Annual General Meeting 2015

Annual General Meeting Report – 26th September 2015

Director and acting Chairman Michael Gorringe welcomed the enthusiastic gathering of shareholders and members to the Twenty Second Annual General Meeting of the GWR Preservation Group. Apologies for absence were received and twelve proxy forms were noted.

Michael read the minutes of last year’s meeting and these were accepted as there were no matters arising. The Annual Report and Financial Statements were presented and he indicated the group’s current bank situation following the sale of Prairie 4110. With no matters arising the report was accepted.

He then read his own report for the previous year and first noted the members that had passed away in that time. Several had been long standing active members and included Alan Taylor who was part of the inaugural team. Members were asked to stand for one minute in recognition of their lives and service to the group.

The sale of Prairie 4110 to the West Somerset Railway had injected a healthy sum into the group’s coffers and would be used to assist restoration of Pannier 9682 and pay back an outstanding loan.

Hiring of our RSH Birkenhead to the Elsecar Heritage Railway was bringing in a monthly figure of approx. two thousand pounds. They may require the locomotive for the 2016 season and this is to be confirmed.

Peckett William Murdoch still awaits the addition of vacuum Brakes, but Portsmouth City Museum are still to agree to this project to enable it to be hired out.

Turning to our Pannier, Michael indicated there was to be some further discussion with specialist engineers and colleagues before a contractor was selected to carry on with the boiler work and then reinstatement of all the relevant locomotive parts. Members will be advised of the outcome asap.

Site work was still under the control of Manager Richard Heasman and regular attendance by other members. Together with the introduction of new ground clearing equipment, the site was looking very tidy. New members had been introduced into the group and some were experienced in diesel engineering and became very active in our site projects.

A Members Day is organised for 24th October 2015 (11.00am until 3.00pm) and Michael wished as many as possible would attend and view all the hard work that is being done on site.

Our own publications, the members emailed ‘Bullet-Train’ and postal ‘Southall Semaphore’ are regular notifications of group activities and projects and recent contact by film companies are giving us recognition in that area of publicity. Several projects are being discussed through one company – Fidens.

Several points were raised in Any Other Business relating to Lottery funds and money issues and these were answered acceptably to the members in the hall.

Membership Secretary Gary Best then conducted the 200 Club draw, and the meeting closed at 2.33 pm.

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