Initiating Group Minutes - 24 May 10

Transition Kensal to Kilburn Initiating Group meeting minutes – 24/05/10

Present: Michael Stuart, Jane Edwards, Elaine Henderson, Petica Watson, John Smith, David Young, George Latham

Apologies: Careen Hertzog

Action points from this meeting

• EH to organise an open meeting for the food group
• GL to put the official QP open day on the website
• EH/All further planning about ‘alternative open gardens’ idea
• GL to go ahead and purchase projector
• JE to talk to Sophie Wilson about Friends of Salusbury’s plans for a harvest supper
• MS to send request for volunteers to help with media/publicity strategy (in consultation with Chris Wells). 
• PW/DY to talk to journalist contacts re community allotments story (having spoken to the residents association first).
• EH to write to all councillors in our area to introduce TTKtoK
• DY/MS to collaborate on writing a powerpoint presentation.
• JE to update BRATs re Weston House allotment project.
• All – send ideas for budget items for future funding to DY.
• GL to arrange energy meters to library to start lending scheme trial
• JE to complete QP Day stall application form and submit.  JE/CH to explore ideas for stall.
• EH to check on progress, next steps and funding options for raised veg beds in Queens Park
• PW to put GL in touch with Naturewise to discuss permaculture weekend course
• All to look at Transition Kingston site and feed back on look and feel to JS.
• JE to arrange meeting at St Annes Interfaith centre to discuss the idea of a faith walk

Meeting minutes

1.                  We welcomed John Smith as a new member of the initiating group.  After the meeting Chris Wells also agreed to join the initiating group.  Petica Watson is going to stand down having been closely involved since the beginning, and we are grateful her input and look forward to her continuing involvement.  We re-affirmed our intention to continue to recruit members of the initiating group to a maximum of 9 members, with a minimum of 5.  Michael Stuart confirmed that he will stand down in August to concentrate on the apple picking project, as he had made clear on joining in February.

2.                  Diversity update.  We have agreed to become part of Transition Networks ‘diversity project’ to help us reach out of all parts of our community.  David Young has agreed to go on a two day course in September, and we need a second volunteer to join him.

3.                  We’ve talked about the need to get more autonomous groups going to enable more projects to be organised outside the initiating group and for more members to get involved and feel ownership.  Action Point: EH to organise an open meeting for the food group to try to give this its own momentum.

4.                  Queens Park Open Gardens takes place on 13^th June – we should advertise this on the website.  We discussed holding an ‘alternative’ QP open gardens, perhaps organised as a ‘food walk’ tour of fruit and vegetables growing in public spaces in our area.  Action Point: GL to put the official event on the website, EH/All to think further about ‘alternative open gardens’.

5.                  We’ve decided on the projector to buy from our budget so that we can hold our own film nights and presentations.  Action Point: GL to go ahead and purchase projector.

6.                  Celebration is a critical part of Transition.  We’ve vague plans to hold a harvest supper in the Salusbury Primary school hall in the autumn.  We could widen the remit of such a supper into more of a party, perhaps bringing in a local band.  Chris Wells says that his flatmate is in a local band that might be suitable. We also spoke about the potential to run a ‘green festival’ as does TT Belsize.  Perhaps we could run a weekend festival around a harvest supper on the Saturday evening. Action point: JE to talk to Sophie Wilson about Friends of Salusbury’s plans for a similar event, DY/GL to discuss plans further.

7.                  Publicity strategy. We could be much more proactive about our publicity activity and should bring in journalists on stories around projects that we’ve been involved in.  The community allotment’s developed last weekend would make a very good story for a local paper, and JS has taken excellent pictures also.  There would be room for us to set up a standing PR group that could look for opportunities to gain publicity for TTKtoK.  Chris Wells would be keen to be involved in this.  Action Point: MS to send request for volunteers to help with media/publicity strategy.  PW/DY to talk to journalist contacts re community allotments story (having spoken to the residents association first).

8.                  Presentations and outreach to other groups.  MS is going to present to Kilburn Triangle Residents Association on 7^th June, DY/GL are meeting with the Queens Park Forum's Environment Action Group on 8^th June.  Action Points: DY/MS to collaborate on writing a powerpoint presentation. JE to update BRATs re Weston House allotment project.

9.                  Links to council.  Given the number of new councillors post the election, EH is going to write to all councillors in our area to introduce TTKtoK.

10.              Neighbourhood working funds.  We can apply for next year’s NWF from July onwards.  Action Point: All – send ideas for budget items for future funding to DY.

11.              Finance update.  We are currently in surplus against all budget items.  Energy meetings have been purchased and need to be taken to library to initiate lending scheme.  Action Point: GL to arrange.

12.              Queens Park day stall 2010.  Queens Park day will be on Sunday 12^th Sept – we will intend to have a stall to build on last year’s success.  Action points.  JE to complete QP Day stall application form and submit.  JE/CH to explore ideas for stall.

13.              We still have a potential project to do raised beds/community allotment in Queens Park.  Action Point: EH to check on progress, next steps and funding options.

14.              We would like to do a weekend permaculture course for TTKtoK and have budget to subsidise the cost.  Action Point:  PW to put GL in touch with Naturewise to discuss

15.              Website update.  JS and CW are in touch with website developers in US and together are building a web template for transition towns around the world.  Action point: All to look at Transition Kingston site and feed back on look and feel to JS. http://www.ttkingston.org/

16.              Seedling project update.  Sale in Salusbury primary school playground was a great success with diverse range of kids and parents engaged.  £46 raised to be split with BEST.

17.              Faith Walk/ outreach to St Anne’s interfaith centre. JE to arrange meeting with Father Fergus/ Tamila Anderson/ CH to discuss the idea of a faith walk.

18.              For info: Marjorie Fraser is planning a jam/chutney making workshop in September. Action Point: All – save jam jars!!

19.              For info: both Mr Fish (Salusbury Road) and Alex Plaice (Kilburn High Road) now accept customer recycling of used cooking oil. MS hopes to get a chippy on Kensal Rise to sign up too before getting some publicity for this.