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Agenda:

1. Apologies for Absence

2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting of 16^th November 2023 – Hugh Anscombe

3. Acting Chairman’s Report for the year ending 30 Sept 2024 – Garry Brooks

4. Treasurer’s Report for the year ending 30 Sept 2024 – Pam Taylor

5. Election of Officers:

       Committee Nominations for Elections

          Chairman & co-webmaster                       Garry Brooks

          Secretary                                                               Hugh Anscombe  

Co-webmaster                                                   Simon Ritchie 

Book Sales                                                            Michael Herbert 

6. Election of Committee members:                                                

• John Bourne, Pam Taylor and Malcolm Watson are all retiring from the SIHG Committee, we thank them for their many years of service.
• Michael Herbert has offered himself for re-election
• Stuart Dennison, Simon Ritchie and Richard Shenton have offered themselves to join the Committee

If anyone wishes to offer themselves for a specific role, e.g. Newsletter editor /  Membership Secretary,  or as a general Committee member, please inform the  Secretary not later than 30th October 2024

7.  Use of SIHG funds

7.1 Proposal to allow expenditure of up to £1800 for speakers, promotion (e.g. posters) and Hall Hire and a “float” of £500 for day trips in 2024-25

7.2   Proposal to authorise the SIHG Committee to spend up to £5,000 on donations to and/or sponsorship of a project at the Rural Life Museum. (See details of appeal and possible project, below)

Note: if we are to sponsor a project, we will need a volunteer to organise it. This person will not necessarily have to be a member of the SIHG Committee

7.4 Proposal to authorise the SIHG Committee up to £5,000 for appropriate educational usage. Suggestions include sponsorship of a Surrey school project related to industry/engineering; funding an industry /engineering related PhD project at Surrey University; or an undergraduate student hardship fund to help STEM students at Surrey University.

If we are too do this, we will need a volunteer to organise it. This person will not necessarily have to be a member of the SIHG Committee

8. Continuation of SIHG Awards

No SIHG Awards have been made since 2021. If someone is willing and able to step forward to organise a 2025 award, should we finance it? Only cost will be the plaque.  

(Possible future recipients are to Historic Croydon Airport Trust for the 3D computer simulation of the early days of the airport layout and to the Amberley Museum for the cosmetic restoration of the Townsend Hook tank engine (ex. Betchworth Quarry).)

9. Membership Fees

8.1 Membership fees were waived for 2024-25.  We propose to waive them again in 2025-26, but may reintroduce then in 2026-27 if appropriate. 

 Any other business

Any resolution proposed under this heading should be notified to the Secretary not later than Sunday 31^st October 2024.

Hugh Anscombe, Honorary Secretary

Rural Life Museum Appeal - latest news

As of 12^th October, the time of writing this appeal has passed the £120,000 mark, so is still £30k off the target.

 The intention of the fundraising target was 3-fold:

1. Get the Museum through to the spring £50k
2. Put back the cash reserves used in Q1 & Q2 to ensure the Museum can weather a future storm. £50k
3. Use the final £50k to provide a year’s wages for the post and a budget for a new Marketing post to use in the first year improve the museum’s marketing and diversification of its audience

The museum would prefer an unrestricted donation to their fund to allow them to fulfil these 3 objectives, but would also consider a sponsorship of a project to refurbish and relocate the museum’s Dando wind pump, which was dismantled and re-erected by SIHG some years ago.