We were pleased to hold our 2024 annual general meeting as a hybrid event for the third time, with members attending by video conference or in person at Friends House in Euston on 4 July.
The event was chaired by our chairman, Phil Wadey, and we were pleased to be joined by 39 members in total, of whom 22 attended in person and 17 attended online.
We were pleased to be joined by 39 members at our 2024 AGM. Photo: Open Spaces Society
Phil opened the event by imploring the new government to prioritise access to good-quality green spaces which, he said, are vital for the general public’s health and wellbeing.
Phil went on to extend a call to action to the new government, saying: ‘We want to know that previous ministerial promises to provide green and blue spaces within 15 minutes’ walk of where people live can be turned into practice.’
After Phil’s speech, we moved on to voting. All the resolutions were passed, and the 2023 minutes approved.
Our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, then presented the 2023 Trustees’ report. She began by outlining a number of successes achieved by the society in the previous 12 months, and put out a plea to our supporters to get in touch and let us know about any successes they have had which we may not know about.
Kate went on to thank those who had generously donated to our Legal-action Fund in recent months, explaining the ways in which the fund will enable us to threaten legal action and force real change.
Kate drew her speech to a close by echoing Phil’s call to action to the new government: ‘We need to enable more and more people to enjoy nature,’ she said.
Next, we heard from our treasurer, Stuart Bain, who spoke to the 2023 accounts and also thanked members for their generous contributions.
Following the ballot, all five of those standing were re-elected as vice-presidents, and the three candidates who stood were re-elected as trustees. We were sad to say goodbye to Simon Hunt who had not sought re-election after more than four years on the board.
We celebrated our general secretary's 40th anniversary at the AGM with a video of highlights. Photo: Open Spaces Society
2024 marked 40 years since our general secretary, Kate Ashbrook, took up her post at the Open Spaces Society. We were delighted to share some highlights from the last four decades at this year’s AGM, in the form of a short video which can be watched by clicking the button below.
Following the formal meeting we heard from three members about their initiatives.
Colin Saunders spoke about The Graham Butler Mile, a section of the Vanguard Way long-distance path where seven stiles have been replaced by gates in memory of Graham Butler, who was also a member of the society.
Dave Ramm, our local correspondent for Hampshire, talked about his fight to protect public paths affected by solar farms.
Phil Escritt, our local correspondent for St Albans City and District in Hertfordshire, explained how he had worked with developers, the county council, and other user groups to win mitigation measures as part of the Radlett Strategic Rail Freight Interchange.