VISION 2020 UK

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on Thursday

24 June 2004 at 12.15pm at The Britannia Centre,London NW1

Present:

Stephen RemingtonAction for Blind People (Chairman)

Alistair FielderRoyalCollege of Ophthalmologists

(Vice Chairman)

Michael WolffeCollege of Optometrists (Treasurer)

Andrew ElkingtonBritish Council for the Prevention of Blindness

Pretty GarrettBritish Orthoptics Society

David StevensChristian Blind Mission

Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

Michael RobertsIris Foundation

Tom BremridgeMacular Disease Society

Lance ClarkeNALSVI

NFB

Gareth DaviesNLBD

Sue WrightOpsis

Fazilet HadiRoyal National Institute for the Blind

Mike ClintonSeeability

SenseMalcolm Matthews

Richard PorterSightsavers

Robert LeaderSt Dunstans

Sir John WallSociety of Blind Lawyers

Ron BramleyThomas Pocklington Trust

Julie SweetingVIEW

Mike BraceChief Executive

Margaret AlexanderSecretary

  1. Minutes

The minutes of the last AGM held on 27 June 2003 were agreed as a true record.

2.Chairman’s Report

The Chairman was pleased to report that VISION 2020 UK now had a very enthusiastic and stable membership, currently 38 organisations. The successful applications to eh Department of Health for Section 64 funding and to the Community Fund for the grant for Network 1000 was a clear indication of confidence in the organisation. Development of the website was continuing.

He thanked the Working Groups for their contributions to VISION 2020 UK, members of the Executive Committee for their attendance and support, in particular, Alistair Fielder as Vice Chairman and Michael Wolffe as Treasurer and Mike Brace for his hard work over the year.

The Chairman paid tribute to Margaret Hallendorf, Chief Executive of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists who would be retiring shortly after 26 years and a career spanning 40 years in ophthalmology and thanked her for her support for VISION 2020 UK.

It was AGREED to endorse the report

Sir John Wall congratulated the Chairman and Chief Executive on the report which demonstrated clearly how much work Mike Brace managed to achieve with only limited administrative support. He would pass on the report and any other recruiting literature to the British Wireless for the Blind Fund and encourage them to join VISION 2020 UK.

In response to a query from Sir John on whether the Network 1000 survey could be extended to radio and TV needs and if so, could this be discussed with BWBF, Mike Brace explained that Network 1000 could not carry out survey work for all individual organisations. It was however likely that the communication theme within the survey would encompass broadcasting.

3.Treasurer’s Report

In presenting his report, the Treasurer pointed out that despite setting a deficit budget for 2002/3, a position which Executive Committee had felt to be acceptable for a new organisation, the accounts at the end of the year showed income exceeding expenditure by £2,662. Income had increased not only as a result of the start of Network 1000, although the major part of this income is restricted to the Project, but also through the Chief Executive’s work with Opsis which had brought in just under £11k for a full year.

Administration costs at10% of income, were well controlled.

It was proposed by Margaret Hallendorf, seconded by David Scott-Ralphs and AGREED to adopt the Accounts for 2003/2004.

4.Election of Executive Committee

Honorary Officers

The nomination for the one Honorary Officer post was unopposed and Alistair Fielder was therefore re elected for 2004/2007.

Ordinary Members

Six nominations had been received for the five places due for re election in accordance with the Constitution. Resulting from a secret ballot conducted at the close of the meeting, the following ordinary members were elected or re elected for 2004/2007

Deane Houston, Blind Centre for Northern Ireland,

Tom Pey, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association,

Gareth Davies, National League of the Blind and Disabled,

Fazilet Hadi, RNIB

David Scott-Ralphs, Seeability,

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