Annual General Meeting 2019: Report

The Friends' AGM was held on 10 April 2019. Trustee, Nigel Brockmann, chaired the meeting in place of President, Sir Angus Stirling, who was unwell on the day.

The Trustees' Report for 2018 was presented by Andy Walker, the main points being:

•    The improvements to the Holland House terrace, the approach road and the café yard were completed and looked excellent.

•    The RBKC Ecology Service and The Friends, working jointly, succeeded in winning a grant of £11k from the Mayor's Fund for Greening London to pay for the restoration of the West Woodland Enclosure.

•    The Friends published a children's guide to the park and had run a first pop-up desk in the park for children's activities during the October half-term break.

•    Stage 3 of the tree health programme was carried out by Bartletts Tree Experts and, once again, The Friends sponsored the Ecology Service walks and talks.

Silvi Spassov gave the Treasurer's Report for 2018. The balance for the financial year 2018 was £131,368: up on 2017 due to park projects earmarked for funding being postponed to 2019, and to exceptionally high income from donations (£38,418). The full accounts were printed in the spring 2019 issue of the newsletter.

The Secretary's Report was delivered by Rhoddy Wood, who said that membership stood at 1,035, higher than the same time last year, with approximately 50% joining on-line. She encouraged members who paid on-line please to contact her to arrange payment by standing order in future. Jennie Kettlewell's talks on Holland Park, its history and current challenges, were generating interest in membership.

Election: Richard Kulczycki was elected as a trustee with responsibility for ecology matters. All other trustees had agreed to stand again and were duly re-elected. Roger Foreman was re-elected as the independent examiner.

Chairman's Outlook for 2019. Much has happened since the AGM and this newsletter is an opportunity to update you, rather than report on the situation as it was in mid-April: see News Update on pages 4-5.  Jennie Kettlewell thanked the trustees for their support and hard work and Sir Angus Stirling, in his absence, for his wise advice and reassurance.

[Summer 2019]