AGM Tuesday 20th April at 7pm
Dear Members
Please find below the AGM report for the meeting that will be held this year by zoom. We invite you to join us for a review of the activities of last year and an optimistic look forward to our plans for the coming year.
Normally we would offer you a glass of wine or two at the Village Hall, I know it’s a Tuesday but we hope you will bring a glass of something you like to the zoom meeting!
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Present at AGM
Committee Members: –
Alison Townsend – Special Projects
Lin Underwood – Store Manager
June Abraham – Events Manager
Stuart Buchanan-Barrow – Treasurer
Alastair Greene – Membership Secretary
Plus a vacancy helping with projects/events
Apologies
Janet Stinton – Special Projects
Our Committee in pre covid times Feb 2020
Approval of the Minutes from the 2020 AGM
Election of Committee Members
Phil Bunting has stood down from the Committee and the remaining committee would like to thank him and Ali and the boys for their great support, particularly for his competition knowledge and advice, suggestions for improving the administration of events and for the really helpful deliveries to members during lockdown – definitely service over and above!
We are pleased to advise that the remaining Committee members are putting their names forward for re-election but we have a vacancy now that we would like to fill on the night.
New nominations for the Committee
Please step forward, you don’t need any particular knowledge, just the ability to muck in and get things done, especially with our events. Either volunteer in advance of the meeting by contacting a committee member or at the meeting itself. The commitment you make can be limited by you to the time you want to give, so don’t feel it’s an all or nothing thing, across the year it probably only amounts to an hour a week, although some weeks around events may require a bit more time.
Membership 2020/2021 – Alastair Greene
- Membership numbers grew last year, up from 190 households to 210 (c.10% increase) and so a big welcome to our new members many of whom are new to the village too. If you have new neighbours don’t forget to mention the VPA to them and encourage them to join, we are a fun village group to be a part of.
- A reminder that subs are due on 1st April every year. Our strong preference is a standing order subscription, it is just £5 for the household. 75% of subs are now paid this way and it is convenient for everyone really. You can either set that up or ask the membership secretary for the form.
- Details for payment are as follows; –
Account name – Gaddesden District Village Produce
Sort Code 09-01-51
Account number 48549306
Please use your name and postcode as identifiers.
If you do not want to pay by standing order you can make a one-off payment online or a crisp £5 note handed to a Committee Member works ok too!
We can confirm that we already have 140 payments received since 1st of this month. Thanks very much for your prompt attention to this, it saves us chasing folk across the summer.
If you want to check if you have a standing order in place already just email the membership secretary Alastair Greene at membership@LGVPA.org or ring 843667.
- Don’t forget that through the VPA’s affiliation to the RHS (Royal Horticultural Association) we have 2 tickets we can loan to members that give 30% off entrance to Wisley Gardens, Surrey; Harlow Carr Garden, Harrogate; Hyde Hall Garden, Chelmsford and Rosemoor Garden, Devon. If you can work a visit into a trip, perhaps your holidays, and wish to borrow the tickets, ring 843667.
Garden Store 2020/2021 – Lin Underwood
- Whilst everyone in the country, seemed overnight suddenly to rediscover their gardens, this created an unprecedented demand on things like composts, that quickly became in short supply at a critical time in the growing season. However, our supplier was able with some judicious substitutions of certain items, to keep up with our deliveries and kept us going. So, we have managed to supply the needs of our customers and keep the gardens of Little Gaddesden and district growing.
- We reintroduced this season a range of seed potatoes, plus a selection of vegetable seeds for the enthusiastic gardeners amongst us. Although, our best sellers remain composts and wild bird feed. However, it would be great to see a wider breadth of sales coming from some of the other products on offer. So, remember we have a great range of essential garden products, at competitive prices, providing both real value and the convenience of being local.
- Overall turnover is up 79%, so a successful year. The introduction of a card reader last year has certainly paid dividends, becoming the preferred method of payment; so now around 70% of our sales are by card. We have again remained open throughout the winter, importantly keeping the local bird population well fed, as well as boosting sales!
- For the last year we have operated the store within Covid guidelines. In June, following the first lockdown, serving our customers we had a table in the car park (weather permitting), wearing face covering and used copious amounts of sanitiser and kept social distancing to introduce a covid safe environment. Sadly, this meant having to stand down our volunteer team to minimise numbers and keep people safe. However, as restrictions are gradually easing, we are now looking to be able to welcome back our volunteer team, who kindly support the store activities on a Sunday morning. We have been given the seal of approval by passing a Covid inspection by Dacorum Council’s Environmental Health team. Surprising what a Risk Assessment can do! However, please note, we still need volunteers and no, you certainly do not need to be an expert!
- We now just look forward to seeing everyone back, to be able to socialise a little, to continue to offer advice on a variety of garden topics, to solve your garden problems and hopefully, even offer a cup of coffee or tea. To become a place for people to meet up again, to catch up on how they are doing, a degree of normality?
Events last year and this year – June Abraham
- As the pandemic unfolded last year, we were so pleased to be able to put plans in place for the plant sale. Thanks especially to Sue Godar for organising the event again for us, it was very well managed, social distancing being the key to its safe execution!
The same is intended this year on Sunday 23 May 2021. Plant donations very much welcomed, please grow extra in your greenhouse for the sale.
- Later in the year Alison Townsend did a fantastic job with the bulbs event and then Lin and Alison were the organisers of the pop-up Christmas event which was a lot of fun and welcomed by our members.
- All being well we are hoping to have a summer show on Saturday 28 August 2021 which will include the ‘great potato weigh in’. I hope everyone has their spuds in the ground now, we had a great take up for the VPA potato competition.
- Good luck with organising your garden layout for the year and we hope that you are rewarded with lots of produce.
Treasurers Report 2020/2021 – Stuart Buchanan-Barrow
Click here to download both pages of the Treasurer’s Report as a PDF.
General
Communications
- The web site is one of our methods of communication, firstly as a reference point and secondly for the sending out of newsletters. Andrew Sheard continues to support and advise us on its development. We would welcome any suggestions from members for items that they would like to see added/amended.
- We are very pleased that Stasia runs our facebook page and Instagram account, a nice way of being reactive to events and issues as they occur and a way of widening our communication channels with members.
Planters
The four village planters have been maintained by Janet Stinton and we would like to thank Janet for her continued support on all VPA matters.
Dates for your diary
- AGM. Tuesday 20th April 7pm – by zoom
- Plant sale. Sunday 23rd May
- Summer Show Saturday 28th August
- Bulb sale Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th September
- Harvest supper Saturday 2nd October
Christmas pop up event