We have had a very successful year. Our profile has been raised by numerous activities and on your behalf I am very grateful for the enterprise and hard work put in by our officers and committee members. As a result our membership has increased at an unprecedented rate and as I write the figure is approaching 300 representing over 200 households. This is great news because as we increase our membership we gain influence in the counsels affecting the future of the Malvern area.
I am often asked why our membership is increasing so rapidly. I believe that there are five reasons. First and foremost one has become aware that our meetings are engendering a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. It's great to see people being greeted as they arrive and later to see them chatting over a cuppa after the meeting. Several of you are also helping to clear things away, thank you.
Second, we have stepped up our programme of visits. 2006 has seen eight coach trips. Some said it was too ambitious but they have all been successful. The most popular was the visit to Bletchley Park, the National Codes Centre. It took place the next morning after Mark Baldwin's very professional talk and demonstration of a German Enigma machine. No wonder the coach was full!
Third, we have developed more of a regional stance. Malvern and the surrounding area is still our main focus but we recognize that events in the West Midlands as a whole cannot be ignored. As a result we have responded by broadening the subject matter of our talks and reporting. We have responded to the enterprise shown by Wychavon Council in respect of the new Pershore Community Hospital. We are having joint meetings with neighbouring civic societies and attending meetings of WMASA. We are also visiting Birmingham and seeing what is happening in our great city neighbour.
Fourth, the new A4 format of our Newsletter has had a favourable response. It has changed to reflect these wider concerns. Not all the articles are about Malvern. We are trying to encourage a broader interest in the area as a whole. Just look at the local visits planned for 2007 that include forays into Herefordshire, namely, Kilpeck, Shobdon, Brampton Bryan and Cradley.
Fifth, I think we can be proud of the work put in by our Planning Sub-Committee. I have lost count of the number of planning applications that have been scrutinized. We have been careful not to be always seen to be opposing plans put forward. We do not want to be seen as dinosaurs or on the
other hand ruthlessly sweeping aside our Victorian heritage. Our stance has to be balanced, reasonable and above all, fair.
A notable development has been our submission document 'High Street UK Great Malvern - Notes for discussion'. On your behalf this has gone before the partnership hosted by the Civic Trust and the New Economics Foundation. It is becoming clear that these two bodies are concerned to put the heart back into towns like Malvern that have been suffering from out of town shopping developments. They will report back in December. In our document we have put together a number of disparate ideas and as such it will not please everyone, but it is a start. I can assure you that in its formulation it has sparked off what diplomats call a frank exchange of views!
Is Malvern going to get a new Community Hospital? I wish I knew the answer. This Society has been consistently more cautious in our assessment than most commentators with the possible exception of our MP, Sir Michael Spicer. A figure of around £8m for a new small hospital seems small beer beside Birmingham's new £559m University Hospital funded by a PFI but as I write the search for a Malvern partner has now switched to mainland Europe despite a government announcement in July that cash is available for community hospitals. To get the full background story why not visit our website: www.malverncivicsociety.co.uk.
Meanwhile we have continued our support for Malvern Spring Garden Show, Bands in the Park, English Heritage Open Days and Autumn in Malvern. We have remained on watch dealing with 'Facelift' opportunities whenever scaffolding goes up or we learn of an opportunity to enhance the appearance of Malvern. We are also working steadily on the installation of Blue Plaques in commemoration of famous individuals who have over the years graced Malvern with their presence. Please be patient with us, bureaucracy grinds the thing out. Work is continuing with our Local List of worthwhile but at present unprotected properties in Malvern. An amazingly comprehensive list of Malvern's Gas Lamps has been put together and we have produced a booklet on the 'Clerkenwell Markers'.
When I joined our committee I was surprised as I expect you will be to learn that Malvern Civic Society is not a registered charity. Apparently although our rules are framed as though we are a charity it is not so. Your committee has decided that this is a state of affairs that should not be allowed to continue. We believe that registering as a charity will not only encourage future donors but it will also increase our revenue at a stroke by virtue of the tax advantages that charity status will give us. Initially this measure will enable us to (ctd on page 4)