Annual General Meeting 2026 and "Soil Health" talk by Soil Ecology Laboratory
Sunday 22nd Feb from 4:40pm
RISC, 35-39 London Street, Reading RG1 4PS
We started with the RFGN seed swap and refreshments, for which people brought seeds to swap, and also made cash donations. Thank you everyone for a successful seed swap.
This was followed by a short AGM at 5pm:
- Chair's report
- Treasurer's report and report on seed swap donations
- Election of committee: during 2025 the committee was Michael Bright (chair), Beth Scott (secretary), Carol Wright (treasurer), Karen Blakeman (seed swap), Lu Jones and Kirsty Dabbs. Kirsty is standing down and was thanked for her service. The rest of the committee were elected unanimously. No one else volunteered to join the committee, but additional members are always welcome. If you would like to join, please contact secretary@readingfoodgrowingnetwork.org.uk
- AOB
- Kathy Smith made an announcement about the National Emergency Briefings: The climate and nature crisis threatens all aspects of British life, from national security to the food supply. Despite the scale of the risks now facing the UK, there has been no comprehensive national emergency briefing delivered to the public by the Government. As food growers, I'm sure we have all been affected by unpredictable weather conditions in the last few years. On 27 November 2025, ten of the UK's leading experts briefed an invited audience of more than 1,200 politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media in Westminster. The briefing set out the implications of climate and nature breakdown for health, food systems, national security and the economy, and did so on the public record. Its purpose was to demonstrate what a clear, evidence-led national emergency briefing could look like and why it is needed. Following on from this, a full documentary film building on the National Emergency Briefing is due for release this spring. It will feature footage from the event, with reactions from members of the public and some well-known faces. The film will present the national implications of climate and nature breakdown - along with positive actions - designed for screening in communities across the UK. Our aim, locally, is to arrange some initial screenings for the MPs of local constituencies who didn't attend the briefing and local councillors, followed by a discussion about what they have seen. After that we will organise as many screenings as possible for the local people. The film is about 45 minutes long and will be followed by a led discussion that will allow people to share their feelings about the film. There are various ways to get involved.
- There is a petition asking for the film to be broadcast on national TV that individuals can sign (available from the main NEB link).
- Individuals can sign up to help with the local rollout of the film.
- The group's mailing list could be used to share details of screenings with members and encourage them to attend.
- The group could offer to host a screening
- Christina Hughes Nind, chair of Reading Green Wellbeing Network, told us that the Network is looking for a treasurer. Details can be found on the RGWN website
- Kathy Smith made an announcement about the National Emergency Briefings: The climate and nature crisis threatens all aspects of British life, from national security to the food supply. Despite the scale of the risks now facing the UK, there has been no comprehensive national emergency briefing delivered to the public by the Government. As food growers, I'm sure we have all been affected by unpredictable weather conditions in the last few years. On 27 November 2025, ten of the UK's leading experts briefed an invited audience of more than 1,200 politicians and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media in Westminster. The briefing set out the implications of climate and nature breakdown for health, food systems, national security and the economy, and did so on the public record. Its purpose was to demonstrate what a clear, evidence-led national emergency briefing could look like and why it is needed. Following on from this, a full documentary film building on the National Emergency Briefing is due for release this spring. It will feature footage from the event, with reactions from members of the public and some well-known faces. The film will present the national implications of climate and nature breakdown - along with positive actions - designed for screening in communities across the UK. Our aim, locally, is to arrange some initial screenings for the MPs of local constituencies who didn't attend the briefing and local councillors, followed by a discussion about what they have seen. After that we will organise as many screenings as possible for the local people. The film is about 45 minutes long and will be followed by a led discussion that will allow people to share their feelings about the film. There are various ways to get involved.
"Soil Health" by Soil Ecology Laboratory
Daniel Tyrkiel and Frida Mariana from Soil Ecology Laboratory (soilecologylab.co.uk) gave us a fascinating talk about their work with the soil microbial ecosystem.
They answered questions from the audience, and then showed us some Goop under the microscope.
The evening ended with people looking at samples from their own gardens, allotments and compost heaps through the microscope. It was encourgaing to see all the life forms in people's compost.
Soil Ecology Laboratory have an online shop for their products, including Goop, at Soil Smiths, and are running a Compost Championship. Daniel also has a YouTube channel