ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2025 & Ordinary Meeting
Wednesday, 02 April 2025,, 7.00pm, Monks Walk pub, Back Room downstairs
MINUTES
PART ONE - AGM
Present: Martin Cox, John & Tricia Sharp, Chris & Toni Mundel, Kate & Roger Woods, Michele Robillard, Sheila Mullen
Apologies: Jim Whitfield, Nigel Walker, Nicola Dixon, Brigitte Bourderiat
Minutes of AGM 2024
Approved
President’s Report (Martin)
Report is attached
Art Competition has been launched
Translations of Town Guide have been completed
Treasurer’s Report – (Jim)
Statement of Account is attached
Membership Report – (Michèle)
Membership stands at 26.
6. Election of Officers
Officers continuing in post are:
Treasurer – Jim Whitfield
Anglo-French Soc. Rep – Michele Robillard
Membership Secretary – Michele Robillard
Visits/Events Secretary – Brigitte Bourderiat
Martin Cox and Nicola Dixon were elected as Co-Chairs.
It was agreed that instead of a Minutes Secretary, members would be asked to take it in turns to take the Minutes at meetings and to pass them on to Martin and Nicola for distribution.
Subscriptions 2025 – 26
The new subscription fee was set at a £20.00. It was agreed that there will be a need to have a programme of events to justify the fee.
Note: This is to be given to Michèle by or at the May meeting.
8. Amendments to the Constitution
No. 2 Aims of the Association – new section b should be new section c
No 8 Voting at the AGM – delete ‘and each family’ to the end of the sentence.
Agreed.
9. The Future of the Association (Martin)
There was a wide-ranging discussion on this item. Concerning funding, Tricia agreed to investigate funding available from the Council of Europe. The importance of getting schools involved in exchanges was highlighted,.though Michèle felt they already had their own arrangements in place.
Other ideas:
A stronger link with the Anglo-French Society to add to our membership – Michèle.
Kate suggested that we hold some events where we explore the Nogent area so that we become better educated about who we are linking with and that we contact the Nogent Association and Mayoralty to see if they have any materials, e.g. a film clip, to help with this. If they don’t have anything, perhaps they could make a short film. In any case, we should explain to them our difficulties surrounding the Association to see if they can intervene in any way.
There will be an Extraordinary Meeting on May 14th to decide finally on the future of the Association. Kate and Roger Woods will plan this meeting with Martin.
10. Date of next AGM
To be decided after the Extraordinary Meeting (usually in March).
PART TWO – Ordinary Meeting
1. Minutes of last meeting (15th January 2025)
Approved
2. Visit to Nogent May 2025
Brigitte will report to those who are going to Nogent. She has the programme and will circulate it to those going.
3. Fundraising and social events
We have applied to the Dogger Bank Trust Fund for £500.
Note: The application to the Wind Farm Trust has been rejected, once again on the grounds of there being a low benefit to the residents of Beverley.
Toni reminded us that Reckitt’s gives grants for youth programmes,, which could include student exchanges.
Elwell’s meal – Sheila will enquire in September as no space is available for their regular meals before then.
Members suggested further events and offered to take them forward as follows.
Petanque afternoon
There is a petanque terrain in Tickton which is free to use. Christine will investigate this.
Toni will enquire about the one in Brandesburton.
|It was suggested that we combine a petanque afternoon with a summer picnic.
Wine-tasting – end of June.
It was agreed that we should try to organise it ourselves. Toni will discuss with Carrie. The Minster rooms cost £15.00 per hour. Tricia will check on this.
4. Visit from Fuccechio December 2025
Fifteen people will be coming from Fuccechio. The last Nogent visit cost £2000, so there will be a need for fund-raising to meet the costs of the Fuccechio visit. Planning for the visit will take place at the next ordinary meeting, in July. It was mentioned that we would need to pay attention to the need to raise further funds with some urgency after this visit for any hosting of a group from Nogent in 2026, including possibly applying for another small grant from the Town Council.
5. Beverley Town Council
The councillors going to Nogent will be decided at the next Town Council meeting.
See Martin’s report for progress on funding application.
Note: Cllr Tom Astell has agreed to attend. His late father, Peter, was a great advocate of twinning with Nogent.
6. AOB
Toni said that Hornsea has a dedicated area in the Council Offices for its Twinning.
He proposed asking Beverley Town Council and/or East Riding Council for a sign in the new Council building to promote the Twinning Association. Toni to action.
Toni also showed to the meeting a carved wooden relief of a beaver which he proposed as a gift from the Council to Nogent. The Council would be asked to pay (about £100). Toni to show this to the Clerk
7. Date of next meeting
9 July 2025
Chair of the Twinning Association Report Spring 2025
A highlight of the year was the visit of 16 members from Nogent who stayed in homes of members. We spent much of the time eating carbohydrate [heavy typically English fare] in Beverley but also visited Bempton Cliffs and Race the Waves in Bridlington. We are grateful to the organising team of Roger, Kate and Brigitte for all their planning. It was, as always, great to rekindle old friendships and make new ones. A couple also came from the tennis club in Nogent – we are uncertain if this will grow into an exchange. Nancy hosted us at the tennis club and many of us tried outdoor bowls before sampling an English Cream Tea.
We were saddened to hear of the passing of Bernard who had visited Beverley on several occasions often photographing our time together, but couldn’t make it this time.
Four members visited Fucecchio for the celebration of their 10 years twinned with Nogent. Some intensive cramming of basic Italian got me by and with no representative from the Town Council I was frequently expected to say a few words [in Italian]. One feature was to see the exhibition resulting from the poetry competition between Nogent, Fucecchio and Beverley won by Poppy Dixon who took part in the visit. It was superbly photographed by Nigel Walker. Nigel, along with Sally Layton from the Photographic Club, had judged the entries and the winning selection from each town was displayed subsequently in St Mary’s Beverley and in Nogent.
After Toni shared at a meeting that the Lemgo Association was encouraging exchange visits for older school pupils we offered this as a possibility with both Nogent and Fucecchio. No students were proposed from Nogent but 3 came from Fucecchio hosted by Toni and Chris and by me. One student from the Beverley area made a private arrangement to undertake work experience in Nogent. All these were a great success in sharing cultures and developing language skills. Toni has written to our secondary schools explaining what exchanges are available to Germany, France and Italy this summer. Six places have been offered by Fucecchio this summer and we are waiting to hear if Nogent can host any. Could members please let Martin know asap if you are available to host at this end for 7-10 days.
Funding continues to be an issue. Although we always plan events that enable us to meet socially and spend time together each event only slowly increases the bank balance. We are constantly mindful that we need to raise funds to host visits from Nogent and Fucecchio on alternate years. To say I felt disappointed by the Town Council to enter into a 3-year partnership agreement was an understatement but after being encouraged by members to dust myself down and apply for a smaller grant I took advice and applied. This resulted in being awarded £1000 but in exchange for committing to certain projects: translation of the opening paragraphs of the Town Guide into French, Italian, German and Dutch; to organise an art competition for children; to develop a leaflet about the Association as part of a recruitment drive; expenses to run the exchange programme; some money to be spent in Beverley to offset expenses during the visit from Fucecchio in December.
An invitation has been received from Nogent to attend the anniversary celebration of their twinning with Gersthofen at the end of May. The invitation includes councillors and a small group of members have committed to attend.
Due to the restraints upon us as group it would be sensible to look in detail at the future of the Association and decide on a way forward. I have prepared a Briefing Paper to enable discussions in this AGM. This should not be seen as negative but an opportunity to look in a realistic way at what we can manage and the viability of the Association.
Martin Cox
Chair
Beverley-Nogent Twinning Association
Statement of Income and Outgoings 2024 – 2025
Beverley Building Society Account
Date
Amount in
Amount out
Balance
27.04.24
Expenses for Twinning visit of Nogentais
£2000
£19.32
04.05.24
£50
Raffle
£69.32
“
£105
Photo donation
£174.32
“
£50
“
£224.32
“
£50
“
£274.32
“
£280
Subs
£554.32
“
£85
Elwell’s Profit
£639.32
16.07.24
£5
Underpaid Sub
£644.32
02.12.24
£78
Raffle
£722.32
“
£30
Sub
£752.32
“
£30
Sub
£782.32
“
£25
Xmas tree donation
£807.32
31.12.24
£30.93
Interest
£838.32
26.02.25
£1000
BTC Grant
£1838.32
Balance
£1838.32