BEST WISHES FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
SHF SPRING TALK
Thursday 26th March, 2020 – SOLD OUT!
Adam Frost is obviously a very popular speaker! We are keeping a short waiting list in case of cancellations – contact Secretary Janet Arm on 01252-783133 or email: janetarm@btinternet.com
More details on the event page.
Surrey Horticultural Federation 2019 A.G.M.
President Daphne Foulsham welcomed all the members to the 43rd AGM , then handed over to
Chairman Richard Tabor who read his yearly report, as follows:-
I have to start on a very sad note about the recent passing of our Vice President Brian Deaville, former Chairman, Quiz Organiser and a welcome speaker on a variety of subjects at many of our club evenings, and judge at our shows. Our thoughts today are with his family, but I am glad to say his daughter Katharine is with us here today as Treasurer.
Our Spring talk by Nick Bailey was well attended and enjoyed. Our garden visit was to Shamley Wood Estate but sadly not so well supported, which was a great pity as it is a delightful garden and is still under further development. Hopefully if we are invited back in a few years’ time, more of our members will come along to enjoy the garden. (We still managed to raise £500 for the owner’s charity, the National Gardens Scheme.)
Looking forward to 2020, tickets are selling fast for our talk in March by Adam Frost, on 26th March at 7.30 pm.
There is more to look forward to in a twin garden visit in the summer. For the first time in several years our President, Daphne Foulsham has very kindly agreed to open her garden at Vale End Albury to our members, and this is being coupled with an opportunity on the same day to enjoy Hilary Goodridge’s garden at 2 Chinthurst Lodge, Wonersh.
I would like to offer my thanks and gratitude to Beth and Mark Otway who have worked long and hard to rectify the damage caused by pirates invading our website. Finally, I would like you to join me in showing our gratitude to our President and our very hard working committee, and also to John Negus, who has not only most kindly stepped in to organise our Quiz, but has also agreed to join our Council as a Committee Member.
Treasurer’s Report
A copy of the audited accounts was circulated. Katharine reported that the Federation currently has £5,953.06 in hand. The total Income for the past year was £2,163.50 made up of Subscriptions and Donations from clubs, Spring Talk entry tickets and raffles. Expenditure was £1,241.57 made up of Affiliation fees, Donations, quiz and spring talk costs, hall hire, insurance, newsletters and general expenses. The net result was a surplus of £921.93 for the year. In view of these figures we propose no increase in subscriptions yet again for 2020. Katharine then gave her thanks to auditor John Manches for examining the books for 2018-19.
Election of Officers and Council Members
Daphne said that this year the Chairman and Treasurer are within term but Janet has completed another 3 years as Secretary but had offered to stand again and so had all the Council Members who stand for a single year at a time. They are Anne Bradbeer, Barbara Boyse, Nicky Cornell, Roy Lomax, Pam Lomax, Beth Otway, Jane Swift, and Paul Yeoman. All of these were proposed en-bloc by Diana Terry, seconded by Kathy Robinson and agreed by all.
As Richard had said, John Negus has recently been co-opted as Quizmaster, and has volunteered to join the Council, but needed to be elected. He was proposed by Richard, seconded by Anne Bradbeer, and elected.
The last election is for the auditor, John Manches. He was proposed by Susan Holmes, and seconded by Nicky Cornell.
Future Events, by Janet
As Richard said, for the Spring Talk last year we had a Gardeners’ World presenter, but this year we seem to have an even more popular one, Adam Frost, if ticket sales are to be believed! Thanks to a computer glitch we had to change from an afternoon Sunday talk to the evening of Thursday 26th March here at Normandy Village Hall.
Richard also mentioned the double Summer garden visits, which are to be on midsummer day, Sunday June 21st next year (which is also Father’s Day). The two gardens are only about 2-3 miles apart so it’s a wonderful opportunity to see two beautiful gardens. We are still finalising timings at the moment – details will be available shortly.
Anne Bradbeer and I represented the Federation at an RHS Meeting of specialist nurseries at Wisley last Tuesday. We are the only Federation there. If a couple more clubs join this year we will break the 100 mark!
You may know that our website got hacked recently, though luckily we don’t include any email addresses of club members or commercial events – this website is for your clubs to publicise what you do. It is being rebuilt, but please could Secretaries send me your events lists and more Feedback forms for inclusion in Club Events in the Newsletters.
We have a record number of teams here today for our quiz and I hope those of you who have not competed before enjoy the experience. We were very sad to lose Brian recently, but I would like to welcome John Negus as our new Quizmaster.
After the AGM 19 teams took part in the quiz, set by Brian and John, and the winners were Tilford Gardening Club, second were The Hardy Plant Society Team 1, and third place went to Plant Heritage. The teams were presented with cheques.
WEBSITE REQUEST FROM BETH
The SHF website – www.surreyhorticulturalfederation.org – is up and running again!
I would like the clubs to give me more information about their own club, possibly how much their membership costs and any additional info I can include, to hopefully encourage new members to join. If there is an out of date contact listed on the website – please contact me to let me know, and I’ll change it. This, of course, applies to those clubs who have already paid for 2020, or as soon as you renew your subscription. My email is beth@pumpkinbeth.com
I’d also like to add the clubs’ events to the website ASAP! Clubs can send me their events in an email – they don’t need to be on a spreadsheet – I don’t need any of that – just give me these details:
- The name of the speaker
- The title of the talk
- The time the talk starts
- The venue
- The price for visitors
If you’re holding a show, please let me know:
- What sort of show it is – ie Spring Show, Floral Art Show, etc
- What time the show opens
- Where the show is held
- Anything else you’d like me to include
If you’re holding a plant sale, please let me know:
- Where the plant sale is held
- What time the plant sale opens
Naturally, if a club is holding a member only event, such as an AGM or a garden visit where numbers have been advised, then there’s no point in me adding it to the website, but I’m happy to add all other events. Nothing needs to be sent in a specific order or format, so don’t worry – just email me the details. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.
Beth Otway
EWHURST’S SCOTT MEMORIAL TALK:- CHRIS BEARDSHAW – ‘Painting with Plants’
Sorry that the Adam Frost tickets are sold out? Want to see Chris Beardshaw again instead? On Wednesday 18th March, 2020 he will be the guest of Ewhurst Horticultural Society at Ewhurst Village Hall, doors open 7.15 for 8 pm.
Guest tickets available £12 each from Wendy on 01483-277591 or tickets@ewhursthortsoc.org.uk
SUBSCRIPTIONS
On looking back through old records the subs seem to have started at £2 a year and by 1992 were £8 a year, rising to the current figure of £10 a year in 1999. Since then there has been no increase – most of the current funds have come from small profits each year on the talks – garden visit monies have recently been given direct to the owners favourite charity. Thanks to those clubs who have already paid their 2020 subs and got the new Judges and Lecturers lists – a copy of the subscription invoice is attached for those who haven’t paid early – its due January 1st 2020.
DATES OF FUTURE SHF EVENTS
- Committee Meeting: February 28th at Onslow Village Hall.
- Summer Garden Visits – Sunday 21st June 2020.
- AGM and Inter Club Quiz – Sunday 8th November, 2.30 pm