AGM and Members’ Slide Evening

Virtual Meeting via Zoom

Our first AGM (and hopefully the last) by Zoom went well, although not very well attended. Four motions required voting for and these were slickly performed by our “Zoom Master” David Cope, giving rapid and accurate results in a very transparent way. All were carried unanimously including votes submitted by post. The branch committee was enlarged to include three co-opted members in an attempt to increase our organisational resilience. Before the members’ slide evening we experimented with some short video images. On show were: – Steam at Speed; Manchester – Sheffield electrics; the Midland Pullman; and 1967-8 steam at Preston. The idea was to “test the water” to see if the membership was receptive to viewing video clips as a group and then discussing them. The idea seemed to find favour, so we will carry on with this experiment in some form. We then viewed slides from Rodger Green’s collection and finished with images from Iain Scotchman’s extensive and eclectic portfolio – a fascinating range of modern traction and rolling stock, entitled A 2020 Retrospective – was served-up for our enjoyment. There were many interesting shots from around Europe, and closer to home on the GE and LTS. Fortunately Iain’s show will continue at our next meeting. As with many other branches, we adapted to the new prevailing circumstances and after a slight stutter, concluded a successful year, making new friends along the way. We look forward to a full programme in 2021, necessarily delivered flexibly, and welcoming attendance from around the UK and beyond.