The next ZOOM meeting will be the ANNUAL MEETING at 7.00 pm on Wednesday 19 August followed by COFFEE AND CHAT at 7.50 pm Please join us if you are able
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
Farm Womens’ Club
Virtual Annual Meeting
Wednesday 19 August 2026
at 7.00 pm via ZOOM
A G E N D A
Members present and apologies
2. Minutes of the last meeting (attached)
Matters arising from the Minutes
Confirmation of Trustees and Management Committee
(If you wish to propose any changes it would be helpful if you could do so prior to the meeting)
Financial Report- year to 31 March 2026
Review of membership and activities
o Coffee evenings via Zoom
o Round Robin Emails
o Newsletters
o Interim emails
o Website
7. National and Regional Events
a. Review of 2025 - 2026
o October Weekend 2025 – Tewkesbury
o February Weekend 2026 – Nottingham
o Five Counties Lunch May 2026 – Dorset
b. Forthcoming events 2026 – 2027
o October Weekend 2026 – Kings Lynn
o February Weekend 2027 – Scarborough
o Five Counties Lunch May 2027 – Sussex
8. Data Collection May 2026 results and analysis
Any other business
To be followed by COFFEE and CHAT
Everyone is welcome to join us
Email us for your invitation to join
Minutes of the CWC Annual Meeting
(incorporating Farm Women’s Club)
Held on Thursday 14 August 2025 at 7.00 pm via ZOOM
1. Members present
Sue Rawlings – Wiltshire and Gloucestershire
Jenny Flake - Sussex
Margaret Illsley, Ann Goodenough - Berkshire
Christine Bish, Claire Harris, Ann Williamson, - Peterborough
Sue Rodaway – Somerset/Dorset
Margaret Scott – Derbyshire
Celia McTeer – Gloucestershire (Items 1 – 3 and 7a)
and apologies
Anne Harriott - Sussex
Everyone was welcomed.
2. Minutes of the last meeting were approved.
Matters arising from the Minutes of the last meeting
(6 iii) Newsletter reply slips. No replies were received in response to question of whether or not people wished to continue receiving the newsletter by post. Nor did anyone ask to be added to the email circulation list.
(6 v) Farmers Weekly links to farmwomen.org has now been removed and farmwomen.co.uk is the first item to appear on screen when searching on Google.
Constitution, Trustees and Management Committee No further nominations had been received.
Confirmed as : Trustees/Cheque signatories : Jenny Flake, Sue Rawlings, Margaret Scott
Management Committee : As above plus Sue Rodaway and Christine Bish. It was restated that there is scope for others to join the Team if they wish.
Financial Report for the year ended 31 March 2025
Jenny presented the Financial Report. One individual Club donation had been received during the year. The balance in the account in April 2025 was The main activity on the account was as always for the February weekend which had contributed £135.48 to the total held. Proceeds from raffles at both weekend events had contributed £167, Market Bosworth and £145.90, Lincoln. No expenses are outstanding for the current year. Amounts as a result of fundraising £100 (at the October weekend) had been donated to Wear It Pink Cancer Research and £55 (at the February weekend) had been donated to Lincolnshire Rural Support Network.
6. Review of membership, group activities and the website
i. Since September 2020 national Zoom coffee mornings, now evenings, had been taking place. Attendance has dwindled slightly. It was agreed that these should continue in the evenings. £2419.88.
ii. A Round Robin email at the beginning of every month continues. This stimulates some interactive interest and an opportunity to share news. Again it was agreed that these should continue and more contributions with news would be appreciated.
iii. Newsletters continue to be sent in May and December. Membership overall seems static although, sadly, a few members have died over the past year and will be missed. 149 members receive the Newsletter by email and a further 24 by post. It is hoped that leaders of the various groups share the newsletters at their monthly meetings.
iv. The new website has been live for the last twelve months. There are 139 members online. It can be accessed by both www.countrywomen.co.uk and www.farmwomensclub.co.uk The majority of information can be viewed without a log in. Information about events which carry member contact details are still protected by the password FWC1948 – hopefully easy to remember. In addition full information about upcoming events is included in the Newsletters and reminders are sent by email. Members can also email to request full details.
Since it’s inception there have been seven new enquiries about membership. Two of these were asking if there were clubs in Bedfordshire and Oxfordshire, but sadly we weren’t able to introduce them to existing clubs. A further enquiry was for Warwickshire and Helen Foster has been in touch with the lady with a view to her joining their Club. Four others, despite a follow up have not resulted in further contact.
7. National and Regional Events
All national and regional events continue to be very successful although the number attending is falling. Feb 2024 - Llangollen 40, Oct 2024 - Market Bosworth 34, Feb 2025 - Lincoln 29.
The Five Counties lunch in May this year was held at The Flower Pots Inn in Arlesford which was efficiently organised by Celia Foote and the team from Hampshire.
a. Forward Planning for weekends
Celia McTeer joined the meeting for this item and gave a comprehensive update.
16 – 20 October Based at the Puckrup Hotel and Spa bookings currently stand at 37. There are still rooms available with the deadline for booking on 1 September. A reminder will be sent following this meeting. Menu choices will be required for dinner for the Saturday evening meal but not for other evenings. It was agreed that the meal on Saturday should be three courses with a maximum cost of £35 in a private room. Celia and Christine will liaise and further details will be emailed to those attending shortly.
b. The Holiday Inn Hotel, Castle Marina Park, Nottingham has been booked for February 2026. with a coach trip being planned to Southwell and other places of interest. Our thanks to Brenda Eggleston and her daughter Tracy Walker for their finding the hotel and links to local contacts. One Zoom meeting has been held and another is planned for Monday 18 August to agree a suitable route and stops off points for the coach trip on the Saturday.
Jenny has sent out booking details and these will now be posted on the website.
c. Five Counties Lunch 2026
The Dorset Club has accepted the challenge of arranging the lunch in May 2026.
d. Ideas for venues for future weekends
The success of these weekends relies very much on local knowledge and we are delighted that the Gloucester Club has taken responsibility for arranging the October weekend near Tewkesbury.
Suggestions for future weekend locations are always welcome bearing in mind the terms which we need to arrange with hotels and some knowledge of the surrounding area.
Any other business
Thanks were expressed to Christine Bish, Jenny Flake and the Management Team for all their hard work. The meeting closed at 8.10 pm
The meeting was interrupted after 40 minutes (by Zoom terms of use) and members were invited to log in again to conclude the meeting.
Farm Womens' Club is managed by Country Women Countrywide
