Saturday the 28th of January the Friends of Surrey Square Park have held their Annual General Meeting (AGM).
It had been some time coming with problems finding the right time so that people involved could attend and the venue.
Eventually the slightly off site of the Kinglake TA Hall was again chosen and a Saturday was the best compromise.
Before the AGM took place there was an informal walk in the park and we took notice of possible problems and last minute takes for discussion.
We took it easy and the following meeting was cordial and agreeable.
We felt amongst friends ans so it should be.
Still one overriding refrains was that of getting ourselves known better and attract new members.
It is not an easy task.
Most small organisations, with social connotations, have this problem.
One cannot well blame apathy or disinterest for this. The truth is that in our area people lives are tougher than most.
With pressing problems and stress not many, even ourselves, can find the energy, left alone the time, to get involved with anything that is not survival related!!
Things are going to become worse in the near future so it is a moot question of what will become of us and of the Park, for that matter. Still I think that the way forward is that of calling the community together in any possible way.
Helping each other and resist the inevitable decay and desperation that poverty and destitution bring on their wake.
After the election of the committee here are the highlights of the meeting:
The Chair's annual report
On behalf of the committee, Daniel expressed thanks and appreciation to past members, Phil Potter and Marion Roberts, for their work in support of FoSSP.
Surrey Square Park is in regular use by a wide range of people. Surrey Square Primary School also use the park regularly for weekly lessons and activities, and have benefited from recent park improvements.
Previous CGS projects have been completed successfully, and improvements have included the addition of 2 park noticeboards, additional play equipment in the play area, installation of a raised planter in the community garden, purchase of a football kit, including goals, markers etc for 7-a-side football league on the park and creation of a small wildflower meadow.
A new CGS bid (Green Link improvements down Sedan Way/Alvey Street) has been submitted.
FoSSP's Community Spaces application has been accepted. Following previous consultation, the programme aims to deliver:
Improvements to the community garden, including the creation of a sensory garden with 2 raised planters.
Installation of a fitness trim trail around the park.
Levelling/improvement works to the grass of the central recreation area.
Additional tree-planting, and creation of another meadow on the grass bank.
Additional play features in the natural play area.
Additional signage for the Wildlife Area.
Thanks to Frank for his continued hard work and dedication in processing the Community Spaces application.
Thanks to Serge for his continued dedication to maintaining the Wildlife Area and organising regular clean-ups of the site.
Thanks to Julian for maintaining the Wildlife Hedge/Conservation border in Aldbridge Street, and for his efforts to improve the waste collection outside 45 Aldbridge Street (formerly the vicarage).
The Wildflower meadow in the south west corner has enhanced the park, and the maintenance required provides opportunities for community involvement.
A programme of regular meetings has been set for 2012 and these will be advertised on the 2 park noticeboards.
There was some proposals about producing a new FoSSP newsletter and possible ideas were:
Issue newsletters 2 weeks ahead of meetings
Newsletter themes: Issues, Achievements,Plans.
Newsletter themes: Successes and Future.
Need to consider information/content + visual appeal/graphics.
FoSSP hasn't flagged up its achievements so far and the circulation: who to deliver newsletter to?
Some updates on the various bids and fund raising and on the state of the ongoing Community Space Project (the one that has done all the recent works in the Park) were provided, then an appraisal of park maintenance walkabouts:
To schedule a park walkabout towards end of March, with Hemali Tailor and Sharon Lomas, to look at park maintenance issues, including:
Replacement of Sycamore felled on 18 Nov 2011.
crumbling church wall
crumbling brick embankment around “crater” playground
subsiding brick wall along southern boundary of park.
The walkabout should also be an opportunity to review items raised on the last walkabout with Hemali on 24 November last year.
To invite Jon Best (Southwark Ecology officer) to the above walkabout, to look at the Wildlife Area.
To schedule an additional park walkabout with Hemali and Sharon in September, prior to FoSSP meeting on 15 Sep 2012.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tea , coffee and cakes and a little levity and we retired.