# Herefordshire Beekeepers' Association ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 7.00pm March 24th, 2022 AGENDA, MINUTES AND REPORTS Registered Charity No: 1174917 ## THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING of the ## HEREFORDSHIRE BEEKEEPERS’ ASSOCIATION will be held at Belmont Community Centre, HR2 7UQ on Thursday 24th March 2022 THE MEETING WILL COMMENCE AT 7.00 pm ## AGENDA 1. Apologies and deceased Appointment of meeting Chairman 2. Minutes of the meeting held on 21st March 2021 3. Matters arising. 4. Adoption of the Annual Reports. 5. Finance. 6. Election of nine Trustees. Under the constitution the three longest serving trustees are required to resign every year. These are Nicky Percival, Steve Utley and Rob Williams. If requested they are prepared to stand for re-election. 7. Any Other Business 1 Registered Charity No: 1174917 ## Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity: ||| |---|---| |Robert
Cross|| |Rod
Ellis|| |Roger
Gill|Treasurer| |Nicola
Percival|| |Deborah
Smith|Vice
Chairman| |Stephen
Utley|Membership
Secretary| |Mary
Walter|Secretary| |Robert
Williams|AHAT
Coordinator
BBKA
Delegate| ## MINUTES OF THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON March 21st 2021 by Zoom. Attendees: Andrew Barnes, Andy Spanjers, Andy Tatchell, Steve Utley, David Pealing, Dave Sutton, Maureen Sullivan, Colin Pavey, John Robinson, Debbie Smith, Bob Cross, Kath Cross, Ron James, Rob Williams, Nicola Percival, Rihards Krauze, Mary Walter, Ian Bodell, Steve Parker, Val Watson, Tony Mitcheson, Judi Thomas, Ann Shawcross, Alan Jenyon, Jeanie Sherwood, Roger Gill, Rod Ellis, Tony Ravenhall, Dick Hailwood. Chaired by Debbie Smith. 1. Apologies: Jen Piggott, Peter Lutzeier, Richard Scott, Roger Coates, Huw Evans, David Hewlett, Verity Camden, Nicola Percival, Val Lilwall, Paula Crawford. 2. Minutes from previous meeting: The minutes were approved and to be signed off. 3. Matters Arising: There were none arising. 4. - Annual Report This was adopted. 5. Finance: there is £15,278.41 in the Charity’s account. Report by Roger Gill (RG). Proposed by Debbie Smith (DS). Seconded by Bob Cross (BC). 2 Registered Charity No: 1174917 6. Election of Officers: - a) Honorary Chairman: Vacant. To be filled - b) Honorary Treasurer: Roger Gill (RG). Proposed by Steve Utley. Seconded by Bob Cross. - c) Honorary Secretary: Mary Walter (MW) to continue in post. Proposed by Steve Parker (SP) and seconded by Andy Spanjers (AS). 7. Election of nine Trustees: The following were elected to serve as trustees: Ian Bodell, Bob Cross, Rod Ellis, Roger Gill, Nicola Percival, Debbie Smith, Steve Utley, Mary Walter, Rob Williams. John Robinson agreed to stay on for a short period to assist in hand over of the accounts to Roger Gill. Proposed by Colin Pavey (CP) and seconded by Maureen Sullivan (MS) 8. A.O.B: Dave Sutton (DS) proposed a vote of thanks for John Robinson who had held post of Treasurer for 16 years. There was also a vote of thanks for Andy Tatchell for holding post of Chairman for the last three years. Rod Ellis proposed that SU takes on becoming apiary manager for the Holme Lacy apiary. SU happy to take on the job. Colin Pavey: asked what differences exist for the trustees now that HBKA is a Community Interest Organisation (CIO). - Under previous framework all Trustees were joint and severally liable if HBKA went bankrupt or if a liability claim was made against HBKA. - Trustees are required to act responsibly and could still be taken to court/imprisoned if acting fraudulently. Alan Jenyon: asked if risk assessments had been carried out for all LAN apiary meetings. - MW has drawn one up previously. To be reviewed and amended as necessary. - AS: All visitors/members should have contact details taken at LAN meetings, and asked if they would like Piriton etc to be provided if deemed necessary. - Steve Parker: Risk Assessments require annual review and signing off even if no amendments are made. To be checked at next committee meeting. The meeting closed at 19.35pm Signed..................................................................................Date................................... 3 Registered Charity No: 1174917 ## ANNUAL REPORTS 2021 – 2022 ## VICE-CHAIRMAN'S REPORT After another year filled with uncertainty and unexpected events, I sincerely hope that beekeepers and their bees have come through in good health. While Covid was still prevalent we took a cautious approach to in person meetings. With more known about virus transmission, outdoor apiary sessions were deemed to be of low risk, and we held several sessions in the East LAN and at Holme Lacy and Weobley. The beginners' course went ahead on Zoom, followed by meeting the bees at Holme Lacy. Several members successfully undertook the Basic Assessment and were given helpful preparation by Colin Pavey. Online events, Zoom meetings and webinars again provided a rich variety of interesting and informative events accessible from wherever we are. Committee meetings took place on Zoom. We held our AGM on Zoom, less enjoyable than attending in person, but it fulfilled our legal requirement. Steve Utley has organised regular question and answer sessions on Zoom and these have been well attended and informative. Other associations have opened their meetings to us, and there have been various BBKA offerings including the Spring convention. The lectures on the National Honey Show website are generally very interesting and presented by internationally renowned speakers. A big thank you to Mike and Pauline Healey for hosting the hog roast in September. It was a lovely afternoon and there was a good turnout with beekeepers again allowed to mingle and enjoy the splendid cooking, and lovely views of the river. 2021 was a difficult season. We had a cool damp spring, with frosts on several nights in April. The spring honey crop was very poor compared to the previous year. There were few good days in the summer and a disappointing summer crop. The poor weather led to reduced success in queen mating, resulting in queenless or drone laying colonies. The lack of honey processing activity in the hive seemed to lead to a tendency an increase in swarming, and it was difficult keeping the bees under control. The warm damp autumn made winter preparations challenging, bees tending to raise brood rather than storing winter feed. Varroa levels were high going into winter, with winter bees susceptible to viral problems. I hope 2022 will be a better year for all of us, bees and beekeepers alike. Debbie Smith 4 Registered Charity No: 1174917 ## SECRETARY'S REPORT Unfortunately, the ongoing pandemic led to the cancellation of many of our usual events during the year. The 2021 AGM was held over Zoom. The Beginners Course was also conducted over Zoom, but it is difficult establishing a rapport with new beekeepers over the internet. Luckily, restrictions eased in time to allow practical sessions in person at the apiary. The Three Counties Show was cancelled once again and we did not manage to hold a Honey Show, but we did participate in the Big Apple event at Much Marcle in October. We held online sessions regularly over the summer, ably organized by Steve Utley. In April Martin Hann and Clare Densley of Buckfast Abbey gave us an interesting talk on swarming. In May we had a Zoom session on the National Honey Monitoring scheme by Anna Oliver and Claire Carvell. Jim Vivian-Griffiths joined us online in June with a fascinating insight into the research of Tom Seeley and Martin Lindauer, who discovered the strategies used by honey bees when searching for a new home. Martin and Claire gave us another talk in December on pheronome communication, and again in February with helpful tips on preparation for the new season. We joined the L&DBKA in the autumn with talks by Chris Park and John Haverson, and in January with Zoom talks by David Bonner on the Bees Abroad project in Uganda, and by Dan Basterfield on Queen raising. A big thank you to all those who helped during another difficult year looking after the Association bees. Kirsten Ellerby has made a splendid job of the monthly newsletter, and Steve Utley has kept us in order on Zoom and up-to-date with the on-line meetings. He also ably copes with his duties as membership secretary. Hopefully, the virus is now in retreat and there are no further nasty surprises in store. I look forward to meeting our new members in person and wish them every success in their beekeeping career. It is not easy, but when things go well can be incredibly rewarding. It was with great sadness that we learnt of the death of two long standing Committee members: Wendy Cummins served as secretary for many years. She was unfailingly reliable and helpful. John Harley applied his technical expertise and attention to detail as Membership Secretary, and was an expert in preparing prize winning exhibits for the honey show. Mary Walter 5 Registered Charity No: 1174917 ## MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY’S REPORT In 2021, things have been thankfully, getting back to normal. Although we have lost several long term members, due to various reasons, we have had a steady increase in the number of beginners taking up beekeeping. I hope they keep going and enjoy it as the rest of us do. Five years ago, when I started as Membership Secretary, we had 140 Full members; last year we had 172 Full members. The total number of hives insured last year for our Full members was 965 (three years ago it was 754). ## Listed here are the 2021 figures - Full Membership numbers increased to 172 - Associate Membership numbers slightly up at 38 - Partnership/Junior Membership steady at 6 Total Membership for 2021 - 216. Tuesday meetings got back to normal at our Training Apiary in Holme Lacy. We regularly had 10 – 16 members, split into four groups, helped through inspections by four experienced beekeepers. It was pleasing to see new beekeepers/beginners regularly attending and learning how to look after bees. We continue to do the Zoom meetings, with Clare and Martin from Buckfast being our favoured presenters. Each presentation is well attended and members have said how they find them really interesting and many have learned something from them. Once a month we have our virtual beekeeper meetings; these have proved popular with beekeepers of all levels of experience. Many were able to get advice on any problems they may have encountered and it was a chance to listen to different views, methods and experiences. Steve Utley 6 Registered Charity No: 1174917 ## HONORARY TREASURER’S REPORT 2021 Most of you will be aware that the great majority of each member’s subscription goes to the BBKA to fund their activities, including providing members with limited third party insurance and paying for the BBKA magazine. Another big chunk goes to Bee Disease Insurance Ltd to cover members against the risk that their colonies will have to be destroyed because of a notifiable disease. What is left comes to the HBKA. Allowing for one payment that was outstanding at the end of the year, and for 2022 beginners’ training course fees paid in advance, during 2021 our current assets improved by £1,550 to £18,152. However, we have estimated that the value of our equipment at the beginning of the year, mainly sheds, hives and bee suits, depreciated by £2,500 during the year. Our cash position is good and would allow us to fund running costs for a significant period. We may look at a number of initiatives this year to increase spending on both training and equipment. Our expenses in 2021 were slightly reduced by the absence of meetings in person. The online Zoom sessions have been well attended, and we have had some good feedback. The costs have been modest, so this has proved to be good value Both the North LAN and the Holme Lacy apiaries produced a surplus of honey which has added to our income. We made a small profit on sales of members’ honey and wax at the Big Apple show. The Big Apple event was also the first outing of our new system for taking card payments. This was initiated partly as a result of aversion to cash during the pandemic, but the system is something that we will continue to use. Our biggest single expenditure this year has been replenishing our stock of bee suits and containers in which to keep them. Let us hope that this coming season we will be able to encourage more visitors to our meetings and make best use of these suits. Insurance: In addition to the cover we get from the BBKA, the Association takes out a small policy each year to cover the potential loss or destruction of our assets, mainly apiary equipment. However, following the demise of an arrangement between the BBKA and its insurance broker, we no longer have cover against third party liabilities to non-members attending our meetings. This is a serious matter. Although we take all appropriate precautions, including making risk assessments and have paid £480 for first aid training in 2021 for several members in order for at least one them to be present at each meeting, this remains a significant issue. This concern about insurance constraining our ability to carry out the charitable purpose of the Association is echoed by many of the other beekeeper associations in England, which have the same problem. We have raised this with the president of the BBKA and I have engaged with another insurance broker to see if we can solve this both for our association, but also for other associations. For the moment, we must continue to be aware of this risk, and take it into account when setting up our meetings. Roger Gill 7 Registered Charity No: 1174917 |Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association| |---|---|---| ||Financial Activities|| ||January - December 2021|January - December 2020| |||| ||Total|Total| |Income||| |Subscriptions|5,765.95|
6,048.30| |Big Apple Income||| |Big Apple Honey Sales Income|778.31|| |Total Big Apple Income|£ 778.31|| |LANS Income||| |NLAN Income|1,030.00|| |Total LANS Income|£ 1,030.00|| |Hog roast|82|| |Training Apiary Sales||| |Training Apiary Sales - Bees||100.00| |Training Apiary Sales - Honey|220.00|
727.05| |Total Training Apiary Sales|£ 220.00|£ 827.05| |Training Course Fees|1,435.00|
0.00| |Total Income|£ 9,311.26|£ 6,875.35| |Total|£ 9,311.26|£ 6,875.35| |Expenditures||| |Admin||130.05| |Admin Consumables|126.23|| |Admin Fees (inc 1st aid trng)|510.00|| |Accounting SaaS fees|144.00|
96.00| |Total Admin Fees|£ 654.00|£ 96.00| ||£ 161.50|
88.74| |Total Admin|£ 780.23|£ 314.79| |Advertising/Promotional|354.00|
233.98| |BBKA Capitation|3,318.00|
3,045.50| |Bee Diseases Insuranc|698.45|
588.00| |Big Apple Show Expenditure||| |Big Apple Show Fees|8.00|| |Big Apple Show Honey Purchases|585.45|| |Total Big Apple Show Expenditure|£ 593.45|| |Computer Costs|95.99|| |HBKA Meetings|27.00|
245.00| |Insurances|158.09|
40.75| |Online meetings and training|279.49|
136.34| |ELAN||| |ELAN Running Costs||48.00| |Total ELAN||£ 48.00| |NLAN||| |NLAN Capital Spend|65.80|
141.58| |NLAN Running Costs|117.00|
84.00| |Total NLAN|£ 182.80|£ 225.58| |SLAN||| |SLAN Running Costs||63.29| |||£ 63.29| |Training Apiary||| |Training Apiary - Capital Spend|707.73|
702.94| |Training Apiary Consumables|41.00|
271.45| |Total Training Apiary|£ 748.73|£ 974.39| |Total Expenditures|£ 7,397.73|£ 5,915.62| |Net Operating Income|£ 1,913.53|£ 959.73| |Interest on savings|£ 47.10|£ 46.88| |Net Income/(Expenditure)|£ 1,960.63|£ 1,006.61| |||| |2022 training fees paid in advance|£ 1,300.00|| |||| |Hog roast accrual|-£ 410.00|| |Depreciation|£ 2,500.00|| 8 Registered Charity No: 1174917 |Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|Herefordshire Beekeepers Association|| |---|---|---|---|---|---|---| |Changes in Assets 31st Dec 2020 - 31st Dec 2021||||||| |||||||| |||||||| |Cash position:||||||| ||||31-Dec-21|31-Dec-20||| |||||||| ||Lloyds Bank||7660.25|£5,603.30||| ||Monmouthshire BS||10512.82|£10,465.72||| ||PayPal||1689.11|£532.53||| |||||||increase| ||||£19,862.18|£16,601.55||£3,260.63| |||||||| |less accruals|Hog roast payment||410|||| ||2022 trng fees||1300|||| |||||||increase| |Current assets|||£18,152.18|£16,601.55||£1,550.63| |||||||| |Other assets||||||| |For insurance|purposes, these are valued at replacement cost|||||| ||||31-Dec-20|Depreciation*|additions|31-Dec-21| ||Cups||2500|0||2500| ||Boilers/extractors||1100|-220||880| ||Micoscopes/projector||500|-100||400| ||Apiaries||7600|-1520|125|6205| ||Gazebo,display materia||1050|-210||840| ||Library||750|-150||600| ||Bee suits||1500|-300|648|1848| ||TOTAL||15000|-2500||13273| |||||||| |||||*20%pa decliningbalance||| |||||||| 9 Registered Charity No: 1174917