Promoting Yorkshire Authors

PYA Chairman's Report for the Annual General Meeting of 22nd March at 19:00

The AGM this year is a little late, normally in January so I'll cover the period between 1st January 2021 and 31st December 2021 in this report.

Finance

First the finance report - see this Blog for the figures. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and the subsequent serial lock-downs, the committee took a decision to abandon our ambitious plan and to cut our costs. As a result we closed the Promoting Yorkshire Authors Limited Company and reconstituted as a Community Group with a simpler constitution and significantly reduced costs. We also decided to cease membership fees and for each event we undertook to be self funding.

To an extent we've achieved this and our finances are broadly flat, except that the loans provided by two committee members are still outstanding and are unlikely to be paid anytime soon.

If you can, it would be great if you'd donate to PYA to help refill our coffers.

The Year in Focus

We've used ZOOM extensively for events in 2021 with mostly positive results - attracting many members together who we probably wouldn't have seen in the same room in face-to-face sessions.

Successful events have included drop-ins, our regular writers' support group hosted by Helen Johnson, children's author group hosted by Linda Jones - previously by Neelie Wicks, thanks Neelie for all you've done - and the poetry evening hosted by Kate Swann. All have been well attended and superb for stretching the writer, trying something new.

Less successful has been our book club and, after a trial re-launch, we've decided not to continue with this.

I attended a writer's event organised by Ripon Library and offered the services of our members for another session and quite a few of you came forward. I've passed the information you've provided on to the organiser.

We had plans to link up with Click-a-Book but, mostly because I've been unable to find the time and energy, I haven't been able to progress this much - mostly because it needs technology input. On this front, the web site has been updated and numerous member books have been added to our site plus that of Wise Grey Owl. If your books haven't been added - please let us know and we'll be happy to add them.

A big achievement organised by Jane Clack with a wonderful supporting cast of our members was the production of our first full colour book pamphlet which has been distributed throughout Yorkshire (and beyond). It was a monumental task and we all breathed deeply when it was finally out of the door. Thank you everyone who helped, added your books or advertised - you know who you are and we couldn't have done it without you.

The Year Ahead

We're being brave this year (masks at the ready) with two real events, both Book Fairs and both in Harrogate. The first is a smaller event at the Victoria Shopping Centre and is on Saturday 14th May. We're focusing on Children's and Young Adult books for this event as we've been allocated a limited number of tables.

In October (more details will follow soon) we're organising a much larger event for all of our members - watch this space.

Committee

Our existing committee is available for re-election:

• John Jackson
  
• Helen Johnson
• Susanna Lewis
  
• Paul Smith (Chair)
• Kate Swann
  
• Neelie Wicks (Secretary, retiring 2022)

And we welcome our new volunteers to the Committee

• Jane Clack
• Phill Featherstone
  
• Pam Golden
  
• Linda Jones
  
• Heike Phelan

I'd particularly like to thank Neelie Wicks - who is standing down this year - for all of the hard work she's undertaken on behalf of PYA. We'll miss your insight but best wishes for the future.

Thank you for being our members and I have everything crossed for the pandemic and world situation to improve so that we can all achieve whatever becomes the new normal in these strangest of times.

Paul Smith

March 2022