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Minutes of Steering Group Meeting
10th July 2017

Present: Martin Calvert (Chair), Adrian Coltman, Adam & Carol Bull, Joan & Mervyn Clayton, Trevor & Diane Kitto, Naomi Watts-Kitto, Steve Jones-Blackett, Geoff Holden, Steve Johns, Jenny Page, Claire Standage, Kay McDowell, Mike Betteridge, Steve Tyndale-Biscoe.

  1. Apologies for Absence
  2. Minutes of the Meeting Held 8th May 2017
  3. Matters Arising
  4. Correspondence
  5. Action Mornings
  6. FGVW Merchandise
  7. Lake Action Group (LAG)
  8. Venue for Meetings
  9. Trustees Report / Charity Policies
  1. Meadow Report
  2. PAWS Grant
  3. Chapel Allerton Arts Festival
  4. Field Open Day
  5. Bath House Open Day
  6. FGVW FunDay 2017
  7. AOB
  8. Dates of Next Meetings

1. Apologies for Absence

Adrian Coltman, Malcolm Robertson.

2. Minutes of the Meeting Held 8th May 2017

Agreed as a true record.

3. Matters Arising

  • Discussions have taken place with Adam regarding changes to the FGVW website to reflect the Group's charitable status and the role of the trustees. These changes have been implemented. The Group is now considering a complete web site revamp. Adam is keen to do this as the current site is visually very dated, but is concerned that the cost may not be justified since the site does still work perfectly well on all modern devices. The Group will consider and try and get a grant if needed.
  • People from Tesco came to the new field to present a large cheque to members of the Group following their success with the community fund grant appeal. Photos of the presentation will be in the local Tesco store.
  • The knotweed has been sprayed and there will be follow-ups for the next two years.
  • Yorkshire Water has replaced some sewage piping that had been damaged by tree roots.

4. Correspondence

Bob Ward has been in contact with the authorities asking if anything can be done to stop the litter which is being thrown out of car windows along Gledhow Valley Road. There is a £75 fine for littering but it is difficult to monitor and catch people. Steve T-B wrote to the Council to suggest local schools get involved and make signs about not dropping litter to put up in the valley. They have confirmed it is a good idea but no progress to date. Diane offered to raise this at the next local police meeting as it had worked previously with dog poo signs. Also Steve J-B to raise the issue of graffiti in the area.

It was also mentioned that Trevor found a de-commissioned hand gun in the woods during an Action Morning which was swiftly picked up and dealt with by the police.

5. Action Mornings

  • Sunday 14 May 2017
    We had 41 volunteers who bashed balsam, removed thistles from the meadow, did some path work and litter picked.
  • Sunday 9 July 2017
    We had 27 volunteers. Work continued on the new field and wire was put on the back fence. There was also some path work done and wildflowers were planted.

Future Action Mornings

Proposed dates and tasks (subject to change):

  • Sunday 6 August 2017
    Volunteers to meet near the Bath House. The Bath House needs to be made ready for the Heritage Open Day on 10th September. An extra Action Morning may be needed to put up the new fencing near the Bath House. There is also some wildflowers to plant in the area opposite the Bath House and there has been a request to clear the area near the Well Houses.
  • Saturday 16 September 2017
  • Sunday 15 October 2017
  • Sunday 19 November 2017
  • Sunday 10 December 2017

6. FGVW Merchandise

Nothing new to report.

7. Lake Action Group (LAG)

A lot of work has been carried out looking into de-silting. The Group has a grant from Wade's Charity to fund a proper report based on a survey that Groundworks are doing. The Group is waiting to hear back from Groundworks as to when this survey will be completed.

8. Venue for Meetings

The Gledhow Sports & Social Club has become very busy and sometimes very noisy when holding the monthly meeting. It was suggested that the group try The Three Hulats as it is quiet on a Monday night.

9. Trustees Report / Charity Policies

There is a Trustees Meeting next week so Martin will provide an update to the Group at the next Steering Group Meeting. He brought along a copy of the Investment Policy for the Group to look at.

10. Meadow Report

"Audrey's Meadow" looks stunning but people have been walking across it. The Group decided to create "official" pathways following where people had been walking. The Leeds Naturalists visited the new field with Kay to study the flora and insects. They found some hoverflies and some meadow ants which shows that the meadow is healthy. There were also some wing flies on the burdock and some of the nettles had red admiral caterpillars on tehm. The Group were interested in what the Naturalists had to say so that they would know which areas and plants to leave alone in future.

11. PAWS Grant

A grant for £10,000 has been received from the Woodland Trust for work to help care for the beech plantation. 14 trees are to be felled and 6 will be pollarded. Notices have been put up in the woods to let the community know what is happening and why. There has only been one negative comment so far, with all other comments being positive and supporting the plan. Justin led a walk on 1st July through the woods to explain what was happening and why but only one person turned up. Steve J-B said he would find out how much it would cost to get a chainsaw sculptor in.

12. Chapel Allerton Arts Festival

The Group has agreed to attend the event and Adrian has booked a stall. The event runs from 28th August to 3rd September. The Group will attend on Sat 2nd and Sun 3rd of September.

13. Field Open Day

This will take place next Sunday 16th July from 2pm until 4pm. Kay will explain what is in the fields and the plants and insects of interest. The Group will put up a gazebo and sell merchandise. Jenny has some blackboards that can be used to convey information at key locations in the field. The event is to educate the community as to what will be done with the field. It is also National Meadows Day on 1st July.

14. Bath House Open Day

The Bath House will be opened to the public again as part of the Open Heritage Weekend on Sunday 10th September from 1.30pm until 4pm.

15. FGVW FunDay 2017

The FunDay took place on Saturday 17th June 2017. Steve Johns thanked everyone for their help. The takings were similar to the previous year but the costs were reduced. He asked the Group what they thought had worked well and what hadn't.

  • Matt juggling at the end of the day worked well.
  • The brass band made it feel like a village fete.
  • The new ice cream seller and birds of prey people were good.
  • Morley Exotic Animals were as popular as ever.

Things to think about for next year included:

  • Joan and Mervyn would like to reduce their workload especially with books and tombola. A lot of storage is needed and work following the FunDay to get rid of stock. Both are good ideas but take a lot of time and effort. 21 boxes of books were left over for the next event or charity.
  • Mike would like to pass over responsibility for the ice cream van to Steve J.
  • It was felt that we could charge more for face painting.

Steve J received a letter from Jane Dowson, Mayor of Leeds, thanking the Group for inviting her to the event and that she would like to be invited to others.

16. AOB

  • Steve T-B asked if it was OK for him to clear the paths which get overgrown at the bottom of Audrey's meadow. The Group agreed it was OK to cut back vegetation that was encroaching on the path.
  • Kay met with Bhupinder Dev to discuss the Green Corridor idea.
  • Joan mentioned that Costco have a community grant scheme so if someone was dropping in there could they pick up a form/details.
  • Teresa is doing fund raising events for Global Make Some Noise as she needs to raise £4,000. She is looking for support.

17. Dates of Next Meetings

  • Field Open Day - Sun 16 Jul 2017
  • Steering Group Meeting - Mon 31 Jul 2017 (The Three Hulats, Harrogate Road)
  • Action Morning - Sun 06 Aug 2017
  • Bath House Open Day - Sun 10 Sep 2017
  • Steering Group Meeting - Mon 11 Sep 2017 (Venue to be confirmed)
  • Action Morning - Sat 16 Sep 2017
  • Steering Group Meeting - Mon 09 Oct 2017 (Venue to be confirmed)
  • Action Morning - Sun 15 Oct 2017
  • Steering Group Meeting - Mon 13 Nov 2017 (Venue to be confirmed)
  • Action Morning - Sun 19 Nov 2017
  • Steering Group Meeting - Mon 04 Dec 2017 (Venue to be confirmed)
  • Action Morning - Sun 10 Dec 2017

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