The Rescue Annual General Meeting was on Saturday 10 May at 12 noon at Roman Circus House, Roman Circus Walk, Colchester, CO2 7GZ. The annual papers including Minutes of the 2024 meeting and account for the year ending 31 December 2024 are available below.
Report on the Rescue AGM in Colchester May 2025
At the AGM the Chair, Jo Caruth, and the Treasurer, Diana Friendship-Taylor had reached the end of their five years in office, but both agreed to be elected as members of Council. The meeting elected Dan Phillips, previously Vice-Chair, to the Chair, Tony Howe as Vice-Chair and Rebecca Hawkes-Reynolds as Treasurer. Suzanne Keene, our Stonehenge Alliance contact, was also elected to Council.
The meeting was informed that the Rescue membership secretary, Sue Mulligan, was retiring after 13 years of excellent support for Rescue. She was thanked by everyone for all her work, including maintaining all the vital records including finances, ensuring we are compliant with charity law, dealing with postal enquiries, sending out items purchased from the website and of course, administering the membership renewals, all done highly efficiently and cheerfully. She has been handing over for a few months to our new member ship secretary, Peri Horsley.
The Chair also announced the launch of the John Wells award for services to heritage protection.
The public event, Connecting Coastal Heritage, Communities and Climate Change, brought together professionals, archaeologists, and community members to explore how archaeology can contribute to addressing the increasingly complex and urgent challenges of climate change, with a particular focus on water and flooding. Unfortunately it was not possible to record the proceedings. It opened with a compelling introduction by Hana Morel, who reminded us of the critical issue of water insecurity. She underlined that fresh water is a finite resource, with only a minuscule proportion accessible for human use — a sobering reminder that resilience to climate change must start with understanding the limits of our water systems.
Oliver Hutchinson from the Coasts in Mind project powerfully illustrated the role of community memory and participation in preserving and interpreting coastal heritage. The project emphasises how communities can offer scientific and local knowledge, as well as emotional insights, into climate heritage loss and adaptation.
David Uncle from Hertfordshire County Council spoke from a local government perspective, highlighting the need for deeper collaboration between archaeologists and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS) teams. His presentation showcased how an archaeological lens can enhance our understanding of past landscapes and inform future flood response strategies.
Sanjay Johal from Flooded People UK addressed the tragedy of flooding in the UK, placing it within a sobering context: the UK has experienced numerous floods over the past decade, each leaving behind destruction and displacement. He argued passionately that climate change is not a distant threat but a current, lived reality—one that disproportionately affects vulnerable communities.
The ensuing lively discussion was wide ranging. The talks made clear: climate change is not just an environmental or technical challenge — it is deeply cultural and historical. Our shared heritage, particularly along coasts and floodplains, can be a powerful lens through which we understand risks, build community resilience, and plan more sustainably for the future. RESCUE will continue, with your support, to advocate for archaeology’s role in a rapidly changing world.
After the meetings and an excellent lunch we had a tour of some of the highlights of Roman Colchester, ably led by Nick Wickenden, currently the chair of the Council of Management of the Colchester Archaeological Trust. A beautiful day for a walk in the Colchester Castle Park with its multiple layers of history!
