WHITELEAF AND CADSDEN RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION CIC (WCRA)
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Whiteleaf Golf Club on Wednesday 4th October 2023.
Present: – Kate Symons (Chairman), Andy Vere (Hon. Secretary), Mark Weiner (Hon. Treasurer). Fionnuala McKibbin and 30 members.
The Chairman welcomed everyone, especially new residents, Councillor Andy Ball Chairman and Mayor of Princes Risborough Town Council (PRTC)), Councillor Matthew Walsh of Buckinghamshire Council, Trudi Scrivener of Ashridge Home Care and Sandy Macfarlane of Princes Risborough Heritage Society.
1. Apologies: were received from Dom Larose, Nigel Henderson, Angeline Vere, John and Linda Clegg, Joy and John Biggs, Sarah and Andy Giles, Paul Danks, Margaret and Peter Hitchcock.
2. Approval of AGM Minutes
There being no comments or matters arising, the minutes of the AGM held on 5th October 2022 were approved.
3. Chairman’s Review of Activities 2022/23
The Chairman said that she was proud that it was now over three years since the formation of our Community Interest Company and that almost all company administrative requirements were complete.
Simon and Esther Ruck were thanked for their support organising children’s activities at the recent sausage sizzle and Fionn was thanked for making all the WCRA social activities so successful. A special mention was made for Fionn’s family members for their help at the sausage sizzle.
The Chairman advised the meeting that the existing Microsoft Access membership database had been upgraded to a more secure Google product and that development of the new on-line payment portal for subscriptions and donations (as agreed at the 2019 AGM) was almost finished, which would make all residents’ payments to WCRA easier to process. The Chairman went on to say that the Board would now welcome donations and outstanding subscriptions to help to finance WCRA annual core running costs and suggested a donation of £5.00 per household, with an option to donate up to £20 instead. All residents would be circularised with the details, once the portal was fully operational.
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4. Annual Accounts and Treasurer’s Report
The Annual Report and Accounts for 2022/23 and the CIC34 form were approved, as proposed by Jenny Masterton-Smith and seconded by Simon Ruck. These documents will now be filed with Companies House.
5. Election of Officers
The Chairman explained that all were standing for election as Director; the board would then appoint the Chairman and Secretary.
5.1 Kate Symons was re-elected, as proposed by Mark Weiner, and seconded by Philip Masterton-Smith
5.2 Andy Vere was re-elected, as proposed by Mark Sanger, and seconded by Peter Miles
5.3 Robbie Francis was re-elected, as proposed by Jackie Tann, and seconded by Simon Clark.
5.4 Dom Larose was re-elected, as proposed by Phil Tann, and seconded by Peter Miles
5.5 Fionnuala McKibbin was re-elected, as proposed by Jenny Masterton Smith and seconded by Simon Ruck
5.6 Catherine White was elected, as proposed by Becky Sanger, and seconded by John Mackay
The Chairman offered her thanks to Simon Clark, Jon Sareen and Sue Robinson who had stood down as Directors,
6. Any other business
- Peter Miles asked about the gate at the end of footpath twenty-six on to the Holloway from Rectory Meadow which has been broken for two years. The secretary referred to previous communication with the Chiltern Society and he said he would contact them again and report back.
- Philip Masterton-Smith noted that that several directors were retiring at the same time and was concerned about the impact this might have on the CIC. The Chairman said that this had been considered strategically by Directors and the Articles of the CIC and Constitution were in process of being revised and approval to the revisions would be sought at the 2024 AGM to address such matters of churn.
The formal meeting closed at 8:20pm.
Andy Ball updated the meeting on PRTC issues and Matt Walsh gave us an update on Buckinghamshire Council issues.
Andy expected the PRTC admin team to be able to move from the Princes Centre to the Wades centre in February The summer event had again been a big success. He confirmed that PRTC funding had been carried forward for the White Edge Line scheme at the Upper Icknield Way / Peters Lane junction. Simon Ruck asked about the replacement for the Manor restaurant in the High Street; Andy stated that PRTC still own the building and are being paid rent. It is due to reopen as a Japanese restaurant.
Matt Walsh responded to a question from Mark Weiner about motor bike issues. Mark noted an apparent increase in noise from motor bikes and others had seen them being ridden across farmland. Matt urged everyone to report such occurrences directly to the police.
Matt said that the White Line scheme had been blocked as it is on the edge of the conservation area but that he was consulting with Cabinet members for Transport and Planning in an attempt to resolve the issue. He also mentioned that Bucks had 108 20mph zones (including the one at Askett) and said that the council will support them where residents wanted them. They were, however, expensive to implement and there were limited resources available.
If any planning enforcement issues should arise, Matt said that residents can contact Councillor Gary Hall directly, since he is designated as responsible for such matters. Matt also confirmed that the verge by the school in Peters Lane should have been cut regularly and should be maintained next year.
Finally. Matt reminded us that the Northwest Community Board (our local area board) has funding of up to £1000 available for small community projects. Examples of successful bids for funding included equipment for the Askett Society, Solar Panels for the Wades Centre, a project to support bees and a project for new hedges.
The Chairman thanked Andy and Matt for their contributions to the meeting.
Trudi Scrivener, founder of Ashridge Home Care www.ashridgehomecare.co.uk then gave a short talk about the type of care her company can offer in the locality, She said that nearly all people wish to remain living in their own home as they get older, and there are proven ways to support this. She told us how they had worked very successfully over recent years with Whiteleaf residents.
The Chairman thanked Trudi for her informative talk.
Following the break, we were privileged to have an illustrated presentation by local historian Sandy Macfarlane, this focussed on the Hookham family who lived in Cadsden House in the first half of the 19th Century, evidenced through the correspondence of Thomas Hookam who grew up in the house. We also heard about the letter dating from 1695 found in one of the now fire-damaged cottages, and about how a watch, now in Sandy’s possession bore the name of a jeweller in Princes Risborough in 1840.
The Chairman thanked Sandy for his fascinating presentation and was sure that it would inspire us all to think about additional inclusions for the relaunch of the WCRA on-line history project. She thanked everyone for attending.
The meeting closed at 10pm.
The 2024 AGM is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 2nd October 2024.
Whiteleaf & Cadsden Residents Association 