Home of the Army Apprentice Memorial Trust

Hi All
I have booked the Founders Room at the NMA for our Extraordinary Meeting for the 22nd Feb 2020 hoping the winter weather will be on the wane!

There is only one item for the agenda, I think, which is to sort out the AANM Charity. I suggest it would be helpful to inform all the Trustees of the present situation when we call the meeting. This will give the Trustees time to consider all the facts and come to the meeting already armed with the direction they see as the way ahead. Below is the situation as I see it and I should be really grateful if you would share your thoughts on it. Please suggest any inclusions, deletions or re- wording as you see fit and we will send it out with the info calling for a meeting. Please, also, give this your urgent attention so that we can send it out well before Christmas and relax.

“The Extraordinary Meeting is called to discuss and decide the way ahead concerning the AANM Charity. At the last AGM it was voted to dissolve the AANM Charity because it had achieved its purpose which was to build and maintain the Army Apprentice Memorial in the National Memorial Arboretum. The memorial has been built for some 8 years and the original maintenance fund of £40,000 has served to maintain the memorial and the fund has grown to £41,000.

Every January the 4 associations (Chepstow, Arborfield, Harrogate and Carlisle) donate £100 towards the upkeep of the AANM website and to fund the annual Drumhead Ceremony. This fund now totals £1,377.08. The Secretary has sent a letter to the associations asking them to delay this payment until further notice.

At the AGM vote it was intended to dissolve the AANM Charity and form a non-charitable organisation for the benefit of a national Army Apprentice association. It was intended to use the remains of the AANM Charity fund to kick start the new association. However, the Charity Commission rules prevent this and the funds must be transferred to another charity.

This raises a number of questions:

Do we continue and dissolve the AANM Charity?
If so, to which charity do we donate the funds remaining in the AANM Charity?
Do we, in light of the Charity Commission rules, hold another vote to change the dissolving of the AANM Charity?
If we follow 3 above, we could, over the years, run the funds down by using it to fund the annual Drumhead Ceremony and dissolve the AANM when there is just a small amount or nothing remaining.
If we follow 3 and 4 above do we still need to form a new non-charitable army apprentice association now or wait until the AANM Charity is dissolved and has no money?
If we form a new non-charitable army apprentice association we could ask the 4 associations to pay the annual donation into this new association to build up funds while the AANM Charity funds are run down.
Harrogate (AOHA) is to disband their association next October and after creditors have been paid they have voted to pay a quarter of the remaining funds to the new national association. If there is not a new national army apprentices association the funds will go elsewhere.
If we form a new army apprentice national association a committee will be required:
a. How large does the Committee need to be?
b. What positions will be required?
c. Will there be a need to have a formal membership?
d. If so, will there be a need to have a membership fee?
e. If we decide to slowly run down the AANM Charity and form a new AANA will we need 2 separate committees?

The above points are food for thought and to prevent the extraordinary meeting from becoming a marathon session, it would be really helpful if you would consider the above points, plus others you may have, and come to the meeting armed with your ideas/suggestions”

Stay loose
Johnny