Following a lengthy process, the Cuneo Society has now closed. This has been accepted by the Charity Commissioners who were asked to approve the process the committee had undertaken. In short this means no further subscriptions (please cancel any standing order); no official activities such as visits, and no Journal.
In case you’ve missed the reasons, it came down to a lack of people to run the society. Several of the committee members wished, or needed, to step down after years of hard work. Despite regular appeals no one was able to step forward to fill any of these roles, some of which such as Secretary and Treasurer are required by the Charity Commission.
In its place we now have ‘The Cuneo Society’ – note the ‘The’ which was absent before and shows the new entity. This is much more informal, and will be based online, both through the website and Facebook group.
You can access the Facebook group by going to https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecuneosociety/ on the internet. The group now has 158 members, which is greater than the previous membership of the Cuneo Society. It’s interactive, and if you’ve not looked, please feel free to browse the conversations.
The website, at thecuneosociety.org has been funded for at least ten years, and the previous webmaster David Bennett will continue to run it. Again, this will be maintained and updated with significant news.
The Cuneo Society Shop, previously run so well for many years by Margaret Spooner, has now transferred its stock to society member John Herbertson, and if you’d like to acquire items, you can reach him at https://www.herbertsonfineart.co.uk/cuneo .
After the closure of the society (technically just before it) the society’s bank account was also closed. Charity laws said any remaining balance had to be passed to another charity with similar outlooks. Sutton Valence school in Kent, which Terence Cuneo attended, has been pleased to accept this to endow two annual art prizes in the artist and the society’s names (more information over the page).
Membership of the society is now informal, basically by signing up to the Facebook group. In addition to David Bennett operating this, Gilly Rainer (former Secretary) and Scott Hillsdon (Membership Secretary) are also available for the occasional query and to keep an eye on things. By way of reassurance, members of the Cuneo Society should know that all records and personal information will be deleted and/or destroyed, in accordance with data protection requirements (GDPR).
“It’s sad in many ways, but I do hope the best parts of the old society, members with a common interest talking to each other, can continue through Facebook for example,” says Cuneo Society Chairman Mark Learmont. “We were forced down this path, and we’re not alone in this. But we’ve also modernised, become more flexible, and in that way, together with Sutton Valence School we’ll continue to promote Terence Cuneo and the family of artists.
“I would encourage Facebook members to get together. If anyone wishes to suggest an informal (non society) gathering, especially if at a place where Cuneo’s works are remembered, that would be a good thing. All I’d ask is that the venue is alerted in advance – so they don’t get a surprise, or close on the day!
”Finally, I thank both Peter Collins and Adrian Gould, and our President Carole Cuneo. The Cuneo Society was their idea, and through our future activities we hope that banner will continue.”