AGM 2021

VALE & DOWNLAND BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION

Registered Charity No: 1015801

This year the Vale and Downland Beekeepers’ Association AGM will, once again, be held online using ZOOM. The meeting will take place online on the 29^th of October at 19.30, and detailed e-mail instructions will be sent out to you prior to the meeting, with a link for you to join us online.

To prepare for the meeting, we have uploaded a few documents: the agenda, 2020 AGM draft minutes, and 2021 accounts are all available below:

The Agenda – DOWNLOAD.
Draft 2020 minutes – DOWNLOAD.
2021 Accounts – DOWNLOAD.

For our postal members we have already sent you your proxy voting form & trustee nomination form.  For our e-members we have sent you links to the online voting system.  Michael Havard-Bilton, as Chair, will be running the AGM and you will need to vote on your proxy voting form/system, telling him how you wish to vote for each Trustee nomination.

Membership Fees 2021-2022.

With effect from 1st October 2021 the BBKA fee (capitation) rates have been increased.

As you know, last year the Trustees proposed to waive the VDBKA membership fee for existing members, since Covid 19 had prevented us from running many of the activities that we would normally undertake throughout the year. This was a one-off discount and was overwhelmingly supported by the membership (BDI, BBKA membership and BeeCraft subscriptions being levied as normal).

Following the BBKA capitation increase this year, the Trustees are proposing that next year’s membership fee, which includes BBKA and VDBKA membership, due from 1^st November 2021, be increased in line with the BBKA increases as follows: Registered Member £35 (currently £33), Registered Family Member £36 (currently £34), Partner Member £13.50 (£12.50), Country Member £22.00 (£21.50), School Member £36 (£34). The Junior Member will remain at £9.50.

The existing trustees would very much welcome you joining us in becoming a trustee by nominating yourself on the nomination form which has also been posted out to you or by completing the online form.

Trustees are formally appointed to run the Association and are bound by the rules for trustees set by the Charity Commission.  Committee meetings are held approximately 6 to 8 times a year and trustees are expected to help organise and take part in the activities of the Association.  For those who want to help with the running and organisation of the Association but who might not want to take on the full responsibilities of being a trustee, there are also non-trustee positions such as Deputy Apiary Manager, Annual Delegate to the BBKA, Swarms and Spray Warning Officer and Librarian.  Non-trustee post holders attend meetings if issues related to their area are being discussed, but do not vote.

Nominations received before the AGM will be voted on during the meeting.

The nomination form can be either returned in the SAE along with the proxy form, or scanned and emailed to Moraig Lowman, our secretary at secretary@valeanddownlandbees.org.uk. Both forms must be received by the due date noted to count. If you have any questions for the AOB item of the AGM, please also submit these to the above email address by Monday 12 Oct. If we are unable to answer your question at the AGM, it will be discussed at the next Committee meeting and a response provided.

We look forward to seeing you all on Zoom!

Yours sincerely

The Trustees