July Newsletter

The Arts Society Wensleydale

Registered Charity No 1203231

Newsletter

July 2023

Dear Members

Without noticing, the summer is with us, and we have reached the end of another successful season. I think it’s fair to say we ended on a high.  The Tuesday prior to our meeting twenty-two of us had a most enjoyable day at Harewood House arranged by Jenny Howard-Vyse.  The weather was awful but that didn’t dampen our spirits and a good day was had by all.  Many thanks to Jenny. She is hoping to arrange a visit to York Minister on 14th November when there are two interesting exhibitions, so watch this space.

Our June speaker, Toby Capwell, gave a very informative and interesting lecture.  Judging by the number of questions, he had us all enthralled. Our next meeting is on Tuesday September 26th when our speaker will be Caroline Shenton. She is going to tell us the gripping and sometimes hilarious story of how a band of heroic curators and eccentric custodians saved Britain’s national heritage during the darkest hour of World War II.  This should get our new season off to a good start, so please be there.

There will be one or two changes next season, but these will be seamless. In the spring we held an EGM to vote on becoming a Charity. This was unanimously agreed has now been successfully completed with the Charities Commission and HMRC. You will see our Charity Number at the top of this letter, and this has to be used on all documents and publicity materials etc. The overriding advantage of this is financial. Based on our current membership and guest numbers we should be able to recover over £1000 annually through Gift Aid, so please ensure you tick that box on your membership renewal form. Tennants charge us £400 (plus VAT) per meeting for our room hire and speakers’ fees have all increased, as have their travelling expenses. The committee considered a change of venue to somewhere cheaper, but the whole package at Tennants is attractive. We no longer struggle to find somewhere to park, chairs are out and taken in for us, James is on hand throughout our meetings to ensure that the sound and IT works, we do not have to make our own coffee and we get a 10% discount in the Coffee Shop and Bistro on meeting days. We also attract casual guests from people who happen to be at Tennants on lecture days. Taking all these factors into account, the committee has decided that a nominal increase in the subscription from £60 to £63 should be sufficient for the coming year. Obviously we are keen to continue to recruit new members and so you will all be issued with a Gift Token to enable you to bring a friend or relative to one taster meeting free of charge.

In May I went to Bristol to the National Conference and was able to speak with Chairs from all over the country. Membership nationally is decreasing, and most Societies are dealing with the same issues as us. Having said that, I am quietly confident that we are weathering the current difficulties better than most. Some smaller societies are closing altogether, and even the larger inner-city societies are facing big increases in costs. We have a loyal membership, a dedicated and hard-working Committee, and a great venue, all of which makes my job easier, and I am grateful to you all for your continuing support.  Now that Headquarters have moved from Guildford Street to Holborn, we are to get less individual support as Societies. I spoke with Tim Nicholls, the Finance Director in Bristol and he has agreed to come to one of our meetings in the autumn to explain how Headquarters works and to answer any questions you might have.  

Finally , all that remains for me to do is to thank you all for your continuing support over the last season, and to wish you all a happy and healthy summer. 

Best wishes

Susan