Friends of Lincoln’s Inn Fields
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
5.30pm on Thursday 14th June 2012
New Academic Building
London School of Economics
Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from Col Hill, Noreen Kent & Mary Lewis
The Chairman undertook the introductions and welcomed the representatives of Club Quarters and from the 2 O’clock club
Minutes of the last General Meeting
The minutes of the previous AGM were accepted as being an accurate account of the proceedings and duly signed off by the Chairman
Chairman’s report
The Chairman gave the report listing the actions and achievements of FLIF over the last year.
He was delighted to welcome William and Fran Perrin, and their new daughter Zoe as the first new residents to the Fields for many years.
He was also delighted to welcome Club Quarters to both the Fields and the meeting, along with the members of the 2 O’clock club.
Among the achievements was the ability to have prevented erection of marquees and other structures over the year and he was pleased to see the continuation of the landscaping work particularly in regard to the bonded gravel. However we had a very disappointing failure in our attempts to retain the internal railings and although we cannot go back, and it is unlikely that they will be replaced, we need to ensure an eye is kept, particularly in regard to the shortcuts being taken through planting and the increase in bikers, where prohibitive signage needs to be more prevalent
The climbers that FLIF funded and planted two years ago have, on the whole, thrived and Camden have provided watering cans to FLIF in order that during dry periods we could ensure their continued well-being
One area of disappointment was the lack of progress on reducing the quantities of film vehicles parking in the area
The empty Terrace restaurant building will be the subject of a further consultation. The new officers from Camden seem more open to listening and a lot more proactive. Our preference is for the building to not only be a more accessible café but also to use the space for interpretation of the area, perhaps supported by Soanes, LSE, RCS etc. We will ask to visit the building at some point
They are also attempting to set up a temporary catering facility for the summer, probably vehicle based
One area for future development may be the introduction of a band in the rain shelter
Col Hills, one of the Founding members is retiring and we will write to express our appreciation for his work
Finally he thanked the Committee members for their support and commitment over the last year
Treasurers Report
The Financial situation was similar to last year. Due to the provision of services in kind, minimal expenditure had been incurred over the year however there may be some expenditure this year to replace some of the dead climbers
There was also discussion about the lack of benches in the centre and the possibility of FLIF funding a bench. Club Quarters kindly offered to consider this themselves also
There being no questions the Accounts were proposed as correct and were duly signed off
Election of Committee Members
The riparian organisations nominated their existing representatives with the exception of the Honourable Society of Lincolns’ Inn where Murray Campbell took over for Col Hills
Robert, Noreen, William and Peter were all proposed and re-elected
The Chairman suggested that Club Quarters and the 2 O’clock club may wish to propose someone to be co opted as a Committee member
Date of the first Committee meeting
Thursday 26th July
Items for discussion to include:
• Removing barriers around the tennis court
• Improvement in bin collection, or removal of bins
• Visit to the Terrace
The Chairman thanked the LSE for the provision of a very pleasant meeting room and their hospitality, particularly in regard to the post meeting bubbles!
The meeting was followed by a very enjoyable and informative talk given by the Chairman Robert McCracken QC regarding Executions undertaken in the immediate locality, including a visit to see the blood stained floor where Garden Court Chambers say that William Lord Russell had his head sewed back on!
Friends of Lincoln's Inn Fields 