Election of Directors - Results
At the Annual General Meeting, held on Tuesday 1st April 2008 members voted for 12 candidates to becomes members of the new Company Board.
There were 100 ballot papers cast, 75 in person and 25 by post or email. Members were able to vote for up to 12 of the 16 candidates. In total 882 votes were cast and the results were as follows:
| Candidates | Total votes cast | Rank (1-12 elected) |
|---|---|---|
| Nicholas James Baumfield | 55 |
9 |
| Brian Bennison | 70 |
3= |
| William Lindsay Bower | 62 |
5 |
| Anthony T Bryson | 57 |
7 |
| Christopher Francis Calver | 48 |
12 |
| George John Roddam Currie | 31 |
- |
| Jack Gareth Davies | 52 |
11 |
| Alan Fearon | 70 |
3= |
| Hazel Elizabeth Fleming | 73 |
2 |
| Douglas Johnson | 74 |
1 |
| David Owen-Mansell Jones | 44 |
- |
| Hendrik Johannes Louw | 40 |
- |
| Shirley Ross | 38 |
- |
| Richard Sharp | 59 |
6 |
| Edmund Smith | 56 |
8 |
| Julia Wetherall | 53 |
10 |
Artist in Residence
Following on from our success with Sheree Mack as Writer in Residence, the Society has now appointed an Artist in Residence. Michelle Milburn took up the post for a year, starting on 1st October 2007. Michelle lives in Northumberland, works mainly in acrylics and pastels and has exhibited widely. With a particular interest in architecture and interiors, she will be working in both the Lit & Phil and the Mining Institute next door.
We are already planning a number of activities with Michelle. She will be holding a monthly Open Day for members to give them the chance to see how her work is progressing, and we anticipate these will culminate in an exhibition in 2008.
Following very successful 'taster' sessions, Michelle is conducting workshops at the Lit & Phil. The first of these will be held on 13th March 2008, please see the 'Events' section for further details.
Michelle is also speaking on 25th February as part of our 'Sense of Place' programme. Michelle will talk about her career as an artist living and working in Northumberland.
We look forward to a fruitful and productive relationship with Michelle.
For more information about Michelle and to view samples of her work, visit www.michellemilburn.co.uk
Writer in Residence
For the first time in its history, the Lit & Phil has a Writer in Residence, Sheree Mack. This is part of a wider project, The Roots Initiative, and others, within the North East to mark the bicentenary of the abolition of transatlantic Slave Trade in 2007. Sheree, working with the staff, volunteers, visitors and friends of the Society, will be focusing on the Library’s extensive tracts collection in an attempt to shed light on the true extent of the region and its people's involvement in the trade and abolition of slavery. The residency will also include a number of readings, discussions, workshops and new creations. Sheree has recently been Writer in Residence at the Durham Literary Festival.
Keep up with Sheree at http://sheree-mack.blogspot.com
Criminal Shorts Crime Writing Competition
With the North East being home to some of the UK's leading crime writers, and crime fiction being the most popular type of book borrowed from the Lit & Phil, the Lit & Phil decided to team up with the Journal earlier this year to hold a crime writing competition, Criminal Shorts. Both established and aspiring writers were invited to submit an unpublished crime fiction short story set in the North East or Cumbria. A trio of celebrity judges, Val McDermid, Ann Cleeves and Chaz Brenchley, whittled down the entries to a shortlist of three, having to decide which story was the winner, and then which came second and third. The winner and runners-up were announced at an awards evening in September, attended by the judges who talked about what makes a good piece of crime fiction.
Winning the competition was Basil Ransome-Davies' story, 'A Lengthened Chain', earning the author a cash prize and publication of his story in the Journal's Culture magazine. The runner-up was Roz Southey's 'Rosehip Summer', which also won a cash prize, and in third place was 'The Nag Inn' by Ian Renwick. All three won a year's membership to the Lit & Phil.
Here's your chance to read the winning stories by clicking on the links below.
Incorporation Update
The Charity Commission has now accepted our application to re-register the Society as a Charitable Company Limited by Guarantee. It is intended to close the existing charity on 31st December 2007 and to activate the new charity with effect from 1st January 2008. This will mean that the existing Society will prepare accounts and the annual report for a normal full year and that the new company will also use the same January to December financial year. Arrangements are now being made, with the help of the Society's solicitor, for the necessary formal transfers of property, collections and staff to the new company and to inform the various organisations which need to be aware of the change.
Check the events page for the lecture programme
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