Our 43rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place at the Copped Hall on Saturday 30 October 2021 with a good turn out and we enjoyed meeting in person again! A total number of 54 members including Trustees and the Trust’s ambassador attended the meeting. 8 members submitted a Proxy form. All the staff, several volunteers, and visitors also attended. We were pleased to re-elect Patricia Moxey as Director and elected Melissa Murphy as Director.
Judy Adams, Chair of Epping Forest Heritage Trust, expressed her thanks to volunteers, members, and staff who have continued to support the Trust during the pandemic. In her presentation, she shared brief updates on the Trust’s work and achievements during the year. She also introduced the Trust’s Strategic Business Plan setting the framework for our development for the next 5 years.
Our Members’ Day followed with the support from the Copped Hall Trust volunteers, who provided three very interesting tours including a tour of Copped Hall and the restoration works, the gardens and even going into the cellars. Their extensive knowledge and obvious enthusiasm made for an interesting afternoon. In addition, our thanks to their catering team for the first-grade lunch we all enjoyed.
Our Thanks to Karen
Our thanks to Karen Hart, our Heritage Project Manager and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the Lotter players for enabling us to undertake and complete the projects within the ‘Raising the Game’ Project! It has been of significant value to the Trust- helping us to establish our route ahead and providing us with expert advice in Marketing, Fundraising, and Membership Development. The grant support also enabled us to secure Consultants to facilitate workshops with Trustees, staff, and volunteers at the Visitor Centre to look at how we could develop the Centre and increase visitor engagement. We have been very proud that we have kept the Centre going during the last 7 years, providing information for circa 20,000 visitors a year, with only a gap in service during Covid restrictions.
We have welcomed and enjoyed being able to help visitors find out about where to go and discover the value and interest of the Forest. We are currently carrying out the Evaluation of the Project, which is also proving valuable for us. A key point for the funder is that the funded projects have and is enabling us to forward the development of the Trust – to attract more supporters, enabling us to play an increased role in preserving the Forest, and promoting the value of the Forest with an increasing number of new participants coming to enjoy, understand and value the Forest. The threats to the Forest have never been so challenging and we want to rise to the increased demand for support for the Forest, providing more voices for the Forest for many years to come.
