The Annual General Meeting of the Association will be held at Ferriers Barn Bures at 8.00pm on Thursday 28th April 2005. All members are cordially invited to attend. Wine will be served from 7.30pm to 8.00pm. If any member wishes to bring guests, they will be most welcome.
 
The guest speaker will be Peter Sanders who is chairman of the Stop Stansted Expansion Group.

Agenda 

1. To receive apologies for absence. 
2. To approve the Minutes of the 2003 Annual  General Meeting. 
3. Matters arising from the Minutes. 
4. To receive the Chairman’s report. 
5. To approve the Annual Accounts. 
6. To appoint the Honorary Examiner.
7. To elect the Officers and the Committee of the Association.
8. Any other business.

Officers

Patron George Courtauld
President Malcolm Jones
Vice-President Brig. John Rigby 
Chairman Simon Ward 
Vice-Chairman Christopher Robinson
Hon Treasurer Michael Goodbody
Secretary Rosalind Henderson

Executive Committee:
Michael Crowther
David Daniels
William Drake
Robert Erith TD, DL
Jeremy Hill
Anthony Keniry
Pratt Thompson

The Colne Stour Countryside Association Minutes of the 39th Annual General Meeting held at Ferriers Barn, Bures on Thursday 22nd April 2004

The Chairman welcomed members and guests to the meeting and introduced the new President Malcolm Jones, who had taken over following the death of Tom Tilbrook in November 2003.

The Chairman paid tribute to Tom Tilbrook’s many years of work on behalf of the Association, which were recorded in the obituary in this year’s Newsletter.

The Chairman introduced the guest speaker Mr Hugh Belsey, who had just stepped down as Curator at Gainsborough’s House. Following an exceptionally interesting and amusing talk, Malcolm Jones proposed a vote of thanks.

Annual General Meeting 2004

1. The President, Mr Malcolm Jones, took the chair. Present:
   
   Mrs C Aldous, Mr and Mrs A Barlow, Mr H Belsey, Mr Tony Bonner, Mr P Burnford, Mr Peter Chaplin, Mr and Mrs D Daniels, Mr Mark Dawson, Mr Robert Erith, Miss M J Eskins, Mr Andy Evans, Mr William Fossick, Mr L D Gatter, Mr and Mrs M Goodbody, Mr James Gerry, M A Harrington, Mrs R Henderson, Mrs J A Hill, Mr M W S Hitchcock, Mrs M Jones, Mr and Mrs A Keniry, Mr and Mrs W P Martland, Miss J Oldham, Mr and Mrs C Peal, Brig. and Mrs J Rigby, Major C Robinson, Mrs L D Sayer, Mrs M Smylie, Mr and Mrs G Stainton, Mr and Mrs I T Stratford, Mrs T W Tilbrook, Mr and Mrs D K Tippett, Mr Simon Ward, Mrs G P Wright
   
   Apologies for absence were received from:
   
   Mr C Aldous, Sir Richard and Lady Butler, Mr A Corder-Birch, Mrs P D Burnford, Mr Sam Courtauld, Mr and Mrs A J Clifton-Brown, Mr Michael Crowther, Mr William Drake, Mrs R Erith, Mrs W G Fossick, Major and Mrs I Grahame, Mrs Rachel Hales, Mr and Mrs A D Morse, Mr and Mrs D Pownall, Col. A H N Reade, Mr and Mrs W P Thompson, Mr Wilf Tolhurst, Mrs Leila Ward, Mr and Mrs R J L Watson, Mr John Wayman, Mr and Mrs C M Wiggan, Mr and Mrs G P Wright
    
2. The Minutes of the 2003 Annual General Meeting which had been circulated, were approved on a vote – proposed by Simon Ward and seconded by John Rigby and signed by the Chairman.
    
3. Matters arising: None.
    
4. To receive the Chairman’s Report. The Chairman said that the recently published Annual Report had brought members up to date with the majority of issues, with the exception of the subject of aircraft noise. As previously reported, we had anticipated that on March 18th 2004, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) would change flight paths over East Anglia so that aircraft flying into Stansted via the Clacton Beacon would be re-routed north of Ipswich with the result that commercial airlines would no longer fly up the Stour valley. It was disappointing to report that this did not appear to have happened.
    
   Anthony Keniry, the Chairman of the Association’s action group against aircraft pollution explained the situation as he saw it. It appeared that NATS had reneged on their proposal to move the incoming flight path to Stansted. Planes were still coming up the valley and turning towards Stansted well south of Sudbury. In addition, planes were coming out of the Abbott stack and circling much further south of Sudbury, taking them on occasion south of Bures. Other changes to the flight paths had generally increased the amount of outbound air traffic. He would be meeting the M.P’s whose constituencies were most affected but it would take some time to find out what had happened. Meanwhile, we would continue the battle!
    
   Together with David Lowe, he had talked to senior civil servants at CAA who seemed equally surprised that the changes had not been put into effect. NATS were, for the time being, refusing to answer any of our communications.
    
5. To approve the annual accounts. The Treasurer James Gerry tabled the annual accounts which showed a healthy financial position, with reserves in excess of £12,500. Revenue exceeded expenditure by £239.00 for the year and 34 new members had been recorded.
    
   The accounts were approved.
   Proposed by Alistair Barlow.
   Seconded by Sarah Aldous.
    
6. To elect the honorary examiner. Peter Chaplin was re-appointed honorary examiner. 
   Proposor: Simon Ward 
   Seconder: Anthony Keniry.
    
7. To elect the officers and committee of the Association. The Chairman, Jeremy Hill, took the chair.

   He reported that Malcolm Jones had been elected President at the last meeting of the Executive Committee on Tuesday the 9th February 2004 and asked that he be formally be elected by the meeting for a period of five years. He was duly elected. Proposed by Jacqueline Tilbrook. Seconded by Tony Bonner.

   The President resumed the chair.

   He said the Chairman was not due for re-election but the vice-Chairman Christopher Robinson was due for re-election for a period of three years. He was duly elected. 
   Proposer: Elizabeth Jones.
   Seconder: John Rigby.

   The President then reported that the Hon. Treasurer, James Gerry, wished to stand down because of pressures of work. The President thanked him for his work over the last four years.

   He reported that Michael Goodbody had agreed to take over the position of Hon. Treasurer from the beginning of June. James Gerry was duly re-elected until the end of May and Michael Goodbody from 1st June.
   Proposer: Christopher Robinson.
   Seconder: Robert Erith.

   The President reported that Leigh Alston had indicated that he wished to step down from the Committee and that Anthony Keniry had agreed to join in his place. Subject to these changes, the Committee was reelected.
   Proposer: Elizabeth Jones. 
   Seconder: Mark Dawson.
    

8. Any other Business. The Chairman reminded members that the Summer visit to Belchamp Hall, Belchamp Walter would take place on Thursday June 10th.

   The Association would have a stall at the Colne Valley Festival to be held at Chappel on June 26th and 27th.

   There being no other business, the meeting closed at 9.30pm.