Summary Report
A meeting of the Society’s Council was held at Bronaeron on Tuesday 9th November, when the following matters were discussed:
The Society is going to be working towards attaining the Charity Evaluation Services’ PQASSO (Practical Quality Assurance System for Small Organisations) Quality Mark. This holistic quality assurance system has been designed specifically for charities and voluntary organisations and covers 12 quality standards – Planning, Governance, Leadership and Management, User-Centered Service; Managing People, Learning and Development, Managing Money, Managing Resources, Communications and Promotion, Working with Others, Monitoring and Evaluation, and Results. The Society will be working towards achieving the standard by the end of 2012.
The Judging and Showing Standing Committee recently met to go through applications for the Society’s new Driving Panel. Applications approved for inclusion in the new Panel will be placed before Council at its next meeting on the 14th December and the new Panel will be operational as from 1st January 2011.
Staff training was a key area prioritised in the recent organisational review and a very successful training day on Governance issues was held on the 22nd October 2010. It was decided that in addition to an induction for new Trustees after next year’s AGM, additional training and development sessions will be provided for all existing Society Trustees.
The Finance committee reported that it had undertaken a successful review of the Society’s financial investments.
Subsequent to a six-month review, Anna Prytherch’s position as Principal Officer was confirmed on a permanent basis.
The tender process for the Society’s new Website had been undertaken with a preferred supplier selected. The new, interactive Web site will be published in the New Year. It will be possible for members to advertise their studs on a searchable database, make payments on line and take out classified adverts on the site, with full details to follow in the Spring mail shot to members.
A series of educational visits to Equine Colleges and Universities has been organised by the Education and Welfare Committee, with visits to Aberystwyth University (9th December), Llandrillo (10th December) and Hartpury (13th December) planned. The visits, which will combine classroom presentations with practical demonstrations of the breed, have been designed to align with student curriculums and are aimed at educating equine students on the Welsh breeds, their history, versatility and performance uses.
Trustees recently attended the Dyfed Welsh Pony and Cob Association to partake in a forum (3rd November 2010). The event was very positive and any Association that would be interested in a similar visit by Council representatives should contact the office.
An IT audit has commenced of the Society’s office hardware and software, with the view to increasing efficiencies and updating current systems.
Three Open Days for members are being held on the 19th, 20th and 24th November 2010, when the new Society museum will be open to the public. We hope as many members as possible attend these open days to view the new offices in Bronaeron, see the re-instated museum and meet with trustees and staff.
Sponsorship has been received for some of the museum display cabinets, although opportunities still exist for sponsors to come forward to secure their own cabinet at the Society Museum. Please contact the office for further information.
Council representatives are due to meet with the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society on the 11th November to discuss general issues and consider proposals for replacing/refurbishing the Society’s Pavilion on the Royal Welsh Showground.
A full report was submitted by the Estates Group on the purchase and renovation of Bronaeron. The report concluded that the work undertaken had been successfully achieved both under-budget and within timescales. Council decided that it did not wish to incur a £3k additional cost by undertaking professional valuation of the refurbished property.
The Junior Club is being reviewed, with the view to reinstating this popular service to children interested in the Welsh breeds. This will not replace the recently introduced Junior Membership.
Council agreed to present a trophy to the Champion Young Handler at the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show as from 2011. This is a new competition that is being introduced in 2011 (further information from the RWAS).
99 new members were accepted to the Society, 15 of these being from overseas.
The next Council meeting will take place on the 14th December 2010.
Anna L. Prytherch
Principal Officer
9th November 2010
