Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at Swindon Marriott Hotel, Swindon on
Saturday 16th November 2013
Present
There were approximately 260 members present
Chair’s introductory remarks
David Dennis, Chair of Butterfly Conservation, welcomed everyone to the AGM, hosted by
the Wiltshire Branch of Butterfly Conservation. He thanked Maurice Avent, the Branch Chair,
the Wiltshire Branch Committee and the staff from Head Office for organising the event.
The Chair explained that before lunch awards would be presented to Outstanding Volunteers
and members would be able to enjoy talks on conservation topics. The first talk would be by
Mike Fuller, Recorder for Wiltshire, on ‘The changing fortunes of Wiltshire’s butterflies’ and
the second by Dr Tom Brereton, BC Head of Monitoring, on ‘Long term changes in UK
butterflies’. Dr Phil Sterling, author of Micro-moth:, a field guide, would begin after lunch with
a talk on ‘Small but not brown - a window into the extraordinary diversity of the UK’s micromoths’, followed by Martin Wain, BC’s Morecambe Bay Limestones Project Officer on
‘Conserving butterflies and moths in Morecambe Bay’. The drawing of the Branch raffle
prizes, and the prize hamper, courtesy of NFU Mutual, would precede the presentation of the
Marsh Christian Awards. Finally, Professor Gareth Jones, of the University of Bristol, would
conclude the afternoon’s talks with a presentation on ‘SKY WARS: Moths v Bats’.
The Chair then opened the formal AGM.
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Apologies
Apologies had been received from Trustees Susan Foden and Mark Young, also from David
Baker, Isabel Bangs, Jaci Beaven, David Bell, Stuart Bence, Lorna Blackmore, Barbara
Bruce, Wendy Campbell, Robert Canham, Jenny Canham, Margaret Evered, John Gilbert,
IIkka Hanski, Shirley Hebbert, Gay Hoare, Tony Hoare, Victor Johnson, Pat Lockett, Kirsty
Maxwell-Stuart, Angela Rose, Eric Rose, Tony Shepherd, Bill Smyllie, Shirley Summerlin,
Peggy Taylor, Graham Warner, Jax Westmoreland, Corinna Wiltshire and Bridgit Young.
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Minutes of the last AGM held on 17th November 2012 at Nottingham Belfry
Hotel, Nottingham
The Minutes of the meeting had been published on the website and made available on
request. They were proposed by Ian Small and seconded by Andrew Brown, and approved
with two abstentions at the meeting.
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Matters Arising
There were no matters arising.
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Annual Report - Chair’s Report to Members
The Chair, opened his speech by advising that the meeting would be hearing both from
David Hanson, Honorary Treasurer, and Dr Martin Warren, Chief Executive, and that the title
of both presentations could easily be ‘how to cope in a changing world’. David commented
that the financial world in which we live has been throwing up new challenges for a while
now, but what is new is the way that this it is starting to impact on BC’s major project work,
but both presentations will demonstrate the strength of BC which is more than capable of
responding to the challenge.
However, the Chair thought perhaps the biggest challenge of the Financial Year 2012-13
was the weather - particularly so if you were a butterfly or a moth! But as is often the case,
we can underestimate the ability of butterflies and moths to recover, and there are now
stories of the remarkable ‘bounce-back’ that has occurred in 2013.
The Chair went on to state that whatever the ups and downs of the last two years, BC staff
and volunteers have kept going from strength to strength. BC took major steps forward last
year in a whole raft of practical conservation projects, which the Chief Executive would
discuss later in his presentations.
The Chair explained that BC had launched two major reports – the first on the exciting
conclusions from years of landscape-scale conservation and the second on the state of our
larger moths. It was noted that both documents are vital steps in showing Government and
other agencies the scale of what needs to be done but also that BC has the knowledge and
resources to do something practical about it.
BC got further involved with social media, attracting many new followers on Twitter and
Facebook, which is one of the best ways to get more young people involved.
BC also launched to great effect its biggest ever education project – ‘Munching Caterpillars’.
Some hundreds of events in schools have now taken place, and are proving exceptionally
popular. This is another way to inspire the next generation of enthusiasts and volunteers.
In this context, the Chair went on to mention the enormous amount of work done by Branch
volunteers. Branch events are not always thought of as ‘educational’, but throughout the
Branches over 2,200 events, with an educational element, were organised last year,
attracting over 20,000 people. In fact, last year’s total volunteer contribution was equivalent
to the annual working hours of over 720 full time staff – with a cash value of over 10 million
pounds.
At this point, David asked for a rousing appreciation of this fantastic achievement by
thousands of dedicated volunteers.
David explained that last year he said that with over 18,600 members – up 18% on the
previous year - BC could start to anticipate welcoming our 20,000th member before too long.
It was noted that the summer of 2012 didn’t help much – the Big Butterfly Count was down,
and BC experimented with some new recruitment methods, not all of which were successful.
So, although progress was made the figure at the end of March this year was still a little
under the 20,000 target.
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However, the Chair was pleased to announce that it wasn’t just the butterflies that bounced
back! The Big Butterfly Count in 2013 was fantastic - with nearly twice the number of people
taking part. BC’s publicity team, under Liam Creedon, did a fantastic job. The Big Butterfly
Count was then followed up with special membership offers, and suddenly there was a
response beyond BC’s wildest dreams. Firstly, member numbers sailed through the 20,000
barrier, then 21,000 and the total now stands a little short of 23,000 members.
The Chair advised that this massive response initially stretched BC staff’s ability to cope with
the volume, and that a lot of midnight oil was burned. But now the pressure has shifted onto
Branches to keep all these new members with BC. The Chair stated that we want them to
have a terrific experience with BC in their first year. Partly through the magazine and Branch
newsletters, but now we are asking Branches to take the initiative to make contact with all
their new members – invite them to New Members’ Days – find out what they’re interested in
– see if they would like to volunteer. David acknowledged that some Branches do this
already, but to use the momentum of this summer to consolidate these gains throughout the
UK and turn these new members into committed BC enthusiasts.
The Chair advised that the Treasurer will be informing the meeting that BC finances are in
good shape, and that as a result of hard work in obtaining project funding, a full 83% of BC’s
income goes directly to conservation. However, the fundraising climate is harder than it has
ever been.
Following this, the Chair stated that it is important that BC continue to invest in fundraising,
but also that we learn quickly what works and what doesn’t work in this new fundraising
climate.
The Chair thanked all those present for being members, and even more so if an active
volunteer. Along with BC’s excellent staff, the Chair acknowledged that volunteers are
genuinely BC’s most valuable assets.
The Chair went on to say a little about progress towards BC’s 2020 Vision.
Last year, the Chair predicted that BC’s vital investment in fundraising would not immediately
produce brilliant returns. He also said that while BC has been getting its act together we
would not ‘sit on our hands’.
BC now have networks of volunteers across the UK sharing their expertise about specific
species – Marsh Fritillary, Duke of Burgundy and several others.
Building on the theme of ‘best practices’, The Chair advised that BC have also set up a
Branch 2020 Action Group, led by Mike Dean, Chair of Suffolk Branch. This group has
already identified areas where Branches need more guidance, and ‘best practice’ guidelines
are being produced for Branches to use as appropriate to their local needs.
The meeting was informed that at a recent meeting of all Branch Chairs, Trustees and
Senior staff in Birmingham, the best way to enhance the support available to Branches was
debated. The clearest conclusion was that we were not very clear!
This was because Branches are all very different – each has its own strengths and
weaknesses with varying needs for support. But between all there is a huge wealth of
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experience and expertise. The Chair advised, that after consultation with all the Branch
Chairs, BC should recruit a Branch Support Officer. This person will be a dedicated resource
for Branches and will work with Mike Dean’s Action Group to identify common Branch needs
and act upon them. The Chair recently sent a letter to all Branch committees, advising that
we are not looking to impose ‘stifling conformity on Branches but we do want to encourage
greater professionalism in all that we do’.
The Chair summarised by saying that BC is a three way partnership – between volunteers,
staff and Trustees. Together we are greater than the sum of our parts. The AGM and
Members’ Day is a celebration of what we all do best – working together for the benefit of
butterflies and moths. We can achieve so much more when we work together, and when we
do, we can make a real difference.
The Chair, and on behalf of all Trustees, concluded by thanking all members - and BC’s
fantastic volunteers and staff.
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Treasurer’s report to members and adoption of the Annual Report &
Consolidated Accounts and Balance Sheet for the year ended 31 March 2013
The Treasurer opened his talk with some slides from last year’s AGM in Nottingham.
The Treasurer used one of Pharaoh’s biblical dreams as an analogy – the one about the 7
good years followed by the 7 lean years - to describe how in the times when new funds were
relatively available, BC had built up its financial reserves to a level which matched judgment
of what was needed, which was £1.25 million. This point was reached by March 2012.
Last year, the Treasurer looked at the uses to which the reserves might be put and identified
in particular that BC had added to our fundraising capability to help to launch us towards our
2020 Vision, recognising also that the fundraising climate from public sector bodies in
particular was already showing great turbulence, which was expected to increase.
The Treasurer’s final slide last year was a fattened animal representing those full reserves
and the Treasurer had promised to come back and tell members whether BC had used
some of this to maintain the momentum as planned, or whether BC’s fundraising to March
2013 had been even more successful than expected and kept the animal fat.
The Treasurer advised that in the year to March 2013, some of the reserves were used to
maintain momentum on important conservation projects, and to retain key conservation staff.
So, the Treasurer advised, that the reserves animal is a bit less fat and for those who prefer
numbers to pictures BC’s free reserves reduced to £1 million at March 2013.
Back in February when Council started to see the picture of how the financial year was going
to end, and considering budget proposals for the current year, this situation was viewed as
acceptable. It was not at the very optimistic end of the range but it was in-line with plans.
What has been achieved and recorded for the year to 31 March 2013 is very good: most
importantly, BC spent a record £2.3 million on Conservation. As the Chairman had said, this
was 83% of BC’s total expenditure.
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The Treasurer advised that the Report and Accounts document had received a completely
clear audit report, which is always pleasing and an enormous credit to Julie Williams and her
team. There was a good financial base as BC entered the current year, a range of super
ideas and projects and an increased fundraising capacity in place.
At this point, the Treasurer stated that we need to take a quick look at the world in which we
live and work and how that has been evolving. David used one of last year’s slides, ‘our
American cousins’ and talked about the difficulties countries such as the USA and Japan are
facing and the difficulty in these Governments reaching decisions. One effect of this is that
borrowers are favoured over savers, interest rates plumb new depths and we now earn next
to nothing on our cash balances.
The Treasurer continued that closer to home it was necessary to mention the big decisions
by Government as it prioritises its spending plans. Further announcements since last year’s
AGM, confirm that Health, Education and Overseas Aid are the protected areas, so cuts
must fall on the remainder, including most critically for BC on DEFRA. A further 10% budget
cut has been announced for that Department, which will mean that from the pre-crisis level
its budget will have been halved. The grant programmes of agencies such as Natural
England are slashed and despite the extraordinary high regard in which our conservation
record is held, BC grants will suffer.
The Treasurer explained that what was experienced in the early months of this financial year
was the effect of this squeeze on charities in various fields, which had been supported by
central and local Government money. The result of the sharply increased competition for
grants from the lottery, from landfill operators and from charitable trusts has meant that BC’s
enviable record of success in grant applications slowed down. BC bids still pass the scrutiny
of the professional staff at these places, thanks to the quality of our work, but then their
Boards may be faced with selecting one in four of the applications which have passed the
initial review.
BC’s enlarged fundraising capability, which was unfortunately affected also by a couple of
departures from the team, has found itself having to work hard to sustain the present level of
activity rather than pushing on to the vision BC has for 2020.
The Treasurer reported that his news was not all this harsh.
Each year the Treasurer mentions the four cornerstones and makes no apology for doing so
again.

Members

Fundraising, in which we have invested more from 2012 onwards

Conservation, where the delivery record is good and we are supporting our staff

Financial Management, where the Treasurer believes BC have a good record at the
overall level and very tight control by Julie Williams and the Senior Management
Team at an operational level.
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The Treasurer had already made mention of the second and fourth of these, also briefly of
the third about which the Chief Executive will discuss much more. The Treasurer turned to
the first.
The Treasurer advised that as the external fundraising scene has become much more
competitive, the challenge is to achieve more internally. The Treasurer went on to say that
BC deserved all possible plaudits for the work it does and in the context of the Society’s
financial health, for all the support given through subscriptions, donations, purchases of
raffle tickets etc. and, from our predecessors, through legacies. All this money is very
special because it’s unrestricted, it’s flexible, it’s not tied to any specified use, it can be
applied wherever and whenever BC choose. The Treasurer calls these ‘A* pounds!’
The Treasurer stated that as if that support were not enough, a very special mention should
be made of members’ support for the MatchPot 3 appeal - a staggering £152,555! This
figure is tied to a specific use, but is an outstanding figure.
The Treasurer noted that in the big picture, the working out of the pre-2007 excesses in the
world economy has some way to go, and neither the level of interest rates nor the grant
budgets of Government agencies are going to give BC much pleasure in the next couple of
years.
In the BC frame we are in sound financial health and, like the pharaoh, BC has some good
stores to use and hope to do so wisely and effectively. BC are looking to increased
fundraising activity to offset the harsh climate, with the need being to maintain present
conservation activity as much as to move up to new levels.
Starting with the Big Butterfly Count, the Rutland Bird Fair and other initiatives, to which the
Chair had already referred, there has been fantastic evidence this year of public interest,
enthusiasm and goodwill for the work that BC do. Right now the aim is to harness that
through Branch activities and through central effort such as our excellent press and media
work, to achieve more conservation both directly and indirectly through the greater financial
strength, which increased membership will provide.
The Treasurer summarised by saying that we have seen again how much support and
contribution there is from individual members of BC today; we have seen recently how much
more support there is out there to be tapped into and we need to take full advantage of all
this support in the future.
The Treasurer proposed the adoption of the Report & Accounts for the year ended 31 March
2013, which was seconded by Jim Asher and approved at the meeting.
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Appointment of Auditors and authorisation to fix their remuneration for the
coming year
Roger Dobbs proposed the reappointment of Buzzacott with Neil Thompson seconding this.
The appointment was approved and Council was authorised to fix their remuneration.
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Chief Executive Officer’s Report
The Chief Executive, Dr Martin Warren, gave a report of the highlights of the year.
As the Treasurer had said, 2013 has been a wonderful year for butterflies, but it must be
remembered that this is set against a long term decline of butterflies, and the fact that they
hit an all time low in 2012. The Chief Executive spent some time explaining what BC is doing
about these declines and some of the great successes BC have had.
Firstly, the Chief Executive explained the extent of the problem. BC’s ‘State of Butterflies’
report in 2011 showed how bad it is for butterflies in the UK, with three-quarters of species
declining and 24 species threatened, almost half of all species. This makes them one of the
most threatened of all groups of wildlife and shows the huge mountain that BC has to climb.
It also explains why BC has developed its 2020 Vision to gear up its work considerably so
that we are able to halt and reverse these declines.
The Chief Executive explained that it is not just butterflies that are in decline. Earlier this
year, BC published a major new report on the ‘State of Larger Moths in Britain’. This was
launched by BC’s Vice President, Chris Packham, who described it as a marvellous piece of
accessible science. The report showed that moths are also in big trouble, with over twothirds of common species declining, many of them extremely rapidly. This has big
implications for all wildlife as moths are crucial components of ecosystems and important
food for birds and bats.
So what is Butterfly Conservation doing about these drastic declines? The Chief Executive
advised the meeting that BC prides itself on being a very practical organisation as well as
basing its work on sound scientific evidence. Using this science, BC has developed a suite
of landscape scale projects to reverse butterfly and moth declines in key areas of the
country. Almost a year ago BC launched a major report that explains its approach and
documents major successes around the UK. The report shows that our landscape projects
really are working and are reversing the declines of threatened species. The Chief Executive
gave three examples of notable successes both in key landscapes and on key sites.
During the summer, the Chief Executive had the privilege of seeing the extensive habitat
management being done to save butterflies as part of our Morecambe Bay project. Nearly
300 hectares of woodland are being managed under the project and many of the most
threatened species like the High Brown Fritillary are responding extremely well.
Another superb example of species recovery comes from BC’s South Wales Branch, who
have been working for the last 10 years to save the last colony of the High Brown Fritillary in
Wales. The Chief Executive’s presentation showed a chart that shows the superb response
of the butterfly since they started to manage the site and the great response this summer
when numbers hit an all time high.
The Chief Executive further explained that BC have had startling successes on its nature
reserves too, especially at Magdalen Hill Down in Hampshire. On this reserve, BC’s Hants
and Isle of Wight Branch have restored over 36 ha of flower-rich downland habitat by
spreading locally collected wildflower seeds on former arable land. The restoration has
quadrupled the size of the original reserve and made it far more viable for sustaining
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butterfly populations in the long term. The icing on the cake is that the Small Blue has
recently colonised and formed one of the largest colonies in Hampshire.
The Chief Executive acknowledged that a lot of hard work and in depth knowledge goes into
such projects but they demonstrate that we do know how to stop the massive decline in
butterflies and moths and the challenge now is to find the resources to replicate these
successes around the country.
It was noted that conservation work does not operate in isolation. We need good
environmental policies in place as well and a wide range of statutory and voluntary
organisations working together. It was acknowledged that the environment has definitely
been slipping down the political agenda, in large part due to the recession and hard
economic situation the world is now in. However, we also know that conserving our
environment is even more critical than ever, as it is the basic life support system for humans
as well as wildlife.
This summer BC worked together with 24 other NGOs to produce a State of Nature report,
to show how bad things are for wildlife in Britain. The report was launched by BC’s
President, Sir David Attenborough.
The findings were reported widely in the media and even attracted the interest of the Prime
Minister’s office. The consortium is now working together to use the report to lever more
political interest in conserving the natural world.
The Chief Executive explained that in Scotland, BC have worked with other NGOs at a more
practical level to get Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) involved with wildlife by
inviting them to become champions of species in their constituency. Seven MSPs have now
offered to become champions of butterfly and moth species.
The Chief Executive acknowledged that BC has achieved a lot in the last few years, but as
he said at the beginning, there is still a mountain to climb. BC has developed some
wonderful conservation projects and the priority must be to keep these projects going.
Unique expertise amongst our staff has been built, and it is the Chief Executive’s priority is to
keep them delivering on the ground, working closely with our Branches and volunteers.
The Chief Executive advised the meeting that BC are also planning some exciting new
projects:

Several new landscape projects are being developed in new parts of the country.

BC also want to build its evidence base and engage more recorders.

BC will be introducing an online system for butterfly and moth recording next year, as
well as a Smartphone app for butterflies.

BC are developing a project to integrate micro-moths into the National Moth
Recording Scheme.
BC are going to promote the Big Butterfly Count even more widely and get even
more people interested in butterflies where they live.
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
BC are working towards a new State of Butterflies report in 2015.

And BC has some firm plans to build support for Branches so that they can continue
to grow and help build a stronger Society.
The Chief Executive also reminded attendees not to forget BC’s seventh International
Symposium which will be held in Southampton next April and will include all the latest
scientific breakthroughs from leading researchers around the world.
The Chief Executive concluded by thanking all BC members for all the help and support they
give for our work.
At the end of the Chief Executive’s report, David Dennis informed the meeting that in the
summer of 2013, Dr Warren had completed 20 years of outstanding service to BC, and
remarked that without his superb skills and dedication, BC would not be half the organisation
that it is today. The meeting joined David in a sustained round of applause.
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Council Elections
David Dennis, Michael Johnston, Ian Small, Jim Asher and Andrew Brown stood down by
rotation, but all were entitled and willing to offer themselves for re-election. In addition, Peter
Bradbury had resigned in January 2013, leaving one vacancy on Council. One new
candidate stood for election: Kathryn Dawson who had submitted an Election Address (sent
to all members). They were nominated, eligible and had made declarations. As there were
sufficient vacancies, the election of all six candidates was proposed by Mike Dean and
seconded by Nigel Symington.
Having closed the AGM, the Chair expressed his thanks on behalf of BC to Peter Bradbury,
who had made a first class contribution to Council.
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Date of Next AGM
The date of the next AGM will be Saturday 15 November 2014. It will be hosted by the
Suffolk Branch.
Signed by the Chairman........................................... ..................
Date............................
Following the AGM, there was an opportunity for Members to ask questions.
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Q: Year after year we hear that there is a decline in species but what actually is being
done? For example the National Trust are planting more wild flowers etc.
Roger Carter
Martin Warren referred back to his presentation and that there are many projects and that
BC do have sound working relationships with other organisations such as Natural England
and the National Trust. We are working with them to develop more sympathetic
environmental policies and practical projects to improve habitats for Lepidoptera. However,
he had to admit that it is a huge uphill task.
Andy Barker of Hampshire Branch suggested that this is not easy and cannot be fixed
overnight. Andy explained that success has been seen at Magdalen Down in Hampshire. It
is necessary to promote schemes and work with landowners. There are serious challenges
ahead but you must keep the momentum going.
David Dennis commented that there is a huge amount of excellent work being done, but we
needed to grow as an organisation to become even more effective.
Q: When you walk in the countryside, you never see children or young people. What
is the Society doing to encourage children to get outside and away from their
computer screens?
Pam Sykes, Yorkshire
Martin explained that there has been a huge push on the use of Social Media and Facebook
to target the younger generation. Statistics show that the 6% of recordings for Big Butterfly
Count were from young people under the age of 16 years.
Martin went on to explain that BC has a Munching Caterpillars project which has been
piloted in Dorset and Somerset and that 3 thousand children have been involved in the
project this year. There is also a wonderful new website with good materials that anyone can
use. However, it is very difficult to get wildlife into the curriculum. BC is working with other
NGOs such as the RSPB and the National Trust to get wildlife back on the agenda.
David Dennis added that BC are looking to recruit a Branch Support Officer who will be able
to disseminate best practice amongst Branches, including working with young people.
Q: With the new online data recording system, how can you be sure of the validity of
the data?
Ron Elliott, South Wales Moth Recorder
Martin explained that data now comes from all directions and one way is online. They all
need validation by the Vice County Recorder. They are crucial people in ensuring the moth
data are high quality and we do not want to change this important validation route that has
served BC well. Regarding the online data, once the data is entered there are a series of
automatic “are you sure” questions if the species is found outside its known range or flight
period. Recorders can include images as well to help validate the data.
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In response to Pam Sykes question, Catherine Bertrand, Senior Regional Officer for
Northern Ireland, advised the meeting that there is a film called “Project Wild Thing” which is
a film led movement to get more kids (and their folks!) outside and reconnecting with nature.
The website is www.projectwildthing.com
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