Over two hundred local supporters gathered this week for the A.G.M. of the Romford Conservative Association, where they unanimously re-elected the Officer team, led by Havering’s youngest councillor, Cllr. Osman Dervish.
The Annual General Meeting of last year triggered the rise of new generation of young leaders in Romford, with Cllr. Osman Dervish as Chairman, Cllr. Damian White as Political Deputy Chairman and Sandy Tanner as Membership Deputy Chairman.
This year the entire team were re-elected without opposition and include people of all ages, backgrounds and experience, which also included:
Cllr. Melvin Wallace (President); Cllr. Frederick Thompson (Treasurer); Meg Davis, Cllr. Robby Misir, Judith Holt and John Crowder (Vice-Chairmen); Joshua Chapman (Press Officer); Cllr. Lynden Trew (Special Events Co-ordinator); Stuart Mackintosh (House Chairman); and Dilip Patel (Policy Forum Chairman).
Also at the A.G.M., presentations of the annual Association awards took place.
The Margaret Thatcher Cup is awarded for outstanding commitment to the Association and this was presented to Audrey Darlington, a dedicated volunteer who works tirelessly for the local party, and has been involved for over 40 years.
The Winston Churchill Shield is awarded to the branch that has been the most active throughout the year and was presented to Meg Davis, Chairman of the Romford Conservative Christian Fellowship (RCCF), which is made up of members from churches from across Romford and provides a bridge between the Christian community in Romford and the Conservative Party. The highlight of the year was their Harvest Supper with the former Archbishop of Canterbury, The Rt. Hon. Lord Carey of Clifton.
The Norman Tebbit Cup is awarded for outstanding electoral success and was presented to Cllr. Damian White, the Political Deputy Chairman of the Association for his outstanding work in re-organising the campaigning style and Conservative newsletter system throughout the Romford constituency and was the mastermind behind the campaign in Romford last spring to re-elect Boris Johnson and Mayor of London and Roger Evens as Havering’s Greater London Assembly Member.
Former Mayor of Havering, Cllr. Melvin Wallace was elected President of the Association, with Pam Torkington, The Hon. Denis Walker, Richard Willis and Sandy Scott, as Deputy Presidents.
Dr. Madhu Pathak M.B.E., a local doctor and magistrate, was also congratulated on her recent award of an M.B.E. and made a Vice-President of the Association.
Other newly appointed Vice-Presidents included: Syed Kamall M.E.P.; The Rev. Roderick Hingley; The Rev. David Pearson; Dr. Jamsheed Khan; and Mike Bocking
Cllr. Osman Dervish, Chairman, said:
“ I am honoured to lead the Romford Conservative Association for a second term and would like to take this opportunity to thank my officers for their support and hard work. We have made great progress together as an association over the past year in modernising the way our party organisation functions and revitalising the way we campaign. Over the coming year, I look forward to working with my officers on new initiatives and ideas, but most importantly, getting the Conservative Party ready to fight and win the Local Elections of 2014.”
The A.G.M. of the Romford Conservative Association ended with a keynote speech by Romford’s local Member of Parliament, Andrew Rosindell M.P. and the singing of the National Anthem!