112th Annual General Meeting - Tuesday 2nd February 2016

Present: Amyn Fazal, Heidi Marshall, Helen Little, Laura McIntosh, Kate Cunningham, Fiona Askins, Nicholas Harvey, Susan Coffer, Dani Leslie, Murray Taylor, Richard Utting, Liz Allinson, Yvonne Burrows, Glen Clifford, Paul Flint, Cecilia Flint, John Swainson, Paul Marshall, Joshua Jackson, Rob Winder, Maureen Whitemore, John Clasper, Claire Maxwell, Cheryl Christian, Emily Bond, Peter Davis, Lucy Patterson, Toni Hall, Grahame Latus and Jim Walker

Guest Speaker: Lady Jane Hasell-McCosh of Dalemain

Agenda

1. Welcome: Introductions, top table, Helen Little, Heidi Marshall, Amyn Fazal, Kate Cunningham

2. Apologies: Lisa Jackson, Janet Madden

Discussion: Notified of 30% off train travel with Virgin travelling to The Lake District, does this expand to cover enough proximity and should the range of starting destinations be greater?

3. Notice of AGM: (Kate Cunningham) Notice is hereby given of the of the Penrith Chamber of Trade's Annual General Meeting to be held at the North Lakes Hotel on Tuesday 2nd February commencing at 6pm.

4. President's Concluding Speech: (Amyn Fazal)

Before I hand the chain of office over to our new President, I would like to say a few thank yous and cover a few points about my time as President and which I feel are important to share with you.

First, I really want to thank everybody on the executive team as each and every one of them has been so helpful and keen to support all the meetings and events that the Chamber has run over the last year. Also thanks given to North Lakes Hotel for use of their venue and function rooms.

My next set of thanks goes to you the members. I know that the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm is sometimes difficult to make especially when they fall on the day after a bank holiday. However, there are those that have made every single one of them. You know who you are and it’s very heartening for the Executive who meet monthly over above the monthly general business meetings in their own time and without any recompense when people come along and hear what’s being done on their behalf. Thank you to all of our members.

The Penrith festival year began with over 50 Penrith businesses putting orange themed displays in their windows and many had ‘Orange Offers’ for shoppers and a collection box to ‘A-Peel’ for money  for Hospice at Home.

This was the World’s Original Marmalade Festival organised by Dalemain and was well supported by the Chamber members. And so it continued to the May Day carnival, Food and Farming Festival, Penrith Show, the Tour of Britain Bike Ride, Winter Droving and the Penrith Winter Festival. All these and many other events too many to mention individually brought huge numbers of visitors to Penrith for Penrith businesses to show off their wares.

The Penrith economy works because it is in inverted commas, “old fashioned”. What we as businesses need to do is to use new fashioned methods of highlighting that old “fashioned way”. Make more and more people up and down the country see the way we do things as the right and proper way. As such, institutions like this Chamber of Trade, BID, Eden District Council, politicians, business leaders can and do play a big role in facilitating this and helping businesses adapt to the future, make them stronger and allow them the ability to bring more money into the economy so that everyone can benefit through everything that follows increased prosperity.

In 2015, I have been particularly proud of the way that businesses have continued to support the Chamber. The Chamber cannot exist without you as it has no separate source of funding. All events have been run on a not for profit basis and though member subscriptions. In 2015, our membership went up, thank you to Richard Utting who has worked really hard on that, the Professional Breakfast group has gone from strength to strength under Heidi Marshall, my VP and there has been an inclusive feel to the chamber with Rheged and Dalemain being more involved. 

5. Treasurer's report: (Helen Little) Please see accompanying document

6. Accounts for the year ending 31st December 2014 were received and approved.

7. No increase in membership prices in 2016. Proposal Helen Little, Liz Allinson

8. Elections:

President: Heidi Marshall proposed by Kate Cunningham,  Liz Allinson, Chain of Office presented to Heidi Marshall. Vice President: Laura Marshall proposed by Heidi Marshall, Helen Little. Treasurer: Glen Clifford proposed by Fiona Askins, Nick Harvey. Independent Review (Audit): Helen Little proposed by Fiona Askins, Richard Utting. Exec Committee: Liz Allinson, Fiona Askins, Nick/Karen Harvey, Richard Utting, Alan Reading, Cheryl Christian elected by Heidi Marshall (President).

9. No amendments to the constitution.

10. New President's Address:  I am very pleased at accepting this new position,  nervous , out of traditional comfort zone but fitting as passionate about Penrith since moved here in 1989. Penrith has tonnes of good businesses to offer, many hidden. Need to embrace Penrith and improve on numbers of Chamber members for which Richard Utting will be a great asset. A call and a reminder for any feedback of the town will be instrumental in keeping and improving the standards of Penrith . Thanks given to Helen Little for all her work and Laura Marshall for agreeing to be Vice President, this will be a fantastic addition. Respects paid to David Robinson who sadly passed away on  December 22nd 2015. He was the former Head Teacher of Ullswater Community College and a previous President of the Chamber.

Invites given to attendees for the next Chamber Business to Business Meeting at AST signs to be held in March.

Speech given by Jane Hasell- Mccosh

All businesses that got involved so many, huge participation last year. Due to recent storm and floods needed amendments to encourage people to come and new businesses to get involved. Getting people involved  is why the festival was created in first place, plus the marmalade standard needed improving!

Educating in the art and skill of marmalade. Runs small business herself. Exciting with competition. 10th anniversary this year. Small niche with marmalade. Loads said it would never work. Small commercial marmalade. Volunteers generous and essential to success.

Floods, Cumbria felt forgotten similar with foot and mouth, open for business awareness needed. Marmalade festival encouraging people from all over, entries from Japan. Bigger and better again for 2016. Working group to discover new avenues. Rheged involved. Move the festival forward. No longer Dalemain festival more Cumbria. 19th - 20th March. Closing date 14h Feb. Judging already started.

Over 50 businesses took part. Unique to the country (marmalade festival). Supported all over the world. More eccentric, rememberable. Japanese film company - documentary on Dalemain and on the Festival.

Thank you

Meeting closed. 19.00pm