During our second AGM we shared with our Members our plans to roll out our first training programme in collaboration with Reading Voluntary Action, and which will focus on good governance.

We also informed Members that we will re-vamp our website… Watch this space and tell us what you think (including on thoughts you might have on how we might improve it the further).

Thank you

Since our last AGM, we have said farewell to two of our Trustees:

Trish Thomas, whose other commitments were placing greater demands on her time, was no longer be able to continue as Trustee for RAN. She decided not to stand for re-election at this AGM.

Leslie Macdonald’s had previously taken her decision to step down as Trustee earlier in the year, as she also felt her other roles were demanding too much of her time.

RAN's Board, Members and staff thank Leslie and Trish for all the support they have given us as we “found our feet”.

Business of the meeting

We presented our Business Plan and Accounts.

Our guest speaker: Peter Sloman

We were very pleased to welcome Peter Sloman (Reading Borough Council's new CEO) for an informal conversation with our members about his vision for the relationship between the voluntary and statutory sectors.

He endorsed our work by reaffirming his support for increasing the number of contact points between RBC staff and those working in the Information and Advice sector.

Peter also explained in some detail the causes of the current funding cuts that Reading Borough Council has had to implement. He highlighted how a combination of misaligned political philosophies of successive governments, the effects of the financial crisis and an increasing demand on statutory services (particularly those for the protection of young children), were responsible for the strong measures they are having to take.

He was very positive about the three-year strategy RBC had developed.

We were very encouraged by the tenor of the discussion and look forward to working together to find ways to increasing the number of meeting points between the Information and Advice sector policy makers.

For the time being, we are in discussions RBC to see if there might be any way in which frontline staff from statutory information and advice organisations might come to our Third Forum on “Partnerships and Networking” to allow them to learn more about other sector staff and work better together.