The 2021 Blesma Annual General Meeting (AGM)

The 2021 Blesma AGM took place on Sunday 13 June by video conference.

Some 12 Members and four Honorary Members with voting rights took part in the meeting.
Some 89 proxy voting instructions were received. The meeting was therefore quorate in accordance with Blesma’s Articles of Association and Rules.

• The 2020 Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts were briefed and received
• Crowe UK LLP was appointed as the Auditor
• The AGM voted to amend Blesma’s Articles and Rules to reflect changes proposed to the membership
• Mr Andy Mudd, Mr Miles Ambler and Mr Bob Watts resigned as Trustees
• Mr Miles Ambler and Mr Bob Watts were re-appointed as Trustees
• Mr Liam Maguire, Mr Rob Kerrigan and Mr Brendan West were appointed as Trustees

The National Chairman reviewed the 2020 Trustees’ Annual Report and concluded that Blesma had coped well with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He was confident that the Association was in a strong position to support its Members and keep them closely
connected as the country begins to emerge from the crisis.

The Treasurer then briefed the meeting on the Financial Statements. Although 2020 had been a difficult year, there was light at the end of the tunnel as the Bank of England had upgraded its 2021 growth outlook for the UK to 7.25% in May; up from 5% in February. The brighter economic forecast came as the country gradually emerged from lockdown and more people were being vaccinated against Covid. This should have a positive impact on Blesma’s financial position in 2021, although the country is not yet clear of financial uncertainty, and the crisis has had a huge impact on the economy and government spending.

The Chief Executive briefed the meeting that the Trustees had proposed that Blesma’s Articles and Rules be updated as follows:

• To reflect the change in MOD terminology from “Auxiliary” to “Reserve” Forces
• To reflect the Trustees’ intention that the Board should consist of at least 50% Member Trustees
• To confirm the requirement for Trustees to complete Blesma’s Eligibility and Code of Conduct declaration before appointment in accordance with Blesma’s Governance Standing Instructions
• To allow Trustees to delegate responsibility for admitting Members to the Association to a
Blesma Director where they meet the eligibility criteria within the rules
• To reflect Charity Commission guidance on how Members may be removed from the Association if this is considered necessary
• To reflect the use of email communications, particularly in communications with overseas
Members
• To remove a section of the Rules that refers to Branch Areas as Blesma no longer has these

The membership had been notified of the proposed changes in the calling notice for the meeting, and copies of the proposed amendments to the Rules had been published on
the Blesma website. The motion was carried by a majority. The Chairman noted that Blesma Trustees had been through a recruiting process and would normally serve for nine years. If
Members decided that Trustees were not performing as expected, the membership could decide not to re-elect them. The previous vote had confirmed the intention that the board should consist of at least 50% Member Trustees, while the Board sought to also recruit
Trustees with specific skills and experience to advise on issues such as communications or the law.

A Member said that the voting form should reflect the fact that the proposed Trustees were co-opted onto the Board and future versions should reflect this. This was agreed.

A Member asked what Blesma was doing to influence the performance of Veterans UK and increase knowledge within the Association about the War Pensions claims process. The Chief Executive responded that the Association had sought to improve its knowledge and contacts. Blesma was working on a Memorandum of Understanding, as well as an updated contacts list, monthly meetings and staff visits. The Member said that he was pleased that Blesma had sought to engage and contribute to improving the service. The Chairman responded that Blesma would look to increase its advocacy on behalf of the membership; he had met the new Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and would look to re-engage on issues with specific evidence.

In response to a question from a Member on the provision of care, the Chairman responded that Blesma continued to support those formerly resident at the Blackpool Home. A BSO added that the Association had a process in place whereby Blesma could assist other Members facing difficulties with care through the grants process.

A Member asked about the review of Blesma’s rules on Loss of Use of Limb. The Chief Executive said that the Association had approached the chair of the NHS Rehabilitation & Disability Clinical Reference Group to ask whether similar criteria to that in place for loss of hearing or sight (i.e. loss of 80%) should apply. The unequivocal advice was that this was not an appropriate course of action as it was not possible to identify a percentage of loss.
The Association was advised that a diagnosis from a medical professional should be required.

Although Blesma’s rules defining membership criteria were not changed, the application process had been updated to reflect the advice on diagnosis. The Chairman added that in circumstances where there was evidence to suggest that a Member’s condition had significantly improved, perhaps to the extent that continued membership may no longer be
appropriate, the Board would look to engage constructively with the Member. In this way, he believed that Blesma had set its rules to be fair and to provide the right level of support to those who manifestly deserve it.

A Member asked for an update on the Llandudno Rehabilitation and Training Centre and asked whether more use could be made of this facility. The Chief Executive responded that the centre is a rehabilitation and training facility, funded by a £1.25M LIBOR grant in 2014 following a joint bid by Blind Veterans and Blesma. The Association would examine how to make better use of the facility.

A Member proposed a vote of thanks for the Board and staff. While the discussions at the AGM had been robust, the work done on behalf of Members was appreciated. The Chairman replied that the Blesma Board and management welcomed constructive challenges, and he was grateful to those Members who had engaged with the AGM. He added his thanks to the staff of the Association who had worked hard to overcome the challenges of a difficult but
ultimately successful year.

Jon Bryant
Chief Executive