FRIENDS OF BRANDY HOLE COPSE

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Thursday 28^th May 2026

at

St Paul’s Church Parish Centre

Churchside, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6FT

7.30 pm (doors open from 7.15 pm)

The Meeting is open to all, but only paid-up Friends may vote.

We welcome nominations for committee members, which should be sent in writing to fobhc@treesinchi.org prior to the meeting.

AGENDA

1.     Welcome and Housekeeping

2.     Committee’s Report - Paula Chatfield

3.     Treasurer’s Report and Accounts (available at the meeting) – Peter Bickley

                                                                  VOTE to approve the Accounts

4.     Proposed Amendments to Constitution – Paula Chatfield

VOTE to amend the Constitition

Agenda Item 4

Proposed Amendments to Constitution

We have been working to the Constitution expressed as revised in September 2016. With membership remaining low, it has been a source of unease that AGMs could be frustrated by not being quorate. Our proposed amendments seek to:

• introduce a fail-safe of one-third total membership for an AGM which would come into play if we have less than 30 members (as of 1st May 2026, we have 24);
• clarify wording (e.g. the use of the word “Members” instead of “Friends” to avoid confusing our subscribers with the organisation name);
• update outdated references;
• substitute the Committee for Secretary (we don’t currently have a nominated Secretary), update item 6 of the Constitution for practicalities. They include the requirement to specify at AGM a correspondence address for the Committee.

We have tried to represent these changes below with new wording indicated in red. (Deletions/corrections are trickier to show - please see pdf files of 2016 and 2026-proposed Constitutions.)

Friends of Brandy Hole Copse Local Nature Reserve (FBCLNR)

Constitution (revised, September 2016) proposed May 2026

1          Title

The group shall be called the ‘Friends of Brandy Hole Copse’ (“the Friends”).

2          Aims (third bullet previously referred to the now-defunct 2017/21 Work Schedule)

• to promote conservation and biodiversity in Brandy Hole Copse (BHC/the Copse) and its immediate surroundings;
• to assist the BHC Local Nature Reserve (LNR) Management Board to implement the Management Plan for the Copse;
• to recruit volunteers to assist in achieving the Work Schedule agreed with Chichester District Council (as land owner/manager of BHC);
• to establish and implement educational objectives relating to the Copse;
• to spend any funds raised to further the aims of the Friends;
• to work with other local, regional and national bodies interested in the Copse’s conservation;
• to provide the Management Board with regular reports of its activities.

3          Funding (no change)

The Friends will raise funds through grants, donations and subscriptions. These funds will be spent to further the aims of the group. Members of the group will be required to pay an annual subscription towards the necessary expenses of the group, payable on April 1^st each year. The level of annual subscription will be determined and approved at the AGM.

4          Nature Conservation (specific reference to  "The Conservation Volunteers" removed as no longer applicable)

The group shall be affiliated to  such other bodies as are deemed desirable. The group will work with other local, regional and national groups which share a common interest in conservation. It will report to the BHCLNR Management Board.

5          Membership (no change)

Membership shall be open to any individual interested in the work of the group. The Committee may award Honorary Membership to any individual or group who may be able to add significantly to the aims of the group.

6          Committee (to be replaced to reflect practicalities)

The Friends will have three elected officers (Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer), plus a further four members who will be elected at the AGM. The Committee may co-opt up to three additional members, who must be elected at the subsequent AGM. The Committee shall meet at least quarterly, with a quorum of at least three members. . The Committee officers will provide an annual report of their activities at the AGM.

PROPOSED TO BE REPLACED BY:

The Friends will elect a Treasurer and a further 3 to 6 Committee members at its AGM. The Committee will decide who will take on the roles of Chair, Secretary, Membership Secretary etc, and may co-opt up to three additional members, who must be elected at the subsequent AGM. The Committee shall meet at least quarterly, with a quorum of at least three members. (Substantive email exchanges involving all Committee members may take the place of up to two meetings.) The Committee will provide a correspondence address to Members, and an annual report of its activities at the AGM. 

7          Annual General Meeting

• Friends will be notified of the date and venue of the Annual General Meeting, and will be entitled to attend. Any motion put forward by a Friend must be received by the Secretary at least a fortnight prior to the date of the AGM. A quorum of ten paid-up Friends must be present before any decisions are taken at the AGM. A paid-up Friend is someone who has subscribed to the Friends in the year preceding the AGM. An Extraordinary General Meeting can be called by any twelve paid-up Friends, provided that the Secretary receives at least one month’s written notice of this.

8          Accounts

• Thhe Treasurer shall keep accounts which will be submitted to an annual audit, and approved at the AGM. The group’s financial year shall run from 1^st April until 31^st March. The accounts shall be submitted for approval to the AGM. The group shall maintain insurance cover for volunteers on its tasks, and for any injuries to third parties or damage to property.

9          Winding up

• The group may be wound up at an AGM or Extraordinary General Meeting by a two-thirds majority of its paid-up members. In such an event, the group’s assets shall then pass to the Chichester District Council in order to fund further conservation work in BHCLNR.

10        Amendments to the Constitution

• The Constitution shall be amended only by a majority vote at an AGM. A copy of the Constitution shall be made available to any member of the group on written request to the Secretary.

                                                            Andrew Berriman, Chairman / Secretary, FBHC, September 2016

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