ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
10 March 2025
The 78th Annual General Meeting of the London Ballet Circle was held on Zoom on March 10th 2025. Susan Dalgetty Ezra, LBC Chair, sitting alongside our President Dame Monica Mason introduced the full committee of ten further Trustees and welcomed the other 66 members in attendance.
Susan delivered the Chair’s report, and that of the Trustees, which highlighted some of the record number of 44 events in our busy year. We held 13 In Conversations with guests from London and beyond and made several in-person visits to ballet schools, summer schools, master classes, rehearsal watches and to Freed, the shoemakers.
Susan thanked the team of dedicated Trustees whose work as volunteers in promoting events through social media platforms, the website and the newsletter has meant that the number of people following and interacting with the LBC has grown. Members who do not have access on-line are contacted by post. This year we were sorry to lose Sylvia Villa, Fiona Erleigh and Ben Ettridge as Trustees, but we have been fortunate to find Jill Samuels, Rachel Cavet, Chenchi Tso and Alexandra Cross who have slotted in comfortably and efficiently. Special thanks were extended to two additional volunteers, Elodie Kaye who creates YouTube videos and to Trevor Rothwell who writes reports following In Conversation events.
Keith White, Treasurer, was called upon to present the Annual Accounts for 2023/24 which had been previously agreed by the Trustees. An increase in income has resulted in an increase in LBC’s support to ballet organisations as well as funding the Choreographic Award. This has been renamed the LBC Gainsbury Award in memory of Linda Gainsbury, our former Vice-Chair, who died in April. It is now possible to make donations directly to the Gainsbury Award through our website.
There followed the election of Officers and Trustees. At the 2023 AGM it was agreed that the voting process would change from 2024 onwards. Instead of the entire roster of Trustees being elected at one time it was decided that one third of the Trustees would stand each year for a three-year term. Krissie Poyser was re-elected as Secretary and the four new Trustees were also duly elected and welcomed to the team.
There being no further business LBC’s President, Dame Monica Mason, closed the meeting. She congratulated the Committee on raising the Circle’s profile and helping to make it such a well-respected organisation. She added that LBC’s Patron, Sir Peter Wright, now in his 99th year, sent his love to everyone from his home in Devon.
Susan Dalgetty Ezra expressed gratitude to all the members for their terrific support, generous donations and kind messages. She presented flowers to Dame Monica and extended special thanks to her and to Sir Peter for their continued and much valued involvement.
The Trustees’ Report and Examined Accounts as well as Minutes from the meeting can be found under the Members section on the LBC website.
Report by Krissie Poyser © The London Ballet Circle
