LCS Chairman’s Report AGM 24 November 2023
First, I would like to thank everyone who has served on the committee over the last 12 months: Jane Skelly, (our Treasurer and Editor of The Carrollian ), Mark Davies (Editor of Bandersnatch ), Jill Treasure, Judith van den Berg, Tracy Gribble, Alan Selby and Frank Wright. During the year there have been a number of comings and goings with Frank Wright, Alan Selby and Jill Treasure all having to step down for health reasons. I would especially like to thank Tracy Gribble for stepping into the breach in the role of Membership Secretary, and also Bob Cole who continues to help us, even though he is not officially part of the committee. Thanks are also due to Kevin Fernandes who attends to our techno needs, mainly our website, and who is now also our Zoom-meister, and, of course, as ever, thanks to our faithful President Brian Sibley.
Throughout 2023, we have staged many events and held several meetings, both on Zoom and live, in London, Oxford and Lyndhurst.
In May, Mark Davies (who has been on fire with ideas for events and has organised many new ventures) oversaw the making of wall plaque commemorating the Wonderland boattrip and its unveiling by Gyles Brandreth near the Folly Bridge in Oxford. This extremely jolly event was attended by the Acting Dean of Christ Church, the Mayor of Oxford, and representatives of the Dodgson and Liddell families and appeared as on the local television news. In the same month, Mark (I told you he was on fire!) helped to organise events at Alice Week , in liaison with the Lyndhurst Heritage Centre. He, Jane Skelly and Vanessa Sinclair gave talks, and there were walks to explore Lyndhurst itself and the church where Alice (nee Liddell) Hargreaves’ grave and the nearby site of Cuffnells, the Hargreaves’ family home.
In Oxford on Alice’s Day in July, Mark and I gave talks on aspects of Lewis Carroll, and Simon DaVison spoke about the making of his fabulous feature film, The Hunting of the Snark, at the Weston Library. Mark led a sold-out guided walk to the Treacle Well at Binsey in the afternoon and, in the evening, there was a screening of Simon’s film at the Picture Palace. In September, our Chairman Brian Sibley gave us a lavishly illustrated talk on Zoom tracing the wonderful legacy of cartoons inspired by Alice, and, last month, we were treated to an intriguing comparison of PG Wodehouse and Lewis Carroll by our ex-Chair Sarah Stanfield, followed by tea and Plum-cake baked by Sarah Jardine Willoughby. Many thanks to both Sarahs.
So, I hope there was something for everyone and everywhere in 2023. It is difficult to please all of you but as we staged both live and Zoom events and not just in London, we have done our best to do so!
But amidst all the laughter and glee I have to end on a sad note by announcing the death of our dear friend, fellow Carrollian and long-time Snark-hunter, Edward Wakeling who softly and suddenly vanished away on 9 September. Edward, who was as acknowledged as the foremost Carrollian scholar in the world, was ever on hand to answer questions (not matter how dotty) of all kinds and was a longstanding and loyal supporter of the Society. I will call on our President Brian Sibley to give a brief tribute to Edward
Lindsay Fulcher
The Lewis Carroll Society Income and Expenditure Account Year ended 30 September 2023
| Income Subscriptions 5081 Gift Aid 0 Donations 295 Interest 239 Expenditure Publications & postage 4887 IT 1059 General expenses 168 Meeting costs 0 Insurance 142 Storage 268 New Forest Heritage Centre 76 ALS subscription 15 PayPal commission 124 Plaque 909 - 500 donation 409 Sales Sales inc p&p 646 Postage -162 Donations received Surplus/loss for the year Year ended 30 September 2023 Fixed Assets Current Assets Debtors/accrued income 0 |
2023 5615 -7148 -1533 484 0 -1049 2023 0 |
2833 0 111 3503 1815 142 150 142 2289 3437 -1308 0 |
2022 2944 -8041 -5097 2129 120 -2848 2022 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nat West Current a/c | 2620 | 2434 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cambridge & Counties | 11996 | 11757 | ||
| PayPal | 296 | 1770 | ||
| Cash in hand | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total Assets | 14912 | 15961 | ||
| Less Current Liabilities | 0 | 0 | ||
| Balance | 14912 | 15961 | ||
| Brought forward | 15671 | 18519 | ||
| Surplus/loss for the year | -1049 | -2848 | ||
| Carry forward | 14622 | 15671 | ||
| Ellis Hillman Award | 290 | 290 | ||
14912 |
15961 |