Roll Call

• Present at the Westons’ home Paul Weston Chairperson
• Amanda Burt Secretary
• Ben Ridsdale Events Coordinator
• Chris Payne Treasurer
• Ian White Executive Officer
• Leon Gilbert Webmaster
• Mandy Clayton Executive Officer

Michael Payne and Sharlene Weston.

Present on the TAFN Communicator

Alicey Hartog, Ann Saunders,
Audrey Tonge, Ayesha Bhatia, Catherine McManus, Christine Brown, David Richards,
Drusilla Insole, Elizabeth Standen, Gladys Taylor, Harry Mason, Huug Hartog,
Jane Young, Jaye Ayres, Jim Bradley, Jim Grech, Jimmy Lidstone, John Hoschander,
John Wilsher, John Hinchcliffe, Katie Reay, Kirsten Edmondson, Lillian Stubbs,
Linda Tyler, Mags Franklin, Maria Chapman, Mark Tyler, Martin Tonge, Michael
Brown, Monique Lannot, Paul Johnson, Peter Beasley, Peter Hallam, Phil Hartog,
Rosemary Bradley, Shirley Grant, Stanley Saunders, Stephen Evans, Steve Pallett,
Sue Pallett, Teresa Payne, Tony Bowers and Trevor Franklin.

Apologies

Brian Clayton, Carl Hickson, Carol Forrester, David Quarmby, Irene Elbourn,
Jackie Glynn, Jill Storey, Leah Todd, Martin Norris, Michelle Collins and Stephen
Hassall.

1. Welcome and Reading of the 2010 Annual Report

The newly elected Chairperson Paul Weston commenced by welcoming members
to the 7th TAFN Annual General Meeting AGM, and then proceeded to play a recording
of the 2010 Annual Report, read by his wife Sharlene Weston. Paul then
thanked and congratulated Sharlene on the excellent way that she had delivered
the report, and many members echoed this sentiment. This document, along
with the recording would be made available in the Members’ Area in the near
future.

2. Presentation of the TAFN Star Awards

Paul Weston began by stating that all members owed a debt of gratitude to
all those people who had given up their time to volunteer for TAFN over the
past year, whether these people had donated a small amount of time or had given
many hours per week for the benefit of the charity, and Paul thanked every person
who had volunteered in any way.
Paul then continued by saying that the Executive Committee had selected some
of these people to receive a Star Award, and this was in no way meant to overshadow
the work that all the volunteers had undertaken, but was just meant to offer
a special thank you to some of the people who had stood out when it came to
their service to TAFN. Anyone not present at Paul’s house who had been
given an award would be sent their prize in the near future. The individual
Star Awards were then presented to the following recipients
Tech Support Star Award – Ben Ridsdale
This award was presented to Ben for his efforts in the past year in coordinating
the tech team, as well as introducing the use of Team Viewer, a remote assistance
product, and also implementing the Skype account allowing people to contact
members of the tech team via Skype. Peter Hallam was also mentioned in this
area for his continued dedication to assisting members with their technical
problems. As Ben was present at his house, Paul then went on to present him
with his award, and Ben described it as a gold medal in the shape of a five
point star. On the bottom right hand side of the star was the wording,
“Special Award” and it was set in a maroon case with a gold trim around the
side of the presentation area. On the inside of the lid of the case was
a plaque on a white background and this plaque contained the name of the recipient
and the category of the award which had been presented.
Ben went on to thank the Executive Committee for his award, and he said that
this had been a genuine surprise, and he was extremely touched by the gesture.
He continued by saying that the kind of schemes that he had introduced
could only work if the members used them and he very much hoped that people
would take full advantage of them. Many members offered congratulations
to Ben on his award and said that he very much deserved it.
Committee Volunteer Star Award – Monique Lannott
This award was presented to Monique for her hard work as team leader on the
email list moderators’ team, and for her excellent work as the leader of the
TAFN Radio team. Paul Weston pointed out that her administrative role
as part of the forthcoming TAFN Soap had made her a worthy recipient of this
award. Thanks and recognition should also be given to Richard Wilkin for all
his hard work as part of the recent CAMEO Committee. Monique thanked everyone
for her award, and many members proffered their warmest congratulations to her
and said that she was a very worthy winner.
Education & Training Star Award – Greg Hamilton
This award was presented to Greg who had hosted some extremely popular and
useful Microsoft Word and Excel Training courses in recent months. This was
an area that TAFN were very serious about and the Executive Committee believed
that it was important to help people improve their skills, whether on a computer
or in any other way. Recognition was also given to Elisabeth Standen for
her excellent work as part of the TAFN and ABAPSTAS merger, and for her involvement
in the Creative Writing Classes. Paul said that some excellent feedback
had been received about Greg’s event, and the Executive Committee had felt that
he was a worthy recipient, and many members concurred and proffered congratulations
to him. Greg was not present at the AGM to receive the accolade in person.
New Member Star Award – Justin Macleod
This award was presented to Justin, who whilst only becoming a member of
TAFN at the beginning of the summer had shown a passion and enthusiasm for the
site that had resulted in him not only making great use of the facilities but
also becoming a member of the Events Committee. Justin had made many friends
very quickly, and had started a role playing event recently. Recognition
was also given to Philip Anderson for his becoming involved in events soon after
becoming a new member of TAFN. Justin was not present at the meeting but
he was congratulated on his award in his absence.
Consistent Participant Star Award – John Hoschander
This award went to John for his consistent dedication to attending and becoming
involved in events and activities on the TAFN Communicator. John had been in
the top five users of the Communicator every month for the past year, and the
Executive Committee felt that this dedication should be rewarded.. Recognition
was also given to Stephen Evans in this regard who as a relatively new member
had also exhibited a keen desire to get involved in as many things as possible.
John gave his thanks for the award and most members agreed that he deserved
the accolade greatly.
Long Standing Member Star Award – Audrey Tonge
This award was presented to Audrey in recognition of her long term commitment
to TAFN, and in particular for serving 6 years on the Executive Committee, the
last 4 years of which had been as Chairperson. Many other members had
been cited in this regard including Steve Pallet, Shirley Grant and Katie Reay.
Paul went on to point out that there were a plethora of people who could
be mentioned in this category but said that Audrey had stood out because of
her tireless efforts on behalf of the charity. A host of members offered warm
congratulations to Audrey, and said that she had been a worthy winner for the
effort that she had put into working for TAFN, and Audrey thanked everyone for
their good wishes and said that she was very proud to be the recipient of the
award.
Event Host Star Award – Catherine McManus
This award was presented to Catherine for being the host of numerous events
on the TAFN Communicator including Chain Reaction, Aussie Snippets, the Aussie
Music theme night and the Music with the Aussie Girls event. These events, Paul
pointed out, were the reason that TAFN had an events programme during the day.
There were many other people who were worthy of recognition in this area including
Ben Ridsdale, Monique Lannott and Tony Bowers amongst others. Catherine gave
her warmest thanks to the Executive Committee for the award, and to the people
who attended her events, and said that the gesture had been a huge surprise
to her. Many members congratulated her on her award and agreed that Catherine
and some of the other Australian members ensured that TAFN had events running
in the daytime.
Event of the Year Star Award – RACE NIGHT
The award for event of the year was presented to the organisers of the ever
popular Race Night, an event which year after year attracted a large crowd and
provided a lot of entertainment whilst at the same time raising funds for the
charity. There had been such excellent feedback from this event, and many people
had said what a great evening it had been. Trevor Franklin and Margaret
Silbery were the main event hosts and were presented with this award. Other
events worthy of acknowledgement included the Christmas Pantomime, Easter Treasure
Hunt and Talent Nights which had been held on the Communicator. Trevor thanked
Paul Weston, Ben Ridsdale, Molly Young and Chris Payne for their assistance
with the evening, and went on to express his thanks for the award. Lots
of members offered their best wishes to Trevor and Margaret for what they considered
an excellent event.
Behind the Scenes Star Award – Liz Jones
This award was presented to Liz for her efforts behind the scenes on so many
projects including as writer of the Christmas Pantomime, Murder Mystery and
the upcoming TAFN Soap and for her assistance on events such as the Harry Potter
night, Trust Me It Must Be True, and the TAFN Team Challenge. Liz also produced
the minutes for the TAFN Members’ Meetings and was a member of the Events Committee.
Recognition was also given in this regard to Amanda Burt and Teresa Payne for
all their hard work. Liz was not present at the meeting, but many members
offered their congratulations to her in her absence.
Spreading the Word Star Award – Leon Gilbert
This award was presented to Leon for his work promoting TAFN both at exhibitions
such as Sight Village and also as part of his work for the Middlesex Association
for the Blind. Paul Weston said that Leon had probably introduced more members
to TAFN than any other member. Recognition in this regard was also given
to Richard Wilkin for his work on the Publicity Committee, and for his excellent
work in helping to produce a TAFN flyer. As Leon was present at Paul’s
house for the meeting he was presented with his award forthwith. He went
on to thank the Executive Committee, and many members proffered their warm congratulations
to Leon.

3. Presentation of the Member of the Year Award

Paul Weston explained that the Member of the Year award differed from the
Star Awards because it was voted for by the members. People had been asked
to nominate someone who they thought had made a big difference for TAFN in the
last year, and Paul said that he was delighted to announce that the 2010 recipient
of this award was
Shirley Grant
in recognition of her tireless work on the CAMEO Committee, and her massive
involvement during that weekend. Paul went on to say that Shirley had
also helped out with some events and had offered technical support to members
which had been very much appreciated. A plethora of members expressed their
delight and said that Shirley was very deserving of this award, and was a very
special lady.
Shirley said that she was overwhelmed at receiving the award, and she thanked
everyone for their nominations, and said that she appreciated their kindness
very much. Shirley continued by saying that everyone did such wonderful
work for TAFN, and she was very glad that she was available to anyone who needed
help.
Paul expounded by reporting that the Member of the Year award was a very
attractive cut glass tall pillar with a diamond shape on the top of it, and
he said that this would be engraved and presented to Shirley at the earliest
convenience.

4. Conclusion of Meeting

Paul Weston thanked everyone for attending, and after many members congratulated
those involved in the excellent Annual General Meeting of 2010, he duly closed
the Meeting.
Paul Weston
Chairperson
The Accessible Friends Network.
Minutes transcribed by Liz Jones
Please address all Minute enquiries to TAFN Secretary Amanda Burt at secretary@tafn.org.uk