Update on Society from Leonard Quigg 2/2/21

2^nd February 2021

Dear Fellow Members,

I trust that you are all keeping well and staying safe in these very difficult times. The purpose of this letter is to update you on the current situation regarding the Society. As you know, all our monthly lectures during the period March 2020 to January 2021 were cancelled and annual subscriptions for the year 2019/2020 were waived as a result. Scheduled lectures for February to April 2021 have now also been postponed.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, we were unable to hold our Annual General Meeting for the year ending 2019/2020 which was to take place in September 2020. All information pertaining to the annual accounts and Chairman’s report for the year is now published on the Charity Commission Website and may be accessed at www.charitycommission.org.uk. The Society committee members have all agreed to remain in position until our next Annual General Meeting. Any queries concerning the AGM information should be emailed to the Society office at antrimhistory@gmail.com.

It is hoped that, if the current vaccination programme is successful, we will be able to hold our Annual General Meeting in the autumn as usual. Notification will be published as appropriate in due course.

Our Society office has been open and closed in accordance with Covid regulations. However, Bernie continues to answer emails and update our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages with articles and items of interest. The response especially from the younger generation has been most encouraging. Numerous requests have been received asking for information on historical sites and places of interest.

By popular demand the committee members agreed to undertake a small project named “What’s That?” and were extremely pleased to secure a grant of £4708 from Community Arts, Culture and Heritage Fund to cover wages, photography and website costs. The project aims to have initially 40 sites and places of interest throughout the Glens professionally photographed and accompanied by a short history of each, then uploaded to our website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages. It is intended that the uploads will commence in mid-February. This initiative will help to keep the Society in the public eye, especially by engaging the younger generation with its digital aspect.

I look forward to a better time, hopefully in the autumn, when we can all meet safely again at our monthly evening lectures. Until then, do stay safe by following all current government health guidelines.

Leonard Quigg,

 Chairman.