Our Annual General Meeting 2025 was held at the Annual Conference in Bangor on 29th March, however hybrid attendance was unfortunately disrupted by a rather upsetting cyber-attack, and had to be cut off before the business of the meeting was dealt with to safeguard those members who joined online. In any case, due to the timing of the Conference at the end of the first quarter the financial year, the accounts for FY2024 were not yet finalised and therefore had not yet been circulated for members to peruse before the meeting.

This year we will be finalising the governance business for the year at an ‘Extraordinary General Meeting’ held online in September (with suitable cyber-security measures in place!). In future years the AGM will be similarly scheduled at this later point in the year as a weekend online event to allow maximum accessibility for our membership. Register to attend here.

AGM Notes - full minutes pending

At the AGM members were provided with early draft figures from 2024 accounts (available to view here, but subject to amendments during the external evaluation), along with a report on society activities and staffing changes. This report will be given during the EGM for the benefit of those who were not at the Conference. Opportunity was given to ask questions on these details and any other matters of concern or interest. Useful contributions from members included a desire to reinvigorate Mammal Communications, and a helpful suggestion to publish Conference abstracts in future years – which we will be taking forward for 2026.

• Two new nominations from members to join council were put forward and approved (see below).

• Derek Crawley was voted back onto Council for a second term.

• There were no Council resignations.

Online EGM – 13th September, 11am-1.30pm

An Extraordinary General Meeting will take place on Saturday September 13th 2025, during which the business of the AGM will be concluded. Full externally examined accounts will be available on our website and circulated to those registered to attend 2 weeks before the meeting, along with details of any additional Council nominations and a finalised agenda.

Following the conclusion of the EGM, there will be a talk by Mammal Society stalwart Professor John Gurnell about his career and current issues in mammal conservation, with the opportunity to ask questions.

Draft Agenda

1. Welcome from the President

2. Apologies for absence

3. Amendments to minutes of the AGM held 29 March 2025

4. Matters arising from minutes

5. Chairman’s Report

6. Treasurer’s Report

7. Election of Officers of Council

8. Election of Ordinary Members of Council

9. Appointment of Independent Examiners

10. AOB

Members voted onto Council during AGM

Danielle Johnson (Ordinary Trustee)

Danielle has experience volunteering in a wildlife reserve in South Africa, a BSc (Hons) Animal Management (Zoo and Wildlife) and MSc Environmental Leadership and Management.

Dr Julie Jones-Diette (Ordinary Trustee)

With 20 years’ research and programme manager experience in veterinary research and bio-detection, Julie is currently spending a sabbatical working on a project to improve survey methods for small mammals with a focus on the value of environmental DNA analysis.

Up for nomination in EGM

Dr Kat Hamill

Kat is a Senior Lecturer at Nottingham Trent University and the Course Leader for BSc Zoology. Her PhD research investigated the urban ecology of red squirrels in Formby and she is now working with the Lancashire Wildlife Trust to implement her conservation recommendations in the Merseyside stronghold. Kat has previously volunteered with the Surrey Dormouse Group, and worked as a Field Research Assistant for the James Hutton Institute doing capture-mark-recapture and dung plots for mountain hares in the Cairngorms.

Full biographies / supporting statements here.

If you would be happy to propose or second the election of Kat or any other member to Council please note this when registering, or reach out to Honorary Secretary Tony Parker: tonyparker874@gmail.com

Current Council

• Penny Lewns (President)

• Dr Steph Wray (Chair)

• Derek Crawley (Vice-Chair, Chair of Local Groups Committee, Chair of Training Committee)

• Tony Parker (Honorary Secretary)

• Emily Cattrall (Treasurer)

• Prof. Richard ‘Dez’ Delahay (Chair, Science Advisory Committee)

• Rose Toney (Conference Secretary)

• Tim Hounsome (Chair of Fundraising Committee)

• Ferozah Mahmood

• Helen Mitcheson

• Dr Michelle Henley

• Dr Merryl Gelling

• Danielle Johnson

• Dr Julie Jones-Diette