SPRA Annual General Meeting 2011
Retiring SPRA President, Fergus Hardie, reported that the SPRA had made progress over the last twelve months on several fronts.
• SPRA membership stands at record levels, both for individual membership and for Corporate Membership;
• attendance at the technical meeting programme is again up on previous years;
• the schools lecture, Fantastic Plastic, was delivered to a total of 750 pupils from 21 schools;
• SPRA hosted the inaugural R W Thomson Lecture, the first in a series of prestige public lectures, involving the IOM3 local societies in Scotland;
• the new SPRA website provides a professional image of the SPRA, with a wealth of information on the industry;
• SPRA continues to maintain and develop links with industry and government bodies, ensuring that the SPRA voice is heard;
• the annual Dinner Dance was another excellent evening, with a number of new table hosts
Hon Treasurer, Mike Barker, announced that the SPRA had made a small surplus in 2010, despite a number of one-off expenditures but thanks to increased membership income, an increased grant from IOM3, overheads from a consultancy project and the prize from IOM3 for Local Society of the Year.
Membership Secretary, Sheena Geddes, reported that SPRA membership at the end of 2010 stood at a record of 212 individual members and 22 Corporate Members.
Achievements on the educational front, as reported by Colin Hindle, SPRA Education Officer, included the successful schools lecture, the inaugural R W Thomson Lecture “Engineering the Future: learning from past innovators”, delivered by Prof Bill Banks and the award of SPRA scholarships to two students at Edinburgh Napier University. Sadly the Polymer Study Tour in Edinburgh in 2010 was cancelled because of low numbers but SPRA did sponsor two student teachers from Glasgow University to the Tour in London. Specialist courses in polymers continue to be under threat due to low numbers throughout the UK.
Barry Coughlan, Chief Operating Officer – Europe, Rosti UK Ltd, was elected SPRA President, with Kenneth McIntosh, also Rosti UK, elected as Vice President. Other current office bearers and general Council members were re-elected.
From left to right: Mike Barker (Hon Treasurer), Les Rose (Past President), David Barlow (Social Convenor), Richard Donnell (Council Member), Fergus (Immediate Past President), Sheena Geddes (Membership Secretary), Charlie Geddes (Hon Secretary), Chris Clark (Council Member), Kenneth McIntosh (Vice- President), Barry Coughlan (President).
