2023 AGM
When
Where
St Paul’s Church, Rectory Grove,
London,
SW4 0DZ
United Kingdom
Notice for the 2023 Annual General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Church Monuments Society will be held at 12 noon on Saturday, 9 September 2023 at St Paul’s Church, Rectory Grove, Clapham, London SW4 0DZ.
The church is at the top of a pathway, Matrimony Place, that leads from the Wandsworth Road, served by bus routes 77 and 87. The 77 runs from Waterloo Station (York Road) and Vauxhall Bus Station and the 87 from Vauxhall Bus Station – you should alight at Westbury Street. From Clapham Junction Station take either bus and alight at St Rule Street. Details of car parks in the area can be found on the internet.
A copy of the Minutes of the 2022 Annual General Meeting is available on the Society’s website and a printed copy may be requested from the Hon Secretary, Hilary Wheeler (address on back cover of Newsletter).
As ever, the AGM is your meeting so do make a note of the date and join us. The 2023 AGM is especially important as it marks the end of Mark Downing’s tenure as President and the election of the next President. It is anticipated that there will be talks before and after the business so please watch the website for details, nearer the date, or contact the Secretary in August 2023, including an Email address if possible. The accounts and other reports will be available on the web site nearer the date. In order to cut down on waste, printed copies will only be available, on request, from the Hon Secretary.
Agenda
- Apologies for absence
- Approval of the Minutes of the 2022 Annual General Meeting
- Matters Arising
- Presidential Address
- Hon Treasurer’s Report
- Thanks to the Independent Examiner and the Appointment of the Independent Examiner
- Hon Membership Secretary’s Report
- Hon Publicity Officer’s Report
- Hon Archivist’s Report
- Hon Event’s Co-ordinator’s Report
- Reports on the Society’s Publications
- Hon Conservations Cases Recorder’s Report
- Election of the President
- Election of Officers and three Ordinary Members of Council
- Increase in subscription rate
- CIO Constitution and amendments
- Any Other Business
- Announcement of the date and venue of the 2024 Annual General Meeting
Item 13: Election of the President
2023 marks the end of Mark Downing’s tenure as President after five successful years that included guiding the Society through the difficulties caused by COVID. Nominations are invited from anyone interested in becoming President, whose subscription is not in arrears. Nominations should be made in writing, proposed and seconded by two members of the Society and should confirm the willingness of the nominee to stand.
Mark Downing will be happy to answer any questions you might have as you decide whether to go ahead.
A nomination form is available from the hon Secretary to whom the completed form should be returned by Monday,7 August 2023
Item 14: Election of Three Ordinary Members of Council
Nominations are invited for three Ordinary Members of Council, whose subscriptions are not in arrears, to be elected for a three year term. Nominations should be made in writing, proposed and seconded by two members of the Society and should confirm the willingness of the nominees to stand. Nominations should reach the Hon Secretary, from whom nomination forms may be obtained, no later than Monday, 7 August 2023.
Council members attend three Council meetings per year in March, July and November and the AGM in September. Meetings are held on Saturdays, you will receive reports and up-dates on on-going matters, in addition to planning future activities. Business is conducted in accordance with the Society’s Constitution and in-line with Charity Commission guidelines. If you are interested and have any questions or would like further information, please contact the Hon Secretary.
Item 15: Increase in subscription rate
Due to increasing costs Council seeks approval for an increase in subscription rates, with exception of the student rate, by £5:00 to take effect from 1 June 2024 –
Ordinary £33:00 Standing order rate £30:00
Family £38:00 Standing order rate £35:00
Corporate £35:00
For further information, the Hon Treasurer, Mr Jon Dawson has provided the following notes:
Item 16: Migration to CIO and Constitution
As members will recall, it was decided at a previous AGM that the Society would convert to CIO (Charitable Incorporated Organisation ) status
As the first step in this process, it was necessary to form a new CIO charity which will in due course take over the assets and activities of the existing charity. In order to move forward with this phase, the constitution of the new charity was an “off-the-shelf” model “from the Charity Commission website
The process of conversion is underway but cannot proceed further until a bank account for the new CIO charity has been opened. This has proved a more difficult and lengthy process than most members would believe. However, we hope to have a bank account available in the near future
Once this has been accomplished, we can proceed to transfer assets and agreements, etc to the new charity
It will also be necessary to amend the off-the-shelf constitution to fit in with the needs and customs of the Society. This will have the effect of bringing the new constitution broadly into line with the constitution of the Society as it is now. . The necessary changes to do this will be proposed at the next Annual General Meeting.. The proposed constitution for the CIO can be viewed at the Society’s website.
To send a paper copy of all the changes to all members would require a great deal of time, effort, and cost and so it is proposed that the necessary amendments will be made available on the Society’s website.
Members will have the opportunity to discuss the changes to the constitution at the forthcoming annual general meeting
Jon Dawson
Treasurer