Members News

The Midland Ancestors Family History Centre in the Kingsley Norris Room at The Birmingham & Midland Institute will be closed on the following dates:

Thursday 17th April
Easter Friday 18th April
Easter Monday 21st April
Reopen as normal Tuesday 22nd April – 10am

May Day – Monday 5th May
Reopen as normal Tuesday 6th May – 10am

Further information about the Family History Centre is available through this link Family History Centre

The Annual General Meeting of Midland Ancestors will be held
at 11.45 a.m. on Saturday, 3rd May 2025,
at the BMI, 9 Margaret St, Birmingham B3 3BS.

Due to the AGM being held in person, voting will only take place in the room or by proxy. There is no facility for online voting on the day. Those who vote in advance by proxy will not be permitted to vote in person at the AGM and will not receive a ballot paper on the day. Proxy votes will be counted prior to the meeting and added to votes cast on the day at the AGM, by those in attendance who have not previously cast a proxy vote. The total votes shall be counted.

• Instructions for submitting a proxy vote are available here.
• A list of nominees for Trustees and Officers is available here.
• The Minutes of the 2024 Annual General Meeting are available here.
• The Society’s annual submission to the Charity Commission will be posted on this page shortly. If you wish the Society to send you a copy of the Annual Report and Accounts, please request this from the Society.

We look forward to seeing as many members as possible on Saturday, 3rd May.

Can you help safeguard the future of our Society?

Following the recent departures of key personnel, the Board of Trustees has been reviewing the structure and governance of Midland Ancestors. The Board believes that fundamental reforms in management and governance are necessary in order to safeguard the organisation’s future.
With this in mind, the Board is proposing to redefine the roles of Chair and General Secretary and to create several additional roles, in order to spread the workload more evenly.

Vacancies

The available vacancies include the following:

• Chairperson: Responsible for leading and overseeing the activities of Midland Ancestors, ensuring that its mission, values, and objectives are upheld. The Chair will provide strategic direction, foster community engagement, and work collaboratively with the Board, volunteers, and members to promote family history research and education.
  To make the Chair’s role sustainable, important changes are now envisaged. The primary responsibility will be to chair the Board of Trustees and provide general oversight of the Society. It will no longer be an operational role, nor involve the management of the Birmingham Group, which will be a separate responsibility (see below).
  You can download the full job description here.
• General Secretary: Will play a key role in the effective management and administration of Midland Ancestors, ensuring smooth and efficient operation of day-to-day activities. Acts as the central point of contact for internal and external communication, helps coordinate events and meetings, and supports the overall mission of the Society. This is an exciting opportunity for an organised and detail-oriented individual with a passion for genealogy and preserving family history.
  You can download the full job description here.

In addition, the following new positions are being created:

• Minutes Secretary: Will provide support to the General Secretary in organising and minuting Board of Trustees Meetings and the AGM.
• Technology Officer: Responsible for oversight of the Society’s IT, including liaison with, and monitoring of, external IT contractors. Also includes management of the Society’s website.
• Events, Marketing and Outreach Officer: Responsible for organising the Society’s participation in events, as well as general marketing and outreach activities.
• Birmingham Group, Chair: In future, Birmingham will operate as a local group, along the same lines as others. The Group will have its own Chair and committee responsible for running Birmingham meetings and other activities.
• Birmingham Group, Programme Secretary: Responsible for organising the Birmingham Group talks.

We also have other volunteer opportunities available. Some can be carried out remotely making distance no object, if you would like to help.

To discuss any of these vacancies, informally and without obligation, please contact the Trustees at trustees@midanc.uk.
Or by post: Midland Ancestors, 9 Margaret Street, Birmingham. B3 3BS

The future of your Society is in your hands!