INTRODUCTION - Coronavirus
Because of the Coronavirus pandemic we have cancelled the AGM, the Spring Show and our Open Gardens event. The Creative Writing Workshop planned for 16th March was also cancelled.
We would like thank the people who volunteered to open their gardens and allotments in May. Many had already started preparing their gardens to ensure that they would look their best on the day.
We have decided that it will not be feasible to organise a garden visit this summer. The remainder of our planned events will be kept under review.
IMPLICATIONS OF AGM CANCELLATION
The committee is taking a pragmatic approach, continuing to operate as if the AGM had taken place.
The reports that would have been presented at the AGM: Chairman’s Report for 2019, Treasurer’s Report for 2019, Income & Expenditure 2019 and Statement of Funds 2019 can be found here.
We were all standing for re-election at the AGM and no other candidates had come forward. Consequently, we propose to continue in our current roles until the next AGM in March 2021. Your THACS committee for 2020 will therefore be as follows:-
Ray Keppler (Chair), Jim Hall (Vice Chair), Malcolm Allen (Treasurer), Tina Lord (Secretary), Terry Brand, Lynne Burgess and Alice Greenwood. In addition, Graham Spring will continue to be our Independent Financial Examiner.
PREVIEW OF EVENTS FOR 2020 AND 2021
The AGM was to include a preview of the events for 2020. In lieu of that, here is the current list of THACS events for 2020 leading into 2021.
THACS plant stall @ Fete - June 27th
Autumn Show - September 5th
Creative Writing Workshop - October
Art Workshop - November
Art & Craft Fair - December 5th
Museum/Art Gallery Visit - December
AGM 2021 - March 8th
Spring Show 2021 - April 10th
Autumn Show 2021 - September 11th
(Dates in italics are provisional.)
In view of the Coronavirus pandemic this list of events is subject to change.
If there are any other events you feel would be of interest to our members then please let your committee know. You may even like to organise a THACS event yourself or with help from your committee members. If so, then please get in touch.
IMPLICATIONS OF SPRING SHOW CANCELLATION
If you had intended to enter something into the show and had already started work on your exhibits, then be assured that your work will not have been wasted. We intend to carry forward all of the show classes for adults (Flower Arranging, Horticulture, Arts & Crafts, Photography, Culinary) to the Spring Show 2021.
HOW CAN WE IMPROVE OUR SHOWS?
Finally, we would like your help with finding ways of improving our Spring and Autumn shows.
Classes and Categories. Over a number of years our show classes and categories have been fairly consistent. We have recently added the Adult & Child class, which has seen limited success.
Are there any new category areas which you feel would generate interest amongst our adult entrants? For example, we are considering introducing a hanging basket category for the Autumn show. We are also looking for new and interesting categories for our children and grandchildren, such as a colouring sheet on the back of the schedule.
What would you like to include on the show schedule?
Show organisation. Can you think about changing the way we organise and run the shows in a way that encourages more participation? We have tried to make entering the shows as easy as possible but how about any changes here?
Dates for the shows. We think that we have the timing for the Spring and Autumn shows about right, allowing for Easter, but you may feel we could change the date.
Please give this some thought and contact any of your committee members with your ideas.
Ray Keppler
THACS Chairman
01438 717545
raykeppler@btinternet.com