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Chair’s Report to Annual General Meeting, January 2023

Robin Boucher, chair of PVHG, prepared the following report of 2022 activities to the Annual General Meeting on Tuesday 24th January 2023:

After the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic, it was a relief to be able to resume our normal pattern of face-to-face meetings in 2022.

During the first months we were planning our participation in Packington’s celebration of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. When the time came this went well; the Platinum Poem was well-received and we presented a display and book stall at the cream tea event. Thanks to everyone who contributed over the weekend.

In the second half of the year we have researched the story of the village’s carnivals, 1973 – 2008. We have now gathered substantial information and started a process of interviews with people who took part. We intend to landmark the fiftieth anniversary of the first carnival during the coming year.

We provided a display and bookstall at the Open Gardens event at the end of August.

During the autumn we have provided substantial new material to Wikipedia’s section on Packington’s history and, at the end of the year, started talks with the Parochial Church Council about publicising the history of Holy Rood Church. We have been pleased to see prospective new members joining the group (and former members returning) – meetings have become lively!

My thanks go to all who have taken part during the year, in particular to Sue Brown for taking minutes, for arranging our displays and for excellent work on the 1921 census, to Robert Dilworth for keeping us up-to-date with technology, to Adrian Mongredien and Nev Bray for their contributions to our carnival project, and to Yvonne Eaton for keeping our finances in order..

Robin Boucher
4th January 2023

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PVHG Chairman’s Report 2021

Packington Village History Group PVHG – Chair’s Report to Annual General Meeting AGM, 26 January 2021

The January AGM has had to be postponed, it became a successful Zoom trial. PVHG will now meet virtually for our AGM on Zoom on Tuesday 23rd February 2021. Here is the report from the chair:

Robin Boucher writes:

I ended my report to last year’s AGM with the words ”Roll on 2020” – I must be more careful what I wish for!

Following that well-attended January AGM, we met in February 2020 when we scrutinised Adrian Mongredien’s survey of Anglo-Saxon and Viking Packington. (Thanks to Adrian for all the work he did on this, now available here as a FREE download on our website). After this the Covid curtain fell and we have been unable to meet since.

This does not mean that nothing has happened. We have received and responded to occasional enquiries from residents of the village and further afield, we have sold a couple of our publications, and I have added 27 items to our archive. The group’s website pvhg.uk continues to flourish (thank you Robert). However, it has not been possible to further the group’s development in any meaningful way.

As we start 2021, Yvonne Eaton has declared her wish to stand down as our secretary and treasurer. I believe Yvonne has been involved with the group since it started around 1988: our archive includes examples of her work as secretary from thirty years ago. More recently she hosted numerous group meetings at her own home and when the archive was rendered homeless in 2017 she and her husband kindly agreed to provide temporary accommodation for it. I have found her an invaluable source of information and support while I have been group chair. A very big thankyou, Yvonne, for all you have done.

Obviously we now need to fill the roles of secretary and treasurer, which can be undertaken either separately or together. I have asked Yvonne to draw up a list of the tasks involved as a kind of “job description.” I would be pleased to hear from anyone associated with the group who would consider taking up either or both roles.

Looking ahead, for the time being Government rules and Covid risks prevent us from meeting in the normal way. At present it is far from clear how long this will continue. I am happy to try virtual meetings through Zoom, as some members have advocated, as a short-term measure. I recognise this will not appeal to all of the group’s members and friends and we will need to consider the position more fully if nothing changes in the first half of the year.

With regard to subscriptions, clearly members who paid up in January last year had very little to show for their investment. Putting that alongside Covid uncertainty, I propose to waive payments for this year. The treasurer’s report shows a robust financial position and we should be able to meet all foreseeable expenditure.

Finally, I am willing to continue to serve as chair for the coming year, if that is the wish of group members.

Robin Boucher

28th January 2021