ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
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The 27th Friends’ annual general meeting was held at The Community Centre, Chalfont St Peter on 24 March 2010. Chairman Anne Ratcliffe opened the meeting and welcomed those present. She thanked the many volunteers who have contributed in various ways, both on and off site, to fundraise and to promote and support the Museum throughout the past year. Their efforts are greatly appreciated and it was partly due to publicising the Museum that visitor numbers rose by over 10% last season. Friends’ membership for the year 2009 totalled 1229, again a welcome increase on the previous year. This was made up of 483 full members, 568 additional members (those residing at the same address as full members) and 178 life members. Membership of the 200 Club rose to 112 for the year 1st April 2009 to 31 March 2010, with a consequence of more prize money. There were 12 monthly draws with one win of £40 each month, and the three annual prizes were drawn during the AGM. The winners were 3rd prize £50 to Miss J Cross, 2nd prize £80 to Mrs J Robinson and 1st prize £120 to Mrs D Fowling. The Treasurer presented the accounts for the financial year to 31 October 2009 and highlighted that the Friends had given £32,500 to the Museum during the year. Some of this was donated to special projects, but most went into the general fund, so it is difficult to see the results, other than the Museum survives and prospers. Notable good news was the rise in membership and subsequent increase in Gift Aid receipts (£4,500) from taxpaying members who are encouraged to participate at no personal extra cost. The following Committee members were re-elected: In closing the meeting, the chairman thanked those present for attending and invited everyone to stay on for refreshments, followed by the last in the season of Winter Talks. A representative from the CVAHS spoke on ‘The Chess Valley and the Romans’. Tricia Phillips |
A SUCCESSFUL YEAR – FINANCIALLY |
The headline figure is that the Friends donated £32,500 to the Museum in the Financial Year ended 31 October 2009. Whilst not quite a record it was, I believe, the third highest figure we have ever achieved and is the result of lots of hard work and effort by you all. The full figures will be available at the AGM, after they have been checked and independently scrutinised, but are approximately as follows – Total Income of nearly £40,000 less purchases and costs of events of approximately £6,000 and expenses of £1,200.
However among the notable results are the very buoyant membership income (£17,000 before Gift Aid) together with considerable effort from the Friends in producing income from their efforts in the Friends Pavilion, the Auction, the Raffle, the Quiz Supper, the Penny trail and from a number of outside events including the Uxbridge Coffee Morning and the Open Garden event at Bledlow Manor. Dick Lister Looking a bit further behind and ahead, Dick Lister also comments It is all too easy amongst the mass of figures to fail to spot important financial milestones or events but the Treasurer managed to spot this one just in time – this century (i.e. since the year 2000) we, the Friends, have raised over £250,000 for the benefit of the Museum. This is really quite a staggering sum and we all deserve a pat on the back for such an achievement. Let us see if we can make the next quarter of a million well before 2020….. |
200 CLUB: |
The 200 club season has started again with monthly prizes of £45; there are 133 members this year - a record since I have been membership secretary! So thank you all for joining up; as you know half the total money goes to prizes, the other half to support the museum. If you didn't join this year, make a resolution to do so next season.
The prize for April 2010 was won by Mrs G Cassidy (number 94) and the prize for May 2010 was won by Mrs A Ratcliffe (number 76). Beth Neill |
FRIENDS AUCTION AND STEWARDS ORGANISER |
Last November’s Auction was the best since I started helping. We raised about £2,400, plus some Gift Aid to come, which I know will be very welcome to the Museum. Our thanks go to all who helped on the day and before – those who provided the goodies, the fetchers and carriers (not forgetting Conway and John who ferried a garage-full to the Community Centre), the caterers, superb as ever, and everyone on the floor, often for the whole day.
As I said at the end-of-season meeting last October, I plan to make 2010 my last season as Stewards’ Organiser, so I am looking for a volunteer to join me this year and then take over in 2011. I aim to keep on the organisation of Duty Managers, and whatever else I’m doing at the Museum, just need to pass on this one job after however many years I’ve been doing it. So volunteers please give me a call on 01923 774637. Thank you. Tom Crosby |
FRIENDS CENTRE |
A Happy New Year to all our friends and volunteers of the Friends Centre. We are looking forward to another exciting season of meeting new and old friends who help to keep open our Friends Centre as an important place for making pennies for the Museum. This season we shall have an addition in the form of a wood turner who makes beautiful items from pieces of discarded logs. We shall still have our crafts, pottery from Jane Rivett, selection of books and bric-à-brac, tasty jam and popular local honey.
We do need to form a rota to keep the Centre open as often as possible, so we would appreciate any time you can spare to help. Please ring Jenny Ogden (01494 793017) as soon as possible to book yourself in. Here’s to another successful season at our Friends Centre! Janet Michael
The two following items have been submitted by Dick Lister on behalf of the FCOAM Committee: |
THE YEAR OF THE FRIEND 2011 |
How long have we been Friends? The Friends have formally existed as a separate legal entity in their own right since 1983 when the charity was formed and registered with the Charity Commission.
However there is a mention of a “group of friends” in Update in 1981. Next year – 2011 – is therefore our 30th Anniversary and we intend to celebrate this as being the ‘Year of the Friend’ and are looking to commemorate this with various events throughout next year. |
RECOGNITION OF LONG STANDING FRIENDS |
As a committee we are all too aware of how the Museum and the Friends have benefited from the help and support of lots of people over many years. We would also like to be able to acknowledge and recognise such support. However, we have a problem. Our systems and records just do not indicate how long ago people joined the Friends and for how many years they have been members. We know that some have been involved since the early days but our information is just too patchy and incomplete to be sure that we are catching everyone whose “long service” should be recognised.
After debating the matter in the committee we have decided that rather than risk recognising some but missing others it would be best to record the date of membership from now onwards so that future committees can recognise long standing Friends. For those of you who are missing out on such recognition now, due to the paucity of our old records, you know who you are - we say ‘thank you’ for your long service and support over many years. |
WHERE ARE YOU? |
My trusty Works database has been holding details of the Friends for many years now, and helping to produce lists and address labels as required, but it can also sort the records in various ways, and I thought you might be interested to know something of the geographical distribution of the Friends. It is quite predictable in many ways, with most being around the Museum itself, but here are the most “popular” areas for Friends to live – those areas with 20 or more Friends (which, of course, in many cases are addresses where two or more Friends live):
93 – Chalfont St Peter; 57 – Chalfont St Giles; 48 – Uxbridge (incl Denham, Harefield & Ickenham); 47 – Amersham (incl Little Chalfont & Chesham Bois); 42 – High Wycombe (& surrounding areas); 36 – Chorleywood; 35 – Rickmansworth (incl Mill End & Maple Cross); 34 – Watford; 30 – Beaconsfield (incl Seer Green); 26 – Chesham; 23 – Gerrards Cross; 22 – Croxley Green; 20 – Aylesbury & surrounding villages. At the other extreme, the following towns have a single Friends’ household each - Ascot, Ashford, Bedford, Belfast, Bicester, Blandford Forum, Camberley, Corsham, Coulsdon, Didcot, Guildford, Halesowen, Halesworth, Harpenden, Hatfield, Horsham, Isleworth, Leighton Buzzard, Leominster, Lingfield, Marlow, Milton Keynes, Oakham, Oswestry, Radlett, Sevenoaks, Staines, Stamford, Stockbridge, Street, Swanage, Swindon, Taunton, Thame, Thatcham, Torquay, Totnes, Tunbridge Wells, Twickenham, Warminster, Welwyn Garden City, Wimborne, Warlingham, Yateley. Whilst I have your attention, two database and distribution related items – 1) We try hard to ensure that your address is as accurate as possible, including reference to the Royal Mail database, to ensure that COAM information has the best chance of reaching you. However, if you do notice any errors of spelling, initials etc, do let us know. 2) Did you know that the COAM Update (and this Newsletter) can be sent to you by Email – thus saving heavy printing and postage costs? If you would like to receive your copy this way, just drop me an Email and consider it done. |