AGM Minutes 2025

CHESS VALLEY BRIDLEWAYS ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING MINUTES

Wednesday 2nd April 2025
Flaunden Village Hall

Attendees:

Annabel Heathcote – Chairman (stepping down)
Penny Powell – Secretary
Gaynor Barrett – Treasurer
Sue Hughes-Thomas – Membership Secretary
Claire Carpentier – Social Events Co-ordinator
Nicky Park – Social Media Co-ordinator
Jenny Element – Social Events Co-ordinator & Quiz Organiser
Debbie Couchman – Special Projects Co-ordinator
Christina Coltrini-Magowan
Val Sceats

Apologies:

Tanya Viol
Judy Camp – Flaunden, Chipperfield & Sarratt BHS Access Officer
Antonia Thoday MBE
Clayton Rae – Dacorum Borough Council Access Officer
Jane and Gemma Bancroft

• Chairman’s Report

Good evening and welcome to our AGM. We have had an Ok year 2024.

The Website and Facebook group are being looked at and are extremely useful for issues being reported on the Bridleways.

We have this year, 2023/24, spent a considerable amount of the Membership monies on actual maintenance of our tracks, permissive as well as bridleways. We are keeping our head above water, just, as we still have the landowners to pay for the permissive tracks.

Tracks that have had work on this last year are the Bridleway between Chenies and Latimer, the Moonshine Track, The Narrows, Whitedell, and the Memorial Track.

The Ollieberrie Woods access issue was resolved within 24 hours due to the Committee knowing the landowner and approaching them in a pragmatic manner.

The Green Dragon Track and Long Wood Tracks have been re-surfaced, thanks to Penny Powell (Committee Secretary) and Clayton Rae (Dacorum Borough Council).

New Hall Farm has produced one or two anomalies, but the new owners have worked with the CVBA to enable us to have access through the gates. As the membership grows, we have decided to work with the owner and have ONE hit of phone numbers to be added. This appeases the need to contact him every 5 minutes to add another person, and it will also focus the need to renew ON TIME.
Please be aware if you do not renew before 30th MAY, you will NOT be able to have access.

It’s frustrating that there are still members that will not pay as they cannot use the one Newhall Track. As I mentioned earlier, the very small membership fee of £2.50 a month (individual rider), covers all clearance, BHS affiliation, upkeep of the Website for the CVBA and paying the landowners. We do, however, have the slight increase in PayPal (£1) to cover costs and now actively encourage payment by Standing Order to keep our overheads down.

I think you’ll agree the amount of work this year has been amazing. We have been proactive and reactive, and I encourage the membership to keep in touch with us and the local councils, BHS Access etc etc…

We had yet another successful Quiz in October that raised just shy of £700 and then unfortunately the weather beat us for the New Year’s Day ride. We are however considering trying it for a later date this year. DO LET ANY COMMITTEE MEMBER HAVE YOUR THOUGHTS.

The Metro Track has now been withdrawn. The landowner and the lack of riders in the Chorleywood area that are members has contributed to the decision not to commit to spend £5k plus for a ride that the majority of our members do not access.

Debbie Couchman, who has joined the Committee mid year, on special projects, has been out and about trying to replicate a horse count we did in the late 90’s. The numbers are coming in – at the moment the total is 338 horses, of which 141 are ridden. There is NO cause for concern regarding your privacy, we are just interested on how many horses are in the area. No personal or yard details will be shared, only the total number of horses in the area, with the membership.
Debbie is here with her laptop and is happy to take any information you may have with her.

We have one retiring Committee Member this year, Carol Fletcher, and I would like to thank her for her contribution. We are always looking for Committee members, we meet 10 times a year, and we are quite a nice group.

And with that in mind, I’m now letting you all know I am standing down as Chairman of the CVBA. When the majority of the Committee resigned, 3 years ago, we had a call to arms and I think we have pulled the Bridleways through to the 21st century.
I will remain on the Committee in an advisory role, but I believe that the new Committee who came to our aid are now equipped and more informed with what is happening in the area and understand the need for careful negotiation with the landowners, councils and livery yards.

So it’s not goodbye quite yet, but more Au Revoir …

And so I would like to thank the amazing committee for all their support and achievements over the last 3 years.

We are also VERY lucky to be able to see and hear our amazing Paralympian, Mari Durward-Akhurst, who will be with us after we have the completed the business side of the AGM.

•  Treasurer’s Report

Paper reports are on chairs around the hall, please take a look and come and find me if you have any questions. Income for this last year was £7,196.25, and Expenditure was £6,995.97. The Current Account had, as of 28th February 2025, £200.28, and the Business Reserve Account £4,470.63.

•  Retirement of the Committee

All the Committee retired and stood down, as per protocol.

• Appointment of New Committee and New Roles

Claire Carpentier – nominated and seconded as the Chairman.
Nicky Park – nominated and seconded as the Deputy Chairman.
Gaynor Barrett – nominated and seconded as the Treasurer.
Sue Hughes-Thomas – nominated and seconded as the Membership Secretary.
Penny Powell – nominated and seconded as the Secretary.
Jenny Element, Annabel Heathcote, Val Sceats, Debbie Couchman and Christina Coltrini-Magowan were all nominated and seconded to rejoin the committee.
Caroline Geary was nominated and seconded to join the Committee.

The AGM closed at 8.05pm, followed by a talk by Mari Durward-Akhurst, Paris Paralympics Bronze Medalist.