Norman Nicholson Society AGM
Saturday 16th April 2016
Network Centre, Millom
Saturday 16th April 2016
Network Centre, Millom
Charlie Lambert welcomed members in his capacity as Acting Chair and especially welcomed Dr David Cooper, a former Chair of the Society, who had kindly agreed to give a memorial lecture after the AGM to mark ten years of the Society.
Apologies had been received from Lord Bragg, Neil Curry, Peggy Troll, Philip Houghton, Anna Rose, Malcolm and Rosemary Morrison, Ann Thomson, Ian Davidson, Brian Lead, Joanne Weeks, Clive Shaw, Maurice Payn, Brian Whalley and Lyla Taylor, Miggy and David Scott, John Gilder and Richard Mansfield.
1 The Minutes of the previous AGM, held on 25th April 2015, were approved. There were no matters arising.
2 Election of officers. Charlie Lambert was officially proposed as the new Chair of the Society by Glenn Lang; Alan Beattie seconded the proposal and Charlie was elected unopposed. Charlie thanked Dr Ian Davidson, our previous Chair, as well as Neil Curry, the editor of the Collected Poems; and Stan Towndrow for the sterling work they had done over many years on the Committee, from which they are stepping down this year. He also thanked Peggy Troll and Dot Richardson, who are resigning their posts as Membership Secretary and Treasurer respectively but have agreed to continue serving as Committee members. To mark the extraordinary devotion they have shown to the Society Dot, and Peggy in absentia, were both presented with commemorative slate cheeseboards from the Society and framed photographs and personal messages from Lord Bragg of Wigton, the Society’s Honorary President. Antoinette Fawcett kindly volunteered to take over from Peggy as Membership Secretary, in addition to her current roles of Joint Secretary and Editor of the Society’s journal Comet, and was elected unopposed. Sue Dawson also kindly volunteered to expand her current role and to become the Society’s Schools and Communities Liaison Officer. Dr. Ian Davidson will continue to be a committee member and to give his very valuable support and advice to the Society.
3 Chair. Charlie gave an inaugural speech as our new Chair. After preliminary remarks in which he reminded us that he was a local lad, raised at Troutbeck Bridge and educated at St Bees School, he gave three aims he hoped to attain as Chair. Firstly, he hoped all members would enjoy being part of the Society. Secondly, he expressed a wish that 14 St George’s Terrace, Millom, where Norman was born and lived throughout his life and is currently for sale, could somehow be purchased by the Society and given a viable future, perhaps through grants, partnerships or the founding of a Birthplace Trust; he envisages a coffee shop, as at present, downstairs and a Study Centre upstairs. Thirdly, he wanted to continue and expand the promotion of Norman Nicholson’s work both country-wide and beyond. Charlie concluded by paying tribute to those who had been instrumental in founding the Society ten years ago, including Neil Curry, Peggy Troll, Wendy Bracegirdle, David Cooper, Antoinette Fawcett, Irvine Hunt, Mandy Penellum, and Rosemary McFie. He concluded his speech by making a further award from the Society to Dr. David Cooper in thanks for his substantial work both as a past Chair and in academia on Norman Nicholson’s behalf. The award was of an engraved and boxed whisky glass, a gift which was also given to our retiring Chair, Dr. Ian Davidson in absentia.
4 The Society’s Constitution. This needs to be amended to include a commitment to equality of access and opportunity, in order to enable grants to be obtained from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It also needs to include a clear statement of what would happen to the Society’s assets if it had to be wound up. The Alliance of Literary Societies, to which the Norman Nicholson Society is now affiliated, may be able to help us with the wording of these amendments.
5 Treasurer’s Report. Donations had been made in 2015 to Carlisle Cathedral for hosting the Norman Nicholson Birthday Service in January 2015 and to Harry Whalley to help him fund the second performance of his musical work Seven Rocks for String Trio at the University of Coventry. The balance of the Society’s account on 31st December 2015 stood at 1576.49 pounds sterling. The major annual expenditure is on the printing and postage of Comet and posting notices of events to members. It was agreed that the Committee would investigate the possibility of membership subscriptions being paid by Direct Debit or bank transfer (BACS) as these payment methods would reduce the Society’s expenses considerably.
6 Secretary’s report. Antoinette gave a summary of the salient points of the past year. The first Norman Nicholson Society Christmas Lunch was instigated by Charlie and was held at the Netherwood Hotel in Grange-over-Sands in November 2015. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to meet socially and the event was deemed a great success. As usual, the Society’s contributions to the Millom Flower and Christmas Tree Festivals at St George’s Church were very well received. Letters from Percy Kelly to Norman had featured in a Cumbria Archive Service travelling exhibition around the county and Glenn Lang had also taken part of the exhibition to a Cumbria Industrial History Society Study Day at the Shap Wells Hotel, at which Neil Curry gave a talk about Norman and his work. Several individual members had made crowd-funding donations to enable the second performance of Harry Whalley’s Seven Rocks mentioned above. Brian Whalley and Alan Beattie had given talks at the University of Wales on Norman’s geological interests. A new book by Ian Brodie (not currently a member of the Society) has been published, entitled Norman Nicholson’s Nature; Antoinette has reviewed this in the imminent Comet. Antoinette currently has a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library to enable her to study the reception of Norman’s work in non-Anglophone countries and the translators and translations that helped to further international interest in his work. Local members have refreshed and relocated the exhibition on Norman in the Millom Discovery Centre. A timeline and interactive map have recently been added to the Society’s website and Word of the Month has become a regular feature; members are encouraged to contribute to all of these. Finally, e-bulletins have been introduced by Antoinette as a cost-effective way of alerting members to items of interest ‘between Comets’; members who acquire or change email addresses are urged to let Antoinette know so that communication can be maintained.
7 Comet, the journal of the Society. What began as a four-page newsletter ten years ago is now, after twenty-four issues, a thirty-two-page journal. Seventy-four adults, plus numerous schoolchildren, have contributed over 250 articles in the last ten years. Even in the early issues the range of contributors was impressive, including as they did Lord Bragg, Andrew Motion, U. A. Fanthorpe, Neil Curry and Christopher Pilling. As the editor, Antoinette welcomes contributions to the journal from all members and trusts that the next ten years will see Comet go from strength to strength. Antoinette paid particular tribute to the help received from Neil Curry in the early days of the journal.
8 Schools. Sue Dawson reported that the education pack for teachers about Norman and his work that she and Antoinette have been working on for some time is, after some IT glitches, almost ready for launch. A copy was on display at the back of the room for attendees to view. It has been vetted by a retired head teacher and now just needs some funding to enable copies to be delivered to teachers during in-service training (INSET); this funding is currently being sought. It is possible that the Norman Nicholson Memorial Fund, which was set up after Norman’s death to encourage interest in his work among local young people, could be regenerated with a new constitution and board of trustees, and Sue is working on this. She has also developed two slideshows for a digital photo frame funded by the Society in the Millom Discovery Centre, one on Norman’s poem Wall and last summer’s event built around it, and the other on local places associated with Norman.
9 Universities. A full report is published in the current edition of Comet. Alan Beattie has been energetically promoting Norman’s work in the Universities of Cumbria, Lancaster and beyond but the current funding cuts across higher education have been somewhat disheartening and have resulted in a reluctance on the part of universities to stage any events unless they are self-funded. Since Dr Penny Bradshaw hosted a successful two-hour Nicholson event, instigated by Alan, at the St Martins campus of the University of Cumbria a couple of years ago there have been no others. The Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS) at the University of Cumbria was initially enthusiastic but is now concentrating on its partnership with the National Trust. In addition, Professor John Urry of the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster, who had been keen to develop links with the Society, sadly died unexpectedly and nothing has since been heard from the Institute. Alan will keep trying, nevertheless.
10 Press and Media. Charlie reported on developments to the society’s website. The Society’s recently-launched Facebook page has now reached one hundred ‘likes’ and a Twitter feed is on its way. Members are encouraged to check the website regularly as new information and articles are added constantly.
11 Any other business Kathleen Jones, Norman’s authorized biographer, suggested that if the birthplace were to be acquired it could be a good home for an Artist in Residence.
Glenn Lang
Secretary The Norman Nicholson Society
April 2016
Apologies had been received from Lord Bragg, Neil Curry, Peggy Troll, Philip Houghton, Anna Rose, Malcolm and Rosemary Morrison, Ann Thomson, Ian Davidson, Brian Lead, Joanne Weeks, Clive Shaw, Maurice Payn, Brian Whalley and Lyla Taylor, Miggy and David Scott, John Gilder and Richard Mansfield.
1 The Minutes of the previous AGM, held on 25th April 2015, were approved. There were no matters arising.
2 Election of officers. Charlie Lambert was officially proposed as the new Chair of the Society by Glenn Lang; Alan Beattie seconded the proposal and Charlie was elected unopposed. Charlie thanked Dr Ian Davidson, our previous Chair, as well as Neil Curry, the editor of the Collected Poems; and Stan Towndrow for the sterling work they had done over many years on the Committee, from which they are stepping down this year. He also thanked Peggy Troll and Dot Richardson, who are resigning their posts as Membership Secretary and Treasurer respectively but have agreed to continue serving as Committee members. To mark the extraordinary devotion they have shown to the Society Dot, and Peggy in absentia, were both presented with commemorative slate cheeseboards from the Society and framed photographs and personal messages from Lord Bragg of Wigton, the Society’s Honorary President. Antoinette Fawcett kindly volunteered to take over from Peggy as Membership Secretary, in addition to her current roles of Joint Secretary and Editor of the Society’s journal Comet, and was elected unopposed. Sue Dawson also kindly volunteered to expand her current role and to become the Society’s Schools and Communities Liaison Officer. Dr. Ian Davidson will continue to be a committee member and to give his very valuable support and advice to the Society.
3 Chair. Charlie gave an inaugural speech as our new Chair. After preliminary remarks in which he reminded us that he was a local lad, raised at Troutbeck Bridge and educated at St Bees School, he gave three aims he hoped to attain as Chair. Firstly, he hoped all members would enjoy being part of the Society. Secondly, he expressed a wish that 14 St George’s Terrace, Millom, where Norman was born and lived throughout his life and is currently for sale, could somehow be purchased by the Society and given a viable future, perhaps through grants, partnerships or the founding of a Birthplace Trust; he envisages a coffee shop, as at present, downstairs and a Study Centre upstairs. Thirdly, he wanted to continue and expand the promotion of Norman Nicholson’s work both country-wide and beyond. Charlie concluded by paying tribute to those who had been instrumental in founding the Society ten years ago, including Neil Curry, Peggy Troll, Wendy Bracegirdle, David Cooper, Antoinette Fawcett, Irvine Hunt, Mandy Penellum, and Rosemary McFie. He concluded his speech by making a further award from the Society to Dr. David Cooper in thanks for his substantial work both as a past Chair and in academia on Norman Nicholson’s behalf. The award was of an engraved and boxed whisky glass, a gift which was also given to our retiring Chair, Dr. Ian Davidson in absentia.
4 The Society’s Constitution. This needs to be amended to include a commitment to equality of access and opportunity, in order to enable grants to be obtained from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It also needs to include a clear statement of what would happen to the Society’s assets if it had to be wound up. The Alliance of Literary Societies, to which the Norman Nicholson Society is now affiliated, may be able to help us with the wording of these amendments.
5 Treasurer’s Report. Donations had been made in 2015 to Carlisle Cathedral for hosting the Norman Nicholson Birthday Service in January 2015 and to Harry Whalley to help him fund the second performance of his musical work Seven Rocks for String Trio at the University of Coventry. The balance of the Society’s account on 31st December 2015 stood at 1576.49 pounds sterling. The major annual expenditure is on the printing and postage of Comet and posting notices of events to members. It was agreed that the Committee would investigate the possibility of membership subscriptions being paid by Direct Debit or bank transfer (BACS) as these payment methods would reduce the Society’s expenses considerably.
6 Secretary’s report. Antoinette gave a summary of the salient points of the past year. The first Norman Nicholson Society Christmas Lunch was instigated by Charlie and was held at the Netherwood Hotel in Grange-over-Sands in November 2015. Attendees appreciated the opportunity to meet socially and the event was deemed a great success. As usual, the Society’s contributions to the Millom Flower and Christmas Tree Festivals at St George’s Church were very well received. Letters from Percy Kelly to Norman had featured in a Cumbria Archive Service travelling exhibition around the county and Glenn Lang had also taken part of the exhibition to a Cumbria Industrial History Society Study Day at the Shap Wells Hotel, at which Neil Curry gave a talk about Norman and his work. Several individual members had made crowd-funding donations to enable the second performance of Harry Whalley’s Seven Rocks mentioned above. Brian Whalley and Alan Beattie had given talks at the University of Wales on Norman’s geological interests. A new book by Ian Brodie (not currently a member of the Society) has been published, entitled Norman Nicholson’s Nature; Antoinette has reviewed this in the imminent Comet. Antoinette currently has a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Manchester’s John Rylands Library to enable her to study the reception of Norman’s work in non-Anglophone countries and the translators and translations that helped to further international interest in his work. Local members have refreshed and relocated the exhibition on Norman in the Millom Discovery Centre. A timeline and interactive map have recently been added to the Society’s website and Word of the Month has become a regular feature; members are encouraged to contribute to all of these. Finally, e-bulletins have been introduced by Antoinette as a cost-effective way of alerting members to items of interest ‘between Comets’; members who acquire or change email addresses are urged to let Antoinette know so that communication can be maintained.
7 Comet, the journal of the Society. What began as a four-page newsletter ten years ago is now, after twenty-four issues, a thirty-two-page journal. Seventy-four adults, plus numerous schoolchildren, have contributed over 250 articles in the last ten years. Even in the early issues the range of contributors was impressive, including as they did Lord Bragg, Andrew Motion, U. A. Fanthorpe, Neil Curry and Christopher Pilling. As the editor, Antoinette welcomes contributions to the journal from all members and trusts that the next ten years will see Comet go from strength to strength. Antoinette paid particular tribute to the help received from Neil Curry in the early days of the journal.
8 Schools. Sue Dawson reported that the education pack for teachers about Norman and his work that she and Antoinette have been working on for some time is, after some IT glitches, almost ready for launch. A copy was on display at the back of the room for attendees to view. It has been vetted by a retired head teacher and now just needs some funding to enable copies to be delivered to teachers during in-service training (INSET); this funding is currently being sought. It is possible that the Norman Nicholson Memorial Fund, which was set up after Norman’s death to encourage interest in his work among local young people, could be regenerated with a new constitution and board of trustees, and Sue is working on this. She has also developed two slideshows for a digital photo frame funded by the Society in the Millom Discovery Centre, one on Norman’s poem Wall and last summer’s event built around it, and the other on local places associated with Norman.
9 Universities. A full report is published in the current edition of Comet. Alan Beattie has been energetically promoting Norman’s work in the Universities of Cumbria, Lancaster and beyond but the current funding cuts across higher education have been somewhat disheartening and have resulted in a reluctance on the part of universities to stage any events unless they are self-funded. Since Dr Penny Bradshaw hosted a successful two-hour Nicholson event, instigated by Alan, at the St Martins campus of the University of Cumbria a couple of years ago there have been no others. The Institute for Leadership and Sustainability (IFLAS) at the University of Cumbria was initially enthusiastic but is now concentrating on its partnership with the National Trust. In addition, Professor John Urry of the Institute for Social Futures at Lancaster, who had been keen to develop links with the Society, sadly died unexpectedly and nothing has since been heard from the Institute. Alan will keep trying, nevertheless.
10 Press and Media. Charlie reported on developments to the society’s website. The Society’s recently-launched Facebook page has now reached one hundred ‘likes’ and a Twitter feed is on its way. Members are encouraged to check the website regularly as new information and articles are added constantly.
11 Any other business Kathleen Jones, Norman’s authorized biographer, suggested that if the birthplace were to be acquired it could be a good home for an Artist in Residence.
Glenn Lang
Secretary The Norman Nicholson Society
April 2016