Saturday 13th October 2018:
AGM 2018
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It was wonderful to see so many of our members at a very well attended Friends of Oignies AGM, and also great to see several new faces, along with Association President: Councillor Linda Grooby, Mayor of High Peak.
Ian Hamilton organised a highly entertaining and hotly contested quiz, based around L'Union Européenne and its member states, which was duly won by team French Connection. Mental faculties were sustained with an excellent curry supper prepared by Association Chair and Chef de curry extrordinaire Derek Thomas.
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Ian, testing the teams' knowledge of the EU.
Right: Derek in his official capacity chairing the AGM, with the Mayor seated left and Association Secretary Sue Quas-Cohen on the right.
With regard to the ongoing business of the Association, the full minutes of the meeting are available below as a .pdf
THE HEADLINES...
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2018 is 50th year of the twinning, and the association continues to flourish, with our membership steadily increasing year on year. Friends of Oignies now has 80 members.
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The visit to Oignies in May was the highlight of the year with 56 members making the trip, a 20% increase on the previous visit in 2016. The weekend was tremendous fun; huge thanks to Les Amis de Buxton for making us all feel so welcome, and for entertaining us so well.
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New Members: John, Jane and Georgina Rothery, Moira and Grant Keane - Welcome to the Friends of Oignies!
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Peter Bloomfield, Association Treasurer reported a healthy balance sheet with a balance in hand of £4,644.59. However, with costs per member currently around £100 per member over the two year cycle, (annual subscription is currently £20 per adult member) we need to keep up the good work of organising and supporting fundraising events throughout the year.
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Current membership subscriptions for 2018/19 are due before October 31st. (No subscription is payable for child members)
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Election of Officers for 2018/19
President: Her Worship The Mayor of High Peak
Chair: Derek Thomas
Vice Chair: Ian Hamilton
Secretary: Sue Quas-Cohen
Treasurer: Peter Bloomfield
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Committee: Anne Johnson, Ian Calvert, Karen Done, Sue Hodgkinson and Chris Clegg (Publicity Officer)
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Looking forward to next year... We will be hosting Les Amis de Buxton, visiting from Oignies, 12th to the 16th of April, 2019, so it's full steam ahead with preparations for what we all hope will be yet another fantastic, fun filled weekend with our French guests; more details coming soon...
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Could recently joined members please confirm whether or not they are able to host in 2019. Also, could existing members inform the committee of any changes to their hosting status, and don't forget to let us know about anyone else who may be interested in joining the Friends of Oignies.
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Watch the website for news of events and fundraisers over the coming months.
Full minutes of the meeting
