RESCUE The British Archaeological Trust

A UAL GE E R A L M E E TI G

Saturday 2nd April 2011 at 1.00 pm

at Surrey History Centre

130 Goldsworth Road,
Woking, Surrey, GU21 6 D

The AGM will be followed by an Open Forum for members

to discuss with the Council current issues in archaeology and
heritage, and the future direction of RESCUE

Admission is free and both members and non-members

are welcome to attend

www.rescue-archaeology.org.uk
 2

RESCUE: The British Archaeological Trust

MI UTES of the A UAL GE ERAL MEETI G held at Riseholme Campus, University

of Lincoln on Saturday 20th March 2010 at 13.00 pm
In the Chair: Diana Friendship-Taylor

1. Apologies for absence were received from Reuben Thorpe, Brian Philp, Brenda Hobbs, Kate Fielden, Chris
Cumberpatch, Pam Irving, Paul Everill , Simon Pope and Helen Patterson

2. The minutes of the last AGM were signed as a true record, proposed Roy Friendship-Taylor and seconded John
Browning.

3. Matters arising: None

4. Chairman’s report: Copy attached

5. Secretary’s Report: Copy attached

Following these two reports Roy Friendship-Taylor proposed a vote of thanks to Giles Carey for his successful work
on the web-site. Jude Plouviez seconded and it was carried nem con.

6. Treasurer’s Report:
Income has declined over the year, mostly due to fewer subscriptions. She urged all members to hand out leaflets
during the conference and to try to get new members. First Aid for Finds is now officially out of print. The need to
sell the other publications in order to keep income up was stressed. Although costs are up, this is an artificial rise
due to the production of only 2 Rescue News in the previous year instead of the normal 3. Excess of income over
expenditure is down, but still an excess.
The accounts were approved, proposed Roy Friendship-Taylor, seconded Jo Caruth, carried nem con.
Les Reeve was reappointed as auditor, proposed by Jude Plouviez and seconded by Roy Friendship-Taylor,
carried nem con.

7. Election of new members to Council:

Seven members were elected to Council, carried nem con:
Margaret Broomfield, Robin Densem, John Walker, Mick Jones, Peter Alexander Fitzgerald, Kate Fielden,
Reuben Thorpe
Jean Mellor is retiring from council. Tribute was paid to her many active years of service to the council in a
variety of roles and special thanks recorded. Roy Friendship Taylor proposed that she be made an honorary life
member, Tony Howe seconded and it was carried nem con.

8. Election of Officers:
Mick Jones is standing down from vice chair. Chris Cumberpatch was elected in his place, carried nem con.
The rest of the officers were re-elected en bloc, carried nem con.

9. AOB:
Brief discussions were had about:
• the recently published Conservative green paper on planning with a plea that Rescue would react to it. It
was noted that there would be an article on this in the next RN immediately after the election.
• the high speed rail link.
• the news that PPS5 was going to be launched on the following Monday despite few people having seen it
and against ours and others recommendations for more consultation.
• finally discussion was had about how to celebrate Rescue's 40th anniversary in 2011 and the possibility of
holding a high profile AGM meeting in York was suggested.

The meeting closed at 13:30pm

 3
CHAIRMA 'S REPORT FOR 2009
With RESCUE’s 40th anniversary within our sights, the issues with which we have had to contend during the past year
have again underlined that RESCUE’s rôle is as vital as it ever was. Indeed, some of the original issues which inspired
its formation have returned to haunt us.
To begin with what was in danger of becoming a subject of seemingly insoluble deliberation – the mission to
enhance the integrity of Stonehenge and the visitor experience: the Government’s announcement in May of the proposed
closure of the A344 and the siting of a new visitor centre at Airman’s corner has met with broad approval. But concerns
remain about the effects of road ‘improvements’ close to the Winterbourne Stoke barrow group and the design of the new
centre. RESCUE Council has been ably and conscientiously kept informed and its views represented by Council
members, Kate Fielden, on the Stonehenge Alliance and Peter Alexander Fitzgerald, of the International Council on
Monuments and Sites.
Rescue News has highlighted a number of proposals this year, which, if implemented, would have devastating
effects on both the historical and natural environments on an unthinkable scale. Mark Horton spelt out for us the
implications of the construction of a tidal barrage across the River Severn between south Wales and England. The most
ambitious scheme involves the construction of a 10-mile concrete and rock wall, which would impact on sites ranging
from the Bronze Age to the Napoleonic period. In fact, the Estuary can be envisaged as 150 miles of continuous
archaeological landscape. There are, of course, alternative solutions to provide ‘green’ energy, by harnessing the tide
using new technologies.
In the same vein, the spectre of a proposed 3rd runway and 6th terminal at Heathrow has serious implications
for noise pollution and loss of tranquillity and, not least, for National Trust properties to the west of London and a
number of outstanding buildings, which would effectively be destroyed because of their proximity to the runway.
The impact of illegal detecting, which has come to be known as ‘Nighthawking’ and illegal antiquities trading
was the subject of a project commissioned by English Heritage from Oxford Archaeology, to establish how prevalent
illegal detecting now is, to assess how effective measures are to combat it and to make recommendations for the
future. This is an issue that has occupied RESCUE for many years Relatively recent concerns include the illegal sale of
antiquities on eBay. Reliable data collection proved problematic and it was evident that finds were being under-
reported. One encouraging sign comes from Kent, where designated police officers are trained and assigned to deal
with heritage crime, as part of a broader picture of rural crime. Subsequently, English Heritage has recruited a police
officer for 12 months, 2010 – 11, with a remit to develop liaison between the various interested parties and draw up an
effective strategy to deal with heritage crime.
The discovery of the Staffordshire Anglo-Saxon hoard by a metal detectorist rekindled debates on the true cost
of rewarding finders of ‘treasure’, at the expense of conservation, storage and display and other archaeological and
museum projects – the price of “a private hobby at public cost”.
RESCUE has been carefully monitoring activity surrounding undersea historic wreck sites, including the
remains of the HMS Victory, which sank in 1744.
A recent campaign highlights the appalling threat to the World Heritage Site of Greenwich Park, destined to
stage the Olympic equestrian events. The proposals endanger 79 known archaeological sites beneath its 17th century
landscape and would exclude the public from parts of the Park for more than 5 years. Our Council member, Harvey
Sheldon, is active in opposing the plans.
It was over a year ago that RESCUE began to chart the crisis to commercial archaeology, the knock-on effect
of the recession-hit building industry, on the basis of the IFA’s research. It was predicted that, by the end of 2009, 1 in 5
of the country’s 7,000 archaeologists’ posts would be lost, including academic and related posts – in reality half of
those in the commercial sector. Specialist post-excavation services to archaeology, already severely underfunded,
compounded by the loss of specialist posts, is creating skills shortages, which will not readily recover, even if and when
the economy recovers.
‘Continuing Education’ is a significant area under threat. An extensive survey undertaken by the CBA,
commissioned by English Heritage, has revealed the scale of the decline: 38.8% in a decade. Particularly badly
affected areas are the NE and SW. Among the groups affected by the loss of continuing education are regional and
local societies. Some groups have been established following a successful archaeology course. Changes in continuing
education provision are occurring at some universities and a handful are thriving. Who would believe that archaeology
is one of the most popular enrolment options?!
Field archaeology in universities is also under siege, high profile field archaeology units having been closed at
Manchester and Sheffield.
On a more uplifting note, a new, updated website is being developed by Giles Carey and will be frequently
updated, bringing the latest news from RESCUE between editions of Rescue News. It has the facility to report
monuments under threat, or draw attention to local heritage matters; there is a feature to see how RESCUE is helping
members to campaign on their local issues and details of current issues. It is already attracting welcome attention and
will be a great asset in communicating with members and the public.
I would like to acknowledge and thank all members of Council, all of whom freely give their specialist
knowledge and expertise and commitment to RESCUE. In particular I must, on behalf of RESCUE, thank the
Secretary, Tony Howe, for his enormous day-to-day contribution to the effectiveness of RESCUE; Mick Jones, the Vice
Chairman; Jude Plouviez, as Treasurer; Pam Irving, who so ably undertakes the demanding rôle of Rescue News
Editor; Brenda Hobbs, at the hub of RESCUE, as Membership Secretary and our webmaster, Giles Carey. All these
give so much more to RESCUE than their titles suggest.
 4

SECRETARY'S REPORT FOR 2009

The past year has been a busy one for both RESCUE, and myself personally, with the ongoing economic instability
and changes to existing planning legislation perhaps dominating the heritage agenda.
The unstable economic situation has had one predictable outcome, and that has been a continued squeeze
on local authority heritage posts. Since last years’ AGM, RESCUE has made various representations on behalf of
historic environment and museums staff in Plymouth, Oxford and Canterbury, to ensure that where posts are
threatened they are not lost without the authority being forced to account for its actions externally and in public.
RESCUE has also contacted the minister for planning, John Denham, to express concern about the diminishing
number of local authority heritage conservation posts, and urged that the provision of heritage conservation services
by local authorities should be made statutory.
Changes to heritage legislation and guidance have also been of concern over the past year. Although the
2008 Heritage Bill we were promised is still elusive, the Government published its long-anticipated consultation on
the merger of Planning Policy Guidance notes 15 and 16 in July. This proved to be a disappointing read and was
rebuffed by a great number of respondents, including RESCUE. We argued that the proposed revised Planning
Policy Statement suffered from generally slipshod drafting, and lacked both clarity of purpose, and without the
Heritage Bill or Local Development Frameworks being in place, an adequate supporting framework. In total, the
Government received an impressive 500 responses to this consultation, but it seems that even this level of concern
wasn’t enough to prompt a full dialogue on the proposed revisions, with only a few select individuals being invited
to discuss any changes to the draft behind closed doors. It has to be wondered what the Government is afraid of, to
baulk so obviously at an open consultative process. However, it seems that the revised PPS will now be put into
practice – probably in the next few days after this AGM - without the prior scrutiny of the vast majority of those
who will be expected to implement it. It will be interesting to monitor the practice and progress of heritage
protection over the next year – RESCUE members are invited to monitor this in their own areas.
RESCUE has continued to remain active over the past year on a number of other issues. We have
corresponded with the planning minister, John Denham MP, regarding proposed heritage conservation job losses in
Local Authorities and with the Chairman of the All Party Archives Group, Tim Boswell MP, regarding the reduction
in services proposed at the National Archives in Kew, and with the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, regarding the
current proposals to convert Greenwich Park into an equestrian centre for the 2012 Olympics. We have also
responded to consultations on the proposed PPS15 practice guide, changes to the terms of Ecclesiastical Exemption,
and proposals to set up an advisory panel to scrutinise the archaeological aspects of human burials amongst others,
and have been in contact with both Oxford and Canterbury city councils regarding short-sighted proposals to
damage their own tourist industries by closing their local museums. On an individual basis, we have provided one-
to-one advice and assistance to individual members regarding specific sites of concern in Devon, Surrey and
Sunderland. Members and regular readers of Rescue News will be aware of the many other issues and debates that
RESCUE has been involved in, but we invite and welcome dialogue with any of our members regarding their
concerns. On a different front, the past year has also seen the publication of a translated version of First Aid For
Finds in Macedonia, and the continuing work on a fully revised version of the existing British volume, and our book
on Recording Standing Buildings, which we hope will be ready for publication in the near future.
None of RESCUE’s work would be possible without the efforts of its council, who give their time and
expertise freely to support the various causes of concern. In terms of getting the heritage message out to a wider
audience, special thanks are due to the editor of Rescue News, Pamela Irving,, for all her hard work in putting each
issue together with such skill, and for continuing to stay abreast of the many disparate and often complex sites and
issues that are highlighted. Over the last year we have launched a new and updated website, which has been almost
entirely the work of Giles Carey in his spare time, for which the Council, and myself in particular, are extremely
grateful. I’d like to congratulate him on the excellent results of his labour, of which I hope the members approve,
and look forward to the continuing updates and expansion of the site over the coming year. I’d like to thank too our
chairman Diana Friendship-Taylor, Vice Chairman Mick Jones, who stands down from that post today, and
Treasurer Jude Plouviez, for helping to maintain a smoothly-running organisation, and of course, especially thank
our Membership Secretary Brenda Hobbs, who runs our office in Hertfordshire with an outstanding level of
efficiency.
Finally of course, it is necessary once again to thank our members, and those who have chosen to support
our work by joining RESCUE over the past year. We rely on membership subscriptions and the voluntary
contributions that our membership provides, to support the work that we do. This work involves not simply
highlighting issues, but includes the production of our publications and allows us to interact with a considerable
number of other organisations, which benefits a far wider community than our membership alone. We believe that
RESCUE provides a unique voice within the British Heritage sector and, with your support, we look forward to
continuing to do so over the coming year and beyond.
 5

RESCUE: THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST

Charity Commission No. 263300 “Old”
Charity Commission No. 1064836 “New”
BALA CE SHEET AS AT 31ST DECEMBER 2010

2010 2009
£ £ £ £
GE ERAL FU D

AS AT 1.1.10 10474 10166

PROFIT/(LOSS) FOR YEAR 2187 308
£12661 £10474

REPRESE TED BY:

CURRE T ASSETS

SUNDRY DEBTORS AND PREPAYMENTS 325 641

TAXATION RECOVERABLE 700 700
C.O.I.F. CHARITIES INVESTMENT FUND 8770 7735
CASH AT BANK 2866 12661 1435 10511

CURRE T LIABILITIES

SUNDRY CREDITORS AND ACCRUED CHARGES (-) (37)

£12661 £10474

JUDITH PLOUVIEZ
HON. TREASURER

AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF RESCUE

I have audited the accounts of RESCUE THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST and can confirm that in my opinion
they have been prepared in accordance with the Books and supporting documentation supplied. They provide a true and
fair view of the state of affairs of the Charities as at 31st December 2010.

LG REEVE A.C.M.A.
HON. AUDITOR
JANUARY 2011.
 6

RESCUE: THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST

" EW" RESCUE CHARITY O. 1064836

I COME A D EXPE DITURE ACCOU T FOR THE YEAR E DED 31st DECEMBER 2010

2010 2009
I COME £ £
SUBSCRIPTIONS 6270 6612
DONATIONS 2889 804
GIFT AID 1326 1324
POSTAGE AND PACKING RECEIPTS 111 427
FIRST AID FOR FINDS SALES - 842
MANUAL OF ARCH. FIELD DRAWING SALES 74 410
OTHER PUBLICATIONS SALES 102 65
C.O.I.F. INTEREST 42 95
PUBLISHERS LICENSING SOCIETY 615 449
SUNDRY - 17

EXCESS OF EXPENDITURE OVER INCOME - 49

£11429 £11094
EXPE DITURE
RESCUE NEWS 3046 3192
OFFICE AND COUNCIL EXPENSES 261 322
POSTAGE 187 507
TELEPHONE 399 428
RENT AND RATES 1463 1459
SALARY 2772 2874
INSURANCE 331 422
LIGHT-HEAT-WATER-CLEANING 480 390
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DONATIONS (H.LINK/CBA) 136 186
PRINTING AND PUBLICITY 132 82
MEETINGS INC. AGM 244 285
PETTY CASH 55 76
FAFF PURCHASES FROM ICON 39 871

EXCESS OF INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 1884 -

£11429 £11094

“OLD” RESCUE CHARITY O. 263300

I COME A D EXPE DITURE ACCOU T FOR THE YEAR E DED 31st DECEMBER 2010

2010 2009
I COME £ £
CASH B/f 1.1.10 55 398
SUBSCRIPTIONS 160 204
DONATIONS 143 153

£358 £755

EXPE DITURE
TRANSFER TO NEW A/C - 700
BALANCE C/FWD 358 55

£358 £755
 7

RESCUE: THE BRITISH ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST

Charity o. 1064836 ( ew) and 26300 (Old)

I COME & EXPE DITURE ACCOU T FOR YEAR E DED 31st DECEMBER 2010

I COME 2010 2009

£ £
SUBSCRIPTIONS 6430 6816
DONATIONS 3032 957
GIFT AID 1326 1324
POSTAGE AND PACKING RECEIPTS 111 427
FIRST AID FOR FINDS SALES - 842
MANUAL OF ARCH.FIELD DRAWING SALES 74 410
OTHER PUBLICATIONS SALES 102 65
C.O.I.F. INTEREST 42 95
PUBLISHERS LICENSING SOCIETY 615 449
SUNDRY - 17

£11732 £11402

EXPE DITURE

RESCUE NEWS 3046 3192

OFFICE AND COUNCIL EXPENSES 261 322
POSTAGE 187 507
TELEPHONE 399 428
RENT AND RATES 1463 1459
SALARY 2772 2874
INSURANCE 331 422
LIGHT-HEAT-WATER-CLEANING 480 390
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND DONATIONS 136 186
PRINTING AND PUBLICITY 132 82
MEETINGS INC AGM 244 285
PETTY CASH 55 76
FAFF PURCHASES FROM ICON 39 871

EXCESS INCOME OVER EXPENDITURE 2187 308

£11732 £11402
 RESCUE: The British Archaeological Trust
Annual General Meeting
Saturday 2nd April 2011 at 1.00pm

at Surrey History Centre, Woking

Agenda
1. Apologies for absence

2. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 20th March 2010

3. Matters arising from the Minutes

4. Chairman’s report

5. Secretary’s report

6. Treasurer’s report, adoption of accounts and appointment of auditor

7. Elections of Officers and new members of Council

8. Any other business