EMACS meets four times a year in January, April, July and October, on the third Saturday of these months. The Association is so constituted that its meetings are a ‘governing council’, with up to two from each member society attending able to vote. This gives member societies direct governance of the Association. There is no other committee.

In the interests of regional cover, three of these meetings rotate between the six counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland. We are extremely grateful to member societies who have hosted many of these extremely successful meetings.

The April event normally consists of the AGM in the morning and a general meeting of the Association after lunch. The July event has a general meeting in the morning with a guided walk after lunch. The October event is an all day training and information session rotating between the principal cities of the region. The January event normally consists of a guest speaker in the morning and a general meeting after lunch.

THE AWAYDAY

Soon after our inception it was felt that members needed to be offered greater opportunities to socialise and network. As a result of this decision, in June 2003 the Association held its first annual ‘Awayday’ in Boston, Lincolnshire. This was a whole day tour of the historic town hosted by Boston Preservation Trust. This is now followed by ‘Awaydays’ every year. (2004 Leicester, 2005 Newark, 2006 Retford, 2007 Buxton, 2008 Nottingham, 2009 Stamford, 2010 Northampton) Unlike our general meetings these do not follow any particular order, being totally dependant on volunteer hosts.

EMACHS MAGAZINE

In July 2004 the Association published its first newsletter, the “East MASA Magazine”. This is a quarterly publication. At its heart is a ‘digest’ of information gleaned from the pages of members’ newsletters and journals. The emphasis is on information that may be of practical use to other members, on lessons learned and on examples of perceived best practice. Many members send us their newsletters and journals on a regular basis.
OFFICERS

1. Chairman: Ernie Napier, 75 Robin Hood’s Walk, Boston PE21 9EY. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

2. Vice-Chairman and Representative to East Midlands Heritage Forum (and Chairman Nottingham Civic Society) Hilary Silvester, 21 Wheatfields Road, Nottingham NG3 2PQ.
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3. Hon. Secretary (and Hon. Secretary Leicester Civic Society) Howard Wilkins, 46 Brookside, Burbage, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 2TL. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

4. Hon. Treasurer & Editor EMACHS Magazine (and Chairman Leicester Civic Society)
Stuart Bailey, 48 Meadow Avenue, Loughborough LE11 1JT.
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5. Society Casework Advisor (and Hon. Treasurer Nottingham Civic Society) Ian Wells, 4a Kelvin Road, Thorneywood, Nottingham, NG3 2PR. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

To conclude:

WHAT DO SOCIETIES GET OUT OF JOINING?

1. A programme of meetings and training sessions spread around the six counties of the region. We hope that every society will be close to one fairly regularly.

2. EMACHS Magazine. Our newsletter is published four times a year and is packed with lots of news concentrating on experience and best practice amongst Civic Societies across the region.

3. An annual “Awayday” to enable you to relax and socialise with other member societies.

4. An informative web site and a google group that enable you to identify and contact your neighbours.

The meetings, newsletter, awayday, web site and google group are designed to enable you to network with each other.

5. Help and advice with your conservation problems and concerns through our Casework Officer.

6. Representation on the East Midlands Heritage Forum that operates at English Heritage and EMDA level.