NPTA membership continues to grow

“To see membership continue to grow in times of recession was extremely pleasing,” he said.

The Association’s finances continue to be well managed with another small profit recorded for the year ended 31 March 2009. Thanking NPTA’s two members of staff, Julie Gilles and Margaret Coleyshaw, for all their hard work, Peter Crowden also thanked the directors pointing out that none of them take any payment for their time.

Following on from the successful Scottish Day, now in its 12th year, and the SE regional event at Shuttleworth Agricultural College in Bedfordshire, the NPTA Board announced that sponsorship had been secured and plans were in hand for a SW event for 2010, probably in the Bristol area.

 
NPTA chairman Peter Crowden welcomed
members to the AGM and was ably assisted
in the meeting by vice-chairman Paul Burton and chief executive John Davison.

The formal proceedings of the AGM were followed by an Open Forum with discussion centring on a couple of issues that regularly seem to crop up when people in the industry get together – namely rogue traders and how professional operators can best prove their competence.

There was some discussion about NPTA membership categories and whether an additional category of ‘Associate’ member could be introduced with the bar being raised for ‘Full’ membership. However the general feeling was that this was over-complicating matters as there is already a probationary membership category – a fact that surprised some in the room. Maybe the probationary category needs a bit more marketing.

The lack of practical experience in the RSPH/BPCA Level 2 qualification was also raised. There was a feeling that the old practical elements that used to be in the training had been thrown out by the ‘educationalists’ on a cost basis and that maybe there was an opportunity for NPTA to offer practical guidance to new recruits on a more formal basis. Currently many members are already involved in providing opportunities for new recruits to shadow them on a voluntary basis.

It was agreed that the whole issue should be tabled at a future board meeting for a fuller discussion by the management team.

20 February 2009