Invitation to VBR AGM, 3rd November 2025

Vale of Belvoir Ramblers AGM, 23rd November 2025

Agenda and Officers’ Reports

Elaine Hobson
27 The Banks
Bingham
NG13 8BT
appletrees.hobson@gmail.com
18/11/25

 

AGENDA

1. Apologies
2. Minutes of the previous Annual General Meeting
3. Matters arising from the Minutes
4. Chairman’s Report, Angela

5. Secretary’s Report, Elaine
6. Treasurer’s Report, Scott
7. Membership Secretary’s Report, Barbara
8. Webmaster and Publicity Officer’s Report, Dave H
9. Walk Co-ordinator’s Report, Gail
10. Footpath Officer’s Report, Paul
11. Ramblers and Nottinghamshire Area Ramblers – Dave H
12. Election of Officers
13. AOB

4.       Chair’s report - Angela

 We’ve had another successful year, with a walk every Sunday, a series of evening strolls in the summer, a weekend away and several social events. The weather and ground conditions have been less challenging than last year but still very wet and muddy on occasions, necessitating some changes to walks. Nevertheless, the commitment of our walk leaders has meant we have had a full and varied walk programme. Many thanks to Gail and everyone involved in producing the programme and leading the walks.

 We try to prepare three-month walk programmes well in advance but getting walk leaders is a continuing issue, as members often have other commitments and, increasingly, health issues. This is your group, and we’re dependent on our members to lead walks, so please do keep volunteering. If you haven’t led a walk before but would like to, the Committee will help you plan and recce it, so please ask us.

 The Ramblers now require walk leaders to be qualified, either by having led 12 walks in the past 3 years or by completing their online training course. The course takes only a couple of hours and is easy to do; you can’t fail it. I encourage members to do this course. However, if you want to lead a walk before completing the course, you can do so as long as you do the walk with a qualified walk leader. 

 We’ve had a good programme of social events. Instead of a Christmas dinner we opted for a post-Christmas lunch at The Duck at Woolsthorpe which everyone enjoyed. In the summer, we had a picnic lunch with tea and cakes in Dave and Elaine’s garden, to which we invited some of our past members. At the end of July, we also had our popular and enjoyable annual skittles evening. Thanks to everyone who helped organise these events and to Dave and Elaine for hosting the picnic lunch.

 There was a very enjoyable and fun weekend away, with 13 members staying at HF's Peverill of the Peak Hotel at Thorpe in the White Peak in Derbyshire and others using nearby accommodation. The area’s proximity to Nottingham facilitated recceing the six walks on offer and meant some members could just come for the day. Thanks to Scott for booking the hotel and everyone who helped organise the weekend and recce and lead the walks.

 Our blog continues to be an invaluable and well-used resource, providing details of walks, which can be updated as needed to keep members informed of any changes. With the entertaining pictures and notes, it is also an excellent record of previous walks. Details of walks are also now given on the Ramblers website, which has attracted more visitors on our walks. Thanks to Paul for doing this, Dave Hobson for maintaining the blog and everyone who contributes to it.

There have been several changes to our Committee this year, with Scott elected as Treasurer at the last AGM, and a Secretary and Chair taking over during the year. Thank you to all the Committee members for their efforts over the last year, in particular to Elaine for taking over as Secretary at short notice when Brenda became ill. Thank you too to all group members who have assisted us in running the group.

Brenda is still in hospital but may be able to return home soon. Some of our regular and past walkers have also suffered various ailments and injuries. I send my best wishes to them all and hope they continue to enjoy going on walks.

I was voted into the role of Chair by the Committee when John Young stood down and am happy to put my name forward for election for the coming year.

5.       Secretary’s Report – Elaine

I took over this role after last year’s AGM due to Brenda’s ill health. Brenda had been Secretary since 2011 and had carried out the role with great enthusiasm and attention to detail. We are very grateful for all her hard work and wish her well in future.

I would like to thank the VBR Committee for all their support and guidance in the past year at Committee meetings.  We have organised several social events in the summer and run a full programme of Sunday walks and evening strolls in the summer and the annual Weekend Away.

We have booked the Bingham WI hut for Sunday December 21st for a Christmas social gathering after a 5-mile walk in the morning.  As an alternative to the Christmas meal, we ask you to bring food to share followed by a quiz and raffle and the usual mulled wine (alcoholic or non alcoholic)  and mince pies will be available in the warmth as an alternative to previous occasions.

The WI Hut will be open before we walk for food to be left.  Note that there are parking restrictions in the main car park in Bingham so please use on-street parking.  All members and guests are invited.  Please come and support us.  Any donations for the raffle will be very welcome.

If anyone would like to take over this role in future, I would be delighted to pass it on to them.

6.       Treasurer’s Report – Scott

The Ramblers Organisation finance period runs from 1st October to 30th September.

At the end of September 2025 our Unity Bank account stood at £1092.30.

This was made up of:
£571 76 Main Funds
£632.08 Self Funds (of which £389 was to be paid out for mileage claims and refunds related to the HF holiday)
Note: Self Funds amount includes our HF shares (£111.54).

There were only two expenditures from the Main Fund in this finance period, both related to the November 2024 AGM (£68.94).

We receive funding from HQ every quarter into our Main Funds.  In the 24/25 period this was four payments of £49.25.  The 25/26 payments will £51.25 each quarter.

There has been more activity during October 2025 (including a number of mileage claims related to recces for our walks programme).

As at 15th November our account stands at £617.75 (of which £119.54 is Self Funds).

7.       Membership Secretary’s Report - Barbara

Currently membership stands at 85. Recently 10 members have left the group either moving to another group, resigning or letting membership lapse.

There are 2 affiliated members.

8.     Publicity Officer’s Report – Dave H

VBR presence on Ramblers’ website
We keep updated our content on the Ramblers’ website.
Paul now uploads our walks to this website and this has resulted in more members from other groups joining us.

VBR Website and blog
The website has been re-registered and is routinely kept updated.
Our primary method of communication is the blog which is updated weekly. In the event of very late, important changes, in particular to the advertised Walks Programme, communication is via email.
The blog comprises photos and routes of most of our 763 walks since 2014 and is a valuable database for planning future Walks Programmes. Thanks to our assistant photographers and track recorders, in particular, Steve, Rab and Paul. 

The blog also contains information about Notts Area Ramblers three-monthly meetings which the Secretary and I attend.

Publicity
Whenever possible, the Group posts an abbreviated form of the Walks Programme (date, general location and distance) on local noticeboards.
Ramblers members from other Groups often contact me before a walk and are provided with information about our Group.

9. Walk Coordinator’s Report - Gail

We have had a successful year, providing a lead walk every Sunday plus evening strolls in June & July.

The Ramblers’ is now insisting that walk leaders are qualified. Fortunately we have a handful of people who have this qualification & can also supply support for a leader who is still training.

The last programme from October to December was filled very quickly & I can’t thank enough those members who give up considerable time throughout the year to help me complete the programme.

As I write this I’m working on the programme from January - March. Currently it is completely blank! Beware when I sidle up to you on a walk!

10.     Footpath Secretary’s Report - Paul

1. On the NCC website, I log any Notts problems on paths that are reported to me. I can return to the website and check on the progress of any problems that I have reported. I also report issues encountered to other councils as required.

2. I publish all of our walks on the official Ramblers website. This has resulted, occasionally, in visitors from other groups joining us.

3. Neil Stafford, as Rushcliffe Coordinator occasionally asks me to comment on planning applications in the VBR part of Rushcliffe. I make appropriate responses.

4. I have recently decided to attend Notts Area Rights of Way Zoom meetings in order to be more aware of issues county-wide.

Solar Farms

These installations continue to be a local and national issue. Because of the old coal-fired power stations in our area, there is the infrastructure available for the easy plugging in of solar arrays. Apart from the proliferation of the smaller arrays of 50 megawatts which local councils decide upon, there are larger National Infrastructure arrays, decided upon at a national level, like to GNR Solar Park that will generate 800 megawatts. This will take vast tracts of land to the north of Kelham. The RoW committee drew up a response and submitted it.

Many paths will be altered as a result of this project. The visual impact for the villages will be considerable and there is concern about the use of relatively high grade land.

50 megawatt schemes in the Vale of Belvoir have gone to the planning inspectorate and approved. (Barkeston and Muston recently which are in the process of construction.)