About Us

1.  Th Club shall be called "The Pill & District Gardening Club".

2.  The objectives of the Club shall be to encourage the cultivation and exhibition of flowers, fruits and vegetables, and to foster interest in horticulture in general and in the local environment.

3.  The Officers of the Club shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary, Show Secretary, Publicity Officer and four Committee Members.

4.  The management of the Club shall be vested in the Committee who shall have power to appoint Sub-Committees. The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Hon. Treasurer, Hon. Secretary, Show Secretary and Publicity Officer shall be deemed members of the Executive Committee and have power to vote on all questions.

5. Five members of Committee shall form a quorum and in the absence of the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson, those present shall appoint an acting Chairperson. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairperson then acting shall have a second or casting vote.

6. Membership subscriptions shall be the sums determined at the Annual General Meeting. The subscription period shall run from the Annual General Meeting for 12 months. New members joining on or after the 1st August will be entitled to pay half the current annual subscription rate.

7.  The financial year shall end on 31st December and the Annual General Meeting shall not be later than the fourth Wednesday in February, at which the Hon. Treasurer will present a balance sheet and  a statement of accounts duly audited and signed together with an inventory of the club's assets. The Chairperson shall give a report of the previous year's working.

8.. The election of Officers and Committee shall take place at the Annual General Meeting. Nominations for Officers and Committee shall reach the Hon. Secretary prior to that meeting and  voting shall be by show of hands or by ballot as the meeting may decide.

9.  Nomination of the President shall be on the recommendation of the Committee and put to the vote of the club members at the next Annual General Meeting. The approved nominee will retire at the end of three years but eligible for re-election.

10.  The Committee shall have the power to fill any vacancy on the Committee but must report it at the next ordinary meeting of members. The Committee may also c0-opt a person or persons to the committee or Sub-Committee for any special purpose.

11.  The Hon. Treasurer shall keep a record of all members of the Club and record therein annual subscriptions and all transactions. A copy of the records shall be open for inspection by the Committee at any meeting.

12.  The assets of the Club shall be vested in the Committee. They shall deal with such assets and property as directed by resolutions of the Committee and entered in the Minute Book.

13.  No alteration of rules or additions to same shall be made, except at the Annual General Meeting or at a special meeting called for that purpose. A notice of proposed alterations of rules or of any new rules shall be given in writing to the Hon. Secretary, not later than 28 days before the Annual General or Special  Meeting. The members shall receive at least seven days notice prior to the meeting at which the alterations is to be proposed.

14.  The drafting and operation of Show Regulations including definition of classes shall be the responsibility of the Committee.

15.  Any decision to wind up the Club can be made only at a special meeting of members called for that purpose of which all paid up members shall have not less than fourteen days notice. The resolution to wind up must be supported by the votes of at least two thirds of the members present at that meeting.

16. The Committee shall have the power to deal with any matter affecting the Club which is not included in the foregoing rules.

As President of the Club, it is now time for me to thank Annie and all the

committee for a very successful year of Club activities. Everyone has played

their part. We have heard from some excellent speakers and run impressive

Shows in both the Spring and the Summer.

It is now time to say farewell to Annie as Chair, although she will continue to

support the Club in an active way. During her 10 years in the role, she has

brought knowledge, enthusiasm and commitment to the Club, as well as

winning many prizes at our Shows for her outstanding exhibits.

She has seen the Club through the challenges of covid and the frequent

cancellation of speakers, which is becoming more of a problem as the years go

by. It is now time for her to pass on responsibilities and hand over the reins of

leadership.

The name I have been given to put forward for our new Chair is Claire Reeve.

Are there any other nominations? If not, may I ask for a proposer and a

seconder for Claire and then the vote of the membership.

Congratulations ....

My final report after ten years as Chair. When I took over as Chair in 2015 the club had approx.100 members and now, we have about 70, so although numbers have dropped, I am pleased that we are still a thriving club with an active and enthusiastic membership. My thanks to you all for your continued support.  

The Covid pandemic in 2020/21 meant great challenges for us all but I am delighted that as a club we were able to weather that storm and afterwards continue with our monthly meetings. I think the effects of the pandemic have been largely responsible for the cessation of coach trips. 

Over the ten years some members have left the committee, and others have joined, I would like to thank each and every one of you for the work that you have put in, our committee meetings have been a joy (and very short!) There are also several other people who help to run this club, naming them individually, I would inevitably leave someone out, but I would like to give a special thanks to Jade who quietly and efficiently keeps our website up to date. 

Over the last ten years, fashions in gardening have changed so that even the great Royal Horticultural Society now advocates a little untidiness and even embraces the introduction of many of our native plants into gardens. We see a lot in the media about open green spaces being good for our wellbeing, but this is something that gardeners have always known.  Gardening lifts the spirits. 

Best Wishes and Happy gardening.  Annie