Slow Food Edinburgh AGM

Thursday 26^th February 2009
 

Welcome to AGM from Donald Reid

    Apologies: Jean Scott, Daniel Gotts

    Members in attendance: 25

    Nancy Nicholson, folk singer in attendance for entertainment

 

Review of 2008 – S.F. Edinburgh

Number of special events in 2008 diminished slightly in comparison with the previous year but regular events have increased i.e. Slow Food Suppers and Farmers’ Market Stall.

Summary of events

Monthly Slow Food Suppers regularly have 50 in attendance and have been successful.  Started year at the Bonham, then moved to Petit Paris. Next venue is the Vitners Room.

Farmers’ Market stall has included demonstrations from guest chefs cooking market produce.

Taste Tours of the market were recently introduced and will hopefully be repeated, giving people the opportunity to gain more in-depth information about individual stalls and taste a variety of produce.

Farm visits. There have been farm visits to Fletchers and to the Garvald Farm.

SF Edinburgh also hosted a Chef’s Market. The event was attended by around 100 chefs who were introduced to small and farmers’ market producers.

BBC Good Food Show in Glasgow. SF Edinburgh brought small producers to the event or subsidised their attendance in order to support the producers and introduce them to a wider audience. SF Edinburgh also held successful Taste Workshops which were well attended by a wide range of people.

SF Edinburgh were also in attendance at the Organic Food Festival in Glasgow, Taste of Edinburgh and the Big Tent Festival in Fife (alongside SF Fife.)

Forthcoming Events:

Slow Food Suppers will continue. There is also the opportunity to hold more 6 o’clock sessions before the suppers. The committee is open to suggestions for session topics and also for venues near to the new supper venue of the Vitners Rooms.A Shetland Event and Dinner will be held on the 27^th April. Amongst chefs and guests from Shetland the event will also be attended by Shetland MSP Travis Scott.A Chef’s market is planned in association with Scottish Enterprise.  This is likely to be in June 2009.August Slow Food Suppers @ Home. In line with the Festival and influx of visitors to Edinburgh, and on this year’s Homecoming theme SF Edinburgh plans to organise for members to hold suppers in their own homes, ideally with at least one every night for the 31 days of August. Members would host the dinner, with places available for booking by other SF members from Edinburgh and elsewhere. There would be a maximum suggested budget and guests would be asked to bring a contribution to the night e.g. bread, a starter or a desert. SF Edinburgh would look for a wine sponsor for the event.

Ideas and suggestions from members would be welcomed by the committee.

Further ideas have included Slow Debates – events where people can come together specifically to talk, share experiences and have political discussions.

Projects:

Taste Panel: The formation of the Taste Panel was announced at last year’s AGM with aim to research foods with an Edinburgh resonance.  The Taste Panel continues and there are plans to perhaps do a wider membership event on the same theme. The Taste panel would like to hear from any members with specialist local food knowledge.

Sticker Scheme: This needs convivium involvement and responses from members if it is to continue and be a worthwhile scheme. The sticker scheme is a good source of local restaurant and food supplier information for members and others. It also serves to build relationships with these restaurants and food suppliers.

SF Orchard Project: This is a SF wide project concerning the planting of new orchards, raising awareness of current orchards and the growth and protection of heritage fruits. If any members would have an interest in spearheading or giving time to this project within the Edinburgh area they should contact the committee.

Slow Bread: A project to increase awareness and appreciation of properly and traditionally made bread. If any members would have an interest in spearheading or giving time to this project within the Edinburgh area they should contact the committee.

Kids: Wendy Barrie is leading SF events with particular children involvement. Several chefs have teamed up with local schools and 2 schools in Edinburgh have joined the “Food for Life” scheme and are growing food.

Like-minded and shared interest organisations: There are opportunities to band together with other organisations on projects for greater strength and involvement for example with Transition Towns, Greener Leith and the Soil Association.  

Membership update

Current Edinburgh convivium membership stands at 167 Members are reminded that a Direct Debit facility has been set up for membership – this can be set up via the Slow Food UK website.  

Annual Accounts

Copies of the annual accounts summary were made available to those attending the AGM.

Convivium is in healthy financial situation.

Funds were used to recently purchase a projector which can be used for events and loaned out to other organisations if suitable.

 

Update on Slow Food UK

Our local committee member Trevor Laffin was elected onto the SF UK Board last April.

Recently there have been a number of changes in the leadership and viability of the UK Board and SF UK (which has been based in Ludlow.)

There was a major donor to SF UK, but problems arouse and initially promised funds were not forthcoming. This has meant that SF UK has now ceased trading.

New funding has come forward and SF will be represented in the UK in a new organisation that will be based in London. The new format has the backing of SF International. There is hope that the new format will have a greater involvement and impact on a political front.

Change in SF UK should not have large impact SF Edinburgh.

This information was put forward in a press release on the 27^th February.

[A copy of the press release can be viewed at www.press.slowfood.com]

It was acknowledged that generally information has been limited and somewhat contradictory due to the complexities of the situation.

Thanks was given to Trevor Laffin for his work with SF UK over what has proved to be a difficult year. 

Potential outcome of the situation may be a stronger regional focus e.g. the formation of SF Scotland.

Convivia are forming and developing across Scotland, these will add weight to the Scottish movement and representation. Scottish convivia include (amongst others);

            SF Berwick

            SF East Lothian

            SF Perth

            SF Fife - in development

Comments and questions from the floor

Floor: Seems that there were issues with SF UK and its closure. Sponsor of new format SF United Kingdom seems to have employed fundraiser on significant salary.

Floor: Costs are higher in London.

There appears to be particular unrest South of the Border, perhaps there should be a call for an extraordinary general meeting with proxy voting from all convivia.

Donald Reid: On a purely pragmatic level SF UK couldn’t continue without sponsorship and relied upon just one main contributor.

Ludlow had won the right to host the SF UK office in a fair vote but perhaps those reasons are now not as applicable.

Floor: What is the constitutional link between local convivia and SF UK?

Donald Reid: Unsure. We are all members of SF UK; SF UK now wound up so unclear where stand constitutionally

Floor: Would this be the opportunity to have a devolved SF Scotland, think there would be strong support for it. Floor: What happens to membership fees

Donald Reid: Proportion goes to Edinburgh convivium, proportion to Snail Mail, proportion to international projects.

Donald Reid: SF UK needs to have strong presence that can publicise small producers and the movement and influence the media. There is an increasing relationship with government.

Floor: Consider the helpfulness of separating out Scotland from the rest of the UK. SF UK should be about linking convivia and people. Boundaries need to be flexible and open.

Donald Reid: Devolution – in Scotland there is a political agenda about Scotland and Scottish politicians would rather talk to groups representing Scotland.

Floor: If problems with SF UK open up the opportunity for SF Scotland then it should be seized.

Pat Abel, committee member: In terms of influencing food policy Slow Food needs to be seen as somewhere people will come to for advice. Geographical issues in Scotland mean that issues here are not always the same as in other parts of the UK.

Donald Reid: Need governance from UK or some umbrella structure that will support convivia. Strength of the organisation in the UK is in the local convivia.

 

Election of officers and management committee. 

Management Committee that runs convivium is made up of the following;

2 Officers; leader and secretary

Up to 8 other committee members

Jenny Gibb is stepping down as secretary. Many thanks to Jenny for her years of work and contribution

Donald Reid also planning to step down from leadership post in October when reaches 4 years in the post. John Tiller who was previously in the post had stepped down in the same manner allowing the next leader to have a period of cross over and time in the post before the AGM next year.

Donald Reid puts forward to continue in the leadership post now – no objection raised from the committee or the floor.

Fiona Hudson put forward to take over the post of secretary – no objection.

Rebecca Finkle stood down from the committee in the year and Felix Lopez is unavailable to restand.

 

Current committee places are therefore occupied by the following;

Trevor Laffin

Andrew Radford

Pat Abel

Daniel Gotts

Wendy Barrie

Re-election not required for these posts. Members on floor noted as happy to accept incumbents in post.

This leaves up to 3 remaining places.

Marie Sneddon has been to recent committee meetings and wishes to continue on the committee. 

Luke Milner has offered to take up the post of Treasurer to the Convivium.

Opened up to the floor for other members who are interested in joining the committee;

-     Lilia Avila and Kenneth Lumsden also interested in joining the committee.

Those proposed as committee members asked to leave the room and votes taken for 3 committee places. (Each member asked to place 3 individual votes.)

Luke Milner – 28 votes

Marie Sneddon – 19 votes

Kenneth Lumsden – 9 votes

Lilia Avila – 15 votes

 

Any Other Business

Andrew Marsden: Has joined Taste Panel and has really enjoyed a couple of the SF events this year. Mushroom foraging was especially good. Idea that a Spring foraging event would be interesting and worthwhile.

Donald Reid: Need to find specialists who are able to lead foraging events. Previous events have required paid specialist which has increased cost of events as charges were incorporated into ticket price of event.

Floor: Price of some events is an issue. Consideration needs to be given to level and groups that events are pitched at, pricing of events has strong influence. Need also to perhaps consider junior price scale.

Donald Reid: Is junior membership price. SF International has strong youth movement.

Floor: Idea of helping and encouraging Universities to provide allotment space to students.

Floor: Fairtrade influence in Edinburgh appears significant, consider tie in’s.

Donald Reid: Committee make effort to have range of pricing on events e.g. SF Suppers. Different events are pitched at different people. Hopefully events agenda includes number of accessible level events. Expensive events often do also gain additional support e.g. Shetland Event is being funded in part from elsewhere.

May be idea to have some higher priced events in order to raise funds that can be used to subsidise youth events.

Wendy Barrie: Children’s events that Wendy has undertaken have been free to the children. Student involvement and events should be student led.

Floor: Note that there is no official food society at Edinburgh University. There is however a Wine Society.

Thanks for attendance and participation. Meeting end.