MINUTES OF THE 74thANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE
TALYLLYN RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY
(the “Society”, a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England and Wales no. 15595769)
Held at The Magic Lantern Cinema, Corbett Square, Tywyn, Gwynedd on Saturday 11th October 2025 and live streamed on Microsoft Teams
On the platform were Chris Price, President TRPS, Bill Heynes, Chairman TRPS, David Ventry, Chairman TR Co, Andrew Simner, Hon Secretary, TRPS and Secretary TR Co and Garry Mumford, Hon Treasurer TRPS and Accountant TR Co. There were another 107 members present, and 42 devices logged on to the Microsoft Teams live-stream.
Chris Price opened the meeting at 13:30 saying that although this is the 74th Annual General Meeting of the Society it was taking place 75 years to the day since a group of people met in Birmingham and started not only the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, but a movement that has spread worldwide. It created employment for thousands of people and volunteering opportunities for many tens of thousands of people and has contributed culturally and financially to local economies across Great Britain and the world. The TRPS is part of that movement; it is our duty to keep it going and he had no reason to doubt that in 75 years’ time there would be a similar meeting celebrating 150 years. He was pleased to see the Young Members Group present in some numbers and congratulated them on their carriage push the previous afternoon and evening. This was greeted with applause, as was the “happy 75th anniversary” collective pat on the back.
Andrew Simner explained that the meeting was quorate as a combination of the 637 members who had cast their votes in advance and the 86 members in the room eligible to vote, easily exceeding the required quorum of 75. Not everybody in the room were eligible to vote as some had already voted on-line and others were under the age of 16. He thanked the Magic Lantern staff for the assistance provided setting up for the meeting and those volunteers who were looking after the live stream. He then introduced the remainder of the platform party and their roles and added that the two General Managers, the Operating Manager, Fundraising Officer and Membership Secretary were all present. He noted that Tony Randall would be taking the minutes, asking those speaking from the floor to wait for the roving microphone and announce themselves clearly for the benefit of the minute taker.
He then summarised the agenda for the meeting. Some of the motions at the meeting were to be decided by ballot, other votes combine a show of hands by those present with votes cast in advance on-line. Those in the room eligible to vote were given a ballot paper on entry; this was to be collected later in the meeting.
1. Apologies
Apologies for absence had been received from Roger Whitehouse (Returning Officer, for whom Paul Knapton will be deputising), Lawrence and Jane Garvey, Anthony Coulls, David Peers, Alison Wilkinson, Mark and Patricia Gibson, Brian Thompson, George Moon, Richard Putley, Andy Garsed, Thomas Brady, J Whiteing, Tim Hudson and many other members who have been unable to get to Tywyn today.
2. Election of President
Andrew Simner advised that Council has nominated Chris Price as President in accordance with the rules of the Constitution and asked for a show of hands separately for, against and abstentions. There were none against and no abstentions. In combination with on-line votes the totals were 671 for, 17 against and 46 abstentions. Chris Price was therefore declared elected as President and took the chair.
3. In memoriam.
Andrew Simner read a list of members who had passed away over the past year including Timothy West, Rob Boden, Lord Ellis-Thomas, Andrew Proctor, Keith Walton, David Young, Andrew Gully, and John Berry. Chris Price asked those who were able to stand in memory of these late members.
4. AGM Appeal.
Chris Price introduced a video featuring Lawrence Garvey outlining the efficiency improvements for the Outdoor Gang if a new, wider, excavator bucket and laser grading level could be purchased.
David Ventry said the appeal target is £3,000, although the cost of the equipment described would be less than that, funds for additional tools to assist the hedging team and track gang were also sought. He highlighted the benefits of better preparation of the formation when the track is being renewed.
Garry Mumford asked that the details on the donation envelopes at each seat be completed in full, even if there is already a completed Gift Aid declaration in place as it assists the administration process considerably. He also referred to other ways to donate – on-line, at Wharf booking office, or after the meeting by card with the Fundraising Officer.
5. Minutes of the 73rdAnnual General Meeting
The Minutes of the 73rd Annual General Meeting of the Society, held in Tywyn on Saturday 28th September 2024 and live streamed on Microsoft Teams had been circulated to members of the Society at that date. Chris Price invited questions or amendments to the minutes.
Andrew Simner said that a member had pointed out that the 4th paragraph of Minute 14 referred to donations to the 75 Club being £55,00 per year instead of £55,000 per year. Note: The donations figure to the 75 Club of £55,000 was correctly detailed in Minute 14 on Page 27 of the December 2024 issue of Talyllyn News. The on-line copy of the minutes (www.talyllyn.co.uk/news/2024-agm-minutes) has an incorrect figure of £55,00
Chris Price asked for a show of hands in the room in favour of accepting the Minutes, subject to the correction of Minute 14, also those against, and abstentions. There were none against and no abstentions. In combination with on-line votes the totals were 663 for, none against and 74 abstentions. The Minutes were therefore approved.
6. There were no Matters arising from the Minutes of the 73rdAnnual General Meeting.
7. Changes to Membership Structure
Chris Price said that when the Society was formed the labour it provided was its most important contribution, but in the intervening 75 years that has changed and although the work done by volunteers is still valued it is now the money that it provides that is more important and it is only right that we should be considering the membership structure.
Andrew Simner explained that in addition to two forums held for the benefit of volunteers and a consultation session for members, there had been an article in Talyllyn News explaining the proposals. The first objective is to increase the financial support given to the Railway from the current circa £55,000 per annum by about £45,000 over a number of years. A second objective is to simplify the structure as Council considered the number of different membership categories made it overly complex. This would be achieved by moving to a household scheme with a reduced number of membership classes, also reducing the cost of servicing the membership, and ensuring it is priced properly. This is the subject of the first motion on the ballot paper. The second motion refers to the proposed closure of life membership scheme to new entrants; existing Life Members would not be affected by the proposal to introduce a 10-year membership. It is far easier to predict the cost and value over 10 years than it is for the unknown duration of membership for somebody taking out life membership. He then invited questions on the proposals.
Andrew Bosi said that he joined as a Life Member about 50 years ago as it seemed a fantastic deal at the time. Apart from a few publicity articles and riding on the train on about 30 occasions he had done very little else apart from avidly reading Talyllyn News every quarter. Had he not been a Life Member he would probably have drifted away and not contributed to the recent appeals. He wanted to know what research had been done and would like to see the matter referred back for further consideration.
Andrew Simner said that the Membership Secretary has done a lot of research and analysis which revealed that there had been 32 members enrolled as new Life Members in the last 12 months, 76% of Life Members are aged over 60 and 64% of Life Members have been in the Society for a significant period of time. He added that Life Members are valued for the contribution to the Railway when they take out life membership, but the challenge is to work out what is a fair charge, and it is easier to do that over a 10 year timeframe, which still gives the opportunity for a person taking it out to enter into a longer term commitment to the Railway, while making a saving for themselves.
Chris Johnson said he was aware of many people who have holiday homes and caravans who join only for the free travel and are not interested in Talyllyn News. He wondered whether there is a season ticket alternative to membership which would save the Society the cost of printing and postage.
Chris Price said he was aware of a family that fell into that category, but their son had stayed with the Railway and gone on to be President of the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society, so the value of attracting new members and getting them engaged should not be underestimated. Life members have contributed massively to the Railway, but what was right in the earlier years is not necessarily right now.
Chris Hill observed that we are one of the last organisations to cease life membership. He joined as a teenager when coming to Tywyn many decades ago, but Society is now very different now to then. He felt it right to change as his children are different to how he was, and his grandchildren are even more different.
An anonymous member watching the live stream thought that the Railway’s business model had not changed much in the last 75 years, and should that be examined to see how the Railway is staffed and whether the outsourced engineering activities could be done more cheaply in house.
Liz Porrett (General Manager – Operations) replied that commercial aspects are constantly under review – staffing levels, wages, money for overhauls etc. Overheads are increasing so different ways of improving margins are being explored.
David Ventry added that a budget had been set to reduce the operating deficit to £100,000 and by careful control of expenditure that target was being met. He said the Railway has two groups of customers – the fare paying passengers and the membership and perhaps had to operate differently to a railway which only had paid staff and no Society to consider. The Board is aiming to achieve the right balance to keep costs under control while still providing the working membership with what they want.
Another anonymous member watching the live stream suggested a ratio of 30:1 between life and annual membership, rather than ending life membership.
Andrew Simner said that the working group did consider increasing the cost of life membership, but the challenge was deciding to what price it should be increased.
A third anonymous member watching the live stream asked whether the question raised at the first volunteer forum of those young members who are not attached to a family group had been discussed.
Andrew Simner said that most young members are part of a family group and benefit from heavily discounted rates, but a small number of them are not. If a solo young person were to join (if the proposal is agreed) they would join as a Principal Member, but any existing young solo members will have their status protected by the proposals. It had been discussed by the working group and Council, and the view of Council was that assistance should be given by other schemes, such as the Graham Guilford fund, rather than through membership rates. The Young Members Group Committee had been asked to put forward suggestions to address this issue.
Perry Price, watching the live stream, suggested that cost to service Life Members could be reduced by asking them to receive Talyllyn News digitally, rather than printed copy.
Andrew Simner explained that this had already been explored and implemented for overseas members for whom postage costs are high; this is something that will be investigated for implementation for other interested members.
Tim Gregson, also watching the live stream, asked whether a percentage for attrition rates had been included in the model.
Andrew Simner replied that the normal annual attrition rate is in the region of 20% – of the 4,000 members approximately 800 do not renew but are replaced by another 800 new members. He expected a slightly higher attrition rate this year if the proposals are implemented as many members would need to be contacted to get more information about the households.
Chris Price thanked the Membership Secretary team and the working group for the efforts they had put in to bring this proposal forward. This was greeted with applause. He asked members in the room who had been given ballot papers to complete them for later collection.
Later in the meeting (after item 13) Paul Knapton, acting Returning Officer, advised that for the proposal to change the membership structure of the Society there had been 637 members voting on-line and 85 in person. There was a total of 722 votes. There were 592 votes in favour of the changes, 64 votes against and 66 abstentions. The proposition was therefore approved. For the proposal to close life membership to future entrants and instead offer a multi-year membership scheme there had been 638 members voting on-line and 85 in person. There was a total of 723 votes, of which 450 votes in favour of the closure, 187 votes against and 66 abstentions. The proposition was therefore approved.
8. Election of members of Council
Chris Price read out the names of the nine candidates who had been nominated for Council and asked those present to identify themselves by standing. The candidates were Anthony Coulls, Matt Dawson, Bill Heynes, Matt James, Martin Lester, Lis Mann, Rob Plumridge, Mark Tibbutt and Poppy Wakeham. He added that it was very good to see younger members putting themselves forward to get involved.
Andrew Simner reminded the meeting that each member could cast up to five votes. The ballot papers were then collected.
Later in the meeting (after item 13) Paul Knapton, acting Returning Officer, announced the results. 740 members had voted and cast a total of 3,092 votes. The votes cast were as follows: Anthony Coulls 488, Matt Dawson 403, Bill Heynes 424, Matt James 249, Martin Lester 315, Lis Mann 429, Rob Plumridge 239, Mark Tibbutt 165 and Poppy Wakeham 380. Mesdames Mann and Wakeham and Messrs Coulls, Dawson and Heynes were declared elected. Permission was given to destroy the ballot papers in the usual way.
9. Appointment of Auditors to the Society
Garry Mumford said that there was no requirement for the Society accounts to be audited, but it is felt that auditing all three entities together will give a level of scrutiny and transparency of the accounts. BHP LLP of York had been nominated by Council to be Auditors to the Society.
Chris Price asked for a show of hands in favour of appointing BHP LLP, also those against, and abstentions. There were no abstentions and none against in the room. In combination with on-line votes the totals were 672 for, 4 against and 46 abstentions. BHP LLP were therefore appointed as the auditors for the Talyllyn Railway Preservation Society.
10. Report of Council
Chris Price called on Bill Heynes to present the report of Council.
Bill Heynes highlighted the achievements and activities of different groups of volunteers over the last 12 months. Tracksiders (whose sponsored slide over 24 hours at Abergynolwyn had raised over £4,000 for the 75 Appeal), the Young Members Group construction of a replica gunpowder wagon, the organisers of the well-received events at the heritage weekend, the gardeners, the paintshop volunteers, locomotive working parties, the Outdoor Gang, the hedging and forestry teams (Storm Darragh in December 2024 had highlighted the importance of managing the lineside), the Membership Secretaries and the Membership working group for their many hours of work in bringing the new structure proposal to the meeting, and finally the Talyllyn contingent of Race the Train runners.
Other projects include the battery locomotive which is waiting for its DC motors to be rewound, and original locomotive no. 5 now has a rolling chassis.
Tony Randall had chartered a train on 5th September to mark the milestone of 50 years as a Guard; Bob Cambridge also marked 50 years as a volunteer and both received 50 yearlong service awards after working that train. Other long service awards will be presented later in the meeting.
In addition to the volunteers, he thanked the wider membership for their support over the year, particularly the generosity in response to the 75 Appeal for which Fundraising Officer and team dealing the National Lottery Heritage Fund application are most grateful. He commented the immense amount of work necessary to submit that application and thanked the team for their hard work. He was aware that he had not mentioned everyone or everything, but thanked all members, volunteers and staff for their support over the last year and concluded by saying that a particular highlight in his three year term as Chairman was cutting the ribbon at the Founders Day event last year. It had been an honour to serve in the role, which he enjoyed tremendously. The report was interspersed with applause as appropriate.
Chris Price reminded the meeting that the vote to be taken was to approve the Report of Council as printed in the September 2025 issue of Talyllyn News. He asked for a show of hands in favour, against and abstaining. There were none against, and no abstentions. In combination with on-line votes the totals were 665 for, 5 against and 49 abstentions. The Report was therefore approved.
11. Report of the Honorary Treasurer
Chris Price invited Garry Mumford the to present the report of the Honorary Treasurer.
Garry Mumford made no apology for repeating a lot of what he said last year, as the message is unchanged. The challenge of the business remains to balance the books in a sustainable way to be able to run this railway for another 75 years. The operation of the Railway has consistently shown a deficit for a long time. Heritage railways and other visitor attractions are suffering; some a lot more than we are. The National Trust is understood to be making 500 people redundant and deferring projects. Recent large increases in costs have not been balanced by a similar increase in income. The organisation is fortunate not to have an immediate issue as Talyllyn Holdings has £1 million of uncommitted reserves, but we need to ensure that this is not eaten up by the operation of the Railway. The catering and retail operations are consistently very profitable and make a substantial contribution to making the books balance. It is expected that the Society will be able to increase its contribution if the membership proposals are agreed today.
He referred to an earlier question about the business model and highlighted that now less than 50% of the Railway’s income is traffic revenue, the catering operation contributes 36% and the shop another 14%, both sources of income that were non-existent 75 years ago and generate a good surplus to offset the loss that running the trains makes. There is a decline in the number of public passengers travelling on the Railway, which reflects the level of visitors in the area. The average number of people travelling on a train with a capacity of over 100 is about 30.
He continued that the 2025 Awdry Extravaganza provided some good news. It was phenomenally successful, and its contribution increased by 94% over the previous year. He acknowledged the huge credit due to Luke Ryan and his team for delivering the event. This was greeted with applause. We cannot continue without this event as it is one of the main reasons the budget will be achieved this year. It is essential to adapt and find new ways to bring different people to the Railway to spend their money. He concluded his report by offering to answer any questions, but there were none
Chris Price reminded the meeting that the vote to be taken was to approve the Report of the Honorary Treasurer and the Financial Statements of the Society as printed in the September 2025 issue of Talyllyn News. He asked for a show of hands in favour, against and abstaining. There were none against, and no abstentions. In combination with on-line votes the totals were 680 for, 1 against and 39 abstentions. The Report and Financial Statements were therefore approved.
12. Update from Railway Management
Chris Price introduced a recorded review of the year so far presented by Liz Porrett and Lorraine Simkiss (General Manager – Commercial).
Liz Porrett referred to Whistle Up on 1st January to mark the start of the Railway 200-year celebrations and the clear up after Storm Darragh.
Lorraine Simkiss spoke about the success of the Anything Goes gala and Heritage weekend and the BBC coverage of volunteer activities in its Breakfast programme. Community links have been strengthened with local schools being hosted on the Railway to learn about the slate industry and the Railway’s involvement in it. The Slate Trail and Railway Adventurer guided trains had sold well this year. Weddings, photographic charters and International Women’s Day were also features of the year.
Liz Porrett said the third series of Dreigiau Cadi is currently being shown on S4C, but the most successful event of the year must be the Awdry Extravaganza in July which followed the 80th anniversary of The Railway Series books in May. The first live action episode was shown in The Magic Lantern during the July event.
Lorraine Simkiss observed thatHalloween and Santa Specials for 2025 are on the horizon and being marketed. They will both be volunteer led events this year. Llechfan and Idris Villas hostel accommodation has been full for much of the year. The Llechfan Management Group has been reformed, and a new kitchen is planned to be installed in Llechfan in the early part of 2026. The tenants have moved out of Trefri in readiness for its renovation.
Liz Porrett advised that our first engineering apprentice had completed their studies and graduated andreported ona planned visit from the Office of Rail and Road. Their report contained twelve pieces of advice and positive feedback in four areas of good practice. Another achievement was the successful commissioning of Signal A13 at Abergynolwyn.
Lorraine Simkiss asked the members, as the Railway’s ambassadors, to take every opportunity to sell and promote the Railway to halt the decline in passenger numbers and thanked all volunteers for helping to keep the Railway going, always with a smile on their faces.
Luke Ryan revealed that there will be a three-day gala event on 15th, 16th and 17th May 2026 celebrating 75 years since the first train operated in the preservation era, including overnight steam for the first time in 11 years. The new 75th anniversary logo, designed by a volunteer, was also unveiled.
Lorraine Simkiss advised that a small quantity of a very limited edition of gilets with the new logo would be auctioned once the meeting had finished, and that a new range of merchandise with the logo will be appearing soon.
Liz Porrett concluded the review by anticipating continued support from the membership and volunteers for the plans for the 75th anniversary year.
Chris Price invited questions on the review and anything else of relevance.
Gill Best, watching the live stream, asked if there were any plans to mark the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Nant Gwernol extension which occurred in May 1976.
Ian Drummond said it would be celebrated as part of the gala event in May 2026 which will happen one week before the actual anniversary.
13. National Lottery Heritage Fund and 75 Appeal Update
Chris Price invited Liz Porrett and Ian Drummond to give an update on the National Lottery Heritage Fund application and the 75 Appeal.
Liz Porrett reported that the 44-page questionnaire and 1,600 pages of supporting documentation had been submitted on 5th August 2025, one day before the deadline for its submission. The final project for which funding is sought is the renovation and construction of a rear extension at Trefri, and development at Pendre to provide a new paintshop, replacement of the North Carriage shed with a new engineering workshop and heritage interpretation display in the existing works. The bid is for £3,845,805 which is 68% of the total project cost of £5,655,600.
Ian Drummond gave an update on the 75 Appeal, which had raised £221,068 in 2024-5. The budget for 2025-26 is £135,500, of which £103,496 had already been raised in the first 6½ months of the financial year, so well ahead of target. Money pledged to the appeal to the end of 2028 is marginally under £200,000, so the current working total is £526,355. He then explained where the £1,839,000 match funding for project would be sourced. The 75 Appeal can now realistically be expected to provide £800,000, and a further £116,000 in Gift Aid. The Board of Talyllyn Holdings is willing to commit £100,000 from its reserves. £300,000 has been secured from the Communities Facilities Programme for the provision of a community training hub in Trefri but does present a challenge as it must be spent by March 2027. An application has been made to the National Lottery People and Places programme for £323,000 for the community activities related part of the scheme. It may seem odd to be applying for two separate sets of funding from the National Lottery, but both areas within the National Lottery are aware of our approach. The result of both National Lottery funding applications should be known at the beginning of December 2025. The final source of funding is a major trust fund, Garfield Weston, which has indicated that if the National Lottery funding applications are successful, it will entertain a bid for £200,000 and that is being prepared for submission in January 2026 when the outcome of the National Lottery bid is known.
Liz Porrett explained the timeline that had been prepared, and that even if the funding sought is agreed but the risks or costs turn out to be too great the project may still be stopped. There is still much to do including securing the remainder of the match funding, finding contractors and preparing a back-up plan. She added that something not mentioned previously is the Ty Mawr site does not form part of the plan because the cost of it involves too much financial risk, although it is still intended to pursue it as part of the back-up plan as it is known that more space is needed
David Ventry said that the Board needed to be certain that whatever is done the Railway is not subjected to significant risk and has prepared a set of rules which must be satisfied before it gives the go-ahead, even if successful with the National Lottery funding bid. It is the intention to proceed with the refurbishment of Trefri, which has a very clear business case because of the amount of money being spent on additional volunteer accommodation. It is recognised that something must be done at Pendre so a back-up plan is being actively investigated to ensure the key improvements necessary at Pendre can be made.
Chris Price said thatwhat has become apparent is that a lot of work has been done on this project, and continues to be done, for which he thanked all involved.
At this point Paul Knapton announced the results of the ballots under items 7 and 8.
14. Miscellaneous Announcements
In the absence of Jane Garvey, Chris Price reported that three 50 years’ service awards had been presented earlier in the year, to Peter Bowes, Bob Cambridge and Tony Randall. Three further awards to Mark Gibson, Adrian Tebbs and Steve Crane are ready to be presented when they are next available in Tywyn. 25 years’ service awards were presented to Sue Palmer, Brian Palmer and Phil Eaton. Clive Brading would have been presented here with a 40 years’ award had he not volunteered to be this afternoon’s Controller at Wharf and will be presented with it later.
Bethan Price announced the result of the on-line election for the Traffic & Operating Committee. There were five candidates for three positions. 321 votes had been cast as follows – Chas Briggs 24, Millie Gray 78, Bill Heynes 68, Luke Ryan 63 and Will Smith 88. Ms. Gray and Messrs. Heynes and Smith were declared elected.
Matt Jordan, outgoing Chairman of the Young Members Group, announced the Committee election results. The successful candidates and their roles for the next year were Alex Hando (Chairman), Isobel Coulls (Secretary), Ed Neve (Social events coordinator), Ioan Martin (Working party coordinator) and Luke Bowerman (Treasurer). He concluded by congratulating the new committee and wishing them well in their new roles.
Tony Randall advised thatthe bar at Wharf Station would be open that evening from 19:30. There would be a film show by David Mitchell in the Slater Room from 20:00 and later a disco in King’s Café.
Tony Randall made a plea for volunteers to consider working in the Booking Office at Wharf. It is a sedentary role which may suit people looking for a not too strenuous way to contribute to the Railway. It is normally a 9-to-5 job in Lilac service, but with longer hours during school holiday peak services.
Keith Theobald advised that the November outdoor week this year would run from 8th to 16th November, with some preparatory work on the Friday before to make most efficient use of the gang’s time. He added that the average age of the Outdoor Gang was ever increasing, and younger volunteers would be most welcome to bring down that average age.
Keith Theobald said that the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum sorely needed more volunteers as the same small group of people were regularly being asked to staff the Museum to keep it open, and this was becoming unsustainable.
15. Any other competent Business
Chris Johnson said that he and the track gang had been disposing of logs arising from the clear up after Storm Darragh. The fallen trees should bring in about £500 for the Railway.
Andrew Bosi wondered whether Council and those who live locally could do more to lobby the Welsh Assembly election candidates about tourism in this area which is simply not being promoted. The appearance of The Britannia in Aberdovey and The Railway Inn in Abergynolwyn in the Good Beer Guide should be being trumpeted to bring more people into the area so we can get them onto the trains. Chris Price replied he felt some of the policies being adopted by the Welsh government are anti-tourism and they were in danger of putting up ”Closed” signs at the border. The Railway has limited powers; it can lobby, but the tourism associations in Wales are already doing that, and the Railway is engaged with those associations.
Des Workman said that he had stayed in two venues in Tywyn this year, neither of which had any Talyllyn Railway literature in them, although he had rectified that. He wondered whether there was too much reliance on social media and asked are we giving up on leaflets, or getting them out? Lorraine Simkiss said that if there were no leaflets then they had all already gone. The area is regularly saturated with leaflet drops. Social media is increasingly important, but leaflets will never be abandoned.
David Collins did not like the folded small size of the timetable leaflet and preferred the previously used DL size. Lorraine Simkiss replied that she had received several similar comments, and although some people prefer the smaller size the 2026 leaflet will revert to DL size. She also urged members to carry a supply of timetables with them to distribute at venues on their travels.
Richard Plummer, watching the live stream, asked when next year’s timetable would be available. Lorraine Simkiss replied that it would be available soon, but there was still work to do with the Timetables Officer and others with an interest in ensuring the right level of services and sensible times are achieved.
Ross, also watching the live stream, asked what the donations to the Heart of Gold group supported. Garry Mumford replied that the regular monthly donations by approximately 240 members of the Heart of Gold group bring in just over £50,000 a year with Gift Aid to Talyllyn Holdings. In recent years it has been used to counter the operating deficit, but with today’s change to the membership structure being approved it is hoped that the Society can contribute more and allow the Heart of Gold donations to be used on other projects. He added that with 4,000 or so members, but only 240 in the Heart of Gold group that he would welcome more members contributing to the Heart of Gold group.
The collection for the excavator bucket and laser levelling equipment for the Outdoor Gang was taken and passed to Garry Mumford.
There being no further business, Chris Price closed the meeting at 15:20 thanking those attending the meeting. He observed that the inaugural meeting 75 years ago was probably composed predominantly of white middle-aged men, who would be surprised that today a young woman had been voted onto Council. It is good to see those things happening, and today has been a great success.
