On April 23rd, we hosted our 5th AGM at the Gateway Centre in Acomb. We were very excited to host an in-person AGM, having moved to a virtual platform for the last two years, and it was great to see so many faces. We also had a number of people unable to attend in person, who joined us remotely over Zoom.
The event was kicked off by director and co-founder, James, who gave an update on the Lowfield Green project, the challenges we have been facing, the different options going forward and the milestones that have been reached.
This was followed by friend of YorSpace, Owen Powell, who introduced the Morrell House project, in collaboration with OpHouse. Owen discussed the similarities and differences between Morrell House and Lowfield Green, the project’s current stage of development and a bit of history about the project. We also heard from Emily and Becca of the Morrell House Co-op, who discussed the ethos of the group and shared their personal story of why the project is important.
Board member Alex gave an update on what YorSpace has been up to over the past year and what we are currently working on. He discussed the consultancy work we completed with Steve Hoey, Paul Kelly, Catherine Harrington and Alan Collard; the work we’ve been doing with York Central Co-Owned (YoCo); and the William Sutton Prize shortlisting.
Patrick Morrello from Third Sector Accountancy gave a breakdown of the year’s accounts and balance sheet and fielded questions from the audience. The membership approved the accounts for submission to the FCA.
Our Rules state that our Board should consist of at least 2 and not more than 9 directors and a third of the Board is required to retire at each AGM. So, as per protocol, James Neward retired from the board and immediately stood for re-election. Along with new directors Dom and Mikyla, James was successfully elected to the board.
The team then took questions from the membership. There was discussions around the distinction between YorSpace CLT and Lowfield Green Co-operative, the amount of homes currently allocated at Lowfield Green and the proposed Lowfield Green House cost in comparison to the average market value.
A massive thank you to everyone who attended this year!
It was great to have so many spend their Saturday morning with us and it’s always encouraging to see how many people are engaged in this project. We look forward to staying in touch with you throughout the year and seeing you in-person once again soon.