Report of EGM November 23 2019
The Extraordinary General Meeting to adopt SAGS' new constitution was held at 2.30pm, November 23 2019 at the premises of the Glasgow Theosophical Society, 17 Queens Crescent in Glasgow. It was attended by 28 people of whom 27 were eligible to vote
The meeting was opened by SAGS president,Ian Welsh. He outlined the reasons why being an Unincorporated Association had become a problem for SAGS. In particular the organisation had become involved in signing contracts with experts to carry out projects. This had become a concern with regard to the potential liabilities that committee members might face in the event of a dispute.
Ian outlined the Charitable Purposes laid out in the new constitution. He outlined how these were already being implemented through existing SAGS activities and how they could provide a framework for the future development of new activities. The meeting then had a mixture of questions on the details of the constitution and lively discussion, including thoughts on how SAGS could help allotment associations meet the challenges of the new legislation and understand the new Guidance for Local Authorities. A vote was then held on the adoption of the new constitution. A show of hands showed 26 votes in favour of adoption and no votes against.
The meeting closed with an interesting presentation by Julie Kilpatrick, horticultural lecturer and author of The Plant Listener. This fascinating book shows us that the best way to learn how to look after plants properly is to study how they have evolved. We were then served with coffee and mince pies and went happily away.