The February Council meeting was held over the weekend of 18/19 February at Redfield in Buckinghamshire. It’s almost a tradition now for us to use their recently renovated Stable block for this meeting each year and the facilities and catering make it well worth it!
This is only one of three times in the year when the directors and staff team actually meet up and as usual the agenda was full and the weekend very busy. The Council business was all completed during Saturday and Saturday evening was spent sharing hopes and aspirations for WWOOF UK, leaving Sunday clear for us to tackle strategic planning for the next three years.
Three years ago, while we were at Lower Shaw Farm for the February meeting, we put our first strategic plan in place and it was time to review it and plan for the future. While not wanting to be bogged down in ‘corporate speak’ the whole team, directors and staff, are aware WWOOF UK’s activities need to be focused and well-managed to make best use of its resources on behalf of members.
Two of our directors, Nim Kibbler and Katie Hastings, had spent ages preparing for this task and worked with us in a workshop to guide the review of what we’ve done and achieved over the last three years and to decide how we should go forward. We had a chance to work in small groups to share our opinions and concerns and were glad to have our views taken into account. And, much to all of our amazement, and with the help of some remarkable chocolate ladybirds, by the end of session we achieved our goal. Thank you Nim and Katie!
