(for the AGM notice for the Common Trust, click here)

Friends of Coppett Hill NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of the Friends will be held at the Village Hall, Goodrich on Wednesday 22nd October 2008 at 7.00 p.m. The business will be:

 1 To receive and accept the accounts for the year to July 2008.

 2 To appoint the Managing Committee for the next year.

Mr K Parnell has agreed to let his name be put forward and Mrs M Rowberry, Mr M Thompson, Mr C Downs and Mr L Lowe are prepared to continue in their roles.

            3 To review Friends Projects and possible future initiatives.

 
4 To review the future programme of events

 5 Any Other Business                                                                                 

 The General Meeting will be a joint meeting of The Friends of Coppett Hill and  The Coppett Hill Trust General Meeting  – as was agreed at the 2007 AGM

 The meeting will follow the AGM of the Trust which starts at 7.30p.m. on Wednesday 22nd October 2008 and should start at about 7.40 p.m*. . The business will be:

1.     Chairman’s Report

2.     Current Status of future plans for Woodland Management

3.     Working Parties for 2007/8 and planned events

4.     Natural History Update

5.     Any Other Business

 * Those members of the Friends who are not Trust members are invited to sit in (but not vote) at the Trust AGM , which normally takes a very short time.

 IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THE AGM, please consider appointing a proxy to vote on your behalf.

 Any paid-up member  is entitled to appoint a proxy. The person appointed need not be a member.

 If you wish to appoint a proxy, complete this form and return it to the Chairman, the Friends of Coppett Hill, Charlton, Goodrich, Ross on Wye, Herefordshire, HR9 6JF , NO LATER THAN NOON ON 15^th October 2008.

AGM BUSINESS	FOR	AGAINST
To adopt the Accounts
To appoint Mr K Parnell to the Committee
To reappoint Mr M Thompson to the Committee
To reappoint Mrs  M Rowberry to the Committee
To reappoint Mr C Downs to the Committee
To reappoint Mr L Lowe to the Committee

 

 

* delete as applicable                                                             

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Coppett Hill Common Trust  NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

 
Notice is hereby given that the Twentieth Annual General Meeting of the Company will be held at the Village Hall, Goodrich on Wednesday 22^nd October 2008 at 7.30 p.m. The business will be:

 1 To receive and consider the Directors’ Report and Statement of Accounts for the year to 31st March 2008 and the Auditor’s report thereon.

 2 To elect THREE Directors from among the ‘A’ Shareholders from those nominated in accordance with the Articles of Association of the Company. Mr D Leat has offered himself for election and two serving ‘A’ Directors (Ms W Innes and Mr M Rowberry), being eligible, offer themselves for election.

(Shareholders are asked to note, as advised in the mid-year newsletter, that no further nominations for the role of Director can now be accepted for election at this AGM.)

4 To appoint Knight Bennett & Co as Auditor of the Company for the coming year and to authorise the Directors to fix the fee.

                                                            By order of the Board

September 2008                                     L Lowe   Secretary

 

The meeting will follow the AGM on Wednesday 22nd October 2008. The business will be:

1.     Chairman’s Report

2.     Current Status of future plans for Woodland Management

3.     Working Parties for 2007/8 and planned events

 4.     Natural History Update

5.     Any Other Business

 The Trust General Meeting  and the General Meeting of the Friends of Coppett Hill Charity will be held together for the first time this year – as was agreed at the 2007 AGM

                                                            By order of the Board

September 2008                                     L Lowe   Secretary

·     Under Company Law, no business may be undertaken at the AGM, which is not related to this Agenda.

·     Directors nominated by the Parish Council and County Council (‘B’ and ‘C’ shareholders) may take part in the meeting but voting rights are restricted and do not cover any items on this Agenda

 
IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND THE AGM, please consider appointing a proxy to vote on your behalf.

 Any shareholder, who is entitled to attend the meetings, is entitled to appoint a proxy instead. The person appointed need not be a shareholder.

 If you wish to appoint a proxy, complete this form and return it to the Secretary at the above address, NO LATER THAN NOON ON 13^th October 2008.

AGM BUSINESS	FOR	AGAINST
To adopt the Directors’ Report and Accounts and Auditor’s Report
To reappoint the Auditors
To elect Mr D Leat as Director
To elect Mr M Rowberry as Director
To elect Ms W Innes as Director

 

 

* delete as applicable                                                             

Chairman’s report 2007 - 2008

 
Our Financial Position

For the last financial year the Trust has been operating without funding from the Forestry Commission although your directors were confident that our application for a new 5 year Woodland Grant Scheme would be approved. Therefore, we decided it was possible to continue with certain expenditure, such as the professional fees associated with the application for the new grant (which would give us a rapid pay-back next year) by drawing on the Trust’s financial reserves when necessary.

 The directors also agreed to use a contractor to clear the scrub growing amongst the trees that were planted below the Courtfield Road a few years ago.  It was deemed necessary to employ a contractor because of the size of the task on the extremely steep terrain. It was imperative that the work be done promptly before the situation got any worse, as there was a danger that the new plantation would become overgrown by scrub which would threaten the health of the young trees.

The majority of the trees are now growing very well and this clearing work will allow them to thrive sufficiently to gain a height advantage over the scrub species so that in time their shade will naturally suppress the scrub. While a few of the trees, especially some Beech, have not done as well as we’d hoped, there has been far less deer damage than we had expected. With the forthcoming replacement of the Douglas Fir plantation at the south end of the Hill with broad leaf species, it is good to see that saplings planted in protective tubes can withstand the ravages of these four-legged friends!

The new Forestry grant is now agreed and secures funding for the Trust for the next five years. This funding will meet the normal annual overheads of running Coppett Hill. It will also enable the Trust to employ contractors in the future to carry out major works beyond the capabilities of our volunteer work parties.

These two expenses and the lack of grant funding have lead to a trading deficit in the annual accounts. There is no reason to reel in horror at this. The Trust is not in debt or any financial jeopardy and its primary purpose has always been to maintain and improve Coppett Hill rather than generate a trading profit. There is still a substantial financial reserve on deposit which has been intentionally and steadily  built up over previous years by careful management to meet just such eventualities. With the income from the new Woodland Grant Scheme, the Trust’s financial prospects for the future are very secure.

 Management of the Hill

Due to a reduction in the Herefordshire Council workforce this year, the Trust had to hire an independent contractor to mow the paths and to crush the bracken on the west side of the hill. The Trust was reimbursed in full for this by the Council who have carried out this task in the past. The excellent local contractor did a very thorough job and was significantly quicker than the Council department whose team had had to commute from their Queenswood base, north of Hereford, every day to do this work. Hopefully this arrangement will continue in the future.

With the approval of the Forestry Commission there has been a slight re-scheduling of the order in which some of the projects in the Woodland Grant Scheme will be carried out. The areas to be thinned and the trees to be felled in the Douglas Fir and Sweet Chestnut plantations at the south end of the hill will now only be selected and marked this autumn. The contract will then be offered to tender by forestry contractors and  the actual work will be done in 2009 instead of this year.

Meanwhile, in the immediate future, we will be going ahead with other elements of the scheme’s work schedule which are within the capabilities our volunteer work parties. This includes the first three of our autumn Friday work parties on 7^th, 14^th & 21^st November. The first two are coppicing Hazel in the woods behind Mainoaks Farmhouse. The third is clearing scrub at three locations:- along the footpath below Woodbine Cottage, in the woods below the phone box and opposite Quarry Cottage. This third work party should finish off work mostly done last year and make us well ahead of schedule with this part of the scheme’s requirements. If you can come and help on any of the work parties listed at the end of this newsletter you will be contributing to the ongoing conservation and improvement of Coppett Hill. As always your help will be most welcome!

The Lime Kiln Project

The project to restore the Lime Kilns has unfortunately stumbled to a temporary halt. The AONB have had problems recruiting a project manager for their National Lottery Heritage Fund Project. Also their chosen building contractor has “discovered” cracks in the vaulting of the Lime Kilns and wants further structural engineering advice before he starts any work; these cracks are reported to have worsened since the original survey carried out last year. This delay is obviously beyond the control of the Trust but we hope they will resolve them and the restoration can get back on track. However, even if they do surmount their problems in time, it is improbable that the work will be done before 2009 as it would be unsuitable to work on this sensitive site during the winter months.

As you will see from the AGM agenda I am not standing for re-election to the Trust’s Board of Directors as there are other activities I wish to pursue. I shall continue to help as much as I can with the Woodland Management, the Deer Survey & AONB meetings and, of course, on the work parties, but as a helper not a director.

The Trust is extremely fortunate that David Leat has put his name forward for election as a director. Running the Trust has always been teamwork, very much a joint effort by the directors, each contributing their different expertise. David is Chairman of the Gwent Wildlife Trust and his experience will be of great benefit to the team.

I would like to thank my fellow directors, currently Martin & Wendy, and previously Ray & Lawrie, for making the Trust run so smoothly over the seven years I have been on the board. My thanks also go to the people behind the scenes who contribute so much to the Trust: Pearl, George, Ray(again!) & Frances, all the volunteers on the work parties and especially Lawrie, whose administrative skill keeps everything running like a well oiled machine.

Finally, you will see from the previous pages that, as we agreed at last year’s AGM, we will be holding both the Trust’s and the Friend’s General Meetings concurrently (after individual short AGMs). Hopefully this will save a lot of duplication of reports and give a wide opportunity for discussion (as well as not having to book the village hall twice). Please try to remember if you are a Shareholder, Friend (or both!) and try to distinguish which items you should be voting on! I know it initially sounds a recipe for some confusion, but if we stay calm & don’t panic, we can make it work efficiently!

Will Morgan                        September 2008,

 

COPPETT HILL COMMON TRUST LIMITED

 

REPORT OF THE DIRECTORS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31st MARCH 2008

 

The directors present their report and the audited financial statements of the company for the year ended 31st March 2008

 

PRINCIPAL ACTIVITY AND BUSINESS REVIEW

The principal activity of the company continues to be that of a management company formed to conserve the land known as Coppett Hill and to manage and administer the same for the benefit of the local community

 

DIRECTORS AND INTERESTS IN SHARES

The directors who served during the year were:

 

R.L.C. Harbord

Mr W R Morgan 

Mr M Rowberry                         

Ms W Innes                               

 

The directors at 31st March 2008 together with their interests, as defined by the Companies Act 1985, in shares of the company at that date and at the beginning of the year were as follows:

                                                                   ‘A’ Ordinary £100 shares

                                                                             31.3.’08      1.4.07

R.L.C. Harbord                                                               2         1

W Innes                                                                         1         1

W R Morgan                                                                   2         2

M Rowberry                                                                   2         2

 

Mr R.L.C. Harbord represents Goodrich and Welsh Bicknor Parish Council on the Board who hold 100’B’ ordinary shares of £100 each.

 

AUDITORS

Messrs Knight Bennett & Co offer themselves for re-appointment under the provisions of Section 385 of the Companies Act 1985.

 

The report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of part VII of the Companies Act 1985 relating to small companies.

 

The Board approved this report on 30^th July 2008

 

On behalf of the Board

 

L Lowe (Secretary))

 

Copies of the Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account for the year ended 31/3/’08 are attached. Sets of the full financial report are available on request from the Company Secretary. The minutes of the previous AGM were displayed on the Parish Notice Board and are not circulated with these papers.

PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31^ST MARCH 2008

	2008	2007
	£	£
TURNOVER	1,211	1813
Administrative Expenses	2,690	1385
	(1,479)	428
Other operating income	355	347
OPERATING PROFIT	(1,124)	775
Interest receivable and similar income	324	246
PROFIT ON ORDINARY ACTIVITIES BEFORE TAXATION	(800)	1021
Tax on profit on ordinary activities	(3)	194
PROFIT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR AFTER TAXATION	(797)	827
Profit/(Deficit) brought forward	4,953	4,126
RETAINED PROFIT CARRIED FORWARD	£4,156	£4,953

BALANCE SHEET 31^ST MARCH 2008

	2008				2007
	£	£		£		£
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible Assets		21,500				21,500
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors
Cash at Bank	13,726			14,506
CREDITORS: Amounts falling due  within one year	270			453
NET CURRENT ASSETS		13,456				14,053
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES		£34,956				£35,553
CAPITAL AND RESERVES
Called up share capital		30,800				30,600
Profit and Loss Account		4,156				4,953
SHAREHOLDERS' FUNDS		£34,956				£35,553

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part VII of the Companies Act 1985 relating to small companies and with the Financial Reporting Standard for Smaller Entities (effective January 2005) Approved by the Board 30/7/08

 

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