Notice of the AGM
Notice is hereby given that the 29th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING will be held at the Kemp Room, Mascall Centre, Lower Galdeford, Ludlow, Shropshire, SY8 1RZ on Saturday 9th November, 2024. Website: https://www.ludlowmascallcentre.co.uk/
You can locate this at grid reference SO 51538 74659 or https://what3words.com/grinders.flap.ridge
Parking is available there or at the large public car park about 100 m to the east. The Mascall Centre is about 10 minutes walking from Ludlow railway station. The Kemp Room is on the ground floor, and is accessible to wheel chairs. We selected Ludlow as there are now more active members in South Shropshire than elsewhere.
Coffee will be available from 10:30.
Members are welcome to attend the AGM online. For those wishing to join the meeting remotely please e mail the secretary at secretary@marcherapple.net in order to be sent a Teams / Zoom invite.
AGENDA
• Apologies for absence
• To receive and approve the Minutes of the 28th AGM held on Saturday 2nd December 2023
• Matters arising
• To receive and approve the Trustees’ Annual Report 2023-24
• To receive and adopt the Annual Accounts 2023-24
• Election of Directors
• To determine to appoint Examiners for Accounts 2024-25
• Open Forum where Trustees will be available to answer questions
• Any other business
Our visiting speaker at around 12.15pm will be David Lindgren, chair of the Trustees of Gloucestershire Orchard Trust. David will tell us how the Trust has been managing its own orchards and encouraging local communities to have their own orchards.
Directors and Trustees are Andy Pillow, Phil Chadwick, James Nason, Stephen Ainsleigh Rice and David Smith. Phil Bustin, Andy Pillow and Steven Richards-Price are standing for election.
If you are willing to serve, please contact any Trustee or the secretary at secretary@marcherapple.net
Andy Pillow
Company Secretary
Brock House, Pelham Road, Upton Magna, Shropshire SY4 4UA
Proxy voting
If you are not able to attend the AGM but would like to vote on any motions, you may do so by exercising a proxy vote. A form is available from the Membership Secretary membsec@marcherapple.net has to be signed and returned to him. Or it may be downloaded from our website here.
Draft minutes of the AGM held on 2nd December 2023 are available here. Any corrections from Attendees will be gratefully received.
Annual Report and Accounts for the year 2023/24 is available here. Any comments will be gratefully received.
Post-AGM site visit to ancient orchard near Tenbury Wells
After the conclusion of the AGM, attendees have the option to visit a MAN member’s ancient orchard (some trees over 100 years old) containing apples, pears, damsons and plums.
The orchard is in three areas: the oldest on a south facing slope, the main productive orchard on a gentle north facing slope and other trees are in an area of wild flower meadow.
There are 148 main fruit trees with the orchard, ponds, flower meadow and hedgerows under DEFRA Higher Level Environmental Stewardship.
Stout footwear recommended. Details on how to get there will be provided at the AGM.
