No AGM during 2020 but lots got done...
SPJARA
Our report to members for the 18-month period May 2019 to November 2020
For reasons that do not need an explanation, SPJARA has been unable to hold a “normal” AGM this year. We hope to do so next year but meanwhile we have compiled this brief report on what we have been up to over the past 18 months.
Your committee has continued to meet throughout the period, working remotely since COVID-19 took hold. We have been actively working on behalf of local residents as the report below shows, but regrettably we have been unable to organise any social events for members since our charity dinner on 2 March 2020.
Number of members
Membership numbers have crept up over the period, from 112 to 120. A membership drive in 2019 and our active role during the pandemic has enabled us to reach some new audiences. But we will aim higher still once normal life returns. We are also exploring how to reach out to other local residents who are not (yet) members.
Social events before lockdown
We organised four successful events in the period:
This has cast a cloud over everything since March, but Jonathan Moffitt transformed SPJARA into a social service for several months, organising a band of fantastic volunteers to shop for others in the community who were forced to shield. We successfully applied to Cheltenham Borough Council for grants to cover publicity about the scheme and the purchase of yellow waistcoats for our volunteers. We hope that we will not need to reinstate this service, but if it becomes necessary, Jonathan will revive it.
Planning, trees and the local environment
We continue to review planning and tree applications, and have commented on a number of these. While we were disappointed that our objections to a large rear extension in Tryes Road were overruled, we were pleased by the outcome in other cases. Our comments to the council are placed on the web site. It helps that we have two borough Councillors attending committee meetings, Tim Harman and Dilys Barrell – though we understand their need to be neutral on issues that the council has yet to consider.
Most recently, our Chair has written to Alex Chalk MP to express our concern about the implications of the Government’s White Paper on planning.
Roads and traffic
On parking there is depressingly little to report, and no visible action has been yet been taken by Gloucestershire Highways to tackle the problems in our area. We continue to lobby them on this, and both them and Cheltenham Borough over our support for a 20 MPH limit in residential streets. However, we have had one success with the yellow lines that have appeared: these make several corners in our area safer and easier for drivers and pedestrians to navigate.
Our green spaces
We maintain the Norwood Triangle, weeding and cutting the box hedges. We hope very soon to erect our own SPJARA notice board there, having obtained a grant for this from the council.
We also look after the small triangle on the corner of Andover Walk and Andover Road, and have placed two small bay trees in Northwick Close (the new road off Ashford Road). We hope to work with the diocese on a planting plan along a narrow strip of land that they own in Grafton Road.
Finally, we lobbied vigorously with the Vice Chancellor when the University proposed to close the Park during the pandemic. Some people were reported to have behaved irresponsibly in violation of lockdown rules, but we felt that this marvellous local amenity should stay open for the benefit of the sensible majority. We were pleased that our efforts succeeded.
Communications
Our new notice board will give us greater outreach to the local community. Our web site is regularly updated, and we are looking at ways in which we can make greater use of social media, replacing the newsletter in time. All of these initiatives will enable us to reach beyond our current membership.
Closing thoughts
2020 has been like no other. Like everyone, we hope things will be better next year. But we can take one lesson from this past year’s experience: there is a strong community spirit in our area. We will continue to support and foster it as far as we can.
In the absence of our formal AGM, we would love to see new people come forward to join our committee. Please contact me if you are interested.
Clair Chilvers, Chair: 1st November 2020
Our report to members for the 18-month period May 2019 to November 2020
For reasons that do not need an explanation, SPJARA has been unable to hold a “normal” AGM this year. We hope to do so next year but meanwhile we have compiled this brief report on what we have been up to over the past 18 months.
Your committee has continued to meet throughout the period, working remotely since COVID-19 took hold. We have been actively working on behalf of local residents as the report below shows, but regrettably we have been unable to organise any social events for members since our charity dinner on 2 March 2020.
Number of members
Membership numbers have crept up over the period, from 112 to 120. A membership drive in 2019 and our active role during the pandemic has enabled us to reach some new audiences. But we will aim higher still once normal life returns. We are also exploring how to reach out to other local residents who are not (yet) members.
Social events before lockdown
We organised four successful events in the period:
- A very successful open gardens day on 16 June 2019, when 15 local residents opened their gardens. A hundred or more people visited them, and we raised over £1,000 for National Star College. A warm thanks to Diana Pollock for her brilliant organisation of this greatly enjoyable event.
- The summer garden party took place a week later, with thanks to John and Nickie Clarke. who opened their spacious and beautiful garden at 97 Painswick Road to some 50 guests. The rain held off and the band played. Thanks to the Clarkes, Maurice and Carol for help with food, drink and entertainment and to Marie Owen who lent us the giant gazebo that our dear, departed friend Roger Owen had made available to our summer parties in previous years.
- In mid-November, we held a quiz night at the Suffolk Square bowling club. There were 35 attendees who much enjoyed the evening. A profit of £120 was made for SPJARA and £100 from the raffle was donated to Pip and Jim’s development fund.
- On the eve of the lockdown, on 2 March of this year we held a charity dinner at the Spice Lodge. £800 was raised for two charities, the development of the outside community space at Pip and Jim’s church, and LEPRA (helping leprosy sufferers in poor countries).
This has cast a cloud over everything since March, but Jonathan Moffitt transformed SPJARA into a social service for several months, organising a band of fantastic volunteers to shop for others in the community who were forced to shield. We successfully applied to Cheltenham Borough Council for grants to cover publicity about the scheme and the purchase of yellow waistcoats for our volunteers. We hope that we will not need to reinstate this service, but if it becomes necessary, Jonathan will revive it.
Planning, trees and the local environment
We continue to review planning and tree applications, and have commented on a number of these. While we were disappointed that our objections to a large rear extension in Tryes Road were overruled, we were pleased by the outcome in other cases. Our comments to the council are placed on the web site. It helps that we have two borough Councillors attending committee meetings, Tim Harman and Dilys Barrell – though we understand their need to be neutral on issues that the council has yet to consider.
Most recently, our Chair has written to Alex Chalk MP to express our concern about the implications of the Government’s White Paper on planning.
Roads and traffic
On parking there is depressingly little to report, and no visible action has been yet been taken by Gloucestershire Highways to tackle the problems in our area. We continue to lobby them on this, and both them and Cheltenham Borough over our support for a 20 MPH limit in residential streets. However, we have had one success with the yellow lines that have appeared: these make several corners in our area safer and easier for drivers and pedestrians to navigate.
Our green spaces
We maintain the Norwood Triangle, weeding and cutting the box hedges. We hope very soon to erect our own SPJARA notice board there, having obtained a grant for this from the council.
We also look after the small triangle on the corner of Andover Walk and Andover Road, and have placed two small bay trees in Northwick Close (the new road off Ashford Road). We hope to work with the diocese on a planting plan along a narrow strip of land that they own in Grafton Road.
Finally, we lobbied vigorously with the Vice Chancellor when the University proposed to close the Park during the pandemic. Some people were reported to have behaved irresponsibly in violation of lockdown rules, but we felt that this marvellous local amenity should stay open for the benefit of the sensible majority. We were pleased that our efforts succeeded.
Communications
Our new notice board will give us greater outreach to the local community. Our web site is regularly updated, and we are looking at ways in which we can make greater use of social media, replacing the newsletter in time. All of these initiatives will enable us to reach beyond our current membership.
Closing thoughts
2020 has been like no other. Like everyone, we hope things will be better next year. But we can take one lesson from this past year’s experience: there is a strong community spirit in our area. We will continue to support and foster it as far as we can.
In the absence of our formal AGM, we would love to see new people come forward to join our committee. Please contact me if you are interested.
Clair Chilvers, Chair: 1st November 2020
And here are the accounts for 2019-2020
 Clair Chilvers and Cassandra Phillips presenting the Chairs' report
Our AGM in June 2019
We held our AGM on 6 June at the Beehive. Some 40 members attended. Here are the draft minutes and the accounts. |
Angela France reading her poems
Our guest speaker was Angela France (from Gloucestershire University) who presented her poems as part of a multi-media show, which included pictorial references as well as recordings giving voice to the local people who have worked and played on the hill. Thirty years before Kinder Scout, a quarry owner closed the hill to local people and this led to riots; the ringleaders were working men, clay-diggers and labourers, and the court case papers in the county archives provided source material which was recorded by a voice actor as part of the show.
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Our AGM in June 2018
We held our AGM at Church House on 6 June. More than 30 people attended. Here are the approved minutes and the Treasurer's report. |
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