Those of you coming to our AGMs and following our news will know that each year, our members vote to elect the Trustees (also known as Directors) of The Surrey & Hampshire Canal Society Limited. There are positions for 12 Trustees, all of whom are required to be members of the society and they are chosen for their capability to carry out distinct roles – these include the Secretary, Treasurer, Health & Safety, Working Parties, Planning, IT, Volunteering and Boats management as well as Chairperson.
Our constitution includes a timetable for the election process and where there may be more than 12 nominees for these posts we are required to hold a ballot to select these in a timely way to be ready at the next AGM.
It is hoped that in 2022 our AGM will be able to return to May/June and not continue to be aggravated by any Covid delays. (More on this to follow).
We are therefore having to start our election process early and are alerting members now. To be elected to the committee, each applicant has to do some form filling – including some basic details about themselves and supported by two proposers; in addition, provide a short resume explaining their canal-specific interests and contribution.
For anyone interested in pursuing this, the application form will be found in the members area of our website. Actual nominations need a completed form and relevant biography to be received by us no later than 20th January. In the February edition of BCN these can then be published* for members to decide their preferences; then in the May edition we will include the relevant voting instructions.
(Incidentally, these positions are all for directors of a limited company (by guarantee) and any person with a criminal record/convictions/bankruptcy is not able to apply).
For anybody thinking of applying for the first time, it may be a good idea to have a chat with a current trustee – we can provide details if required. Please note that we are always looking for younger people to join the committee to help bring a different view.
*This will not include personal details such as addresses/phone/email.
Celia Griffiths
Secretary