Minutes of Steering Group Meeting
17th October 2024

Present: Martin Calvert (Chair), Theresa Williams, David Miles, Adam & Carol Bull, Adrian Coltman, Emily Wilde, Steve Jones-Blackett

Apologies for Absence Minutes of the Meeting Held 19th September 2024 Matters Arising Action Mornings Trustees Update

Project to Eradicate Bamboo and Knotweed and Create Wetland off Gledhow Lane Green Fair Report AOB Dates of Next Meetings

1. Apologies for Absence

Claire Johnson, David Lumb.

2. Minutes of the Meeting Held 19th September 2024

Agreed as a true record.

3. Matters Arising

• There are some potholes to be filled on the jetty. David Miles discussed these with the River Stewardship Company (RSC). It is hoped that these will be filled when the paths are done as part of phase 3 of the project.
• David Miles led a walk in the woods for Moortown Cubs early this month.

4. Action Mornings

• Sunday 22 September 2024
  Work included the removal of cut and raked hay to the sides of Beck Pasture. Some sections have been left uncut to aid biodiversity and keep the frogs and insect habitats.
• Sunday 20 October 2024
  Work will include hay removal at "Audrey's Meadow", clearing the area around the wetland, removal of brambles around the benches. Volunteers to meet at the jetty/duck feeding platform by the lake.

5. Trustees Update

The Trustees Meeting was held on 24th September 2024. The main items discussed were finances, fallen trees and the Green Fair (covered later in the minutes).

Under finances, we are currently breaking even. The remaining invoices and payments from various projects are going through and Steve has been liaising with Groundworks. Work on the meadows is also taking up some of the expenditure.

There are a lot of fallen trees currently in the woods and some trees have been marked by the Council for felling. The Group agreed to ask Lucy, the Ranger, to find out why they have been marked up so we can answer any questions form the local community. A meeting in the woods has been arranged with Lucy so we can find out what is happening.

6. Project to Eradicate Bamboo and Knotweed and Create Wetland off Gledhow Lane

The area has been fenced off and work has started. The road has been closed a couple of times for removal and allowing machinery to be brought in. The Group has received a couple of complaints and Vicki Nunns has been made aware. Signs have been put up to explain what is happening in the area.

The baseline survey has been completed.

David has also been looking into funding for some more planting including some on matting around the lake. The Group also agreed that he could investigate other funding options for work and materials to be used to improve the paths.

7. Green Fair Report

David Miles produced a report on the Green Fair that was very well received.

The Trustees discussed the event at their meeting and fed back to the Group. As multiple agencies were involved in the event there was concern that it did not fall within FGVW's remit and we may not be able to cover the public liability insurance in a future similar event. Some of the Trustees were also concerned about the level of personal liability that they would be taking on. It was suggested that a separate group could be set up if the event was to continue next year, to organise the event rather than FGVW.

David was disappointed that without FGVW support the event might not go ahead. He also believed that it was in support of FGVW activities.

As a Trustee, Adrian expressed his concerns over Health and Safety liabilities due to the scale of the event and that it was too large a responsibility to be taken on as an individual trustee who would be personally liable if anything went wrong.

Steve was very supportive of the event and believed it was a great and successful event that should continue in the future. He was interested in exploring the creation of a new entity to support the bigger events.

David was concerned that a new entity set up to organise the event might fail unless it was under the FGVW umbrella. He also thought it was short-sighted of the Group and was concerned how it would look to potential funders if the FGVW pulled out of organising the event. He worried that the event may struggle to get funding if it wasn't an FGVW event.

As a result of the report, David has been asked to attend a Community Committee to discuss the event, what issues were faced and what is being done next year.

Martin reiterated the concerns of the Trustees and Steve and David agreed to discuss the possibilities of a new entity and what to discuss at the Community Meeting outside of the FGVW meeting.

8. AOB

• David is meeting with Mark Clayton to discuss the field owned by the Catholic Church.
• Adrian met with the Yorkshire Water river clean-up team. The CSOs in the area will not be included in the current plan and are likely to be in the 2035 plan. The CSO on Gledhow Lane is being investigated as it is not functioning. Yorkshire Water has funding available for water testing equipment that the Group can apply for. They brought with them some high-tech equipment that could measure different chemicals in the water including nitrates and ammonia. It measured there was a 0.8 level of ammonia showing there is some sewage contamination in the beck. Five properties with cross-connections to the infamous surface water drain have been identified. Yorkshire Water has sent letters to the 5 properties and this has been followed up by letters from Leeds City Council who needs to ensure resolution. Also, Yorkshire Water has developed an app where sewage and spillage events can be logged as a trial. Adrian to notify the Group when it is ready.
• Yorkshire Water asked if they could attend an FGVW meeting. The Group agreed provided it was a constructive discussion. Suggestions included the CSOs and to discuss the water quality report.
• The River Stewardship Company has a charitable branch that works with corporations, employers and student bodies at Universities to look for volunteering opportunities for those on woodland management courses. They are keen for some volunteers to spend time in Gledhow Valley Woods to study the area over a long period of time. It was agreed to discuss this with Lucy, the Leeds City Council Ranger.
• Adrian suggested that the Group sell Christmas cards in Chapel Allerton in December as we have in previous years.
• At the Chapel Allerton Festival a member of the community complained about the speed of traffic on Gledhow Valley Road and that vehicles did not always stop at the zebra crossings. Adrian wrote to the Highways Agency with the concerns but they responded stating the average speed was 29.4 miles per hour and that no further action would be taken, which was disappointing. The speed of traffic on the road has been a concern for many years.

9. Dates of Next Meetings (Provisional)

• Action Morning - Sun 20 Oct 2024
• Steering Group Meeting - Thu 14 Nov 2024
• Action Morning - Sun 24 Nov 2024