Our AGM will be held in the St Laurence Room at 7.30 pm on Friday 17th January 2025 with cheese and wine to follow. The agenda and the Chairman’s report are below.
Agenda for an AGM
to be held on Friday 17th January 2025
at 7.30pm, in the St Laurence Room.
1. Apologies
2. Approval of the minutes of the AGM held on
Friday 19th January 2024.
3. Matters arising.
4. Chairman’s report.
5. Treasurer’s report.
6. Election of President and Committee members.
a. President
b. Chairman
c. Vice Chairman
d. Treasurer
e Secretary
f. Committee
7. Programme for the year.
8. Twinning visit of Cours.
9. Date of the next AGM: Friday 16th January 2026.
10. Any Other Business.
Winslow Anglo French Twinning Association
WAFTA AGM 2025. Chairman’s Report
It is very pleasing to report that in 2024 we were able to continue our active and varied social and fundraising programme, despite the variable weather and the impact of rising costs on our members and the community. Our fundraising and social events were well attended and we are very grateful to everyone who contributed in whatever way.
Following on from the AGM, our first event of the year was the NTC Dinner. Now firmly established in the calendar and well away from the pressures of Christmas, it continues to be as popular as ever.
The informal drinks evening in The George followed in March and it will be added to the programme again for 2025.
In March, a little earlier than usual, we continued the regular series of monthly pétanque sessions which carried on right up until November, when the weather finally intervened. The sessions start again on Thursday 6th March.
The Progressive Supper returned to April again this year and was well attended. An excellent turn-out, good organisation and the usual very generous hospitality of the hosts made it a very well fed and sociable evening! Thanks to all who participated and to new members Steve and Pascal for hosting desserts and coffee at the Vicarage.
La visite
May opened with the visit to our friends in Cours for our 44th Anniversary The programme began with the official reception in the newly restored Chateau de la Fargette, and then a quiet evening settling in with our hosts. Thursday gave us a free day with families before the official ‘Dancing Dinner’ where Winslow Concert Band played as the opening to the evening.
An early start the next morning took us to the Parc des Oiseaux, the largest bird park in Europe, for a spectacular visit in brilliant weather that culminated in an amazing aerial display.
On Saturday, with the weather still perfect, we laid wreaths at the War Memorial on behalf of Winslow Town Council, The Royal British Legion and WAFTA, before hosts and guests joined together in the grounds of the Chateau for a celebration picnic lunch. WCB joined forces with Harmonie de Thizy for the highlight of the day, a superb outdoor concert, before the meal. It was a very successful and well organised visit with the most generous official and personal hospitality – and brilliant weather! We will begin planning in January for the visit from Cours and the celebration of our 45th Anniversary.
It wouldn’t be Summer….
…. without The Lunch and The Show.
The Summer Lunch, kindly hosted this year again by Barbara and John McNeil, gave us an afternoon to remember with a superb buffet, which disappeared very rapidly, a lovely garden setting and a sunny summer day. Thanks to John and Barbara for their hospitality and to Barbara and Liz for their organization and delicious catering.
July, of course, means Bastille Day…
For which we ran, thanks to John McNeil, an afternoon session of pétanque on the terrain, open to all attending. It also meant, this year, the 30th Anniversary of the Winslow Concert Band and
we were very happy to combine the two events at a grand celebration in Tompkins Park on Sunday July 14th. Supporting our members in the Band is important to us and we were delighted to be able to be part of the event, providing our BBQ for the afternoon. A sunny afternoon, pétanque and a superb performance by the band was a great way to spend Bastille Day.
August for WAFTA means, above all else, the Winslow Show. Given the unpredictable weather this year we were very fortunate to have an almost perfect day for the event – sunny, but not scorching! The attendance seemed to be up on last year and our sales were very good – a reflection, perhaps, on our attempts to keep our prices low to benefit the community. We made a very welcome profit this year from what continues to be our major fund raiser and on which we are very dependant to fund the visits from Cours.
We had great support and are very grateful to everyone who helped in any way throughout the long day – cooking, serving, setting up and breaking down – and to Barbara McNeil for the staffing organisation and to Steve Orton for transporting our equipment.
Our Autumn programme started with another of Dr David Noy’s talks on Winslow Through The Ages. Food and Farming in Winslow 1345 – 1945 showed us what people farmed, grew, and ate across 600 years – from wheat to blackberries, and with even a reference to opium. Thanks to David for his support and another fascinating evening.
November was the month for a special French evening in conjunction with the Big Society. French food, French wine and a French film – the classic Jean de Florette. Many thanks to Barbara and Liz for the cordon bleu cooking and to Andy Crossey and Llew Monger for setting up and running the equipment for us. We are planning to show the sequel next November!
With a new team organising November’s Christmas Fayre, we had hoped to take part this year as part of our fundraising. However, perhaps due to a change of policy, we were not invited to participate in what is, after all, a business and community event. The reasons remain unclear.
Social calendar We will again have a full social calendar; the final details are being confirmed and will be distributed shortly. Our visit from Cours (May 28th to June1st) and the Winslow Show will be the major events, with much else to look forward to.
With thanks… It has, as ever, been a varied and busy year, socially and, particularly, for fundraising which will make an important contribution to our 45th Anniversary celebrations. We are very grateful for the help and support of many people and particularly for our members involvement and encouragement.
Thanks also to our President, Vron, for her support, and particularly to our very hardworking committee who have made the year a success.
Peter
