he 40th Annual General Meeting of The Brooklands Society . . . . . . . . . . . was held at Brooklands Museum at 9.50pm on Thursday 4th September, preceded by an Extraordinary General Meeting convened to discuss a motion proposed to merge the Brooklands Society with the newly formed BMT, a combination of the former Association of Friends of Brooklands Museum and the Brooklands Club.

75 well informed members signed in and took part in a lively debate which covered many of the issues raised in the recently circulated documentation. The motion was defeated with 41 members voting against, 17 for, and 3 abstentions. A 75% majority would have been required to carry the motion. The proportion of votes cast in the meeting was 71% against, 29% for.

In the weeks leading up to the meeting 414 members voted by post, email and telephone. The postal vote resulting from the circulation of the official documentation, combined with the response to the yellow members' open letter resulted in 224 votes against and 191 votes for. The total final vote including postal votes was therefore 265 against and 208 for; a ratio of 56% to 44%.

In total 54% of the membership took the time to vote which is a very good response.

There is a clear indication amongst the membership that in principle an amalgamation could be to the advantage of all the parties involved providing it is equitable. On this basis the committee will continue discussions to clarify all of the issues still outstanding. The alternative option of the Brooklands Society continuing as an independent organisation will also be discussed in depth.

The committee would like to thank all members who voted on this very important issue. A letter will be sent out in due course confirming the result.

The Annual General Meeting that followed was largely routine. Chairman Ian MacGregor who has served for 6 years and Hon. Secretary Len Battyll who has served for 16 years stood down and were replaced respectively by Graham Skillen and James de la Mare. Robert Titherley was re-elected as Hon. Treasurer. We welcome a new member to the committee, Mike Hopper.

A vote of thanks was proposed for the outgoing officers who have made very significant contributions to the Society during their tenure. Ian MacGregor who now goes forward as a Brooklands Trustee was instrumental in introducing the concept of invited clubs at our Annual Reunions which made for some very lively Sundays and generated significant revenue for Brooklands Museum. Len Battyll who has now taken the position of BMT Hon. Secretary has worked continuously over the years on a wide number of projects at the museum and within the Society and organised 16 very successful Annual Dinners and Reunions with outstanding attention to detail. Both outgoing members received a standing ovation.

Our next major event is the 41st Annual Dinner to be held in the Chequered Flag Room at Brooklands Museum at 8pm on Friday 28th November. Tickets are on sale at £39.50 per person and can be obtained by telephoning the administrative office on 01252 408877 during office hours.