Minutes of the 32nd Annual General Meeting of the
Dorset Area of the Ramblers' Association

Held on 25th November 2006 at the Village Hall, Durweston

1.  Introduction
The meeting was hosted by the North Dorset Group and was opened by the Area Council Chairman, Laurie Fairhurst. He welcomed the members present and the guest speaker, Andrew Chadwick RA Volunteer Development Manager.

2.  Present
There were 38 persons present.

3.  Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Donald Barr, Susan Blake, Andy Hopkinson, Jack de Carteret, Jim Hart, Austin Knock, Graham and Madeline Hemsley.

4.  Minutes of the 31st AGM
These had been circulated to all present at the start of the meeting. They were accepted unanimously as a true record of the meeting and were duly signed by the Chairman.

5.  Annual Report and Statement of Accounts
Laurie Fairhurst referred to the Annual Report, which had been distributed at the start of the meeting. To further expand on the part of the Annual Report.
Jubilee Trail
Rosemary Bramah gave a further update to the current Jubilee Trail activities bringing to attention of those present an extensive display with photographs at the rear of the hall and emphasised the following points.
The parts of the trail which require the most attention are in the west and north of Dorset primarily because of the types of paths utilised.
It is intended to improve the current signposting and waymarking by replacing the current split stakes with a more substantial design.
We are very grateful to the County Council for their interest and assistance in which they are more than matching the funds the Jubilee Trail Book Fund provides.
After thanking Rosemary for her explanation Laurie Fairhurst requested that if any members had any ideas for future actions then they should talk to Rosemary after the meeting closed.
Income and Expenditure Accounts
Mike Heckford advised that the accounts have been audited and the only significant change is a deficit of £2,700 which was entirely due to the transfer of the Wright Legacy of £4,300 to the Jubilee Trail Book Fund Account.
With reference to the previous year’s accounts, which had not been audited at the time of the 2005 AGM, these have now been audited and there were no changes.
There were no questions.
The Auditor, Jan Wardell, was thanked by Mike Heckford for her efforts this year.

6.  Election of Officers
The Chairman advised that the following nominations had been received and asked if there were any further nominations from the floor. As no further nominations were made the following were elected.

Position Proposer Seconder
Officers
Laurie Fairhurst Chairman Mike Heckford Peter Anthony

Mike Heckford Treasurer Andy Hopkinson Brian Panton

Brian Panton Footpath Secretary Laurie Fairhurst Rosemary Bramah

Jim Scott Secretary Laurie Fairhurst Andy Hopkinson

Peter Anthony Membership Secretary Derek Watkinson Paul Berrett

Kate Gocher Vice Chairman Andy Hopkinson Pat White

Graham Hemsley Countryside Secretary Brian Panton Peter Anthony
Individual Members
Derek Watkinson Individual Member Jim Scott Andy Hopkinson

Rosemary Bramah Individual Member Peter Anthony Mike Green


Representatives of Affiliated Clubs (two)
It is assumed that Paul Berrett will continue as one of the representatives.
Area Delegate to General Council 2007
Mike Heckford Nominated Member GC Brian Panton Laurie Fairhurst
Group Representatives
Pat White South Dorset Group
(Post Meeting Note – for Information)

Andy Hopkinson East Dorset Group
Donald Barr North Dorset Group
Mike Green West Dorset Group

Rotates Young Walkers Group
Vacancies

Newsletter Editor

Publicity Officer

Individual Members (3)

Mike Beams has resigned as an Independent Member.

7.  Appointments
Jan Wardell was re-appointed as Honorary Auditor.
Grace Prowse and Jack de Carteret will continue as Vice Presidents.

8.  Motions from Members
There were none.

9.  Questions
Kate Gocher asked if there were funds available for visitors to General Council in 2007.
Mike Heckford confirmed that £500 had been allocated.

10.  Talk by Guest Speaker, Andrew Chadwick
Andrew introduced himself as the Volunteer Development Manager at Ramblers’ Central Office and advised that he had been with the Ramblers for two years.
His responsibilities are basically two fold – part facing inwards to the Ramblers’ structure and organisation and the other part facing outwards to the Areas and Groups. As a result of this dual role he can act as a single point of contact and interface between the centre and the members even where the answer comes from another department.
He explained that the status of Volunteering is becoming more formalised with various government and other initiatives. This has put the organisation under some strain and it has been suggested that it is creaking at the seams. Although Andrew didn’t entirely agree with that scenario it is clear that the structure does need attention and this is being addressed.
Overall the Ramblers’ organisation is still relatively successful in that, despite a shortage of volunteers, no Area Council has yet collapsed. Also with more than 28,000 walks organised each year the Groups are very active.
However there is still a need to improve including :–
Making better use of modern technologies to reduce the volume of circulars sent.
Widen the net of volunteering opportunities, create the possibility of bite size volunteering roles (short duration actions), examples of these are the e-newsletter and the Footpath Guardian initiative.
Better publicity – shout a bit louder about the Ramblers’ actions, promote the Group and Area contributions not just the Centre.
In this regard Andrew was very complimentary about Dorset Footnotes which is seen as a good example.

11.  Questions to Andrew Chadwick
Brian Panton – Have we gone past the peak of volunteer availability due to the trend for later retirement.
Answer – This may be correct but one also needs to consider the increased trend for career breaks and part time working.
Mike Heckford – With reference to the creaking structure (Centre, Area and Group relationships), what are we doing about it.
Answer – The present structure at Group level is very healthy with Area seen to fill the gap between Groups and the Centre thereby enabling the Centre to operate as a relatively low cost organisation such that more of the available funds can be directly used for the charitable aims of the Ramblers’ Association. However this is to the detriment of the supporting structure and as such a review of the present structure is underway and problem this will be addressed during that review.
Stan Faris – It is apparent that the Ramblers’ Association doesn’t attract the majority of walkers. Would there be any benefit in a more flexible subscription structure such as a monthly option as well as an annual fee.
Answer – Noted

12.  Votes of Thanks
Mike Heckford proposed a vote of thanks to Andrew which was passed by acclamation.
Laurie Fairhurst thanked the North Dorset Group for organising the Area AGM and specially the ladies for the excellent catering.

Signed …………………………………… Date …………………….

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