A CHRISTCHURCH residents' association is going from strength to strength by growing its board of directors and actively seeking new members.

Highcliffe Residents' Association (HRA) will be holding an Extraordinary General Meeting to elect additional directors which will be held at 7.00pm on Monday 19th March in St Mark’s Church Hall.

This will be followed by the normal quarterly members’ meeting.

Both sessions are open to all local residents, with members of the association will be eligible to vote on resolutions to elect directors.

Chairman Rob Austin said: “In recent years the HRA has had to prioritise its activities because of lack of resources. However, we have remained very active in commenting on key issues, and in supporting local campaigns such as those against the Beach Huts proposal and in favour of the Zig-Zag Path reinstatement.

"More recently, we set up a steering committee to develop plans for the future, including a membership and communications group, a new-look website, and a Facebook page to allow members regular updates. We are looking forward to increasing the HRA membership, and to working with all our members to promote the interests of our community.”

The HRA is a not-for-profit community interest company with a small board of unpaid Directors.

However, several Directors have retired in recent years and need to be replaced.

At the EGM, members will be asked to confirm executive committee chairman Rob Austin in his role as a director, and to elect members Ian Hartnell and Richard Reader as new directors.

Both are residents who have been helping with the work of HRA in recent months and are keen to support the association in representing the concerns of local people.

The board will also welcome any HRA member who would like to contribute to the work of the Executive Committee, and would particularly welcome someone who is familiar with planning issues.

After the brief EGM, the quarterly members’ meeting will receive an update on current issues, including Christchurch Borough Council's Community Governance Review.

Residents who wish to join the Association will be welcome to do so at the meeting by completing a form and paying the annual subscription of £5.