| RSPB
BEXLEY GROUP ANNUAL REPORT 2009/10
Group Leader John Turner
delivered the following report to members at the annual meeting
on Friday 14 May 2010.
Highlight of the year
was the donation of a cheque for £3500 to the RSPB to be allocated
to work at Cliffe Pools. It was agreed at Monday’s committee
meeting to send another £1000 this month
Congratulations to Anthea
Reynolds for her 15 year long service award.
Indoor Meetings
These were again well attended, although the December meeting had
to be cancelled as the speaker was snowed-in out in Kent. The most
original presentation was again by Bill Coster with Birds and Landscapes
of Hawaii and Midway and Peru. We again welcomed Chris Corrigan
who spoke on the Development of Reserves in the South East.
Thanks to Alan Mayes
for organising our speakers.
Coach Trips
The coach trips have again run successfully with our coach company
L S Travel proving to be both reliable and recommendable. This year’s
trips were Marquenterre in France, Pagham Harbour, Titchwell Marsh,
the Norfolk Broads, and Mayday a farm with Lackford Lakes. All trips
were very well booked and I hope this level of interest is maintained.
Thanks to Tony and his new trips sub-committee for all their hard
work and to all trip leaders.
Car Trips
The trips have been well attended. Venues have included Footscray
Meadows, Cliftonville, Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory, Riverside
Country Park and Oare Marshes. We have also continued to run impromptu
mid-week trips to Dungeness, Bough Beech, Sevenoaks Wildlife Reserve,
Stodmarsh and Cliffe. Thanks to all trip leaders for their time
and efforts.
Conservation
Work parties have been hacking through the undergrowth at Cliffe
as well as Northward Hill throughout the winter and have been very
ably organised and overseen by Chas Parr. Thanks to Chas and his
volunteers. He is always looking for more volunteers to add to his
group.
Publicity
This has been in the capable hands of Eric Brown. There has been
less this year with the removal of the green page in the News Shopper
although photographs of both our Autumn Fair and Feed the Birds
Day at Hall Place have appeared. He has also run the website and
you can see an updated, current and attractive site. Thanks to Eric
for all his time and effort and to Sarah Beacock and Chris Knight
our webmasters.
Fund Raising
Our two chief fund raising efforts have been the Autumn Fair which
raised over £516 and the recent Spring Plant Fair which raised
over£650 in profit. Other events attended have been the Family
Fun Day at the Well Hall Pleasaunce in May and August, the Danson
Festival in July, the Garden Show at Hall Place in September and
the Longlands School Christmas Fair in December.
We have seen the continued
success of the 200 Club and we will maintain our numbers if everybody
renews by 24 May. Grand Draw prizes have been maintained at £60,
£30 and £15. The total amount raised this year was £760.
Thanks to Maurice Ewart for promoting this fund raising effort.
Thanks also to Diane
Lelliott for taking over the promotion of the raffle which again
raised over £800 for the RSPB. Sales have also been a big
contributor our fund raising. We have recently been informed that
sales achieved a total of £1117 of which £391 is commission.
Thanks to Maureen for her efforts this year and to Tricia Large
who has volunteered to assist.
Pin badges have raised
an unofficial figure of £1274 and robin boxes£164. Added
to our donations and sales commission we have raised £5228
for the work of the RSPB. A huge vote of thanks must go to Maureen
Thompson our Treasurer who has worked so hard.
Recruitment
This is an area where we need to continue our efforts in the coming
year and concentrate on recruitment as well as fund raising at outside
events. The current membership of the RSPB locally is 3600 plus
but we have received notification of 150 new members in the last
quarter. Our own efforts have recruited five new members, the best
total for London Groups. Events attended have had membership forms
available as well as name gathering cards. Name gathering on behalf
of the RSPB is an activity which can introduce non-members to the
RSPB and possibly lead to their recruitment; over 500 were distributed
last year. Included in this total were the campaign cards to register
protests against the persecution of birds of prey. We were second
in the country with 262 cards completed. Thanks to Stuart Banks
our new co-ordinator.
Communication
This year we have reached all the RSPB membership in our area with
our twice yearly newsletter. However we are always in need of distributors
so please put your name forward as a reserve for your area. Our
thanks go to all the 130 volunteers who deliver these and to Alan
Mayes, Dorothy Wells and Helen Burgess for the maintenance and updating
of our records. Thanks also to Steve Ansell for producing the newsletter.
We have also attempted
to reach the public with activities on ‘Feed the Birds Day’
in October and ‘The Big Garden Bird Watch’ in January
when we set up feeders and telescopes at Hall Place to encourage
people to take part.
A number of members took
part at the peregrine viewpoint at Tate Modern last July and August
where over 3000 visitors were contacted. If you are interested in
taking part in this please come and have a word with Lyndon Parker
from the London Office.
Volunteering
As you have heard a few names have occurred many times in this report
and in order to maintain all our current activities, which you enjoy,
and to expand them we need people to step forward and help to share
the burden. I urge you to volunteer!
You do not have to be
a member of the committee to volunteer. If you would be willing
to help in any of the following ways your time and effort would
be appreciated:
- To assist on our stall
at the Danson Show and at Eltham Well Hall and helping at our
two fairs. A group on whom we could call would be a huge help.
- Mind a pin badge
box or collection box in your area placed in a local tourist spot,
supermarket, retail store, hotel or pub-restaurant. This requires
servicing once a month. This year £1274 has been raised
by the group.
Could you fill any of
these roles and continue to expand the efforts of the Bexley Local
Group?
THANKS
My thanks go to:
- The committee, who
have worked so hard over the last five years.
- Tricia Large for
helping on our sales stall and servicing so many pin badge boxes
and collection boxes, including the very successful box at Robert
Dyas in Bexleyheath.
- Sylvia Say for selling
bird food at Indoor meetings and at the Spring and Autumn Fairs
and some fetes.
- Beverley Treece for
co-ordinating the re-cycling of computer cartridges and mobile
phones.
- Laura Hurt for volunteering
to co-ordinate pin-badge boxes.
- Alan and Jean Mayes
who provide our refreshments so efficiently and sort used stamps.
- Maureen Thompson
and Roy Lewis for organising the raffle every month.
- All helpers at fairs
and fetes
- My wife Jeanna for
all her support.
Group Leader
My five-year tenure as group leader ends this evening and a volunteer
replacement has been found. Stuart Banks cleared the first hurdle
by interview at the RSPB London Office and only needs your approval
later in the evening to be confirmed as new leader.
The group has been in
existence since 1976 (34 years) and I hope it continues to flourish
and thrive for another 34 years and longer. |
