At present
the Society has no President but, subject to Members’ agreement at the AGM on
2nd November, the new Constable and Governor of
Air
Marshal Macfadyen CB OBE retired from the RAF in 1999, was then Lieutenant
Governor of the
With effect from 1 April 2008, all charities must
demonstrate explicitly that their aims are for the public benefit. The Annual
Report that follows indicates the many activities that the Society undertakes
in order to carry out its aims for public benefit.
Chairman’s
Review
The
year was overshadowed by the sudden death of our newly appointed President,
Surgeon Vice Admiral Ian Jenkins. This
happened on Thursday 19th February, the day of the Society's music event and I
announced his death to the capacity audience at the end of an otherwise most
enjoyable and successful evening, arranged by Colleen Garrett and run in her
absence by Joan Denny. The Annual
Dinner took place eight days later, when Ian was sadly missed.
The following Friday his funeral in
Another
sad event has been the death of Dick Shaw, a former chairman of the Society.
All
the while, as you will have experienced and as recorded in this report, the
activities and programmes of the Society continued with, for example, a series
of stimulating talks arranged by Beryl Hedges, outings organised and run by
Rosemarie Wood and the Heritage and Environment Committee, chaired by Karin
Lohr, meeting monthly to pursue local issues such as parking, cycle racks and
trees. They and others made a strong
case for preserving the
Last
year the Society had welcomed the replacement of the seating beside the Castle
wall and this year the George V Memorial Fountain flowing again beside the
Garden. We also had success when the
Council landscaped the plane tree by the
I
am delighted the Society has two more able members on the Executive Committee,
to all of whom I am again most grateful for their support and contributions.
Liz Robinson, who is Head of the Brigidine School, the perfect setting
for our evening meetings, and Andrew Melville, who is working with Colin Meads
on enhancing the website as recommended by a Working Party led by Gordon
Franklin: this looked at how better to publicise the Society, attract new
members and welcome and integrate those who join.
Annual
Dinner
About
one hundred and fifty members and friends attended the Annual Dinner at the
Castle Hotel on Friday 27th February. We
stood for a minute's silence in memory of our late President; and Gordon
Franklin then said Grace. After the
meal, the Chairman proposed the loyal toast.
The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, Councillor Mrs
Dorothy Kemp proposed the toast to the Society and the Chairman replied
detailing some of the activities and plans of the Society.
He then proposed the toast to the Society's guests. Lord
Butler, the guest of honour, who was accompanied by Lady Butler, replied with a
memorable speech, referring to aspects of his work as Cabinet Secretary and his
experience becoming a Knight of the Garter, including why he is Lord Butler of
Brockwell and how his crest in the Chapel quire features a badger emerging from
a well.
Talks
Our
programme for Talks was very well attended this year and it is hoped that the choice
of speakers was enjoyed. The year started with Dr. Brigitte Mitchell speaking
about Charles Knight, Senior and Junior, who founded, among other publishing
projects, the Windsor and Eton Express. The
afternoon meeting in October was very entertaining when John Woolley told
us of 'A Bobby's Memories'. This was about his involvement with the
apprehension of the Great Train Robbers when he was a humble bobby on the beat
in Buckinghamshire and was sent to the farm where they were had been hiding out.
John Williams, the Beadle, told us of his work at The Society of
Apothecaries, one of the City Livery Companies and which had been visited by
some members. At our final
meeting of 2008 Chris Howkins told us the Story of Holly and many other
interesting items of folklore and their origins.
Muriel Jones made a return visit to the Society in January when she
reminded us of 'Dickens London'. Hester
Davenport, another very professional speaker, followed this in March with an
illustrated talk on Women in the Crimean War which also provoked many questions.
Unfortunately, Roger Cullingham was ill and unable to speak at the February
afternoon meeting but at very short notice, Christine Weightman came to
Gardeners’ Hall and told members of the Berkshire Gardens Trust.
She explained how the Trust helps the restoration and maintenance of
gardens and arranges visits to private ones.
Many members took leaflets and joined this
organisation.
The season finished with a return visit of Eve and Ron Jones who gave a very
lively presentation entitled ’Hanky Panky in the English Country House'.
I
look forward to seeing you at the September 10th 2009 meeting at
All
of the evening meetings will be at
A successor to
Beryl Hedges continues to be sought for the vital role of arranging the
programme of talks.
Newsletter
The
Newsletter was the brainchild of Dennis Neale. He conceived the idea
in 1996 in order to maintain contact with those who are unable to attend talks
and outings and to keep members informed about the activities of the Society.
Initially he produced a newsletter twice a year. By
2000 this production had increased to 4 times a year. After his
44th Newsletter, in November 2008, Dennis retired as Editor. The
Society has appreciated and is very grateful to him for his work. Anne
Taylor has now assumed the role of Editor.
Outings
We arrived in
We arrived at The
College of Arms on an extremely cold December evening in good time for our
visit. The Windsor Herald, William
Hunt, welcomed and explained that he had only just arrived back from the Houses
of Parliament where he had been taking part in a rehearsal for the State Opening
of Parliament which was happening the next morning.
Mr Hunt gave us an overview on the history of heraldry and the role of
the Heralds, the architecture of the building and how they run the College.
The Heralds work under the direction of the hereditary Earl Marshal, the
Duke of Norfolk and they are appointed by HM The Queen upon the recommendation
of The Earl Marshal. We then moved
on to the Record Room where we were shown a selection of Records dating back to
1484, Mr Hunt also entertained us with a few stories of various celebrities who
have recently acquired Arms. Our
visit to the
We left
We
left
Music
The
Music Event held on Thursday 19th
February, under the auspices of The Royal Albert Institute, was completely sold
out well before the day.
Warren
Wylie-Smith and Susie Parkes presented a very delightful evening of piano music
by Chopin and a selection of songs and arias.
We
look forward to members' continued support in 2010 at our next music event.
Heritage and Environment
We
made a good start last year by organising a successful litter pick in Romney
Walk. Soon after our event the RBWM introduced a zero tolerance policy. Since
these measures there has been a reduction in litter but we cannot be complacent.
In
October, Members of the Society were busy planting bulbs in Bachelor's Acre and
The
Society was disappointed at the outcome of the Parking Strategy consultation. It
was thought that the consultation was flawed due to there being no question
about the Park and Ride from the Relief Road.
In
In
We
have put forward the suggestion to have a general Notice Board in
Members
of the Heritage and Environment Committee attend many meetings and each month
assess all planning applications which have included: Windsor Racket &
Fitness Club; Legoland; Sir Sidney Camm's replica Hurricane in
Last
year in, December, National Tree Week was celebrated at
The Windsor and Eton Society has been invited to
take part in the Windsor Town Centre Conservation Area Appraisal and our task is
to identify significant ‘Non-Listed’ buildings by means of descriptions and
photographs. We hope that this task
will increase the importance of
Membership
The
membership of the Windsor and Eton Society currently stands at 498, down by 18
on this time last year. We had 29 new members join, however this was offset by
47 deaths and resignations of members during this period.
The
membership consists of 206 joint members and 292 single members. The majority,
65%, live in
We
continue to urge members to sign a Gift Aid form, which allows the Society to
reclaim the tax paid on their subscription. As a result of a concerted effort by
the Treasurer, John Scott, and me, we now have 294 forms signed out of a
possible 395 joint and single memberships. That means there are a further
possible 101 opportunities to claim back tax from the Government. We will send
out Gift Aid forms in October to those of whom we have no record.
October is the month for renewal of subscriptions and the vast majority pay by
banker's order. However, 133 members still pay by cheque and we inevitably end
up with many forgetting to renew their membership. We would urge all those
currently paying by cash or cheque to consider paying by banker’s order to
avoid this annual problem and thereby causing additional work and cost to the
Society.
Civic
Trust
The
Planning Bill was debated in the House of Lords and then passed by the House of
Commons in November 2008. Despite
Herculean efforts to amend it, it has remained essentially unchanged, thus
reducing the ability to have input into the Independent Planning Commission’s
decisions about local major projects. The
Civic Trust gave its longest ever response to the Killian Pretty Report which
examines how the current planning system can be accelerated.
The
Heritage Protection Bill, which was intended to consolidate and rationalize the
disparate heritage legislation of the last century, was dropped from the
Queen’s Speech in November 2008 due to a change in the Government’s
short-term priorities. The
Government says it will revive the Bill when the next legislative opportunity
arises.
English
Heritage has published “Streets for All: Practical case studies” in an
effort to secure better streetscape design.
Examples are given covering issues that most societies have raised with
planning and highway authorities, such as advice on signs, parking restrictions,
guardrails and tactile paving at crossings, traffic calming, use of white lines
and how to do a street audit.
In
April 2009, to the surprise and consternation of many, the Civic Trust went into
administration after a life of only 52 years.
There were several reasons, the main one being insufficient funding.
It was decided, with the support and encouragement of the National Trust,
English Heritage and several other well-known organisations, to launch the Civic
Society Initiative on 1st June 2009.
This Initiative is temporary and is a means to find out whether a new
central body is needed to represent the 750 or so civic societies and how it
would be funded. A national
convention for debate has been arranged on 15th and 16th
October 2009 in
Donations
to the Initiative have been requested from civic societies and one has been sent
from the Windsor & Eton Society. Personal
donations are also very welcome and can be sent, by cheque payable to “The
Civic Society Initiative”, to Civic Society Initiative, Unit 101, 82 Wood
Street, The Tea Factory, Liverpool, L1 4DQ; by standing order, or by using the
website www.civicsocietyinitiative.org.uk.
Personal donations can be gift-aided.
THE
Subscriptions
2,845
2,802
Gift
Aid Tax Refund
658
675
Surplus
on Visits
302
140
Surplus
on Concerts
58
11
Surplus
on Annual Dinner
(43)
178
Interest on COIF
328
548
Donation
55
Sundry
25
____
____ 4,228
4,354
Admin.
and Environmental cost (Note 1)
980 716
Insurances
280
280
Newsletters
359
543
Annual
Report (Note 2)
833
664
Meetings
including AGM
652
742
Donations
& Subscriptions
181
221
Flower Festival
40
King George V Memorial
250
Schools
Forum
50
Sundry
95
Projector
Depreciation
177
_____
____
3,557
3,506
Surplus
671
848
____
_____
4,228
4,354
Note
1 Administration costs are spread across all sections of the Society with
postage being particularly heavy this year.
Note
2 Last year’s Annual Report was printed on heavy paper resulting in higher
postage costs.
Balance
Sheet as at 30th June 2009
Payment
due for the Music Event
150
Pre-payment
for a visit next year
80
Community
Account at Barclays Bank
568
172
COIF
9,597
9,269
Purchase
of Projector
354
Less depreciation
177
177
_____
____
10,342
9,671
Less Liabilities
nil
nil
_____ ____
10,342
9,671
Represented
by:
General
Fund as at 30th June 2008
9,671
8,823
Surplus
for the year
671
848
_____
_____
General
Fund as at 30th June 2009
£10,342
£9,671
Honorary
Treasurer’s Report
The
accounts of the Society continue to show a healthy position with expenses well
controlled, although higher than last year.
Due to the failure of the Civic Trust we have contributed to an effort to
re-establish a national body. Our
Insurances, whilst paid under the sponsorship of the old Civic Trust, have been
confirmed by the insurer as still being valid.
J.W.Scott
Honorary Treasurer
July 2009
Independent
Examiner’s Report to the Trustees of the Windsor and Eton Society
I
report on the accounts for the Society for the year ended 30th June
2009, which are set out immediately above.
As
the Society’s trustees you are responsible for the preparation of the
accounts. You consider that the audit requirement of the Charities Act 1993 (the
Act) does not apply. It is my responsibility to state, on the basis of
procedures specified in the General Directions given by the Charity
Commissioners under section 43 (7) (b) of the Act, whether particular matters
have come to my attention.
My
examination was carried out in accordance with the General Directions given by
the Charity Commissioners. An examination includes a review of the accounting
records kept by the Society and a comparison of the accounts presented with
those records. It also includes consideration of any unusual items or
disclosures in the accounts, and seeking explanations from you as trustees
concerning any such matters. The procedures undertaken do not provide all the
evidence that would be required in an audit and, consequently, I do not express
an audit opinion on the view given by the accounts.
In
connection with my examination, no matter has come to my attention:
1. which gives me reasonable cause to believe that in any material
respect the requirements
- to keep accounting
records in accordance with section 41
of the Act: and
-
to prepare accounts which accord with the accounting records
and to comply with the accounting
requirements of the Act have
not been met: or
2.
to which, in my opinion, attention should be drawn in order to
enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
S
Le Bras, Chartered Accountant
6
Queen Anne’s Court
Peascod
St
Agenda
for the Annual General Meeting in
We stand to
remember Society members who have died during the year.
1.
Welcome and Apologies.
2.
Elect as President Air Marshal Ian Macfadyen.
3.
Approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 13th
October 2008.
4.
Receive a report from the Chairman.
5.
Receive and approve the Treasurer’s report and accounts for the year
ended 30 June 2009.
6.
Re-appoint Mr Stephen Le Bras as Independent Examiner for the ensuing
year.
7.
Re-elect the following officers:
Chairman
Dr David Murray Bruce
Vice-Chairman
Mr Dennis Garrett
Secretary
Mrs Elizabeth Bye-Jorgensen
Treasurer
Mr John Scott
8.
Re-elect the following twelve members of the Executive Committee:
Mrs Joan
Biggs, Dr John Briscoe, Mr James Clark, Mrs Colleen Garrett, Mrs Margaret
Gilson, Mrs Beryl Hedges, Mrs Karin Lohr, Mr Colin Meads, Mr Dennis Neale, Mrs
Anne Taylor, Mr Garry Williams and Miss Rosemarie Wood.
9.
Elect Mrs Elizabeth Robinson and Mr Andrew Melville as members of the
Executive Committee.
10.
Receive any special resolutions. *
11. Receive
any matters for general discussion. (Suggestions
and limited discussion on matters of public interest are welcomed).
This will
be followed by a talk by Mr T Slaney, Head of Planning RBWM.
*
Resolutions must be properly proposed and seconded and submitted to the Secretary
at 55
Minutes
of the Annual General Meeting held in
Welcome
and Apologies.
The
62nd Annual General Meeting was opened by the President who welcomed
members of the Society to
Members
stood to remember those who had died during the year.
Apologies
were received.
Minutes
of the previous Annual General Meeting.
The
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Monday 8 October 2007 were
received and approved.
Chairman’s
Report.
The
Chairman thanked Sir Eric Anderson, who has resigned as President, for his
contribution to the Society. Sir
Eric’s first contact with the Society was as Guest of Honour at the Annual
Dinner in 1982. The Chairman then
introduced the Annual Report for 2008, and thanked Margaret Gilson for her
drawings of Swan Upping inside the covers. He
commented on the Society’s contributions to the local environment which verify
the charitable status of the Society.
Following
a valedictory address by Gordon Franklin, a past Chairman of the Society, Sir
Eric was admitted as an Honorary Life Member of the Society, and presented with
a certificate to indicate this. Lady
Anderson received a bouquet and both were thanked for their support of the
Society.
Appointment
of President
Surgeon
Vice Admiral Ian Jenkins, Constable and Governor of Windsor Castle, was elected
President of the Society.
Treasurer’s
Report and Accounts.
The
Treasurer presented the accounts for the year to 30 June 2008.
The
accounts were duly proposed and adopted.
Appointment
of Independent Examiner.
The
re-appointment of Mr Stephen Le Bras was approved.
Appointment
of Officers.
The
following Officers were re-appointed:
Chairman
Dr David Murray Bruce
Vice-Chairman
Mr Dennis Garrett
Secretary
Mrs Elizabeth Bye-Jorgensen
Treasurer
Mr John Scott
Appointment
of Executive Committee.
The
following were re-appointed to the Executive Committee: Mrs Joan Biggs, Dr John
Briscoe, Mr James Clark, Mrs Colleen Garrett, Mrs Margaret Gilson, Mrs Beryl
Hedges, Mrs Karin Lohr, Mr Colin Meads, Mr Dennis Neale, Mrs Anne Taylor, Mr
Garry Williams and Miss Rosemarie Wood.
Revision
of Clause 20 of the Constitution
The
meeting agreed unanimously that Clause 20 of the Constitution be revised to
permit electronic communication.
Special
Resolutions
No
special resolutions had been received.
The
business meeting ended at 8.35.
After
its conclusion Paul Roach, Windsor and Eton Town Manager, gave a most
interesting and topical talk about his role and plans covering many areas of
great interest to us all and stimulating many questions which continued over the
refreshments arranged and served by Colleen and Dennis Garrett.
PRESIDENT
DESIGNATE OF THE SOCIETY
Air Marshal Ian Mecfadyen CB OBE
TRUSTEES
OF THE SOCIETY
HONORARY
OFFICERS
Chairman
Dr David Murray Bruce, Jubilee Cottage, Queen Anne’s Road,
Vice-chairman
Mr Dennis Garrett, 4 Ladywood Grange,
Secretary
Mrs Elizabeth Bye-Jorgensen, 55
01753 840813
e.byejorgensen@btinternet.com
Treasurer
Mr John Scott, 39
01753 864922
john.scott126@btopenworld.com
EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Mrs
Joan Biggs
51
01753 522493
Dr John Briscoe, LVO 54/56
(Civic
Trust)
01753 855321
briscoe395@btinternet.com
Mr
James Clark
Monks Walk, The Friary, Old
01753 841202
James.Clark@bita.org.uk
Mrs
Colleen Garrett
4 Ladywood Grange,
(Music)
SL5 9QG
01344
638836
Mrs
Margaret Gilson
28 Cell Farm Avenue, Old
01753 863542
Mrs Beryl Hedges
2 Marbeck Close,
(Talks)
01753 864354
bhedges@smartemail.co.uk
Mrs
Karin Lohr
145
(Heritage
and Environment) 01753
840651
Karin.lohr@tiscali.co.uk
Mr
Colin Meads
9
(Membership)
01753 863555
meads@dsl.pipex.com
Mr
Andrew Melville
01753 850379
a.melville@tiscali.co.uk
Mr
Dennis Neale, OBE, MC
01753 856697
Mrs
Elizabeth Robinson
01189 794062
elizabethrobinson@brigidine.org.uk
Mrs
Anne Taylor
Canon Cottage, Bishop's Farm Close Oakley Green SL4 5UN
(Newsletter)
01753 866873
taylorad22@o2.co.uk
Miss
Rosemarie Wood
(Outings)
01753 863608
rosemariewood@waitrose.com
Mr
Garry Williams
(Publicity)
01753 861911
Ex-officio
Mr Gordon
Franklin, CVO
10
SL4 2JD
01784 473817
Dr John
Long, CVO
THE
(Incorporating
The
Objects of the Society are:
To
stimulate public interest in the area.
To
promote high standards of planning and architecture in the area.
To
secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement
of features of historic or public interest in the area
In
pursuance of its Objects, the Society aims:
To encourage the people of
To maintain and extend the
towns’ amenities and to encourage care for old and interesting buildings.
To provide encouragement and
facilities for the enjoyment of the arts, sciences, recreation and culture.
To enhance the good names of
The annual subscription is due and payable on 1st
October at the following rates:
Single member
£ 6
Husband and Wife/Partner
£10
Junior Member (under 18)
£ 3
Registered charity No. 266768
Registered with the Civic Trust