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Minutes of the 2024 Annual General Meeting

Post date: 10/10/2024


The IBMT's Annual General Meeting was held on 5 October 2024 at The Stable, 129 High Street, Weston-Super-Mare BS23 1HN. These minutes are subject to approval at the 2025 AGM.

In attendance
Gerry Abrahams, Mike Arnott, Paul Coles (Treasurer), Rowland Davies, Tracy Delaney, Megan Dobney (Secretary), Gary Fabian, Lorene Fabian, Pauline Fraser, Mary Greening, Hilary Jones, Jim Jump (Chair), Alan Lloyd, Nina Londragan, Dolores Long, Duncan Longstaff, Jim McGarrol, David McKnight, Manuel Moreno, Helen Oclee-Brown (Executive Officer), Frieda Park, Beth Richards, Marlene Sidaway (President), Stuart Walsh.

Opening remarks
Jim Jump welcomed everyone to the 23rdAGM of the IBMT. Good to see some new faces as well as old ones. Attendees had enjoyed two excellent talks by Dave Chapple and Alan Lloyd in the morning session on local Brigaders. Alan was also thanked for his exemplary work in maintaining and adding to the IBMT’s online database of volunteers. Comrades were thanked for organising the AGM weekend.

Marlene Sidaway was invited to say a few words. She spoke about the importance of the IBMT’s educational work in reaching out to young people.

Greetings
Marx Memorial Library and Workers’ School, London: The Marx Memorial Library & Workers’ School sends greetings to the International Brigade Memorial Trust’s 2024 AGM.  The MML’s unique archives on the International Brigades and Aid Spain movement – letters, diaries and photographs donated by Brigaders and their families over the years – have a critical role to play in keeping the memory of the volunteers alive for generations to come. We are proud of this work and look forward to continued collaboration with the IBMT in the coming months and years, as we both plan for major centenaries – the foundation of Marx Memorial Library in 1933 and the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. ¡No pasarán! 

AABI (Asociación de Amigos de las Brigadas Internacionales), Madrid: We send you our fraternal greetings from Spain. During uncertain times, and facing the threat of Fascism, thousands of workers from the United Kingdom made a choice. They travelled to Spain and fought tooth and nail against international Fascism. Barely 90 years later, we are in similar circumstances with the increased cost of living, the real threat of a world war, and the polarised political climate everywhere. Both IBMT and AABI share a mission to remember our brave working-class heroes and heroines and pay tribute to them.  Thank you, IBMT members, for your continued support of our shared cause.  

Greetings and best wishes were also received from Brenda O’Riordan and Lynda Walker.

Apologies for absence
Richard Baxell, Terry Bayes, David Chanter, Barrie Eckford, Alex Gordan, Jonathan Havard, John Haywood, Sean Kettle, Denis Lenihan, Marshall Mateer, Moira Mateer, Charlie Nurse, Ann O’Hara, Brenda O’Riordan, Luke O’Riordan, Tom Sibley, Ernest Walker, Lynda Walker, Paul Ward.

Minutes of 2023 AGM
These were approved and there were no matters arising.

Executive Committee’s annual report
Very comprehensive annual report presented by Megan Dobney

Union links
Important and strong links with the trade union movement continue to be made. IBMT and RMT booklet They Shall Not Pass describing the rail and maritime workers’ fight against fascism and involvement in the Spanish Civil war published in April. Articles by Jim Jump on the International Brigades published in journals of BFAWU (food workers) and NEU (education workers). Advert for the IBMT in the ASLEF (train drivers) journal.

National commemoration
Successful commemoration at Jubilee Gardens, London South Bank on 6 July but sadly featuring the final musical contribution of Na-Mara, who are giving up gigging. The 2025 commemoration will be held on Saturday 5 July and music will be provided by Maddy Carty.

Len Crome Memorial Conversation
This year’s Len Crome Memorial Conversation in Marx Memorial Library and online to take place on 9 November. Paul Preston, Helen Graham and Richard Baxell to take part. The topic is: Public support and governmental obstruction: differing British responses to the struggle of the Spanish Republic.

Merchandise
Alan Lloyd and Beth Richards thanked for their excellent organisation of merchandise at various events throughout the country. The IBMT now has a functioning card reader.

Raffle
Online raffle organised. First prize will be travel to and accommodation (up to £500) in Madrid and a personalised tour of the Prado Museum conducted by Almudena Cros from AABI, who is a professional guide at the Prado. To be drawn on 12 December. Two prizes, each of six bottles of fine Spanish wine, have kindly been provided by the Manuel Moreno family. Raffle also being held at the AGM.

Parliament
Efforts continuing to be made on establishing of a cross-party parliamentary group on the International Brigades.

Hybrid AGMs
A question was asked on the proposal from the 2023 AGM to consider making AGMs hybrid events, i.e. with members attending in person or online. It was explained that the proposal had been discussed at an Executive Committee meeting but not progressed. It was felt that the IBMT’s finances were insufficient to invest in the required equipment. The importance of meeting face-to-face was also stressed. 

Attendance at AGMs
Some concern raised about the small number of members present at the current AGM. Reluctance to travel and an ageing membership have led to smaller numbers attending recent AGMs. There is a need to keep an eye on this and discuss how we ensure a good attendance at future AGMs. AGMs in different parts of the country are useful in promoting the IBMT locally. 

Membership
After a great deal of hard work, mainly by Helen Oclee-Brown, much progress has been made on improving the previously chaotic membership database. Lapsed members are being contacted and chased for arrears. Members are being urged to use direct debit. Work on encouraging trade unions to affiliate continues. The database is now working more efficiently. Currently there are 749 individual members and 29 affiliations. Considerable progress has been made, but needs to be kept under constant review to achieve the target of breaking even each year.

IBMT Schools Project
A module on women in Spain is being added to the educational materials. The project is an exciting development, though it is difficult to track how much the educational materials are being used.

The annual report was approved.

Membership subscriptions and categories
Approval was sought from the AGM for the Executive Committee to review membership subscriptions and categories. A discussion paper from the IBMT’s Finance & Management Committee proposed a 10 per cent increase in rates from 1April 2025. The individual rate would thus increase from £25 a year to £27.50 and concession rate would rise to £22 (currently £20). 

Concessionary membership is open to anyone who receives long-term unemployment or sickness benefit, who qualifies for income or pension credits or who is on the minimum wage. 

Household membership to be scrapped, as this was a category designed to avoid sending multiple copies of the magazine to the same address. It is no longer necessary as the magazine is now sent out digitally or by subscription. The Friend category and those for affiliated organisations remain unchanged. 

The proposals were approved.  A new membership leaflet with the new rates will be produced in time for next April.

Commercial digitisation of the MML’s Spanish Collection
It was reported that the IBMT has been consulted by the Marx Memorial Library on the digitisation of the library’s Spanish Collection of archives of the International Brigades and the Spanish Civil War. Talks have taken place with the involvement of the Finance & Management Committee and IBMT Archivist Alan Lloyd.

The MML plans to work with online digital publishing company Adam Matthews to digitise the collection. This would be a 10-year project, during which time the copyright would be shared by Adam Matthews and the MML. After 10 years the copyright would revert to the MML and the materials would be made freely available to the public. 

The F&MC has recommended that the EC support the proposal. During the 10-year project, IBMT and MML members would have privileged access to the archives for free. The MML would receive royalties of approximately £10,000 a year during the 10-year period. The IBMT has asked whether some of this amount might be passed on to the Trust.

MML Director Meirian Jump, IBMT Historical Consultant Richard Baxell and Professor Mary Vincent have been nominated for the editorial board that will oversee the project. 

This is an exciting and long hoped-for development, which the IBMT is supporting. It is hoped that the process will encourage more people to come forward to donate their materials in the knowledge that they would be digitised and remain in secure hands. The MML’s Spanish Civil War archives are the most extensive in Britain, though there are other important archives around the country. On this point it was hoped that liaison between the MML and the other archives, such as the Working Class Movement Library in Salford, would be maintained.

Finance report
Paul Coles presented his financial report, showing improved income and expenditure figures for year 2023/24: 
– Income for the financial year increased by £7,869, from £29,281 in 2022/23 to £37,150 for the year. 
– Expenditure decreased by £11,110 from £51,991 in 2022/23 to £40,881 in 2023/24.
– Total funds at 31 March 2024 stood at £56,743, down from £60,474 in 2023.

Membership subscriptions and sales of merchandise increased, though there is still room for improvement. Bank charges were excessive, so we have moved to the provider used by the MML. If membership numbers and sales of merchandise remain stable then the organisation will survive. Need to explore use of social media to push membership.

Trade union affiliations have remained stable. They have to be chased each year to ensure re-affiliations. There might be scope to target other organisations, such as law firms. Pauline Fraser offered to approach NEU. 

Using Red Molotov to supply t-shirts and other merchandise on demand has proved efficient and beneficial and means the IBMT does not have to store stock. 

Legacies are always very useful – older members take note! 

Elections to the Executive Committee
Three nominations received for the four vacancies: Alan Lloyd, Dolores Long and Luke O’Riordan / Lynda Walker (jobshare). They were declared elected. 

It was pointed out that there is a regional gap in representation on the committee from Yorkshire and the North-East. It would be useful to fill this gap and the EC has the authority to co-opt.

Any other business
Current affairs
Some discussion on whether the IBMT engages enough with the current world political events. As a registered educational charity there are restrictions to involvement in wider political issues. However, many members remain actively involved in political groups and organisations.

2025 AGM
Belfast comrades have offered to host the next AGM in Belfast on 3-5 October 2025. The invitation was warmly accepted.

Glasgow memorials
The IBMT was asked to keep an eye on plans to revamp the Custom House Quay area in Glasgow where the Pasionaria statue and the Blockade Runners memorial are located.

The meeting concluded with thanks to everyone for attending.

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