Galloway Conservation Society Executive Committee 2024
Chairman: Alistair Buckoke
Lucewater House, New Luce, Newton Stewart, DG8 0AW
email: a.buckoke1952@btinternet.com
Vice Chairman: David Steel
Whitefield, Gatehouse of Fleet, DG7 2DA
Acting Treasurer (non-Committee): Louise McCulloch
LM Bookkeeping Services, 8 Kings Road, Whithorn, Newton Stewart, DG8 8PP
email: gcs_treasurer@lmbookkeepingservices.co.uk
Secretary: currently unfilled post
Mary Broom-Smith
Boatknowe, Dalry, Castle Douglas, DG7 2AJ
David Hannay
Plane Tree, Gatehouse of Fleet, DG7 2EQ
Jane Maitland
Kirkland of Rerrick, Dundrennan, Kirkcudbright
William Peto
Anwoth House, Gatehouse, DG7 4AP
2024 Chairman’s Report
It falls to me to report on the activities of the Society in 2023.
2023 saw a number of changes;- a renaming of the Society, a new website, and a new Chairman in April.
The renaming to ‘Galloway Conservation Society’ was agreed by the Committee for a number of reasons;- a desire to avoid preservation simply for preservation’s sake; a desire for a more discriminating approach to what is conserved, perhaps focusing on the best part of a multi-period feature or concentrating on the best examples, and a desire in a changing world to avoid focusing solely on the legacy from the past, when newer circumstances might prove worthy of conservation efforts. The challenges of a rapidly changing world perhaps forces us to more carefully consider what should be conserved, or indeed what can be conserved.
As part of debates on these questions and to better promote the regional conservation cause, the Committee have also decided to launch a new website, which is now live. The site is not intended to remain static, and will hopefully be shaped by continued debate and contributions from yourselves. Above all, the role of a website as a communication medium on diverse matters has long been needed, and we hope you will use it to the full. We plan to add a link to a Society facebook page before long.
The use of the word conservation can perhaps be more associated with nature conservation, but the Committee want to keep a broader focus than this, seeing the assets of the region itself as the main subject of conservation effort, encompassing history, archaeology, architecture, land use, woodland projects, craft skills, civil engineering, planning questions and much else, alongside nature conservation. Perhaps the emphasis on cultural assets is the more dominant partner, though much depends on what is currently topical.
Members may have noticed that some charities such as ours have used language or material which is reminiscent of political manifestos. In our view, this is not always appropriate for our kinds of concerns, and we are anxious to avoid becoming entangled with increasingly polarised positions, hence the emphasis on independence and valuing democracy in our mission statement. So often, more moderate approaches can achieve many aims without undue sacrifices.
Events last year included exploring Rhinns coastal path promontory forts, looking at the environmental monitoring work of the Galloway Fisheries Trust, visiting the hydro-electric power station at Tongland, and, unofficially, considering dry stone wall conservation project work across Europe, and boat-building at Whithorn (a book festival item). Members may be interested to know that dates have come back for the banks and ditches across the Mull of Galloway isthmus, establishing activity in the 5th and 4th centuries BC, and again around the turn of the Millennium, overlapping with the Roman period.
We plan to visit coastal forts again this year, on which subject I can highly recommend ‘The Hillforts of Iron Age Wales’ by Toby Driver, a very readable and well-illustrated book which challenges how we view these sites. We also plan to look at field archaeology in the Carsphairn area, the topical Roman Carlisle, which I strongly recommend, and post-excavation lab work on the Whithorn material, in Stranraer.
Events are well-covered on the website, and are updated when needed.
Members may have noticed that subscriptions have changed slightly this year, going up to £15 per year for full membership, and £5 per visit for non-members.
Alistair Buckoke, March 2024
Constitution
- The Society shall be called the Galloway Conservation Society.
2. The Galloway Conservation Society is a non-profit voluntary Society which aims to:
Stimulate public interest and participation in the care for the beauty, history and character of Galloway.
Encourage the preservation, development and improvement of features of general public amenity or historical interest.
Encourage high standards of architecture and town and country planning in Galloway.
3. Membership.
Membership shall be open to all who are interested in the aims of the Society. Membership
will lapse if the subscription is unpaid 3 months after it is due.
Annual Subscriptions shall be payable to the Treasurer on the first day of January in the year in respect of which it is due. Subscriptions can be varied at the discretion of the Executive Committee and approved at the AGM.
The Financial and Business Year of the Society shall begin on 1st January.
4. Meetings
Annual General Meeting.
The Annual General Meeting, called by the Secretary, will be held annually in April to receive a report of the Society’s activities during the previous year by the Chairman (in absentia the Vice-Chairman or member of the outgoing Executive Committee), to consider the annual accounts and appoint an independent examiner and to elect the Executive Committee. A minimum of 15 members shall constitute a quorum. If there are an equal number of votes either for or against any resolution the Chairman shall be entitled to a casting vote.
Extraordinary General Meeting.
An Extraordinary Meeting shall be called by the Secretary within two months of a request being submitted in writing to the Chairman stating the reason for such a request and signed by not less than eight members. A minimum of fifteen members shall consitute a quorum. If there are an equal number of votes either for or against any resolution the Chairman shall be entitled to a casting vote.
5. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee, which shall be elected annually, shall be responsible for running the affairs of the Society and may take decisions on its behalf. It shall be empowered to set up, where and when required, the sub-committees with powers of co-option to investigate and report on any particular matter which comes within the scope of the Society’s work. A quorum for a meeting of the Executive Committee shall consist of five members.
Office Bearers.
Nominations for the election of Office Bearers of the Society shall be made at or before the Annual General meeting. Such nominations shall be in writing supported by a seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must first be obtained. The election of Office Beaers shall be completed prior to the election of further Committee Members. The Office Bearers of the Society shall consist of:
Chairman
Vice-Chairman
Secretary
Treasurer
All of whom shall relinquish their office every year and shall be eligible for re-election at the Annual General Meeting of the Society.
Committee Members
The Executive Committee shall consist of ther Office Bearers and a maximum of six other members. Nominations for the election of members to the Exexutive Committee shall be made at or before the Annual General Meeting. They must be in writing supported by a seconder and the consent of the proposed nominee must be obtained. Members, like the Office Bearers, shall relinquish their office every year and shall be eligible for re-election for a further period.
Induction of Committee Members
All Members must be given on their appointment to the Committee copies of the Society’s Constitution and the Charities Commission Guidance for Trustees, to read, learn and understand. At the first Committee Meeting after their appointment they must confirm that they have done so. No less than once a year the Committee should revisit the question of their responsibilities to ensure that all their actions during the year had been consistent with those documents.
Presidents and Vice-Presidents.
Presidents and Vice-Presidents shall be appointed as desired and they may attend meetings of the Executive Committee, but may not vote at such meetings.
6. Declaration of Interest
It shall be the duty of every Office Bearer and member of the executive Committee or of any sub-committee who is in any way directly or indirectly interested financially or professionally in any item discussed at any Committee meeting at which he or she is present to declare such interest and he or she shall not discuss such item, except by invitation of the Chairman, or vote thereon.
7. Finances
A bank account in the name of the Society shall be kept. There should be a minimum of two authorized signatories who are not connected, as per the definition of “connected” within the Charities & Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
A statement of account shall be made up to 31 December in each year and shall be examined by the independent examiner.
8. Membership Roll
A member of the Executive Committee shall keep the official roll of members.
9. Assets
None of the Society’s assets may be distributed or otherwise applied (on being wound up or at any other time) except to further its charitable purposes. It should be noted that the holding of assets is not the primary purpose of the Society, these assets being primarily intended to meet the expenses of the Society, as they accrue. It is clearly desirable to have an element of a contingency fund in these assets, above and beyond normal annual expenditure, in order to meet unforeseen contingencies.
10. Trustees
The membership of the Committee shall be considered as Trustees of the Society’s assets, and shall be required to review the associated responsibilities which come with that, at the first meeting after the Annual General Meeting.
11. Constitution
The Constitution of the Society shall only be altered with the consent of members either (a) at a General Meeting or (b) at an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose within two months of notice of such alterations being given in writing to the Secretary.
12. Winding Up Clause
If on winding up the Society any property remains after satisfaction of all the Society’s debts and liabilities, such property shall not be paid to or distributed among the members of the Society; that property shall instead be transferred to some other charity or charities (whether incorporated or unincorporated) whose objects are similar (wholly or in part) to the objects of the society.
Galloway Conservation Society 