## Annual General Meeting 2023 To be held at 7.30pm on Thursday 14[th] September 2023 ## online via Zoom ## AGENDA 1. Apologies 2. To approve the minutes of the 2022 AGM 3. To receive and approve the Accounts for the year ended 31st July 2023 4. To re-elect John Burch as Trustee 5. To re-elect Richard Heacock as Trustee 6. To approve the appointment of Andrew Hedges as independent examiner 7. To receive and approve the Trustees' report No official motions having been received from the membership, the meeting will conclude with an informal (un-minuted) discussion. ## **AUDITED ACOUNTS** ## **1st August 2022 - 31st July 2023** ## **1[st] August 2021 - 31[st] July 2022** |**INCOME**||| |---|---|---| |subscriptions BACS|130|140| |subscriptions Paypal (net)|540.76|796.92| |Gift Aid|399.93|0| |VAT repayment|804.30|121.17| |Grants/sundry|50|2269.45| |**TOTAL**|**1924.99**|**3972.54**| |**PAYMENTS**||| |HRA subscription|75|75| |insurance|179.84|179.84| |heritage activity (inc VAT)|4750.80|1114| |**TOTAL**|**5005.64**|**1368.84**| |opening bal 1st August 2022|6206.96|3603.26| |income|1924.99|3972.54| |expenditure|-5005.64|-1368.84| |closing bal 31st July 2023|3126.31|6206.96| ## **Minutes of 2022 Annual General Meeting** 15.09.2022 7.30pm by Zoom Trustees present: John Burch – Chair Richard Heacock – Treasurer Glyn Pollington Members present: Gary Best, Peter Fisher, Evelyn Heacock - 1) Apologies from: Margaret Faultless, Adam Cooke - 2) The 2021 AGM minutes were proposed by GP and Seconded by JB. - 3) Richard took us through the accounts after which the accounts were proposed by GB and Seconded by PF. - 4) Lewis Daniels was elected as Trustee and was proposed by GP and seconded by JB - 5) David Luggar was elected as Trustee which was proposed by GB and seconded by PF - 6) We re-approved the appointment of Andrew Hedges as our independent examiner. This was Proposed by GB and seconded by JB. John Burch gave interesting visual presentation of his Chair’s report which was proposed by PF and seconded by GB. ## **Report of the Trustees of Combe Rail CIO for 2022-2023** ## **Appointment of Trustees** The Trustees of Combe Rail in 2022-2023 were (Treasurer) Yvonne Hin (Secretary) Lewis Daniels, John Burch (Chair) Glyn Pollington and David Luggar. Under UK charity law, two trustees must be elected/re-elected at each AGM. John Burch and Richard Heacock are standing for re-election. No additional applications to become a trustee were received from the membership. ## **2023 Chair’s Report by John Burch** I am pleased to say that with the Covid restrictions finally lifted during 2022 we have once again been able to move ahead with some projects. Following receiving planning approval for a new Ilfracombe down outer home signal post last year, we have progressed this interesting project. I’ve learned a lot about signal restoration with this project! My wife and I had been able to identify the site of the original post on 21[st] September 2022 by measuring 250 yards from the extant track circuit box post. We were able to establish this distance from the original Ilfracombe signalling diagram donated to Combe Rail by Frank Kidwell. The first job, was to restore and seal the original signal arm donated by Sue Bidgood. It had been displayed on a wooden post in her late brother’s garden ever since removal from the line and had deteriorated as a result. During the last weekend of November 2022 I cleaned up the signal as best I could. This entailed replacing some of the corroded parts and sealing the arm with rust inhibitor. Richard Heacock sourced replacement spectacles for the signal and these were put in place. It is our intention that the ‘danger’ indication will be illuminated by a solar cell powered lamp rather like our reinstated fixed distant signal further up the valley. The restored signal arm was then delivered on 2[nd] December to our contractor, WM Fabricators, at Newton Tracey and put in the safe keeping of WM’s Contracts Manager, Mike Corrick. Mike wanted to discuss the support platform for the solar powered lamp. I explained how we wanted to allow the lamp to shine through the spectacle and said I would get the dimensions of the solar lamp and solar cell arrangement so that he could make the necessary sized part to weld on to the post. Richard Heacock meanwhile negotiated with our friends at Greenspace for a suitable solar powered lamp and we settled on the appropriate dimensions. Before we could erect the new signal post, we needed a new concrete base at the site already identified. We selected a suitable contractor and on Wednesday 8[th] and Thursday 9[th] March our Tom and Mark from Loverings Building Contractors, constructed the concrete base for the outer home signal. A few days later, on Tuesday 14[th] March, I collected the solar powered lamp assembly for the signal post from Greenspace near Okehampton. It was working very well at that point. By early April I was able to witness the signal post coming together at WM Fabricators. It was at this point that we decided to go one stage further and ask whether it would be possible to also fabricate a replica rule 55 diamond to the post. We came to a suitable financial arrangement and I knocked up some general arrangement drawings to give them something to work to. The bracket holding the diamond sign has been designed to replicate the original. The whole fabrication was galvanised and painted and complete by May 9[th] . The signal installation finally took place on Saturday May 27[th] . This is a story in it’s own right, but we were very pleased with the end product. There is one issue to be resolved. The solar powered lamp had been in storage while the signal post was being fabricated and when it came to be fitted it didn’t appear to be functioning. Tom Hills from Greenspace design has assured us he’ll visit and rectify the fault shortly. Once this has been done we hope to formally ‘launch’ the signal and hope Sue Bidgood can join us for this event. ## **Other Projects** The next project will be the installation of our demonstration track panel from the West Somerset Railway. The West Somerset Railway are donating the track panel and as you may be aware they have suffered some challenges since Covid. We have been assured that the plan to deliver the panel is definitely still on the WSR list and we therefore plan to hold a work party in the Autumn to once again prepare the site to receive the track panel. I am pleased to report that now we are free of Covid lock down arrangements we have been able to start promoting our activities again. On Friday 24[th] March I gave a talk to the Ilfracombe U3A group. This was very well attended and received. So much so, that Combe Rail received a much appreciated donation following the talk. It is to be hoped that we will be able to get out and about again, to promote the Combe Rail project to anyone interested and spread the word. We continue to gather artefacts from the line for eventual display. Most recently Mark Neville, who lives at the old Shellpiece railway cottage in Ilfracombe has found several steam locomotive firebars buried in his garden. They were presumably bulldozed there when the loco shed site was cleared c. 1977. He has offered to donate them to Combe Rail to join our collection. We’ve also discovered that the Ilfracombe ‘up’ starter signal arm also still exists and is in safe keeping with a local resident. Next year will see the 150[th] anniversary of the railway reaching Ilfracombe. We have some plans to mark this important occasion so watch this space! Richard Heacock has continued to produce the excellent illustrated and well received Devon Belle newsletter. It is amazing how much fascinating information we’ve been able to uncover about the line and its former staff. I hope this is all well received by our members. We will continue to work towards unravelling the line’s history and secrets. We have a number of other projects in the pipeline, but I hope this report has shown that we have not been idle in the last 12 months. John Burch Chair of trustees, Combe Rail Approved by the Trustees 16th August 2023 ## **Combe Rail CIO - Annual General Meeting 14[th] September 2023 Ballot Paper/ Proxy Form** If you are unable to attend the AGM, but wish to exercise your membership right to vote, you can use this form to do one of three things: - 1) appoint a proxy to attend the meeting and vote on your behalf - 2) appoint the Chairman to vote as they see fit - 3) register your votes for or against, on the agenda items (below) Proxy forms should be sent to: The Secretary, Combe Rail, Flat 5, Holly House, Avenue Rd, Ilfracombe EX34 9AT or by email info@combe-rail.org.uk to arrive no later than 2pm on Tuesday 11[th] September 2023 **1)** I,………………………………………………………………… membership number…………….being a member of Combe Rail hereby appoint (name) …………………………….................. of (address)……………………………………………………… as my proxy, to vote in my name and on my behalf at the Annual General Meeting of Combe Rail on 14[th] September, and at any adjournment thereof. |September, and at any adjournment thereof.||| |---|---|---| ||**FOR AGAINST**|| |**2) I appoint the Chairman to vote as they see fit**|☐|☐| |**(place cross in box)**||| |**3) I wish to register my votes as follows (place cross in box)**||| |Item 2: Approve minutes of 2022 AGM|☐|☐| |Item 3: Approve draft accounts for year ended 31st July 2023|☐|☐| |Item 4: Re-elect John Burch as Trustee|☐|☐| |Item 5: Re-elect Richard Heacock as Trustee|☐|☐| |Item 6: Approve the appointment of Andrew Hedges|☐|☐| |as independent examiner of the accounts||| |Item 7: Approve the Trustees’ Report|☐|☐| |Signature…………………………………........................|Date…………………….||