AGM Review from the Common Preservation Society AGM 2020

Dear Member

In view of the limitations imposed during the Covid pandemic, we will not be holding a normal AGM this year. In its place and using the new powers recently enacted by Parliament, we will be holding a virtual AGM so that the necessary legal formalities can be dealt with.

I do ask you to read the attached AGM notice and reports and please vote on the resolutions by Wednesday 23rd September using the link below. There are various ways of casting your vote which are explained below and are very simple. PLEASE DO VOTE to help us get the business done.

PLEASE VOTE USING THIS LINK: https://doodle.com/poll/gd4k9fgazqks76sg

I thank all for their support during another transformative year for the Society and wish you all the best in these challenging times. Robin Hoyle Chair

Please note that: (a) votes must be received by Wednesday 23rd September and (b) the independently examined accounts and the 2019 AGM minutes can be found on our website using the link www.horsellcommon.org.uk/about/agm-2020

Methods of voting are:

1. By completing the voting poll via this link - https://doodle.com/poll/gd4k9fgazqks76sg 2. By sending an email to the Company Secretary @ [email protected] 3. Or by sending the voting form to: Company Secretary, Preservation Society, Heather Farm, Horsell GU21 4XY

If you require a paper version of these documents, please email us at [email protected].

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 1 HORSELL COMMON PRESERVATION SOCIETY Company number 06460936 Charity number 1123473 NOTICE OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING To: All members of Horsell Common Preservation Society Under the terms of our governing articles as extended by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 Horsell Common Preservation Society (“the Society”) needs to hold its AGM before 30th September 2020. This Act also permits the Society to hold a virtual meeting in these circumstances at which no-one attends but votes can be cast by electronic means or any other means, and this is what the Board has decided to do. This arrangement has been forced upon us by the Covid 19 emergency; rest assured we plan on holding a proper open meeting next year. The AGM normally gives our Members the chance to raise questions with the Board of Trustees but this will not be possible this year. If you have any issues to air, please direct your query to the Chairman preferably by email.

Notice is hereby given that the Annual General Meeting of Horsell Common Preservation Society (“the Society”) will take place on Wednesday 23rd September 2020 to undertake the following business.

Ordinary Business 1. To receive and approve the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of the Society held on 3rd June 2019. The minutes have been posted on the Society’s web page. 2. To receive and adopt the examined accounts of the Society for the year to 31st December 2019, together with the Trustees’/Directors’ Reports and the Independent Examiner’s report on those accounts. A simplified financial report has been posted on the Society’s web page by the Treasurer for Members’ to peruse. 3. Following their resignation by rotation to consider and vote upon the re-election of three trustee/directors, Robin Patrick Hoyle, Hannah Patricia Lane, and Caroline Hughes who have offered themselves for re-election so Members are asked to vote to re-elect these three Trustees en bloc. NOTE: The Articles of Association of the Society state that at each annual general meeting one third of the Directors (or if the number of directors is not three or a multiple of three the number nearest to one third) must retire. 4. Members are asked to vote to appoint JS2 Chartered Accountants of One Crown Square Church Street East GU21 6HR as the Society’s independent examiner/auditor to hold office until the conclusion of the Society’s next AGM and to authorise the Directors to fix its remuneration. 5. RESOLUTION: In view of the increase in the Society’s membership Members are asked to vote as a special resolution to delete paragraph 9(2) of the Society’s Articles of Association and to substitute “9(2) A quorum is 25 members entitled to vote upon the business to be conducted at any general meeting”. NOTE: The Society’s Articles currently sets the quorum for general meetings at 25 or one tenth of the Membership ‘whichever shall be the higher’. Since the membership has risen to more than two thousand this creates a very high bar. The Board felt that a quorum of 25 members was a reasonable solution.

Members are asked to confirm your approval or otherwise either one of the following:

4. By completing the voting poll via this link - https://doodle.com/poll/gd4k9fgazqks76sg 5. By sending an email with your response to the five questions below, to [email protected] 6. Or by sending the voting form to: Company Secretary, Horsell Common Preservation Society, Heather Farm, Horsell GU21 4XY

BY ORDER OF THE BOARD David Ludlow Company Secretary, 8 August 2020 Registered Office: Concord House, 165 Church Street East, Woking, GU21 6HJ PROXY VOTING: Any member may appoint a proxy (who need not be a member) to vote on his or her behalf in accordance with Article 19 of the Society’s Articles of Association (Copy form may be obtained from our website horsellcommon.org.uk). Any such proxy must be deposited at the Society’s Registered Office no later than forty-eight hours before the meeting.

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 2 Statements from the prospective candidates for election as trustees:

Hannah Lane Diploma in the Conservation of Antiquities, Institute of Archaeology, London University 1957-9. 33 years at the British Museum, finally as Deputy Head of the Conservation Section. Member of several environmental Organisations, including the North-West Surrey Group of the RSPB working on the Group`s publicity and fundraising stalls. Also, Surrey Wildlife Trust 1997-2013 volunteer one day a week at their office in Pirbright. Practical nature conservation work: Started 1985-1992 on Common. 1990 -- Riverside Walk, Virginia Water. A SNCI site owned by Runnymede Council. 1993-2014 Brentmoor Common SWT, Lightwater. Ottershaw Society, Secretary 1982-2008. Planning Advisor 2008-to present time. I joined the HCPS Conservation Sunday work parties on the Common in 1989. Since Rachel Jones joined as Assistant Ranger, active member of the Tuesday Work Parties throughout the year. Without these work parties every winter in the 1980-90`s much of the Common would have lost its special heathland status as an SSSI and SPA, and reverted to woodland. These designations have resulted in grants that now enable the Society to access professional help as well as volunteers. Since becoming a Trustee in 2011 I have served on the Financial and Legal Committee. Also, represented HCPS on the “HG Wells and Woking Project” to celebrate Wells living in Woking, where he wrote the “War of the Worlds”; and continuing participating in the work parties every winter. If re-elected I hope to carry on with these tasks.

Caroline Hughes I have been a Trustee of the Horsell Common Preservation Society since June 2018 and have coordinated closely with Rachel Jones, Senior Ranger in my specific role working in Public Relations and producing the HCPS newsletter, The Common. My particular interest lies in the environmental issues of the Common, the volunteering work and co ordinating with Thames Basin Heaths Partnership and their Education programme. I learnt about education and the environment during the ten years that I worked as a volunteer at Nower Wood, the Surrey Wildlife Education Centre near Leatherhead once I had retired from my teaching career. I enjoy the regular Tuesday volunteering working parties, removing scrub from the common and thereby improving the habitat for Nightjars, woodlarks, Dartford warblers and the insects and reptiles. There is a great sense of satisfaction at the end of each working party, when you turn around and see a landscape of heather instead of a mix of pine and silver birch and heather hidden amongst. But the work on the common has a far greater impact. I have learnt so much whilst working and of course, it means so much more to you when you have invested your time and energy. During my two years as a trustee I have come to realise the complexity and variety of skills needed to manage the common and the huge commitment of the trustees, the Estate Manager and the Senior Ranger. The regular meetings cover such a wide range of topics from land management, licences, litter problems, building works, damage, squabbles between horse riders and dog walkers and making the 960 acres safe and welcoming to the public. I still feel very humble at these meetings as financial, legal issues and environmental are discussed and decided by all the trustees. There is so much to learn. However, this makes it so important that there is continuity and a range of skills for the efficient management of our well-loved common.

Robin Hoyle I have lived in Horsell for 25 years, enjoying the wonderful facility and resource that Horsell Common provides. It has been a privilege to be involved in the operation of the common and the many projects including the final stage of delivery of the long running Heather Farm and Muslim Burial Ground projects. I am further involved in the community in Horsell serving as chair of Horsell Residents Association and involved in the Second Thursday Club. I have many years of experience as a programme manager for large scale technology projects. I am standing again for election to continue to serve Horsell Common Preservation Society.

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 3

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT For the year ended 31 December 2019 In previous years’ Reports I have set out the ways in which we were pursuing our charitable objectives and providing ‘public benefit’. The comments in those reports still hold good and our strategies in 2019 underlined and supported those objectives. The significant happenings and achievements in 2019, most of which are covered in the reports from Public Relations, Estates Management sub-committees, were as follows: 1. Further attention has been paid to managing and conserving the heathland and other areas that make up the HCPS estate. Further scraping of areas of Horsell Common to control the dense gorse growth will allow heather seeds to germinate. This drastic looking action, along with the increased number of volunteer working parties, will help maintain the important conservation status of our heathland. 2. The management of the revenue-generating Heather Farm building and supporting infrastructure continues to place additional complexity on the workload imposed on our employees. This workload is supplemented by the directorial team of the charity’s management company. 3. The licencing scheme for commercial dog walkers using Horsell and Commons has been running for a year. has been well received and has reduced the number of people walking large numbers of dogs. 4. There is still considerable cause for concern over the proposed housing development on Fairoaks Airport to the north of the Society’s land. The status of this development proposal, which would impact on Horsell Common, remains uncertain. The width and complexity of these issues is managed well by our Estate Manager and Senior Ranger with necessary support from the Trustees. Robin Hoyle, Chair

ESTATES MANAGEMENT REPORT For the year ended 31 December 2019 Last year Horsell and Pyrford Commons experienced a prolonged dry period during spring-early summer but heavy rain in December 2019 helped to restore water levels in the soil. Climate change is causing more extreme weather events and this is likely to be having an impact on the heathland fauna and flora. Some species will benefit from hotter, dryer summers but overall there are likely to be more losers than winners. Dry summers increase the risk of wildfires than can rapidly destroy large areas of heathland.

Events and work carried out during 2019 include:

 The heather beds in the Peace Garden in the former Muslim Burial Ground were replanted to replace plants killed in the 2018 drought. New contractors, Sage and Thyme, were appointed to maintain the garden.  Contractors have cut down scrub on Forge Common and Horsell Birch.  The part of Grasslands that was scraped in 2017 to expose bare ground has been mown to suppress scrub growth and allow young heather plants to develop.  A collection of fruit trees has been planted at Heather Farm near the car park.  Rotten fence posts around Grasslands have been replaced, allowing the area to be grazed by Belted Galloway cattle. Sheep have been used to graze the Heather Farm wetland area.  An estimate of the amount of dog faeces collected from the dog waste bins on the Horsell Common estate is 300 kg a week, or 14 tonnes a year!  A 10-year woodland management plan for Horsell and Pyrford Commons has been written by a consultant. This indicates areas for felling, planting, thinning or underplanting with shrubs. The plan is currently being scrutinised by various statutory bodies prior to approval.  Trees along public roads and by tracks on Horsell and Pyrford Commons have been inspected for safety and dealt with where necessary.  A botanical survey of the valley mire known as the Danewell Gutter showed that it has retained its plant community, despite recent dry summers that have caused the boggy areas to dry out. A recommendation is that this area should be lightly grazed to increase habitat for plants that require disturbed or bare ground.

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 4  Over the last six years Himalayan balsam, a non-native invasive plant, has been much reduced along the Bourne through Mimbridge Meadow and Bourne Fields to the Island by pulling up the plants in July-August before they shed seeds. Similar work has been carried out along the water courses in grazing land north of the Common.  The Orchid Field, on the northern side of Grasslands, has been opened up by the removal of many of the trees and scrub that had invaded this area in recent years. The aim is to restore the Orchid Field as a lightly wooded meadow.  An all-weather path has been constructed between the Sandy Track car park and Heather Farm.  Fly-tipping continues to be a problem, with garden waste, builders’ rubble and domestic goods frequently being dumped by the roads and tracks through the Common. Rough sleepers often take up residence on HCPS land and add to the litter problem.  Volunteer parties from local businesses and other organisations, such as Carlton Road residents, Horsell Woodlanders, Woking People of Faith, Santander, McLaren, Lloyds Bank, Pharma Group, ITT Electronics, BMW marketing team, WWF, Skanska, Woking Hospice, York Road Project, Thameswey, NCS The Challenge, Community Matters Partnership Project, local schools (Fullbrook, St Andrews, Ripley Court, Halstead, Horsell Junior and International School of London) and local scout groups have helped with scrub clearance and other tasks.  Regular volunteer working parties are held mostly on the second Sunday in the month during September to March. In addition, Tuesday morning volunteer sessions are now being held throughout the year. The work carried out is mainly removal of pine and birch saplings from the open heather areas, removal of non-native plants, fence repairs and litter picking. More volunteers are always welcome - see http://www.horsellcommon.org.uk/volunteer/

In addition to the above, there is all the usual work of removing litter, car park and track maintenance and dog bin emptying. Management of Horsell and Pyrford Commons requires liaison with organisations and services, such as the police, Surrey Fire and Rescue service, Woking Borough Council, local residents’ associations, Surrey Wildlife Trust, Natural , McLaren, English Heritage, the Forestry Commission, Surrey Heathland Project and the Thames Basin Heaths Partnership.

Andrew Halstead, Chair of the Estates Management subcommittee

An overview of the HCPS accounts for 2019 and an analysis of the impact of Covid 19 At the end of 2019 HCPS had reserves of £3,415,455 which includes the £1,489,786 investment in HFL (a wholly owned trading subsidiary). Unrestricted general reserves amounted to £722,077 an increase of £83,045 on the prior year (£639,032). This increase in reserves is attributable to the gift aid payment of £57,825 made by Heather Farm Ltd. Money continues to be spent in a prudent way to manage the common in perpetuity for the enjoyment of all local residents. The full accounts can be found on our website.

Post balance Sheet notes At the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic a review of the 2020 budget for both HCPS and its subsidiary (Heather Farm Ltd) was undertaken to ascertain the affect on income and therefore the level of expenditure that could be undertaken in the year. It was concluded that there would be a material impact on revenue in the subsidiary, but expenditure could be controlled in such a way the reserves would not be unduly affected by the Covid19 impact. All volunteer working parties have been stopped for the foreseeable future to ensure the safety of both HCPS staff and the volunteers. This does not have a major impact on the current financial stability of the Charity as the work undertaken by the volunteers can be postponed and is not required to be undertaken by paid contractors. Income for HCPS mainly comes from grant funding and a gift aid payment from the subsidiary. The current grant funding has not been impacted by Covid 19 and is being paid as per the agreements in place. Reserves in the charity have always been kept deliberately high as grant funding for conservation work is not always available. This means that for the foreseeable future the charity is able to maintain a breakeven position with regards to expenditure. The subsidiary Heather Farm limited has mainly rental income and this has been affected by Covid 19. At the beginning of the pandemic the employee was placed on furlough and all non-essential expenditure was cut. This means the subsidiary is able to maintain a breakeven position. This is continually being reviewed and monitored with ongoing discussions with the current tenants and plans put in place to resume payment of rent as and when the situation allowance. The default position of the subsidiary was to help the tenants to also survive the current economic situation so that they could return to the premises as soon as lockdown was eased. There are no material issues that require reporting as post balance sheet events.

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 5 PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT For the year ended 31 December 2019 Horsell Common Preservation Society interacts with the public in various ways including through Facebook and Horsell Village Wire, through volunteering work, through education and through events and activities which are hosted on the Common. Apart from the Newsletter, our Estate Manager Paul Rimmer and Senior Ranger Rachel Jones give regular news updates and photographs on Facebook. These not only report the bad news such as fly tipping, fires and vagrant camping but the good news about the popularity of Heather Farm and the engaging images of sheep and Belted Galloway cattle or the enthusiastic work done by volunteers and the success of the Peace Garden in the former Muslim Burial Ground and filming on the Common of “War of the Worlds” by a small London based team, not the BBC production! Since Rachel Jones has been appointed as Senior Ranger, the number of volunteer hours has increased dramatically. There are twice monthly Tuesday volunteering groups throughout the year in addition to a monthly Sunday working party from September to March. In addition, there are Corporate Groups, schools and Duke of Edinburgh students with their parents. The work varies depending on the season. During the winter months, silver birch and pine scrub have been cleared from Grasslands and the Triangle. In the summer months, there has been fencing work, clearing of willow in the wetlands, making bat and swift boxes, bug hotels and path restoration and mulching and watering of the new fruit trees. Young people have helped to maintain the fencing and wade into the Wetlands to clear out bullrushes, and LinkAble made bug hotels. However, the value of the volunteer work is far greater than clearing scrub! When Rachel meets schools and corporate groups, she first tells them about the history of the Common and the importance of Heathland and the need to create open spaces to maintain the right habitat for a wide variety of species. Many people have never walked on heathland. Rachel’s information added to the practical work on the Common has far reaching if not always immediate results in the greater understanding and care for this special environment. Working in nature has been shown to improve health, make us happier and even boost performance in the workplace. There is a double benefit, both to the Common and to the volunteers. There are many “unsung heroes” who help to keep the Common in good shape including Charles who collects lots of litter, Jan who makes amazing cakes for volunteering days and Greg who has done so much research into bats and bat boxes, swifts and nesting boxes and uses his professional expertise in many ways to help HCPS. The education work on the Common is shared by Horsell Common Preservation Society and by Thames Basin Heaths Partnership. HCPS volunteers enjoyed an informative presentation about swifts. Schools and scout groups have been on mini beast hunts and learnt how to identify insects and invertebrates and make models of them. They have learnt about the importance of this special habitat. Heath Week in late July has provided an opportunity to study some of heathland’s special insects with Andrew Halstead’s encyclopaedic knowledge and great passion of insects adding to the value of these days. A ”Safeguarding for vulnerable people” course was organised for the trustees and managers as part of our duty of care. The Common hosts some very popular events in the year. Canines on the Common has become a very popular event in May with hundreds of dogs. It is a fun day for dog lovers in support of Woking and Sam Beare Hospices. The Common also hosts a charity run organised by Woking Lions. In 2019 it was called the “Martians Run” in memory of H.G Wells whose “” was set partly on the Common. There were over 600 entrants running either 5k, 10 k or a half marathon and £9000 was raised. Hannah Bruce, a local and very successful Horsell artist held an exhibition of her work in the Heather Farm Office. This was well attended and Hannah donated a percentage of her takings to Horsell Common Preservation Society. Many of her paintings in different media depict the Common and its wildlife. The Peace Garden in the former Muslim Burial Ground received an award for the best Urban Greenspace. This design award for the creation of the Peace Garden was jointly presented to Terra Firma Consultancy, Woking Borough Council and HCPS. New heather was planted to replace the heathers which died in the dry summer of 2018. In all, 175 plants each of Erica carnea ‘Springwood white’ and ‘ Springwood pink’ were planted which were in full bloom and attracting bees as well as admiration in the late winter months of 2020. The garden participated in the Woking Heritage Weekend and Elizabeth Cuttle was there to greet any visitors. Paul Rimmer took the opportunity of using the “cherry picker” when it was near the MBG to clean the chattri dome. Visitors and their dogs love walking at Heather Farm where the meadows take a lot of strain off the heather areas and so help to protect the heathland terrain and its precious summer occupants of ground nesting birds, including the Nightjar. From January 22 to February 21, 2019, a record was made of the number of crossings on the wooden bridge over the River

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 6 Bourne. There was a daily average of 289 crossings with a peak on February 17 (half term) of 637. Dogs always leave something not so savoury behind and Rachel has the job of emptying the many “doggy bins”. There was an average weekly collection of 300 kg of dog faeces. However unpleasant this task may be, it has the advantage of allowing Rachel to chat to people using the Common when she is out and about. There will be new information banners at Heather Farm showing three species of heather growing on Horsell Common. Caroline Hughes, Public Relation

Horsell Common Preservation Society – AGM 2020 Review - 7