Our Next AGM

All are welcome to attend; please remember members only to vote.

Our Next AGM

All are welcome to attend; please remember only members can vote.

Please support The Yateley Society at our next AGM.

As we are a charity, we are obliged to hold an AGM every year, allowing the community to hold us to account for the way in which we conduct our activities, and to enable our Members to be involved in the planning for the coming year. In order to make sure that the meeting is a pleasant one, and not heavily ensconced in reports and details, we always publish our Annual Report and Financial report in advance of the meeting for members to review and submit questions before the meeting. As such, we focus on clearly answering any questions that have been raised before the meeting, before concluding the “formal” part of the AGM and moving onto the discussions regarding the future.

As a reminder, it may help our members to be reminded of our Object Clauses:

1. To educate the public in the geography, history, natural history, and architecture of the area of benefit.

2. To secure the preservation, protection, development, and improvement of features of historic or public interest in the area of benefit.

3. To promote high standards of planning and architecture in or affecting the area of benefit.

4. To secure the enhancement of the biological diversity of the ecosystems, the conservation of the natural and semi-natural habitats, and the protection of the characteristic flora and fauna within the area of benefit

The Yateley Society AGM 2023

The Official business:

The 43rd AGM for The Yateley Society will be held on the 2nd November 2023, and we invite all Yateley Society members to join us for this important event in our calendar. We will have a brief session covering the official matters required by an AGM, including:

  1. Confirm acceptance of last year’s minutes (see below to read).
  2. Answer any questions arising from the Annual Report, including financial matters (see below to read)
  3. Vote in next year’s committee (see below for more details)
  4. Unveiling of new community asset
  5. Discussion regarding activities undertaken this year and plans for the coming year

Please note, only paid-up members are eligible to vote in the election of Trustees and any resolutions (please contact membership@yateleysociety.org.uk if you wish to check the status of your membership before the meeting).

Reports and more information:

Before the meeting we invite members to read the draft minutes of the last AGM which will be voted as accurate (unless any objections are made during the meeting) during the meeting.

Please see below a copy of the draft annual report 2023 for our members to read and send questions before the meeting.

Finally, there is a copy of our Constitution for your reference.

We would like to encourage all members to send any questions that may arise from reading these documents to us BEFORE the meeting, emailing secretary@yateleysociety.org.uk.

Draft mins from 42nd agm

Current Trustees:

Yateley Society has the potential for 12 trustees. Two of our current trustees, Liz Carpenter and Jo Hill, are stepping down and offering themselves for re-election. If you would like to be considered in either of these roles, or indeed as another trustee, please let us know! 

My name is Jo Hill and I’ve lived in Darby Green for 28 years.  I am married to Andy, have 3 grown up children all living in Yateley, 2 dogs, a cat, a motorhome and I work part-time.  I became aware of the Yateley Society when the Mushroom Farm redevelopment was raised and I joined to help negotiate (successfully) for a reasonable alternative to the proposed office blocks.

I am by nature a nosey person that likes to know what’s going on, get involved in everything and offer my mostly administrative skills to good use.  I am keen to spread the word about the Society and let everyone know that good works can be done locally when we pull together.

I came to Yateley in 1979 and since then have seen how much the town has grown and developed over a great number of years…sometimes for the better, other times not so much. I first became involved with Yateley Society over seven years ago, when I was approached to build a new website for the charity. I was rather stunned to realise that I had, until that point, not heard of Yateley Society, and so when I was asked to become a trustee and Secretary in 2020 I vowed that I would wholeheartedly get involved in raising the society’s profile within the community.

I am immensely impressed at the work undertaken by such a small band of dedicated people, and I plan to continue doing everything I can to promote the society, develop and improve upon our back-office set up, and support the amazing work that our trustees selflessly undertake to preserve and enhance our community.

I would like to continue in the role of Secretary in order to provide continuity and consistancy in a changing Society, particulary as I feel that I have contributed a number of ideas and suggestions as to how we continue to grow and develop. 

We would also like to hear from you as to what you have to offer the Society, so that you will be included in the nominations for voting at the AGM.

Notice of Meeting

The 43rd Annual General Meeting of The Yateley Society

will be held on

Thursday 2nd November 2023 at 7.30pm at Yateley Industries.

Agenda:

  1. Welcome and Apologies for Absence
  2. The Business of our AGM, including:
    1. Minutes of the 42nd Annual General Meeting
    2. Chairman’s Address
    3. Adoption of Annual Report and Approval of Accounts
    4. Election of Secretary and ViceChair
    5. Election of any new trustees
  3. The interesting bit!:
    1. “The Great Unveiling” – a gift to the community
    2. Guest Speakers – including Sarah Bunce from The Thames Basin Heaths Partnership, and Sheldon McMullan of Yateley Industries
    3. An update of activities this last year and planned activities for the coming year.

Note:

Any paid-up member wishing to have a resolution debated at the AGM should submit details (email will suffice) of the proposed motion to the Secretary (secretary@yateleysociety.org.uk) no later than 25th October 2023.

Only paid-up members are entitled to vote in the election of the Executive Committee, (Trustees) and any resolutions.

Nominations for the Executive Committee should be sent by email to secretary@yateleysociety.org.uk at least 7 days prior to the AGM.

How we deliver against our Object Clauses

  1. Education

There is a great deal of emphasis on communicating, and engaging, with the community to fulfil our objective of “educating”. We hold monthly talks, typically the first Thursday of the month at Monteagle Community Hall, where we invite speakers to talk on a variety of subjects pertinent to our community. There are planned walks, visits and social events, all designed to inform and educate both members and non-members.

2. History

A number of our members are interested in local history research including Yateley families, houses, churches, pubs and farms and of course Yateley Common.  Every so often, a topic will spark interest and a group will begin a project. This the leads to publications and indeed books – such as “Yateley in the Great War”.

Our research projects have also contributed to a substantial increase in the numbers of listed buildings and to the designation of two further Conservation Areas. The Society would not have won so many of the planning inquiries concerning listed buildings and conservation areas if we had not presented well researched historical evidence about those buildings and their setting. However, we are conscious that there are still buildings in need of being listed (to avoid neglect, decay and demolition) and more assistance with this is most welcome.

3. Planning

Although the home to some 21,000 people, the urban housing areas are separated by strategic gaps of green land which remain under severe threat from development. We cannot ignore the need for sustainable development, but the quality of Yateley as a place to live depends upon maintaining the right balance between development and the natural environment. Because of its key location next to urban conurbations, Yateley is perpetually under threat from new development – which residents may or may not consider unsuitable for the area.

The Society encourages members to monitor planning applications for all major developments in Yateley, our local conservation areas and common lands.

4. Conservation

There has been a great deal of activity over the last few years from a conversation perspective. The Yateley Society has been heavily involved with Yateley Climate Action Network (YCAN) and Yateley Town Council to increase wildflower meadows on grass verges around the parish. We have also been instrumental in obtaining a donation by the Woodland Trust of 420 trees for planting in the parish on the land owned by Yateley Town Council and residents.

Projects continue with regard to the ongoing threat of the de-registration of our common land at BlackBushe, as well as the ongoing maintenance of Yateley Common.