Minutes of our first AGM

These minutes are a draft until the members approve them at the next Annual General Meeting. They are published here so that every member can read what was decided, whether or not they were able to come.

1. Attendance, apologies and quorum

Rodolfo Grave de Peralta Reyes, Chair of the charity, presided under clause 11(4) of the constitution and took the minutes.

• 22 members were present in person.
• 6 members attended by Microsoft Teams.
• 9 members were represented by proxy.

Seven of the eight charity trustees were present in person and are included in the 22: Rodolfo Grave de Peralta Reyes, Riyanat Calfos, Dilgassa Kitil, Maria Jarzabek-Raghunathan, Volha Sochneva, Owolola Thompson Duke and Peter William James Woollard. Vedavalli Kanala was not present.

All nine proxies appointed the Chair, each by a reply from the member's own registered email address, which clause 11(7)(a)(iii) permits the charity to accept as sufficient authentication. Seventeen apologies were received before the meeting, including those of the nine members who appointed the Chair as their proxy.

Clause 11(5)(b) sets the quorum at the greater of 15 members or 5% of the membership, which is 18. With 22 members present in person and a further 9 represented by proxy, the meeting was quorate and remained so throughout. It was convened by notice given to all members on 6 September 2026 in accordance with clause 11(3); the start time was later moved from 7.00 pm to 7.30 pm and the change was published on this website.

2. Trustees' Annual Report and accounts

The Chair presented the Trustees' Annual Report and the Receipts and Payments Accounts for the charity's first accounting period, 24 March 2025 to 31 August 2026, both of which had been sent to every member with the notice of the meeting.

• Total receipts £127,091.19, of which £51,898.57 was raised by the charity and £75,192.62 was transferred from the predecessor Townley PTA.
• Total payments £47,478.51.
• Cash at bank at 31 August 2026 £79,612.68.
• Grants approved and not yet paid £25,720.11, leaving free reserves of £53,892.57.

The Chair drew the members' attention to the fact that the accounts have not yet been independently examined, and explained why: the accounting period closed on 31 August 2026 and the notice of the meeting had to be sent by 6 September to hold it within the 18 months allowed by clause 11(1), which left no time for an examination. The accounts were therefore presented as drafts, and the examined accounts will be filed with the Charity Commission well before the deadline of 30 June 2027.

The Chair reported that the trustees had appointed Thomas Adamu, a member of the charity with an accountancy background, as independent examiner, and that he had begun reviewing the draft accounts. Mr Adamu was present at the meeting. The appointment of an independent examiner is a decision of the charity trustees; it was reported to the members for information and was not a decision of this meeting.

The Trustees' Annual Report and the accounts were received by the members without objection.

3. Election of charity trustees

The Chair explained that all eight serving trustees stood for election: the seven appointed by the trustees retire at the conclusion of the first Annual General Meeting under clause 13(5), and the Chair, as longest serving, retires by rotation under clause 13(1). The notice had invited further nominations from members by 16 September 2026. No further nominations were received, and none was made at the meeting.

The vote was taken by a show of hands among the members present in the hall, by a "Yes" or "No" message from the members attending by Teams, and by the Chair casting the nine proxies he held. Of the six members attending online, three responded. The Chair cast all nine proxy votes in favour.

It was resolved unanimously that the following eight members be elected as charity trustees: Rodolfo Grave de Peralta Reyes, Riyanat Calfos, Dilgassa Kitil, Vedavalli Kanala, Maria Jarzabek-Raghunathan, Volha Sochneva, Owolola Thompson Duke and Peter William James Woollard. No votes were cast against, and no abstentions were recorded.

The Chair noted that under clause 12(2)(c) no one may act as a charity trustee, on appointment or re-appointment, until they have expressly acknowledged their acceptance of office. No acceptance was signed or given at the meeting; the Chair undertook to write to each elected trustee so that each may acknowledge acceptance, and the acknowledgements will be kept with these minutes.

4. Chair's report

The Chair reported on the charity's first period and on the year ahead: the grants and equipment funded for the school, the 11+ Familiarisation and Mock Exam Sessions, the Year 11 Proms and other events, the charity's financial position and its principal risks, and the ways in which members can help.

He also reported four matters which are decisions for the trustees rather than for the members, and which the trustees had not yet decided. Each was reported to the members as a proposal only:

• a reserves policy, proposing a free reserves target of £10,000 to £20,000;
• the charity's position on public liability insurance, no cover having been held during the period;
• ratification of the approval of membership applications under clause 9(1)(b); and
• ratification of the appointment of the Chair under clause 19(2).

The members were invited to propose activities and to take part in running them. One member offered to volunteer. No other proposals were made.

5. Questions from members

The Chair invited questions and comments. None were raised.

6. Close

There being no further business, the Chair thanked the members for attending, the volunteers for their work during the year and the school for the use of the Main Hall, and declared the meeting closed at 8.20 pm. The next Annual General Meeting must be held within 15 months of this one, that is by 23 December 2027 (clause 11(1)).

7. Matters arising

• The Chair to write to each elected trustee so that each may acknowledge acceptance of office under clause 12(2)(c), and to keep the acknowledgements with these minutes.
• The Chair to give the independent examiner access to the accounting records, and to complete the examination in time to file the accounts by 30 June 2027.
• The trustees to decide the reserves policy, the public liability insurance position, the ratification of membership approvals and the ratification of the Chair's appointment.
• The Chair to follow up with the member who offered to volunteer.

Would you like to help? Our volunteering page lists what needs doing, and anyone can become a member. If you have a question about anything in these minutes, please get in touch.