Annual General Meeting
AGM 2025 will be held on Sat. 1st Nov. 2025 at Holton Village Hall OX33 1PR.
Location of Holton Village Hall
Highlights of some previous AGMs
2024
Another well-attended meeting in which members were brought up-to-date with the Society's business and activities.
With the conclusion of the formal matters, there was a very interesting, illustrated talk by member John Sanders entitled 'Amaryllids in my Greenhouse'.
During the lunch break, voting took place in the two Beauty Contests, Best Nerine and Best Non-Nerine Amaryllid. Winners were respectively, Jonny Hartnell and jointly, Steve Hickman and John Sanders. The result of the on-line Spring Flowering Amaryllid Competition was announced with more joint winners, Paul Flowers and John Sanders.
The main speaker in the afternoon was Timothy Walker on ‘350 years of Glasshouses at Oxford Botanic Gardens’. His illustrated talk was a most informative, fascinating and amusing account of these historic structures and the people involved in their development and use over the years.
The members were saddened to learn that long-standing member Andrew Eames had passed away just a few days earlier. Andrew had undertaken various roles in the Society including Chairman and Journal Editor and had made significant contributions to the development of the Society. He had very recently been given the RHS Recognition Award and this formed part of a tribute display organised by Steve Hickman who had been with him very recently. The display included Nerines from Andrew's own collection, including one named after Andrew and one named for his wife, Joan.
John Sanders
Timothy Walker
Nerine entries in the Beauty Contest
Non-Nerine Beauty Contest entries
Winners - Jonny, Steve and John
The joint Non-Nerine winning entries
Nerine Sarniensis display brought ...
... from Exbury by Theo
2023
This AGM saw the inaugural presentation of The Tony Norris Award to Joe Sharman for Galanthus 'Golden Fleece', the first yellow-marked pterugiform Galanthus, by the Society's new chairman, Anthony Hopkins.
As usual, there was a magnificent display of Nerine Sarniensis from the collection of the Society's President at Exbury Gardens.
2022
At this year's AGM, held at Holton Village Hall, after the conclusion of the usual business there was an interesting, illustrated talk by member John Sirkett, entitled 'Tales from the Greenhouse'.
Lunch included prize-winning Cornish Pasties kindly transported for us from their county of origin by a committee member and a specially made cake to celebrate 25 years since the founding of the Nerine and Amaryllid Society.
After lunch, our main speaker, Kit Strange, recounted some of her plant hunting experiences, particularly looking for Narcissus triandrus in northern Spain. Kit is currently Assistant Ranger at Lee Valley Regional Park and was previously at Kew Botanic Gardens for many years.
1. & 2. Entries in the competition for Best Nerine and Best Amaryllid other than Nerine.
3. A selection of Nerine Sarniensis from Exbury Gardens.
4. Former Chairman, Jonny Hartnell, presenting a certificate to John Sanders, winner of the Spring Flowering Amaryllid Competition held earlier in the year online.
5. Helen Brown, winner of the Best Nerine award with her winning entry, Nerine undulata 'Seaton'.
6. Jonny Hartnell with his Amarcrinum memoria-corsii 'Howardii', winning entry for the Best Amaryllid other than Nerine.
7. To celebrate 25 years since the founding of NAAS, a delicious cake .........
8. ........ adorned with a beautifully realistic sugarcaft Nerine 'Veronica Butler'.
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2021
After last year's break, the AGM was held once more at Holton Village Holton and members were able to attend in person.
Our main speaker was Nick Wray, curator of the University of Bristol Botanical Garden, speaking on the Flora of the Western Cape with a focus on Amaryllids. Chairman Jonny Hartnell also gave a shorter talk on Crinum.
1 The annual business meeting in progress.
2 Display of Nerine Sarniensis from Exbury.
3 Jonny Hatnell giving his illustrated talk.
4 Winner of Best Amaryllid, John Bumstead with his Nerine 'Elegance'.
5 Entries in the two classes, 'Best Nerine' and 'Best Amaryllid other than Nerine.'
6 Steve Hickman, winner of 'Best Amaryllid other than Nerine with his Clivia miniata variegata.
7 The plant sales table.
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2020
This year, because of restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, our AGM was held virtually. Thanks to the efforts of Caroline Stone setting up a Zoom webinar, members were able to experience a full agenda with reports from all the officers, communicate any questions or objections , participate if wished, then vote in the Beauty Contest and to enjoy an interesting, illustrated talk by our Speaker, Michael Myles entitiled 'Snowdrops and Snowflakes'.
Entries in the Beauty Contest were displayed as photos on this website. To view all the entries click here.
The winner in the Nerine class was Caroline Stone with her Nerine seaton and Gail Harland's Narcissus viridiflorus won the Other Amaryllid (Non-nerine) class.
Nerine seaton
Narcissus viridiflorus
2019
1 & 2 Entries in the competition;
3 Newly elected Chairman Jonny Hartnell congratulating Roy Prior and Steve Eyre, joint winners in the Best Nerine class;
4 Roy's Nerine sarniensis Berlioz;
5 Richard Stubbs, winner of the Best Amaryllid (non Nerine) class.
6 Richard's Hippeastrum aulicum.
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2018 Entries in the competitions for 'Best Nerine' or 'Best Amaryllid (non Nerine)'.
2018 A selection of Nerine sarniensis from the glasshouse at Exbury Gardens.
2017 Hardy Nerines from Broadleigh Gardens brought by our speaker, Lady Skelmersdale, who gave a most interesting and beautifully illustrated talk entitled "Summer Flowering Bulbs of the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa"..
2016 An interesting collection of 'Other' (i.e. non-Nerine) Amaryllids.
2015 Our president, Nicholas de Rothschild, announcing the winners of his Amaryllid photograph competition. The entries, on the boards behind him, had been displayed in the Five Arrows Gallery at Exbury, where the visiting public had been invited to cast their votes for their favourite.
2015 Nerine Sarniensis 'Lavender Dust'.
Detail from the Prize-winning photo taken by Emma Callan, who works in the Exbury glasshouses. Using her mobile phone, she has captured beautifully the wonderful glitter found on the petals.
2014 An interesting collection of fine examples of different types of Clivia.
2014 The Eucharis Amazonica belonging to Alison Corley which was voted 'Best Non-Nerine Amaryllid'.
2014 Some stunning examples of Nerine Sarniensis blooming at Exbury this Autumn.