The Walmsley Society

Each year the A.G.M. of the Alliance is hosted by a different member society, and this year the honour was given to the Graham Greene Birthplace Trust of Berkhamsted in Hertfordshire, on the occasion of their Spring Festival to commemorate the centenary of the birth of their author. The venue was Berkhamsted Collegiate School, founded in 1541, where Charles Greene, Graham's father, was Headmaster from 1911.

A packed programme over the weekend began with introductions to Graham Greene and the prominence of the two branches of the Greene family in Berkhamsted. Many events and much of the atmosphere of Graham's early life in the town and the school were shown to have influenced his later writings. We were shown two films from a series made by Thames Television in the 1970's based on the short stories 'Cheap in August' and 'When Greek meets Greek', and enjoyed an illuminating talk by Neil Sinyard of Hull University on his recent book, 'Graham Greene - a Literary Figure'. Free time was filled by recordings of interviews with Graham Greene and his contemporaries.

Saturday evening was devoted to a dramatised presentation of several of Greene's many letters to the press, and on Sunday morning we were privileged to have a tour of the School and its Chapel, guided by David Pearce, a charismatic retired member of the school staff, and a tour of the town showing sites associated with the Greene family, led by Ken Sherwood, the Trust secretary, before an excellent Farewell Lunch in the Great Hall of the School.

A most enjoyable and stimulating programme was presented in a friendly and welcoming atmosphere, very much as we are used to in the Walmsley Society, and we even had equally good weather throughout.

The Alliance A.G.M. was slotted into the proceedings on Saturday morning, and began with a welcome from Nicholas Reed, the Chairman, who formally introduced the new President, Aeronwy Thomas, the daughter of the late Dylan Thomas, whose society hosted the 2003 A.G.M. Apologies for absence included our previous representative Peter Barton - it was clear to us from many comments from other delegates that Peter had achieved a great deal in spreading the word about our Society. All Society representatives present were invited to introduce themselves.

Last year's minutes were accepted without comment, and there were no matters arising. Reports were received from officers. The Chairman expressed satisfaction with the current policy of holding the A.G.M. at varying venues. The Secretary, Rosemary Culley, reported a slight increase in membership, with 5 new societies, and that the web site use was increasing and becoming the principal means of communication. The Treasurer, Julie Shorland, reported a close balance between income and expenditure - the current bank balance was £2141 with £11 cash in hand and four member subscriptions outstanding. We did not receive a financial statement or balance sheet. The Editor, Thelma Thompson, was disappointed that more material was not received from members for the annual journal 'The Open Book' which is circulated to all member societies. She is looking into ways of achieving an expanded editorial team, and reaching a wider audience among the members of the societies comprising the A.L.S. Robin Healy, the Publicity Officer, appealed for ideas and assistance in increasing the profile of the Alliance in the media, and is also seeking substantial sponsorship - around £10,000 - for a major competition to write a parody on the work of a known writer [an idea to which Graham Greene would have responded enthusiastically].

All officers and committee members were re-elected unopposed.

Future A.G.Ms are to be hosted by the Charles Lamb Society in London in 2005, and by the Jane Austen Society in Winchester in 2006. Additionally, all society members were invited to attend a weekend convention near Chelmsford on September 17th To 20th on the works of Margery Allingham.

Any Other Business.
1. A vote of thanks to the secretary for her work in setting up and maintaining the extensive A.L.S. website - www.sndc.demon.co.uk
2. Consideration of publishing the A.L.S. newsletter on the website for wider and easier accessibility.
3. Investigation of setting up and running an A.L.S. archive.

The meeting was formally closed after about 65 minutes.

During the weekend we enjoyed many contacts with representatives of other societies, and found much interest and knowledge of our own society, including hopes that we would host an A.G.M. in the fairly near future. The new President, Aeronwy Thomas, impressed us by the degree of her involvement and wishes to get to know about the interests of as many member societies as possible - she wants to be much more than a passive figurehead. We had a most enjoyable weekend, and learned much about Graham Greene, as well as the A.L.S. and are grateful to Mrs. Pennock for her continuing support of our membership, and to the Walmsley Society for its confidence in appointing us as representatives. We conclude with some thoughts on the benefits of A.L.S. membership, and the use we should make of it.
1. To publicise our activities, and potentially attract new members.
2. To take advantage of information on other member societies and their activities.
3. To encourage our members to use the A.L.S. website for the interchange of news and views.
4. To encourage participation in events and competitions organised by the A.L.S. and other member societies.

We would be pleased to receive and share views and information with any members who care to contact us.

Freda and Ian Hoyle.