WADAC’s Annual General Meeting took place at 7pm on Tuesday 17 February at Centre 70, where our chairman gave a brief overview of finances for 2025 and plans for 2026.
Here is his report in full.
Over the past twelve months, the club has continued to do what our constitution asks of us. We have helped local people learn more about drawing and painting. We have offered chances to create art for pleasure in a friendly setting. We have taken art out into the wider community.
At the time of writing, we have 45 paid-up members, and the club is growing. Everyone is welcome, whether you are an experienced painter or picking up a brush for the first time.
Delivering our purpose
Our constitution says that we exist to advance public education in the visual fine arts and to provide facilities for recreation and leisure in the community. We have done this in three main ways this year:
- By investing in regular tutored classes for our members
- By running evening activities that people at work can attend
- By taking the work of our members into the wider community
Much of what follows sits under one of those headings.
Learning and teaching
Our daytime classes at Centre 70 remain at the heart of the club.
- Claire Cross has led 7 x 6-week terms on Tuesday mornings
- Grant Waters has led 6 x 6-week terms on Tuesday afternoons
Between them, they offer structured teaching, demonstrations and one-to-one guidance across the year. I want to record our thanks to Claire and Grant for their skill, patience and commitment. Members often tell me how much they learn from these sessions and how important they are to their confidence and mental well-being.
For those who work in the day, our Tuesday evening untutored sessions and our monthly demonstrations provide an important way to stay involved. People can paint, share ideas and enjoy being part of a group.
The demonstration evenings remain a key way to learn new techniques and to see how different artists approach their work. Topics have ranged from acrylics and watercolour to pastels, charcoal, mark making and abstract techniques, as well as core drawing skills such as perspective and still life.
We also ran workshops with visiting artists, including Mark Warner, Jonathan Newey and Liz Chatterton, giving members a full day to focus on a particular subject or medium.
Reaching out to the community
The club has continued to show members’ work in and around Wallingford and the local villages. Highlights this year include:
- Our Spring Art Show during Oxfordshire Artweeks, which was very well attended and led to good sales
- The Warborough summer show, where we took members’ work into a village setting
- The Wallingford Christmas show, held alongside the town’s Christmas events
Across these and other activities, we generated around £2,000 in sales for member artists. We also re-established our display at the Great Hall in Cholsey with the help of Ana Allen, and are pleased that several works have already sold there. This kind of outreach helps us share members’ work with a wider audience and raises the profile of the club.
Membership and finances
Membership has held steady at about 45 members, with new people joining through classes, evening sessions and demonstrations. We now have a clearer structure for membership and class fees, and we have improved the way we explain the value of membership on the website and in emails.
As a committee, we have spent time this year simplifying the way we present the accounts. We have aimed to move from something that only an accountant could love to a format that ordinary members can understand at a glance. We are not a statutory charity and do not need audited accounts, but we do want to show clearly how we use members’ money to support learning and participation.
I want to thank Alice Fuller for taking on the accounts after a difficult year and for working with me to prepare figures for the AGM. We will continue to refine the way we present our income and costs, especially around tutoring and room hire at Centre 70.
Thanks to the committee and volunteers
The club depends on volunteers. I would like to thank:
- Vicki Milne, who has organised a full year of demonstrations and workshops and supported many other events
- Nicola Webb, for her tireless work on marketing, the website, newsletters and show organisation. Her efforts have brought many new faces to our demonstrations and classes
- Alice Fuller, for taking on the role of treasurer and working patiently through the details of the accounts
I also want to thank Sally Maddison, who is stepping down from the committee due to the pressure of work. Sally has given steady support, and we are very grateful. We hope she will continue to enjoy the club’s activities as a member.
Behind the scenes, many other members help with setting up and clearing down, hanging exhibitions, making tea and coffee, welcoming visitors and doing all the small jobs that make the club run smoothly. These are not glamorous tasks, but they are vital. They also help to make the club a friendly place where people feel at home and where, I believe, we all benefit in terms of our mental wellbeing as well as our art.
Remembering David Booth
We should also record our gratitude to David Booth, our former chairman and treasurer, who died last year after a long illness.
David did a huge amount for the club over many years. He brought professional standards to the accounts and helped keep the club on a sound footing. He also cared deeply about making art accessible to local people. On behalf of the club I want to thank him and to say that he is very much missed.
Thanks to our hosts
We are fortunate to have the support of the Wallingford Community Association, who provide our facilities here at Centre 70. The hall is a key part of our ability to run classes, demonstrations and exhibitions. We are grateful for their support and for their patience as we work through bookings and invoices.
Looking ahead
Our aim now is to build on this year’s success.
We will:
- Keep investing in quality teaching through Claire and Grant
- Continue to offer opportunities for working people through evening sessions and demonstrations
- Take members’ work out into the community through shows and displays
- Keep the club on a sound financial footing while still offering good value for members
- Look for one or two new committee members to share the load and bring fresh ideas
Above all, we will continue to encourage members to create, to learn and to enjoy the companionship that comes from painting together.
Thank you to all of you for the great art you have created over the past year and for the support you give each other. I look forward to working with you to make the coming year even better.
Nick Shanagher
Chairman
Wallingford & District Art Club
