Friends Meetings

Welcome and thanks for attending the AGM this evening. Many thanks to Elizabeth, Rhys and the HRO staff for their help and support and to the Friends Committee for attending four meetings and one sub-committee meeting. We are very sorry to loose Christine our hard-working and enthusiastic secretary and her knowledgeable husband Adrian, and very grateful that Phil has kindly offered to take over as secretary.

New ideas were learnt from attending the West Midland Archive Forum with Rhys last May - to plan a yearly programme, give committee members a role, involve other groups and hold social events which the FHRO committee have carried out. In the future Valerie will be our representative at the Forum and the FHRO will be providing the venue for the annual group meeting next March.

Our events during the year included a Hereford walk with David Whitehead, a presentation by David Lovelace on Landscape Changes, an outing to the Hereford Museum Resource Centre and help with the Book and Map sale. All successfully held, with thanks to our events secretary Virginia. For the rest of the year we have planned an afternoon investigating the riverside at Ross as a joint event with the Woolhope Club Research Section in September, and a Seasonal Quiz with local history groups in December.
 
Over the past year our editor, Peter, has introduced a new look newsletter which has been well received, and our secretary, Christine with a sub-committee has designed and produced a smart new membership form which we hope will attract new members. Your chairman has kept the website and notice board up to date with past and present events with images taken by Fenny and John has been researching local business archives.

There is an exciting future for the Herefordshire Record Office with a move to new premises which the Friends are supporting. Their views and suggestions will be based on Brian’s submission to Shape the New Record Office. We discussed the use of Donor Cards and Legacies investigated by Adrian and Jane, and we suggest that the Rules and Constitution should be updated. A steering committee has been formed to seek the possibilities of funding a challenging project.

The Friends have partly funded the purchase of the intriguingly named Deadwoman Deeds and the Cracklow Collection purchased by the Record Office with donations from the Ross Civic Society and Hereford Family History Society. Seven library books have been repaired or bound and the proceeds of the book sale paid for another seven to be rebound.  For the reorganised library the Friends purchased volume XII of the Gloucestershire VCH and a copy of the Dovecotes and Pigeon Houses.

Finally thanks to Alex for arranging this attractive venue at Broadfield Court and to Rhys for offering the history of the court.

Heather Hurley
FHRO Chairman