AT the 22nd annual general meeting of the Malvern Women’s Guild of Friendship held on January 20, Jenny Bull, Chairman, presented a floral tribute to Audrey Sayce to mark her retirement from the Committee after 15 years. On behalf of the Guild she thanked her for her wonderful work as Chairman for 11 years and Treasurer for 4 years and said she should be greatly missed on the Committee.

Pauline Glover and Diana Quance were also retiring and were thanked for all their hard work on the Committee and for serving refreshments at monthly meetings.

Jenny Bull, who had just completed four years as Chairman, thanked the Committee for their excellent support and said she was happy to report that membership numbers had remained constant. The yearly subscription fee was rising from £12 to £15 with the extra £3 going towards a chosen charity each year. This was instead of the annual Bring and Buy event for charity which would be replaced by “Coffee, Cake and Chat” at the August meeting.

Avril Stevens, Secretary, had written a report covering the year’s speakers and additional activities such as the bring-and-buy sale in August which raised £250 for Community Action, outings to Warwickshire in June and Gloucester docks in October and the delicious November lunch at Worcestershire Golf Club.

Audrey Sayce, Treasurer, commented on the income and expenditure account for the year ending December 31, 2016 which was accepted. She thanked the members for supporting her over the past 15 years and gave her best wishes to new members of the Committee.

The following Officers and committee were willing to continue in their present roles and were re-elected en bloc for 2016, Jenny Bull (Chairman), Jean Kemp (Assistant Chairman), Avril Stevens (Secretary), Cherry Cook, Delphine Jeffries, Beryl Maile and Joan Newman (Committee).

The following were nominated to join the committee and were elected en bloc, Jeanne Dollery (Treasurer), Pat Hughes and Cheryl Robertson (Committee).

After the annual general meeting Peter Buchanan gave a short talk about The Lyttelton Well, the Guild’s charity for 2016. The Lyttelton Well is run by a council of management consisting of twelve members drawn from any of the twenty churches who support the well. It serves the whole community and is a distribution and collection point for the local food bank, to which it also contributes food. The Lyttelton Well has a Counselling Service with professionally trained Counsellors who provide counselling and support for a wide range of issues.

Sixty-one members joined the guild last year and there were also many visitors. It aims to develop a lively responsible group to promote friendship and would welcome new members. Meetings are held at Christ Church Hall, Avenue Road, Malvern, on the third Wednesday of each month at 10.30am.

At February’s meeting Angela Hugman will give a talk about working as a physiotherapist in the Middle East.

AVRIL STEVENS