Events

AGM at Leith Hill Place followed by lunch and an optional walk around the Estate

9th November 2024, 10:30 - 15:00

Surrey Hills Society 

2024

Annual General Meeting

held at Leith Hill Place, RH5

on Saturday 9 November 2024

Coffee at 10.30 am

Meeting at 11.00 am

This year we are delighted to be invited by Catherine McCusker, who is a Society trustee and Visitor Operations and Experiences Manager for National Trust Surrey Hills East, to Leith Hill Place, which has been newly renovated.

Our members will not only be able to meet our Trustees and hear about the work of the Society during the past year but also an opportunity to hear all about the fascinating history of the house and the surrounding area as well as the National Trust’s plans for the future.

The morning will begin at 10.30 am with light refreshments of tea or coffee with the formal business of the Annual General Meeting starting at 11.00 am. Details of the AGM can be found here.

The AGM will be chaired by our President, Chris Howard and our Chairman of Trustees, Gordon Jackson who will present the Trustees’ report for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.

We will also present our Annual Accounts for the same period.

Christa Emmett our Project and Volunteer Manager will update us on the Society’s extensive activities including our volunteering programme, our Growing Together project funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the East Surrey Care Farm Pilot being run for the Surrey Health Mental Investment Fund.

There will then be a short break followed by Catherine’s presentation.

Catherine is passionate about the natural environment.  She has enjoyed a varied career which took her from acting to Human Resources, running a corporate training facility to teaching, fundraising and organising large and small community events before landing the role of running the Learning and Events department at Box Hill for the National Trust.  Now she is Visitor Operations and Experiences Manager for Surrey Hills East, most recently looking after Leith Hill Place and Tower. She describes the natural world as being in her toolkit for life, and she believes passionately that we humans need to reconnect with the natural world. She is an experienced speaker and will give us an entertaining and informative account about her experiences at the National Trust and the challenges involved in managing an historic house.

We will then enjoy a buffet lunch with sandwiches and finger food.

After lunch, Catherine and Gordon will lead an optional walk of no more than an hour through some lesser known areas of the estate.

The walk is relatively easy.  Please wear appropriate clothing and we suggest stout footwear as there may be some muddy patches in places.

Donated to the National Trust in 1944, Leith Hill Place is an elegant 17th-century property, which was added to and improved in the 18th century by General John Folliot.  The estate grew to become a landscape of natural splendour and includes a ha-ha, lime avenue and extensive tree planting.

View from Leith Hill Place

Some of the country’s most influential families have lived at Leith Hill Place. Their lineage includes the names of Wedgwood and Vaughan Williams, and these people are now woven deeply into the place’s history. A close relative of the Wedgwood family, the English naturalist Charles Darwin, frequently stayed at Leith Hill Place. While here, he conducted research around the estate and his ‘worm-stone’ still sits within the grounds today.

Toilet facilities are available.

If you just wish to attend the AGM the cost is free but must be booked by choosing the AGM ONLY option.

Cost to members is £20 and the cost to non-members is £25
The cost includes light refreshments on arrival and a buffet sandwich lunch. Please state any dietary requirements in the comments box when booking your ticket.

We will be making a donation to the National Trust and ask that National Trust members please bring and scan their cards when parking.

Full details will be set sent to you once you have made your bookiing.

Deadline for booking 2 November 2024

For further details and enquiries, contact info@surreyhillssociety.org

By continuing and making a booking you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to the Terms & Conditions specified in our Cancellation Policy and Responsibility Statement, both of which can be viewed by clicking here