The committee meets regularly, and every spring we hold an Annual General Meeting. Membership is open to everyone who shares our concern to maintain the area and ensure that it survives for the enjoyment of future generations.

The Committee

Glenys Law (Chair)
David Scott (Treasurer)
Paul Secher (Secretary)
Ros Abrams
David Abram
Jane Bywaters
Jeff Duckett
Alys Elphick (Membership)
Rob Jackson
John Larkin
Emma Prinsley
Sue Secher
Jacky Wedgwood

CREOS Annual General Meeting

Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 15 May 2023 at Abide Church, Park Road, London N8

37 Members were present.

1. Apologies for absence: Alys Elphick, Sue Secher
2. Minutes of the last AGM, 13 June 2022: approved without amendment.
3. Chair’s Report: Glenys presented the Chair’s Report and answered questions from the floor. Each Member was given a copy of the full report, which can be found on the website.
4. Treasurer’s Report: Julian presented his final Treasurer’s Report, having occupied the Office of Treasurer for 28 years. The balance of funds as at year ending 31 March 2023 was £12,010.23 – up from £9,300.37 the previous year.
5. Charitable Incorporated Organisation: Paul introduced a proposal to convert CREOS into a Charitable Incorporated Organisation [CIO] in due course, subject to approval of trustees, management committee and the CREOS membership.  Paul took questions from the floor.
6. ’50 Years of CREOS’: A presentation by Peter Barber OBE, FSA, FRHistS, former Head of Maps at The British Library.  Peter was introduced and assisted by Rob Jackson, Keeper of the CREOS Archives.  Peter delivered a very interesting, instructive and entertaining presentation providing a historical perspective of the Crouch End Open Space.  He began with the use of the area as playing fields in the 1850s.  The Church of England held the freehold of the land – but in 1893 the Crouch End Playing Fields Company was formed.  It leased the land from the Church and ran the fields for the clubs who were its tenants.  Peter explained how the site of the Playing Fields was under threat of development almost from the start.  In 1927  fringes of land managed by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners were developed with houses on what became Wood Vale and Park Road.  The company bought the remaining fields outright stating that ‘the fields should be purchased and dedicated for all time for use as Playing Fields’.  In the late 1950s Middlesex County Council bought part of the land to establish what is now Highgate Wood School.  Further development was threatened, as the original company ran into financial problems.
   In 1973 a public meeting was held and attended by over 200 people who sought to protect the area for recreation and in June of that year, the Crouch End Playing Fields Protection Society [still a CREOS name registered in our entry on the Charity Commission Register!] was formed with objects to preserve the land for sport and recreation in perpetuity and to prevent the development of the land for residential purposes.  Interestingly, our current  CREOS Governing Document/Constitution still makes references to ‘the Society’.  CREOS in its current form, had its origins in another public meeting at HW School, at which Peter was present and where he articulated the historical context.  The upshot was the re-creation of the Protection Society [CREOS Mark II] with Tim Denby-Wood as Chair and Peter as Secretary.  Numerous battles against proposed inappropriate development took place.  The designation of the CREOS area as ‘Metropolitan Open Land’ in 1984 strengthened – and continues to empower CREOS in its fight to protect the Open Space for recreation and nature conservation.  Peter’s talk was very well received.  It was rounded off by Rob, who had laid out relevant items of interest from the archives.  Following questions from the floor, Glenys thanked Peter and Rob.
7. Election of Officers and Committee Members: Presided over by David Abram, all Committee Members were re-elected [one abstention], en bloc.  As Julian had indicated at the previous AGM, he was standing down as Treasurer after 28 years.  Glenys and Paul were re-elected as Chair and Secretary respectively.  David Scott, having previously been nominated and seconded, was elected Treasurer.
8. AOB: Glenys recorded with great sadness the deaths during the past year of three former members of CREOS who had each made very substantial contributions supporting CREOS in years past: Tim Denby-Wood; Bob Howe; and Gregor Grant.  John Newton, from the floor, spoke about the shared interests of the Shepherd Cot Trust and CREOS – and the productive relationship which has been generated.  Ros Abrams made a presentation to Peter Barber following his excellent presentation.  Ros made a further presentation to Julian marking his retirement from the post of Treasurer after 28 years of devoted service, so greatly appreciated by members and especially by Julian’s colleagues and friends on the CREOS Management Committee.There being no further business, the meeting was closed at about 9.30pm.

Recent Chair’s Reports