Bletchley Park Area Residents Association – Minutes of the Annual General Meeting
Held in the Teleprinter Hall, Bletchley Park At 7.00pm on Wednesday 5th April 2017
Present: Life President, Chris Simpson, Angie Ravn-Aagaard, Hon. Chairman; Derek Storey, Hon. Treasurer; Kathy Wilson, Hon. Secretary and 27 other members of the Association.
Prior to the start of the business meeting, Iain Standen, the Chief Executive Officer of the Bletchley Park Trust, welcomed BPARA members to Bletchley Park and gave a short presentation on current and future projects at the Park.
He reported that there had been approx. 255,000 visitors last year and described the Trust’s ‘Master Plan’ to maintain visitor numbers. These included dressing the rooms in the Mansion, this year’s new “Off Duty” exhibition, further exhibitions featuring Gordon Welchman and Bill Tutte and the introduction of special afternoon teas in the dining room. There will also be an exhibition about the Bombe machines and the success of BP’s role in preparing for D-Day to be mounted in the Teleprinter Hall. A new catering hub is planned for the present garages area.
‘Operation Overlord’ will be a second bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to assist with the £15m cost of restoring the stable yard, creating a ‘STEM’ garden for families behind the stable buildings and restoration of the landscape in the old gardens by the lake.
It is hoped that when the leases are up for current occupants in the structures built in the 1942-3 period, the Trust will be able to extend the museum offering. Block E will become an Education Centre.
Longer term, in 2025/26, it is hoped to renovate Block D.
The Chairman thanked Iain for his contribution and presented him with a bottle of wine.
The Business Meeting began at approximately 7.30pm and the Chairman welcomed everyone, especially new members.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies were received from: Debbie & Len Castell, Mrs. Judith Osborne, Roger Wyatt
2. Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 14 April 2016
The Minutes of the meeting held on 14 April, 2016 were read and approved.
Proposed: Chris Simpson Seconded: Valda Stuckey
3. Hon. Chairman’s Report
Angie Ravn-Aagaard, BPARA Chairman, presented her report, full details of which can be found on the BPARA website: www.bpara.co.uk
4. Hon. Secretary’s Report
Kathy Wilson, the Hon. Secretary, presented her report, full details of which can be found on the BPARA website: www.bpara.co.uk
5. Hon. Treasurer’s Report
The Hon. Treasurer, Derek Storey, presented a membership analysis graph and reported that the membership was slightly down on the previous year. However, the Committee plans to leaflet all the new estates in the area in an attempt to increase membership.
He added that we may be eligible for grant funding if we recruit members residing in council housing.
Outlining the accounts for the year ending 31 March 2017, he reported that there were 216 paid up members. Total income for the year was £733.98 and total expenditure, £1249, giving a deficit of £515.02. The accumulated fund now stands at £319.71. Subscription is to be increased to £3 per household.
The treasurer has now opened a new online bank account with Lloyds to replace BPARA’s existing account with Nationwide. This gives members the option to pay subscriptions online.
Full details of this report are available on the Association’s website: www.bpara.co.uk
6. Election of Officers
i) All officers having agreed to stand again, Sinclair Holm proposed their re-election for one more year. Seconded: Angela Burnett
ii) The Chairman thanked committee members and representatives for their help during the year. She also voiced a plea for more Area Representatives for Church Green Road, The Grove, Travis Grove & The Elms. Angela Burnett expressed an interest in becoming a Rep.
7. Any Other Business
There being no other business, the meeting closed at approximately 8.15pm
The business meeting was followed by refreshments provided by the Bletchley Park caterers.
After the break, Fiona Robinson of Milton Keynes Council, who is Programme Manager for MK Futures 2050 Commission, gave an illustrated talk about the project. She outlined the 6 Big Projects which constitute the focus of the Commission’s planning. These are:
Project One: Hub of the Cambridge-Milton Keynes Arc
Project Two: MK:IT (including a University for 10,000 students)
Project Three: Learning 2050 – Secondary Education with a Post 16 focus
Project Four: Smart, shared, sustainable mobility
Project Five: Renaissance: CMK (building on vacant plots, investment in
Residential property/business premises/student accommodation etc.)
Project Six: MK: The creative and cultured city (bidding for the 2023 European
City of Culture)
A full report, published in July 2016, is available online at www.mkfutures2050.com
Following the presentation, The Chairman posed the question; “Why is the focus on CMK regeneration, rather than on the outlying towns needing regeneration?” The speaker agreed that this was an important issue that also needed to be addressed for the future.
The Chairman thanked Fiona for her contribution and presented her with a bottle of wine.
