Minutes for the Annual Meeting of Winteringham W.I.held on Thursday 17 March 2011 at 7.30 pm in the Village Hall.

Apologies were recorded from  ten members unable to attend.

The President, Christine Hammond welcomed twenty four members and one guest to the Annual Meeting. As usual on this occasion, she announced that we request the speaker to proceed and business be dealt with afterwards. She introduced P.C. Barry Gardner.

In a talk entitled Road Safety- a serious subject with lighter moments, P.C. Gardner began by saying that in fact there were only a very few lighter moments! His interest in road safety began when he joined the Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade in 1984 when he and his colleagues were frequently called to help in the aftermath of serious road accidents. He joined the police force in 1989 and has now spent seventeen years in Traffic, the last three as Casualty Reduction officer. The causes of accidents include excess speed, poor road conditions, bad weather, mechanical failure, driver distraction and driving under the influence of alcohol and narcotics. Barry said that of the 27,000 killed and seriously injured annually on the roads, 3,000 died and 24,000 were seriously hurt. In addition there were 240,000 slightly injured casualties every year.  Young drivers were 30% of the killed and seriously injured-10,000 – and motor cyclists 20% and those driving for work 9,000 of the total.
Barry told us about the campaign of enforcement of the law and education of the priority groups and minor offenders in schools, colleges and businesses. He showed graphic pictures of simulated accidents and actual incidents which he had dealt with. As Family Liaison Officer he is also involved in helping the families of the victims and gave a moving account of his work.
The lighter moment came when one of the members volunteered to ‘walk the line’ wearing the ‘drunk goggles’ demonstrating the difficulty of keeping to the straight and narrow.
In thanking P.C. Gardner, Christine Hammond said that everyone would be more aware of the dangers as a result of the talk and expressed our admiration for the dedication and compassion with which the police carried out their work.

Minutes of the Annual Meeting held on Thursday 18 March 2010 were signed a as true record by the President.

Matters Arising – there were no matters arising.

ORDINARY BUSINESS
Correspondence
From HFWI National Federation Raffle tickets Mrs Armstrong agreed to sell
Entry form for Lady Denman Cup- short story- The WI 2025
The first postcard if the new W.I. year had been received
Agenda for Annual Federation day – copies available for members attending
Federation Newsletter – copy on the table
Numerous events forms from HFWI were on the table and a number of members signed up during the evening.
News Slot and Reminders
New programme for the walking Group (on Table)
Calendar Girls next outing for Theatre Group-8-10 June
Winterton Show- Jean McAvoy to collect entry forms
Don’t forget to send postcards
Winterton Lions are holding a Coffee Morning at the Butchers Arms Winterton on Saturday 19 March 10am-12md to raise money for the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.
Early discussions about the 85th birthday celebrations took place and lists for members’ suggestions will be available at the next meeting.

ANNUAL MEETING BUSINESS
1. Review of the Bye laws: no amendments were made.
2.Appointment of Auditor: Mr Stan Wood to be asked again.
3.Financial Report and Statement – Valerie Lancaster said that the annual returns were complete and awaiting auditing. We had a surplus of £288.18 last year and received £238.03 in gift aid. Interest was 12p!
4.Committee’s Annual Report -appended
5.President’s Address-appended
6.Announcement of Committee:
Members nominated and who have accepted nomination for the new committee: Mary Christoffersen, Jenny Cressey, Donna Goodhand, Christine Hammond, Val Hayton, Margaret Kitchen, Valerie Lancaster, Jean McAvoy, Marjorie Smith, Pam Wells, Sandra Wilkinson 
Also nominated were Carol Cook, Mary Nuttell and Christine Wood who have decided to stand down from the committee. This leaves eleven members nominated and in accordance with item 9 of the bye laws, no vote will be necessary.
Thanks were extended to the retiring committee members, all of whom had been on the committee for more than 20 years.

Election of President
Christine Hammond was unanimously re-elected for her second year of office.

Presentation to Competition Winner
Mary Nuttell had gained 18 points in competitions throughout the year. She was presented with a delightful indoor plant arrangement..

Hostesses and Mystery Parcels Margaret Johnson, Mary Christoffersen and Annie Armstrong

Competition: A Postcard from an Island  
1st    Valerie Lancaster        2nd    Pam Wells           3rd   Jean McAvoy

Mystery Parcels won by: Jenny Cressey, Barbara Ashton and Mary Nuttell

AOB There was no other business.

Next meeting: Thursday 21 April 2011 Easter Flowers by Josephine

The competition is for a hand held Spring Posy.
The hostesses and mystery parcels will be Marjorie Smith, Jackie and Heather Bateman