events /

Society Secretary
Peter Linney

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Eric Robson in the chair, Peter Linney, secretary, and 60 members.

• The chairman, welcomed all to the meeting

• Apologies were received from 10 members

• The minutes of the first Annual General Meeting held on Saturday 24th January 2004 at 2.00 pm. In Kendal Town Hall, had been circulated before the meeting and members were given time to read them and the Annual Report and Account which were appended thereto. The chairman asked for the approval of the meeting that they were a correct record and this was proposed by Bernard McNulty and seconded by Michael Oliver and carried by the meeting.

• Finance Report      John Pulford presented the accounts which showed a surplus of £1,534 for the year ended 30 September 2004, with a bank balance of £4,164 at that date. He reported that there was likely to be a deficit for the current financial year as a result of the cost of holding the annual lecture but that this will be partly offset by the increased membership as a result of the success of the Challenge. He also advised the membership that the facility to pay subscriptions by standing order or directly on-line would be available for 2006.

• Chairman's Report     Eric Robson explained that he was not, by nature, a 'clubable' person but had agreed to chair the newly formed Wainwright Society, largely to reassure Betty Wainwright who, like most of us, was unsure as to the direction the Society might take. In fact the past fifteen months had been quite enjoyable and we have put together a most effective team. There have been a few ups and downs, the small turn out at the Memorial Lecture being one but the successes have outnumbered the disappointments. There is huge interest in the works of AW for which much of the thanks must go to John Nicoll of Frances Lincoln who rescued the Pictorial Guides and many other titles from the slough into which they were sinking before the formation of the Society. Summing up the chairman reiterated that it was the members' Society and it was for us to decide what we do.

• Membership    On behalf of Morag Clement (Membership Secretary) Peter Linney reported that at the end of 2004 we had 326 names on the books and if there had been nothing to stimulate new membership we might have expected numbers to fall to the low 200's, however the Challenge has put that right and the present date the membership stands at 443 which with more renewals coming in each day means we will have more than 460 members by May. The challenge for the Society will be to keep as many of these new members as possible

• Appointment of Office Holders    The chairman reported that the Chairman, Treasurer and Secretary were all prepared to stand again and he asked for the support of the meeting to renew these appointments for a further year.  This was forthcoming.  He also proposed that David Pitt be reappointed as Honorary Auditor and this also was agreed.  John Burland will continue to look after publicity, Morag Clement Membership, Robert Jackson the Website and Andrew Stainthorpe the design work.

• Society 'Meets'    John Burland reminded members that an important part of the Society's activities is that we get out onto the fells and in 2004 and the first two months of this year there were 9 walks planned of which 2 were cancelled due to total lack of interest and of the remaining 7 some had only 2 or 3 attending, although The Haweswater walk in July had 18 members present.  It has been noted that the cancellation and low attendances were all outside the Lake District and despite this fact we shall continue to include one or two each year in areas such as The Howgills and the Limestone Dales.   The three meets this year have recorded 7, 9 and today on Orrest Head we had 18. Undoubtedly the key has been the giving of long notice of the dates and venues.  The May walk, planned for Penyghent, has been moved, due to the Challenge, to 21st May and up Red Screes.  The meet will be at the car park opposite the Kirkstone Pass Inn at 10.00 am.  John expressed his thanks and those of the Society to all those who had volunteered to arrange these events and that the list for 2006 was now open and would all those who can do this let him know their details so the we can have a really attractive programme of meets in 2006.
  
  
• The Photographic Competition   The Chairman congratulated members on their response to the competition this year in which 58 entries were made.  The winners are Derek Leak who took first prize with a stunning monochrome snow scene in the Scafells, Judy Leak who came second with 'Into the Light – Buttermere' and in third place Neil Collie with Ullswater & Place Fell in autumnal mood.  Derek and Judy could not be at the AGM as Derek was judging a photographic competition on the day of the AGM but Neil was and he came forward to receive his prize from Eric Robson.   Peter Linney explained that Derry Brabbs was concerned that there should be a level playing field between film and digital images and so this year the competition will be for the single best picture in each class and with all the images being taken during 2005.  The closing date will be 31st December with the winners being announced before March.

• The Great Lakeland Challenge    Eric explained that the idea had come from Peter Hardy, a member, that all 214 should be climbed on the same day in May.  The committee, reviewing this proposal expanded the timescale to 8 days thus minimising the risk of failure due to bad weather and the response had been magnificent.   The state of play at the date of the meeting was that 185 of the 214 fells and 23 of the 56 Outlying Fell walks had been claimed and that there was no doubt but that all fells would have a claimant and possibly three.  Eric also reported that there had been a number of suggestions that the 'Challengers' should have a 'get together' some time after the end of the week of the Challenge and this was discussed by members and the consensus was that we should meet on the 21st in or around Kendal.  This would be examined and members would be told of the venue etc.  The challenge facing us now was to think of ideas which will galvanise the membership into staying with us.

•  The Pennine Journey Project      Eric said that one of the ideas to follow on from the Challenge had been proposed by David Pitt and this was to be about the route of the walk which AW did in 1938 from Settle to Settle via  Hadrian's Wall.  This journey recorded in his book has been broken down by David, into 18 separate sections, suitable for a day's walking.  The need is to set up teams to research, walk and record each section and then to bring the information into a book which, if of the desired quality may well be published.  Eric has suggested that we should approach, say, 9 writers with connections to the North West who would each join a couple of teams to write the chapter, thus producing a work of quality and wider interest.  David Pitt was available after the AGM to receive volunteers to join the teams.   Details will be sent to members with the April issue of Footsteps.

•  Winnash Wind Farm       Eric, as chairman of the Cumbria Tourist Board is to give evidence at the enquiry into this 'pivotal' project, with 7 Kilometres of turbines the height of St Paul's Cathedral located between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks and wondered whether the Society through its members present at the AGM would care to take a view on this project.  On a show of hands the overwhelming majority were not in favour of this project.

•  Summing Up    Secretary Peter Linney said that at last year's AGM members proposed some 20 things which the Society might do and the majority of these had been or would be achieved.  He went on to say that The Society would only ever be as good as the ideas of its members and asked that members let him know what it is that they wish us to do, separately or together.

The formal business of the annual general meeting being completed the meeting closed at 2.45 pm The Chairman closed the meeting and members then viewed the new books from Frances Lincoln and various items of memorabilia which have been brought by members.