would continue to attend meetings on behalf of the society.

Suggestions for AGM 2023

See item 3.

Yearbook 2023

JA, BD, CS, MA and SW agreed to serve on the sub-committee. Show classes will be set by :-

Horticulture JA

Flower Arranging SW

Domestic PM

Photography CS

MA will ask Kim Jennings to ask the Tatty Knitters to suggest classes for craft, in the hope that this will encourage them to enter.

Art CG

All classes should be set as soon as possible.

JA will talk to Ian McAffer (Chairman of the Allotments Committee) about closer co-operation between the two groups, and how to increase allotmenteers’ entries to Shows.

JaR agreed to read through the present yearbook and make suggestions for sections that should be deleted or re-written.

JA will write the initial letter to potential advertisers.

JR will help with follow-up letters to advertisers if required.

The first meeting of the sub-committee will be on January 18^th 2023 at the Aileen McHugo building at 7.30pm.

SW

PM

CS

MA

CG

JA

JaR

JA

JR

New Members for Committee

JA reiterated that the best way to gain new members was personal contact, and asked members to approach suitable candidates.

Correspondence

PM had received an email from Jacqueline Aviolet, offering to give talks on a number of different subjects. He was asked to circulate this to members of the committee.

SW had received the RHS Autumn Newsletter via email. It offered a discount card to all affiliated societies giving 50% off the cost of entry to any RHS garden for up to two members of the society at a time. It also offered a Recognition Award to each society to honour one of their members.

Any Other Business

Nominations were invited for the post of Vice-Chairman of the Society. PB was nominated but refused, as was SW. PM was nominated, but in the absence of a member volunteering to be Secretary, was unable to accept. The election of a Vice-Chairman was deferred.

JaR offered to give a talk on the effect of horticulture on mental health.