All Incredible Edible Mytholm members, supporters and interested people are welcome to attend the AGM on Monday 25th November, 7pm at the Fox & Goose.
This is a chance to find out what IEM has been up to over the first, eventful year of its existence; and for IEM members, a chance to nominate, second and elect members to a new Management Committee.
IEM Management Committee members do many and varied things, so no matter where you’re coming from, if you’d like to be part of the Management Committee you’re likely to find activities that suit you.
Management Committee member Louise wrestles the Field Day banner into submission
Management Committee members Myra and Gordon carrying out market research for IEM's proposed eco-attraction
The Management Committee think this will be quite a short meeting, and we would be glad to see you.
After the business of the meeting is out of the way, Hebden Royd Councillor Jonathan Timbers will talk about the Hebden Bridge Neighbourhood Plan, which the Council is working on with as much involvement from the public as possible. This sounds interesting and worth finding out more about, as well as a chance for people to air their views.
AGM business
At the AGM the outgoing IEM Management Committee will report on the past year’s activities and present a financial statement for the last year.
All IEM members are then invited to nominate, second and elect two Management Committee members and three office bearers for the next year.
We also need two people to examine the IEM accounts for the past year.
Nominations for Management Committee
IEM Members can nominate other members at the meeting. Alternatively, if a Member would like to nominate another member before the meeting, please send the name of the nominee and what you’re nominating them for to the IEM Secretary. (ie either plain management committee member, or Chair, Secretary or Treasurer)
What Management Committee Members do
Anyone interested in standing for election to the management committee needs to know what they’re getting themselves into!
The first eco-attraction business planning meeting last summer
You’ll need to be prepared to attend a shortish (1 to 1 and a half hour) meeting on every third Monday at 5.30pm; and also undertake to carry out some action items between meetings, according to the time and skills you can commit. These are many and varied, as you can see from the photos dotted through this post!
Management committee member Nik amusing Calderdale Councillors Young & Wilkinson at the Field Day last March
At the moment, different management committee members have committed varying amounts of time for doing tasks between meetings – from half an hour a week, to a day a week. Basically, it depends on what people can afford in terms of time and effort. Anything is ok. We just pace ourselves according to what people can do.
Mike from Incredible Farm and also IEM permaculture observation project person, helping St James primary school children plant orchard
Main Management Committee tasks for next year
The main tasks for the next year are
- Object to the proposed supermarket and hotel retail impact statement/planning application at the Calderdale Planning Committee
- Finish fact checking the assumptions and figures in the outline business plan
- Apply for grant funding to cover our (small) running costs, and the costs of another public consultation day in the spring, like the Field Day last March. This one will be about the closed loop manufacturing/mad inventor bit of the eco-attraction
- Run the closed loop manufacturing public consultation day
- Convert IEM into a Community Benefit Society and Development Trust
- Dissolve IEM unincorporated association
- Elect new IEM Community Benefit Society Board members
- Fundraise to employ a full time Business & Development Manager (BDM)
- Employ the BDM
- Support the BDM in developing a full business plan for the eco attraction, fundraising to buy the Browns Field site, and negotiating and closing the site purchase
- Secure a meanwhile lease from the Browns Field site owners and sort out any planning issues
- Set up meanwhile projects on Browns Field, including an attractive, eco-friendly temporary building to house the BDM’s office, meetings and on-site activities
- Have a few drinks and a good lie down.
If you’re up for helping with this, please get yourself nominated for election to the Management Committee!
Management committee member Katy planning permaculture observation project with Mike
The Management Committee shares skills and has learnt lots of new stuff from advisers and consultants and just talking to all and sundry – so if you’re interested but don’t think you’ve got useful skills, you can learn them bit by bit as a management committee member.
Attending Mark Simmonds' cooperative business planning training day in Leeds
AGM Agenda
1) Apologies
2) Minutes of inaugural IEM meeting, 15 Nov 2012
3) Annual report and statement of accounts
4) Nominating,seconding and electing office bearers and other members of the management committee – Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and two members.
5) Nominating, seconding & electing two independent accounts examiners
6) AOB
Neighbourhood Plan
Cllr Jonathan Timbers will talk about the creation of the Hebden Bridge Neighbourhood Plan, which he is working on as part of a Neighbourhood Plan committee at Hebden Royd Town Council.