Council updates

AGM 2020 The 2020 AGM will be held at 1pm (with registration starting at 12pm) on Saturday 30 May at The Lighthouse, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow G1 3NU.

AGM social We are also planning a social the night before the AGM. If you would like to attend and would like further updates, please register your interest by emailing membership@vegansociety.com.

Election of Council members Applications for membership of the board of trustees (Council) are invited by 2 March 2020. Candidates must be full members of the society and aged 16 or over on the date of the AGM.

Candidates should support the society’s objectives and mission and be committed to a vegan lifestyle. The most important qualities for trustees are commitment, enthusiasm and the ability to consider issues thoughtfully and to communicate and work well with others. To ensure an effective and diverse board, members from a wide range of backgrounds and with a broad base of skills and experience are sought. Experience in successfully managing expanding organisations, developing strategic plans, knowledge of charity law and audit or risk management are particularly welcome.

For a candidate pack or further information about becoming a trustee, please contact Chair of Council Menna Jones (chair@vegansociety.com) and CEO George Gill (ceo@vegansociety.com) by email or post (Donald Watson House, 34–35 Ludgate Hill, Birmingham B3 1EH).

A trading subsidiary is a separate company which is set up by a charity to carry out trading activities. In 2015, members passed a resolution supporting a feasibility study for a trading subsidiary. At that stage, such a subsidiary was not considered appropriate. However, the scale of our trading activity has increased significantly since then. In light of this, the use of a trading subsidiary would now provide important protection of assets and management of risks for the society. This decision is supported by both our auditors and our solicitors.

The trustees have considered the Charity Commission guidance on trading (CC35) and concluded that a trading subsidiary provides increased flexibility for non-primary purpose Vegan Society trading subsidiary

trading and limits risks to the charity from trading activities, e.g. from trading losses or contractual disputes.

On 24 November 2019, therefore, the Vegan Society Council decided that a subsidiary company should be established in order to better manage the risks of trading activity. This will not lead to any change in the society’s activities, but instead will restructure it in a way that reduces risk. Staff will remain in the same building, working side by side, whether for the subsidiary or for the charity. All the profit from the trading activities will be donated to the society via Gift Aid so that it does not incur tax and will continue to fund our educational campaigning and outreach exactly as before.