AGM thanked outgoing president, voted in the new president, saw a book launch and discussed projects for 2025

Last Saturday, 16 Nov 2024, Exeter Civic Society ran its AGM and Planning Ahead meeting for 2025 with good participation from members. Dr Julia Neville was confirmed as the new President of our Society and led the expressions of thanks and gratitude to our outgoing President Hazel Harvey. Several speaker outlined Hazel's hard work for the society over decades and her instrumental role in reviving ECS in 2011 when it was close to shutting down, due to a lack of commitment for crucial roles. It was said that she can leave her post with the Society being in much better shape and looking strongly into its future, a future Dr Julia Neville will help to shape.

The AGM also saw the launch of the revised and updated 2nd edition of ‘St Leonard’s and the Quay’, the second booklet in our ‘Discovering Exeter’ series and now the first one with the new layout. Ian Maxted with the support of others did a fabulous job to provide us with a modern approach and updated information about what has become a tourist hotspot and well loved quarter of Exeter since the booklet had been first published in 1982.

The second half of the meeting was dedicated to planning ahead for 2025. Keith Lewis as ECS Chair and Gert Vonhoff as Chair of the ‘Strategic Planning & Highways Group’ presented potential engagement hotspots and projects for the work in the next year of the society. There was a good amount of discussion about these ideas and decisions of how best to deal with them were taken.

David Solman will take over the lead of our ‘Tree Preservation Taskforce’ from Stephen Mariner and Ruth McLeish and continue with the successful work, which has helped to make the society more visible to Exeter citizens, especially with the ‘Save Larkbear House and Grounds’ campaign.

The AGM and meeting concluded in a shared lunch, prepared by Corinne Richards (home-made sausage roles and cup-cakes included), which gave everybody the chance to exchange opinions and have some small talk.

You can read more about the ‘Planning Ahead’ in the document in the side panel and get some more impressions of last Saturday by viewing the photos below.

Election of Dr Julia Neville as new President and words of thanks to Hazel Harvey as outgoing President

Launch of Ian Maxted's revised 'Discovering Exeter' booklet and Keith Lewis thanking him for the excellent work

AGM and Planning Ahead meeting