Notice of AGM 2020

Notice of Annual General Meeting 2020

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at the Leatherhead Methodist Church, Church Road, Leatherhead, on Monday 5th October 2020 commencing at 7.30 pm. Because of Covid-19 precautions, there will be no refreshments beforehand but as registration may take longer than normal, can we please ask that attendees arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the meeting.

Also because of the Covid-19 precautions, we are limited to a maximum of 40 attendees (including LRA officers). As we don’t wish to turn anyone away on the night, we need to agree beforehand who is to attend. Accordingly if you would like to be present, please notify the Chairman by Wednesday 23rd September via email at chairman@leatherheadresidents.org.uk or, if you do not have email, by phone on 01372-377212. (If you have already confirmed your wish in response to the Chairman’s invitation contained in her bulletin of 25th August, you do not need to notify her again) If, as seems likely, we receive more requests than we can accommodate, we will aggregate all attendance requests and then pick names out of a hat and confirm your attendance or otherwise shortly after Wednesday 23rd September. Can we please request that as attendance has to be so restricted, only one member per household applies to attend.

Attendees should also note that the Church has a number of Covid-19 rules that we must comply with, including:

  • enter the building via the main tower porch door (on right side of building when facing from road)
  • wear a mask and use the hand sanitiser provided
  • register on entry, confirm contact details and confirm you have no Covid-19 symptoms
  • sit where directed by stewards (sit from the front first)
  • windows will be open for ventilation so bring warm clothes
  • if necessary, use “disabled “ W.C. only
  • exit the building from the rear first via the “car park “door, (the door our meetings usually use)

Documents relevant to the AGM (the 2019 AGM minutes, the Chairman’s Report, The Treasurer’s Report and a Proxy Form) can all be found on the Company’s web-site (links below) or in hard copy at the Library in The Mansion House in Church Street, or in the library of the Letherhead Institute at the top of the High Street.

If you are unable to attend the AGM and would like to appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf, please note that the Form must be received at the registered office by Friday 2nd October. As whoever you might appoint to represent you may or may not have secured attendance, we suggest you appoint the Chairman to vote on your behalf in accordance with your stated wishes.

If you are unable to attend the meeting, but would like to ask a question, please send the question to the registered office (chairman@leatherheadresidents.org.uk or by post) by Friday 2nd October. It will be read out at the meeting and answered and a summary of the response will be sent to you and recorded in the minutes of the meeting.

Following the formal proceedings we are pleased to welcome as our guest speaker, Councillor Mary Huggins, Chair of Mole Valley District Council, who will recount to us some of her memories of being on the Council, from representing Capel, Leigh and Newdigate to becoming the Chair.

We regret that we will not be able to welcome as many of you as we would like to this important event in the LRA’s calendar, but the Covid -19 restrictions mean that this is the closest we can offer to a normal AGM. Indeed even these arrangements could be in question if tighter restrictions are re-imposed, but we would notify you all asap were this to happen. Assuming that does not happen we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on Monday 5th October.

Agenda

  • Apologies for absence
  • Approval of the minutes of the last AGM, held on 1st April 2019
  • Matters arising
  • Re-election of directors retiring by rotation
  • Chairman’s report
  • Treasurer’s Report & Accounts for 2019
  • Any other business.

Cheryl Allen

Cheryl Allen

It is with great sorrow that I write to tell all who look at this page that the LRA has just lost one of its most energetic and imaginative members. Cheryl was so active in our ranks that she will be impossible to replace. Her ideas got the Open Gardens going, the Litter picked, the Nat West planters prepared and watered, the Newsletter written, the Race Night tickets sold and the LRA January party fed and watered. She did all this with steely determination, a colourful flair and a bright smile. Her aim was always to include as many people as possible so as to build up the strength of the Local Community here in Leatherhead. She succeeded, raised the profile of the town and sent a clear message to the Council that this is our town, we are the stakeholders and we will work to preserve it, despite the efforts of those outsiders who seek to frustrate us.
She will be sadly missed but her spirit and beauty live on whenever we hear laughter, whenever we have a sunny day and whenever we enjoy beautiful flowers.

Caroline Brown (Chairman)

Cancellation of Meetings until October

Our AGM for 2020 should be on the 6th October. In order to keep members in touch without having to go round delivering sheets, it would be appreciated if those not yet on my email list (i.e. never get any email notification from me) could let me have their online address. Use “Contact” on this site. (With thanks to those who have already given me this information). I usually send out about 8 communications a year. However, we are still hoping to be able to send out a hard copy Newsletter at the beginning of August. Caroline Brown, Chairman.

And now a notice from John Howarth of the Chamber of Commerce:

The chamber of Commerce is offering all businesses operating in MV Free Membership for a 6 month period in order to help them expand their contact base. For more details, please refer to the Chamber website: www.leatherheadchamber.co.uk

Cancelled – Agenda 6th April 2020

1.Apologies

2. Minutes of the meeting on 3 February

3. Matters arising

4. Chairman’s Report, including a quick summary of the proposed Development sites in Leatherhead.

5. Report on anything further in the Local Plan by Martyn Williams (7.50 to 8.20)

6. Report rom our Planning Officer, Fran Smith

7. Report from our Environmental Officer, Cheryl Allen.

8.Presentations by local activists, including David Woodhead on SA48 and some others TBA

9. AOB and our next meeting will be on Monday May 18th at 7.15 for 7.30.

We have been very lucky to secure Councillor Mary Huggins, current Chair of MVDC, who will talk about her life on the Council and will also give her ideas of what the future may hold for us.

New Email System

The system used to distribute information to members has been changed.  Members who subscribe to our newsletters will receive an email with a Newsletter Plugin logo on it.

This is not spam.  It is automatically generated as we transfer the list of subscribers from the old system to the new system.  If you wish to remain on the list please follow the instructions given in the email. It as simple as clicking a link.

TAKING PART IN THE PRUDENTIAL RIDE EVENT

An account of the LRA treasurer’s experience in the 2017 Ride London cycling event. It could not be printed in the autumn newsletter in its entirety but we thought others would enjoy a step by step narrative of her adventure

TAKING PART IN THE PRUDENTIAL RIDE EVENT
by Paula Sabine

At the age of 62, and now having a hybrid bike (a cross between a mountain bike and a road bike), I decided I would like the challenge of taking part in a cycle event. Note the word ‘event’ and not ‘race’!It was then suggested that I took part in the Prudential London ride –the 46 mile route, not the 100 miles as this would be

beyond me,having never cycled more than 18 miles before. The route started at the Olympic Park and ended at the Mall l,but the 46’ers turn back to London after Hampton Court.

In March, I applied – then I got cold feet,but thought ‘never mind, I won’t get in anyway’, as it is a public ballot. In May I got an email saying ‘Congratulations’, and I thought‘bother (a stronger word was actually used) I’ll have to do it now’.

So the 8 weeks training began – 7am on Sunday mornings is the best time to go out as there is hardly any tra c and I found a lovely route that took me to Stoke D’Abernon and over Bookham Common for my 1.5-hour training sessions. Taking the various bridleways became a bit of an adventure, as sometimes I didn’t know where I was. I also cycled this route for my 2.5- hour sessions plus going through Bookham to E ngham Junction and then onto the Black Swan pub and up to Downside and back to Leatherhead. On trying to find dierent places to go, I had some interesting experiences – a path with‘kissing gates’ to lift my bike over, paths which narrowed and had lots of nettles and a bridleway which started well and then became an assault course. My longest ride was through Esher to Bushey Park where I got a bit lost, but eventually found my way back to Hampton Court. There I crossed the bridge and cycled along the tow path –this was lovely – multi-coloured and di erent shaped houseboats I hadn’t seen before, past Sunbury Lock, and the Guildford Rowing Club was holding a regatta on the river.

As this was a big undertaking for me, I decided to raise money for a charity, and contacted the Princess Alice Hospice as I drive past there on my way to work and my aunt was there about 2 years ago.They kindly gave me a cycle vest (never had one before) to wear with my name and their name on it. At a ‘lasagne evening’ I met others who were cycling the 100 route.

At last, the day of the ‘event’ arrived. The logistics of getting up to the Olympic Park for the start, when roads were closed o after 5am,was interesting. I decided not to drive to one of the designated car parks, as this meant I would have to cycle 5 miles to the start, and then cycle the 46 miles, which might have been a bit much. Another option, which I plumped for, was to take a specially laid on train from Richmond to Stratford. My husband kindly drove me to Richmond station for the 5.45am train – we left at 4.45am, as I thought there would be a queue of cars dropping o (there wasn’t) and I had thought the train ride would take 1 hour (it only took 30 mins),so I got there at 6.30am when my start time wasn’t until 9.08am. At the stations, I had to carry my bike down some stairs and at Stratford take the bike up an escalator, which was a bit scary.

At Stratford, lots of other people were there early too, so there were people to chat to and to look after your bike while you popped to the port-a-loo. Participants were put into di erent ‘waves’ to start, and at8am I joined others going into the ‘M’ wave. We were in the ‘wave’for about an hour before we were finally allowed to start. The ‘wave’moved down very slowly towards the start and at one point, there were a couple of port-a-loos. I thought this would be a good time to use one as I didn’t know if there would be any others (there were),and the Scottish lady I was talking to said she would hold my bike for me. After a bit of queuing, I emerged from the ‘loo’ to find that the lady and my bike had completely disappeared. I panicked for a bit as I imagined having to tell all my supporters that I never started the event because I lost my bike, but eventually I found her/it, the‘wave’ having moved down much more quickly than I had thought it would.

I am not an experienced or fast cyclist (average speed 11 mph), and I was worried that I wouldn’t get to Hampton Court (27 miles) in the time allowed, so I didn’t stop at all until I got there as I couldn’t bear to think I might not be able to complete the route. As it was, I need not have worried as there seemed to be lots of people behind me.

After that, I relaxed a bit. However, as there are lots of cyclists taking part in the event it was a bit like cycling in normal tra c as you had to constantly check you

weren’t going to move into someone else by mistake. I saw about 5crashes where this seemed to have happened. Consequently it was dicult to notice the surroundings as you cycled, although I do remember going past Trafalgar Square, the Ritz and the Houses of Parliament (obviously not in that order), and through Kingston market.

There are three ‘hills’ on the route shown on the event map. One in Richmond Park (not that bad), Coombe Lane (I think) which is horrible, and Wimbledon Hill which is horrendous. After Coombe Lane for some reason I thought I had got up Wimbledon Hill – a couple who were also cycling for the Princess Alice Hospice spotted me at one point and slowed down to check if I was ok which was really kind of them – I proudly said I’d got up Wimbledon Hill only to be told I hadn’t got there yet which came as a bit of a shock –when Wimbledon Hill did appear, only bloody mindedness and lots of jelly babies for the sugar hit, got me up there without stopping,which I am quite proud of as lots of people got o and walked. After that the route was ok.

The last five miles were really tough as the back of my neck started to hurt – I have never eaten so many jelly babies and bits of flapjacks as I did during those last five miles. Eventually the Mall came into sight and I finished! Then I collected my medal (a wonderful bit of bling) and retrieved my bag, which had been transported for me from Stratford to the Mall. It took a while to make my way to the other side of Buckingham Palace to be able to cycle down Buckingham Palace Road to Victoria Station (so many people), and I was worried that I wouldn’t be allowed on the train with my bike. But all was ok and I got to Leatherhead even being able to sit down, without being in other people’s way, while holding my bike (I don’t think I couldhave stood at that point for the 45 minute journey).

I am really glad that I took part in the Prudential event, which was very well organized. Also wearing the Princess Alice Hospice cycling vest made a big di erence, as people cheered me on and that really helped me keep going. Did I enjoy it, people ask me? Not sure.It was one of the toughest things I have done, but I enjoyed being able to bomb down the hills knowing that no tra c was going to pull out in front of me (my Garmin said I did 29mph at one point). I am proud that I managed to finish, taking 4.5 hours altogether, and I would again like to thank those who helped me raised over £700 for the Hospice.
Roll on the next challenge!

Save Leach Grove Woods

This is an unusual wild area adjacent to Leatherhead hospital, where children can ride bikes along muddy tracks, build jumps and create dens, and dogs can be walked off the lead. Many of you will remember the efforts put in by both Residents and by our energetic former member, Flip Cargill, who secured a Village Green Listing for Leach Grove Woods. Tim Jones, who has lived in Leatherhead all his life took over the fight when after Flip had left area, the owners, NHS Property Services Ltd challenged the designation by Surrey county Council. Sadly, in 2016 a court case decided Surrey had been wrong to designate the area a village green because it was owned by the NHS. 

This has now become a nationally important decision, so, together with a similar case from Lancashire Tim decided to challenge the decision that Town and Village Greens cannot be registered if:

1) they are owned by public bodies performing their statutory functions

2) the recreational use of the land would be incompatible with that purpose.

The Appeal will be heard at the High Court on 4th-5th October to decide if it is legally permitted for a public body to have land they own registered as a village green.

Tim is asking for support, to bring this important case to the Court of Appeal in the hope of stopping a dangerous precedent being set and, of course, to protect Leach Grove Woods too.

Tim’s lawyers are acting on a conditional fee arrangement which means that if they lose the case in the Court of Appeal they will not get paid, and Tim will have incurred expenses and will have to pay up to £10,000 towards the NHS’s costs.

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