ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2025
CONVENING NOTICE
Under Rule 29 of the current Society Rules, the Trust Board has called an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Ironworks 1895 Supporters Society Limited for Wednesday 26th February 2025 and under Rule 36, is obliged to provide notice to members in writing of such a meeting. Please consider this written notice of the AGM.
The Annual General Meeting of the Ironworks 1895 Supporters Society Limited (also known as the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust) (the “Trust”) will be held via Zoom Video Conference at 19:00 on Wednesday 26th February 2025.
The following areas of business will be dealt with at the AGM:
Report on Trust performance
Review of examined accounts
Election of up to 7 of the members of the Trust Board
The Agenda for the meeting is as follows.
Chair's Introductions/ Report on Trust performance
Annual Accounts:
Review of examined accounts
Resolution to disapply the requirement of the current financial year’s accounts ending 31st August 2025 to be audited.Results of elections of Directors to the Board
ELECTION OF UP TO SEVEN BOARD MEMBERS TO TRUST BOARD:
At the Annual General Meeting held in February 2024, a nomination process for the 5 vacant board positions was run in accordance with the Rules of the Society. A total of 4 valid nominations were received from Andrew Byrne, Mark Inskipp, Gary Marling and Chris Wheal whose election to the board was approved at that AGM.
At the board meeting held on 8th April 2024, Sarthak Kumar was co-opted on to the Board.
Sadly on 10th April 2024 our Chair - Terry Reynolds collapsed whilst representing the Trust at a Show Racism the Red Card event - a subject that he was very passionate about. He was taken to hospital where he passed away later.
At the board meeting held on 31st July 2024, Dean Matthews was co-opted on to the Board.
At the board meeting held on 7th January 2025, Gary Marling was removed from the Board as he was unable to fulfil the commitments required of a director.
The WHUST Board currently consists of:
Elected Members: Andy Byrne, Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind, Mark Inskipp, Rachel McFetridge and Chris Wheal.
Co-opted Members: Sarthak Kumar and Dean Matthews
Under Rule 62. At each Annual General Meeting, half of the members of the Society Board elected by the members who have served the longest at the date of the Annual General Meeting each year will resign. Nick Drane, Richard Elliott, Kevin Hind and Rachel McFetridge will be standing down at the 2025 AGM. Also any co-opted members of the board have to stand down at the following AGM, so Sarthak Kumar and Dean Matthews will also stand down. A retiring Society Board member shall be eligible for re-election.
There are seven vacant elected board positions available at the forthcoming AGM.
To ensure transparency and independent scrutiny of our election we are appointing an Independent Nomination and Returning Officer, and we are delighted that Neil Le Milliere has again agreed to perform this role. Neil is a longstanding member of the Exeter City Supporters Trust and its Board, who have owned the majority shareholding in their club for over twenty years, as well as being on the Football Supporters Association National Council.
If any member would like to contact Neil directly for any information regarding voting, elections or about Neil directly, your enquires will be dealt with in strict confidence and Neil can be contacted by email or by phone communicated in the email sent to all members.
Each candidate is required to be a full current member as at midday on 17th January 2025 (the start of the AGM process), aged 16 or over and must be nominated by two full current members as at 17th January 2025.
To stand for election to the Trust Board, please read and complete the Board Nomination Form that can be downloaded directly here:
WHUST 2025 board nomination form - Microsoft Word format
WHUST 2025 board nomination form - Adobe pdf format
All nomination forms must be returned by 18:00 on Monday 3rd February 2025 via email to neil_le_milliere@btinternet.com
Board members will be a Director of Ironworks 1895 Supporters’ Society Ltd – a Community Benefit Society registered under the Co-operative and Community Benefit Societies Act 2014.
As well as being subject to the director’s responsibilities under that Act, they will also be bound by the Trust’s Board Membership and Conduct Policy and other rules and policies as published on the Trust’s website:
https://www.whust.org/policies
Candidate information will then be issued to full Trust members on 10th February 2025.
Should more nominations be received than vacancies (7) then a contested election will be held when full shareholding members will be able to vote in the board elections. Full details will be included in communications on 10th February 2025.
Please contact secretary@whust.org with any other questions relating to the Annual General Meeting.
Yours faithfully,
WHUST Board
17th January 2025
Details of the 2024 AGM held on Wednesday 21st February 2024 can be found at:
Details of the 2023 AGM held on Wednesday 15th February 2023 can be found at: