Chairmans Report - 2025

Arts Society Lunesdale                   Chairman’s Report to the Annual General Meeting June 24th 2025

As our 22nd Annual General meeting approaches I believe that the last year has been another enjoyable and successful one for Arts Society Lunesdale. From a wider viewpoint, it has also been a significant year nationally. In August the former Chief Executive and Treasurer at Head Office in London tendered their resignations, an outcome not unwelcome to ourselves or to the majority of Arts Societies throughout the Country. A new chief executive and board of trustees has now been appointed with the stated aim to concentrate on the provision of more help and support for local societies which obviously we would welcome.

Jean Paton has organised another varied and interesting programme of monthly lectures which have been much appreciated, with an overall average attendance of 110 to 120 members and guests. The December meeting was noteworthy in that it was complicated by unexpected road works around the Hall, as well as some technical problems which necessitated our speaker giving an “off the cuff” talk in the afternoon session. Nevertheless, to her credit, she coped admirably, and the day was made even more enjoyable by the traditional mulled wine and mince pies which were served, with a Christmas raffle which proved very popular

Ian Royle has taken over from Judie Graham-Clegg as Membership Secretary and, with the able assistance of his wife Angela, is doing an excellent job. At the time of writing membership numbers stand at 182 and we welcome all those who have joined us this year. Regularly recruiting new members is vital to our existence. Judie has remained on the committee and continues to provide important advice and support.

I also much appreciate the frequent help of Mary Frankland and Martin Gillibrand, as well as their valuable input on the committee.

I am very grateful to Liz Duggan for agreeing to join the committee and to take on the role of Minutes Secretary for our meetings. The recording and production of minutes is not an easy task for someone who is not experienced in these matters, and I think that she has done admirably well.

Margie Dixon will provide her Treasurer’s report, and we are, as always, highly grateful to her for keeping our heads above water during the very difficult period since the pandemic. There is no room for complacency and to remain financially viable we need to strive to increase membership numbers but also to reduce some of our expenditure. It is our policy to continue to provide premium lecturers for all our meetings, but this is at an average total cost of around £1,000 on each occasion. We have therefore made the decision to cancel the January lecture from our programme but, instead, are planning to hold a New Year Lunch which will provide an opportunity for all members to socialise. This will include a two-course buffet with wine or soft drinks and will incur a modest charge. In line with inflation, subscription fees for 2026 will rise to £80 and the guest fee to £8 per lecture. The bad news is that Margie will be standing down in March 2026 and we are well aware that finding a replacement will be difficult.

Richard Gargini, with help from Keith Hyde, has continued to manage the audio-visual aspects of our meetings which is obviously crucial. This is not always without its problems and stresses, and we are very grateful to him for keeping things running smoothly.

John Wilson organised two excellent outings during the year. In November we had an interesting behind the scenes visit to Tennants Auctioneers in Leyburn with the bonus of an unplanned tour of the Yorkshire Dales, again because of unexpected roadworks! More recently, in March, members greatly enjoyed a trip to Carlisle and Tullie House where the highlight was an opportunity to view the acclaimed Sheila Fell exhibition.

As always, we are indebted to our numerous volunteers. We have again been dependant on Jenny Fisher, particularly for chairing the morning meetings, but also for her many other contributions. These have been with the assistance of Mike Fisher who, along with John Wilson and Roger Frankland, efficiently manage the car parking at Borwick Hall. We cannot forget Dorothy Scaife and Judith Cochrane in the mornings and Althea Gillibrand in the afternoons with their teams of ladies who provide our meeting refreshments, which are much appreciated and provide a small but significant income.

Thank you to all others who are willing to help when required. We always welcome new volunteers and particularly those who might consider joining us on the committee. Continuing fresh input and new ideas are essential in maintaining the health of our Society so that it can continue to prosper into the future.  

John Houghton