Minutes of the AGM

Elke Martin, Paul Southwell, Pam Medlock, Alistair Lennox, John Ware.

Minutes were proposed as a true record by the Chairman, agreed by members & signed by the Chairman.

No matters arising.

The MDU has been busy all Summer attending various events across the county. Thanks to Keith Mace for finding and booking these events and for towing the unit to events. Thanks also to members who helped out on the MDU. It's now in storage and in need of some repairs ready for this Summer. We don't know how many people visit the MDU and go on to become members, but its attendance at the events help spread the road safety message.

Recruitment - 6 bike and 26 new car associates. We completed 5 bike tests and 12 car tests. Thanks to Martin for his efforts as membership secretary. He is standing down at this AGM, more about that later on.

All our active Observers are qualified to National Standard which is now a mandatory requirement. We've got Kev Smith our car Observer trainer to thank for this. He's worked hard to train Observers and to do check drives on associates prior to test. He has given up a lot of his time and driven all over the county in the last 3 years but is now standing down. Kev is an enthusiast for safer driving and we have a lot to thank him for. We're lucky to have a replacement for him in this vital role.

We desperately need more Observers, especially across the county outside Norwich. There are a couple of Observers in training but not enough. Becoming an Observer is the next step for anyone wanting to progress in safer driving. Anyone who is interested can speak to me or any Committee member.

The Group should be grateful to all the Committee, without whom the Group could not function, so I thank them on the members' behalf. As we will see later there are vacancies on the Committee with existing Committee members filling in as required. It's not fair for the Group to expect this, so more Committee members are required. If you're interested speak to me or any Committee member.

And a thank you to Caroline who serves tea and coffee at our social events, an important task not to be underestimated.

Finally, 2026 is the 70th anniversary of the IAM being formed. It is also the 60th anniversary of this group being formed. We will be marking both events. Details will be announced later.

Unfortunately the Secretary could not attend due to illness, so the Chairman read out her report:

Welcome everyone to our 60th AGM.

A time 60 years ago, Secretarial duties and Minute taking were either handwritten or then typed over on a typewriter! We’ve also seen a fair few volunteers over this time! But if you made a mistake, it was a case of using manual methods like erasers, correction paper and correction fluid. The process usually time-consuming, especially when dealing with carbon copies or getting debris out of the typewriter! I’m sure lots of you remember this era!  Look how far we’ve come today and how slick computers can be.

Well, it’s very pleasing to report how successful our group has been all through 2025 and early part of this year already in 2026 with new associates wishing to become advanced drivers and riders. We see a real mix in demographics which makes it even more interesting for our dedicated car and bike National Observers. On that note, a quick shout out to our great Observers, we don’t get to see them too often but, in the background, they go above and beyond to get our Associates test ready, so thank you top Observers!

As we know, making journeys safer is key to our mission and having our loyal members on board really does make a huge difference and keeps the wheels turning here! So thank you for your ongoing loyalty!

We have been able, month by month, to bring to you great guest speakers and as we do not currently have a designated socials secretary, we’ve managed between us to find and secure upcoming speakers. Do check the website or through Lara Slater our social media guru who sends out via email, super monthly mailshots direct to your inbox! Better still, feel free to recommend speakers to us, we are always on the lookout. Remember you can always bring friends and family and enjoy our raffle on the night!

We always welcome events by you or stories for our Wheels Newsletter, it could be a testimonial, a blog, somewhere interesting you’ve visited, or just a simple fun fact! Vernon Clarke our tremendous editor will be happy to publish it, subject to space and discretion.

A gentle reminder to let us know if your personal details change ie: phone, address or email. Any committee member will be happy to amend this for you.

Finally a huge “Thank you” to Martin Woodhouse, a remarkable length of time Martin has served here with Norfolk & Norwich Group.  Martin showed me the ropes when I first joined which I’m very grateful for. As Chairman said, we’ll be coming back to Martin later in the evening!

In closing, we really are a great road safety charity so enjoy the rest of your evening and wishing you all a safe 2026.

A copy of the accounts for the financial year to September 2025 was made available to all attending members.

The treasurer explained that although the figures showed an improvement from the previous year, we must not be complacent.

The figures had been helped along by the increased numbers of new associates from which we get £41.00 each from IAM Roadsmart. We can but hope that this continues during 2026.

We have already had 2 new associates during January, so let’s hope this is a promising sign.

Copies of the accounts had been distributed amongst those members present, and the question was asked as to if there were any questions / queries.

As there was nothing forthcoming, a vote was proposed by Roly Batchelor and seconded by Bob Tash to accept the figures, which was unanimously agreed.

oth the Secretary and Treasurer were willing to stand again.

This was proposed by Ian Cain and seconded by Martin Woodhouse. Unanimously accepted

All current Committee Members willing to stand for 2026:

The Committee was re-elected en bloc proposed by Lara Slater and seconded by Roly Batchelor. This proposition was carried unanimously.

Membership Secretary - Neil Spinks. Proposed by Martin Woodhouse. Seconded by Elke Martin.

Chief Observer Car - Ian Slater. Proposed by Lara Slater. Seconded by Ian Cain.

Chief Observer Bike - Steve Silcocks. Proposed by Ian Cain. Seconded by Paul Southwell.

All accepted unanimously.

Note The Chief Observer title has replaced the Observer Training Coordinator. It's the same role but this new title reflects what other groups do and aligns with what the IAM expect.

Merit Plate for the member making the biggest contribution to the Group - No nominations.

Norman Parker Trophy for a driving competition - None held.

Colin Morley Trophy for Road Safety Quiz - None held.

There was a presentation to Martin Woodhouse, the retiring membership secretary, in recognition of his service to the Group over more than 40 years. Much of that time Martin has been on the Committee in various roles, has been very active within the Group, and has done the buffet for the AGM for many years.

Martin was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the IAM by Carl Sturman who commended Martin for his work for the Group and his contribution to road safety in Norfolk. Martin also received a bottle of whisky from the Group and was made Honorary Life President of the Group. Martin thanked the Group and assured us that he would not lose touch.

AGM Meeting closed at 20:00

Followed by a light buffet and Open Forum ending at 21:15

NEXT 61st AGM – WEDNESDAY 13th JANUARY 2027.