Chairman’s Report & AGM 2018 – The Kemp Town Society

Notice is hereby given that the 7th Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held on
SATURDAY 12^th MAY 2018 at 10.30 a.m.
at the EF Language School, 1-2 Sussex Square

AGENDA

Welcome and apologies
Minutes of the 6th (2017) Annual General Meeting of the Company
Accounts of the Company for the year ending 31 December 2017 – Treasurer’s Report and appointment of Reporting Accountants
Resignation/Election of Trustees
Chairman’s Report
Alex Bruce Legacy
Report on Fund Raising Events 2017/18
Report on ‘Who’s Been Living In My House’ project and website
Any other business
The EF School and the Society – Director, EF

Company Limited by Guarantee No. 7734051 Registered Charity No.1146155 www.kemptown-society.org.uk

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT May 2018

For the second year running there have been three points in the year when the Kemp Town Society shows a palpable sense of community: the Garden Party in the summer, the Quiz in the autumn and the Concert and Dinner in the spring. All were conspicuously successful in bringing members together and in raising funds. A review of each has appeared, or will appear, in the appropriate newsletter. Further details about them appear later in this report.

CONSERVATION

On a less visible level than these events, much work has continued in the all-important sphere of Conservation, which remains the principal aim of the charity, which was originally called the Kemp Town Conservation Society from its inception in the early 1970s. Jill Sewell continues to represent us on the Brighton and Hove Blue Plaque Committee, and some members attended the high-profile ceremony on 16 March at the War Memorial in Old Steine, when the plaque to 2nd Lt Ernest Beal VC was commemorated. Jill also keeps a close eye on the impact of the County Hospital rebuilding through attendance at the development meetings. Meanwhile Derek de Young remains our assiduous member of the Brighton and Hove Conservation Advisory Group, which advises the council on planning applications from the point of view of residents. In addition, meetings have been held with the Chief Executive of the Goodall Foundation on the progress of the Marina Development, and with the Chief Executive of Brighton and Hove Council about a range of matters from the seafront development to more efficient plans for refuse and recycling collection. The point here is that lines of communication with decision making bodies are open, and will continue to be so at committee level as well as in one-to-one meetings.

Further conservation and preservation issues are being addressed by Paul Phillips. He attended the Listed Property Show held at Olympia in April which brings together many organisations dedicated to promoting the best in the whole range of building crafts, the heritage charitable organisations (e.g. The Georgian Group), conservation planners and architects. Paul has ensured the Society’s voice is heard in the recent Heritage Lottery Fund Consultation, about the increasing demands on funding heritage landscapes and buildings, and has kept us informed of the revisions being considered to the National Planning Policy Framework, which allows for predisposition in favour of housing being allowed in planning applications due to the housing shortage.

The Society was also able to donate £1,000 to the successful campaign to start the preservation and restoration of the Madeira Terraces.

COMMUNICATION

The KTS Newsletter, admirably edited by Ann Wroe, ensures that regular communication is maintained with members. It appears three times a year and has been in full colour since autumn 2016. About 50 are sent by post; the rest are hand-delivered to members round the Estate. There is no plan to go to a digital format, first because a significant number of members are not on e-mail, and second because many people (including the editor) actually prefer to get it in hard copy, when so much else is digital. Our new system of e-mail alerts has proved an excellent way of keeping members informed between issues. People occasionally wish the Newsletter had more pages. It could have, if more members were willing to write for it!

The Christmas Card (showing the snow-covered enclosures) had a modest success, but did not manage to break even financially, making a small loss of £90. We will produce another one this year (with a different design) and ensure that our marketing processes are more streamlined and effective.

The Who’s Been Living in My House? (kemptownestatehistories.com) community project, initiated and led by the indefatigable Vanessa Minns, continues to expand and provide a fascinating archive of the estate’s history. There are now 76 House Histories available. In addition, there are 18 illustrative articles, casting light on the experience of living on the estate from the 1820s. We would naturally be grateful if occupants of the remaining 30 houses on the estate could provide information, however sketchy, about the history of their house. Photographs and other illustrations are particularly welcome.

The membership is now overseen by a new member of the committee, Adam Liversidge. It currently comprises 226 households. Of these 167 have provided email addresses and are on our mailing list for news and events. Members can contact membership@kemptown-society.org.uk with any membership enquiries including adding or updating your email address on our mailing list. New members can also now join easily here

COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL EVENTS

The 2017 Garden Party was held on July 1st. The theme, “Stripes”, was well and elegantly subscribed, and £535 was taken on the gate, which represents a very good number of nonmembers attending. Overall takings were £1,647, and costs were £897, leaving a profit for KTS of £750. The star stall was undoubtedly the raffle, run with tremendous energy and enterprise by Rupert Bagilhole and Cathy Moss, which raised nearly £600. Rupert and Cathy had sourced several of their prizes from local businesses, thereby greatly helping to raise the Society’s profile locally, and hopefully establishing a precedent for co-operation. Thanks to all those businesses that so kindly helped us, notably Paul Bott and English’s Restaurant. Our most grateful thanks should also go to Tania Webb of Marmalade, for once again donating a large selection of her delicious cakes and pastries to the Cake Stall. Such generosity is much appreciated.

The Quiz Night in November in St George’s Church was well attended, much in line with last year’s, and made a surplus of £450, largely due to some dedicated and persistent patronising of the bar. The latest Concert and Dinner in March was attended by 65 members and guests and made a surplus of over £300, after giving £250 in sponsorship to the Brighton Youth Orchestra. A review of the concert appears in the latest newsletter. We hope to maintain our support of these young musicians through the Encore Network.

Overall the Society’s finances remain in a healthy position with cash assets of £14,699 at the end of the 2017 accounting year.

POSTSCRIPT

I end my first Annual Report by saying how much I have enjoyed my closer involvement with KTS over the past year, and in particular with the immensely hard-working committee. As well as those already mentioned, I thank Keith Paulin, our Treasurer, for his deft handling of our accounts, which will be presented at the AGM, and Jayne Paulin for her tirelessly efficient taking of minutes and turning our sometimes lengthy deliberations into lucid prose. Finally, Vaughan Rees, who is invaluable as deputy chairman. Not only is he a source of sage advice, but he knows a huge number of people in Kemp Town, who good-naturedly support our events!

Simon Smith (chairman@kemptown-society.org.uk)

PROXY VOTING FORM – AGM 2018

Please return to Kemp Town Society, Flat 1, 9 Sussex Square in advance of the meeting.

I (name) ……………………………………………………………………………………….
of (address) …………………………………………………………………………………..

appoint (name)…………………………………….……………………………………………

or, in the absence of any named person, the Chair of the AGM, to be my proxy and to vote on my behalf at the 7th Annual General Meeting of the Company, to be held on the 12th May 2018, and to vote as follows:

To elect Adam Liversidge as a director/trustee of the Company FOR/AGAINST *

To re-elect Paul Phillips as a director/trustee of the Company FOR/AGAINST *

To re-elect Jill Sewell as a director/trustee of the Company FOR/AGAINST *

To accept the Chair’s Report for the year 2017/18 FOR/AGAINST *

[* please delete as appropriate]

I also wish the following comments on the Alex Bruce Legacy to be considered;

………………………………………………………………………………………………………..