In the very last issue of Fruit News to be published I wrote ‘… if the Trust did indeed lose control of the Collections, it would, so far as I can see, leave the Friends [of Brogdale Horticultural Trust] in limbo – for we would have no connection with the new controller of the Collections, nor with the Collections themselves.’ The Brogdale Horticultural Trust has now acknowledged that it will be giving up control of the Collections at the end of March 2008, and goes on to say it will now consider how best the objectives of the Trust can be furthered in the future. It is not clear if the Trust itself intends to continue in existence after that time – although it is not easy to see how it may do so with both its raison d’etre and chief source of income missing.
So where does this leave the Friends of Brogdale Horticultural Trust? I have already ventured the opinion (in the Fruit News, above) that the main interest of most Friends is the Collections themselves; but, in the light of events, it would appear that such interest cannot be maintained by remaining Friends of Brogdale Horticultural Trust – even if that body continues to exist.
It is said that the committee of the Friends of Brogdale Trust will meet in the New Year to review the situation, but it is difficult to see what they will be able to do after March 2008 to further the interests of the National Fruit Collections. They can remain in being to further the interests of Brogdale Horticultural Trust – whatever they may be – but they can have little, if any, influence on the National Fruit Collections after that date.
It is for the committee to make its decisions, and it is for every Friend to make up his or her own mind; but may I suggest the body which most nearly represents their requirements is Friends of the National Fruit Collections at Brogdale.
Jim Streeton
Contact: Friends of the National Fruit Collections at Brogdale, PO Box 264, Whitstable, Kent CT5 3UY; nfcfriends@hotmail.co.uk
One important issue that the Friends’ Committee will need to address is the resolution passed by the Friends on 28 April 2007. This resolution amended the Friends’ constitution so that, in effect, the Friends only support the Trust whilst it maintains the National Fruit Collections at Brogdale.
From April 2008, the Trust no longer has the contract to help maintain the Collections at Brogdale and no connection with the Collections or Brogdale. Hence the Friends’ resolution and amended constitution mean that the Friends cannot continue to support the Trust in the future. This was a resolution passed by more than two thirds of the Friends present at the meeting and it is the Friends’ Committee’s task to carry it forward.
The Trust has still not commented on this Friends’ resolution taken at the Special General Meeting of 28 April, despite the fact that under the terms of the Friends’ constitution ‘any change to the constitution accepted by that meeting [SGM] shall be forwarded to the Trustees for decision with six weeks of that meeting.’ Nevertheless, this resolution still remains the wish of the Friends and it is the duty of the Friends’ Committee to defend it.