Friends of Lightoaks Park

7-8.30pm, Thursday 7^th February 2019 @ the Vine Café

Present: JD, JG, LB, AC, IB, MK, TM, DF, CS, JN, MK, IB, MP,

Apologies: SMcM, DM, PE, CS

Introductions: Liz Whitehead (LW), Salford City Council Action Log/minutes

Minutes accepted as a true record.

Separate meeting to be set up for the Grow Well funding bid to plan the program of activities, JD to confirm a date with CS and circulate this asap.

• Liz Whitehead, Salford City Council – 2019 Projects, Events, Maintenance discussion
• LW is happy with the group’s annual calendar as a visual aid to help with planning the meetings, volunteer sessions and events for 2019.

Projects:

• Grow Well – the funding from CVS has been approved for a program of nature themed events, we need a separate group to look at planning of the annual events, John to send around date to meet in the next week or so
• Bird box live stream – IB to send LW the species of the tree for SCC to have a look at, LW happy for us to trial it, kit provided by ISP and AC has been in contact with RSPB to discuss the idea which can now be explored further.
• Entrance border on park lane – group had a discussion about the border. A suggestion was made to use the logs in the park rather than use a fixed fence as a border, will check at the volunteers session this weekend.
• Calendar competition – this has been launched, each month will have a theme and the winning entry will be used to go into a FLP calendar for 2020. We have received lots of entries for January’s theme which was winter in the park. Shortlisted pics have been selected and voting is now taking place via Facebook. The theme for February is Love in Lightoaks.

Events:

• AGM – we’re flexible if they are able to get volunteers for another date, preferably on a weekend in spring
• Great British Spring Clean – LW to support where necessary, group need to confirm litter pick up points, SCC will provide recycle bags, AC to do a poster, meeting point to be confirmed as tut event is on a Sunday.
• Dawn chorus walk – CS has found a contact from in SCC who can lead a can chorus walk and has provisionally booked him. Group agreed do refreshments, use Eventbrite for tickets, max 25 people, booked Stuart Fraser. LW asked about bird tables? All agreed this would be a good idea. Check if PE could make some and they be installed well before the event. CS to get plans and LW agreed to get the blacksmith to install them. Give out seed to sell after the bird walk.
• Wild About Salford Summer Family Fun Day – ran through the plans for the event and the group agreed to work with LW to explore sculptures for the park which could be launched/promoted at the event rather than have a sculpture demonstration on the day as this would not be practical due to health and safety and noise. IB to keep details of the tree sculpture contact with a view to possibly doing something with the fallen beach tree rather than individual animal sculptures. LW agreed that SCC would cover the costs of having the sculptures installed in the park.
• Fun run – Tim to lead on this event. Need to get in touch with Greg from Park run, contact SCL can they give prizes? LW to get costs for marked stumps for measured runs around the park with a view to these being installed before the fun run.

Maintenance:

• LW to get costs to clear the drains in 3 problem areas – in front of the summer shed, Durham road entrance and opposite the picnic lawn junction where large puddles/mud gathers
• LW suggested we can let her know of jobs coming up on our volunteer days and to see if grounds maintenance can help with anything
• Tatton Park flower show – need to put dates on the calendar in case there are donations we could use in the park and to ensure Perle are available to collect this and plant them in the park.

• Finance – Treasurer Report
•  Lindsay updated the group on the groups accounts – all banking records are  up to date with a positive balance showing on the bank account.
• JD suggested the group think of ideas of where to spend some of the funds in the park eg. Something to mark the centenary year in the park in 3 years. AC suggested visits to other parks to get ideas could be useful.

• Publicity / Communications
• Posters needed for the Great British Spring Clean campaign in April – AC agreed to look into and also the Dawn Chorus Walk in May – CS has mocked up a poster and will look into getting it produced
• All agreed that the new social media channels for the group had been a success – we now have Twitter and Instagram with the support from AC leading on this.

• Fundraising
• Community Committee bid to be submitted for the summer event.
• CVS volunteering fund to be applied to for the community picnic in June to mark National Volunteers Week.

• A.O.B
• Painting the summer shed – LW to chase up again.
• Container café –  LW to chase up the couple, LB to provide details.
• Green Flag info – LW provided details on what is expected, we can discuss this further at the next meeting.

• Date of next meeting – Thursday 7^th March, 7pm at the Vine Café

7-8.30pm, Thursday 10^th January 2019

Welcome, introductions & apologies

Attendees: JD, TM, SM, CS, LS, MP, PE, DM, CS, MK, JN, LB, IB

Apologies: JG, DF, AC

Action Log/minutes – December minutes were accepted as a true and accurate record

Evaluation of the Christmas Cracker event

• Should decorate the marquee to make more of a feature for performance area
• Invite a church to be part of the event and try to get a nativity in future to add to the festivities
• Be clearer on publicity that FoLP organise the event – posters in noticeboard, leaflets with social media and website details on
• Need to be more organised on fundraising and getting prizes for the raffle – someone needs to be in charge of approaching businesses
• Need a publicity plan and someone to co-ordinate it for each event
• Need an entertainment plan and one person to organise/co-ordinate it (e.g. to ensure music matches song sheets!)

2019 Annual Planning – Projects, Events, Maintenance

• Meetings – continue to be first Thursday of the month, 7-8.30pm at the Vine Café on Bolton Road.
• Volunteer days – 11-2pm every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month. No volunteer days in December.
• Provisional date for the AGM is 13th April, enquires are being made to find a suitable venue to hold a social after AGM business has been completed.

Event planning

• 7th APRIL – Great British Spring Clean (Keep Britain Tidy)
• 2nd June – Community Picnic & Games (part of National Volunteers Week)
• 22nd June – The Great Big Bike Get Together (part of the Big Bike Revival and the Great Get Together of funding permitted)
• 3rd August – “Wild About Salford” (Summer Family Fun Day Event)
• 6th October – Autumn Fun Run (Tim to lead)
• 8th December – Christmas Cracker

Projects Planning

• Grow Well funding bid – need to submit additional information by Monday 14 January. Should hear back a week or so later. Bid includes wildflower meadows, fruit trees and programme of nature themed events
• City of Trees have promised to donate 200 whips for the beech hedge and 6 fruit trees (Catriona has asked Liz to email CoT to confirm SCC permission). Paul Jones (SCC) will grind out the tree stumps where the hedge is planned – he needs to know when the whips will be delivered
• It was agreed the woodland area in the park should be used for natural play and as a sensory area, e.g. stepping stones, wind chimes, fairy doors and general whimsy
• Café (Liz to get an update from Annie Surtees the interested party about quotes for the container services costs)
• Refurbishment of the sports area (Liz is investigating potential funding sources) and work with the group to access potential funding

Publicity / Communications

• It’s been agreed that the survey will be put on hold for now as the key priorities for the year have already been agreed.
• Aaron to set up social media accounts and develop new webpage including getting a new email address

Finance update

• Back account remains in positive balance.
• We made £504 net profit from the Christmas event

A.O.B

• Paul Jones has also advised that one of the ash trees in the park is diseased and needs to be felled. Ian has asked him to keep it in the park so we can sculpt it into a train in the woodland area (Catriona to dig out details of the person who did the Duke’s Drive sculptures)

• Membership and the mailing list – It was agreed the £1 membership will be collected from April.  Due to GDPR the old mailing list will be scrapped. More effort will be made at events to sign people up to the new mailing list for those who don’t use Facebook using a contact details slip.

Date of next meeting – Thursday 7^th February, 7pm at the Vine Café

7-8.30pm, Thursday 6^th December 2018

Welcome, introductions & apologies

Present: JD, PE, MP, CS, SMcM, MK, JOHN, TM, JG, LB, DF, IB, CS and Liz Whitehead, Salford City Council

Apologies from Darren Miller

Action Log

• LB to email Ann Rose re. Container café to get an update
• Liz to get quote for painting the railings
• Carry over actions from last meeting
• Catriona to check if Scott Fitzgerald can help with the sculptures
• Pete to install water bowls on a chain outside the children’s playarea
• Aaron to go ahead with securing the domain name for the Friends webpage and email address
• AGM – Lindsay to check with Claremont Tennis Club if it’s available on 6^th our 13^th April 2019

Projects

• Grow Well bid – for wild flower seed, create more wild flower areas, SCC to do prep work to match fund. Bid to also include making bird and bat box, bug hotel, nature programme and booking people to come in to lead activities – Cat leading on this with support from Ian B
• Sports Court’s Refurbishment – Liz gave an update on tennis court refurb, the  design has been drawn up based on consultation carried out by the group, will need over 100k match funding, Liz to source funding puts, and access neighbourhoods teams and bid would need to come from us, 75k from section 106 monies. Go to tender on tennis courts project and then have price, going to tender in New Year
• Need master plan for 2019 priorities, the group will meet in the New Year, and then will meet with Liz in February. Liz to bring a year planner and we can scribble our plans, events and funding ideas on it and what we’d like to do
• Liz to send checklist of green flag criteria of what we need in Lightoaks for it to become a green flag park. Green waste area would need to be looked at
• Liz to get cost of painting the summer shed for Annie, just waiting for a quote to come back and take it from there
• Liz to get a price for the railings around the duck pond area to be painted

Events

• Final preparations were discussed for the Christmas Cracker event on Sunday 9th December
• Pete has made the reindeer family and a snowman for display
• Chris had made the Santa outfit
• Keenan’s have donated 37 bottles of mulled wine
• The Rotary Club will be attending and giving out children’s books and will also bring some mince pies
• A donation will be made to the Music Shed for the PA system and microphones
• The running order for the performances was confirmed
• John to choose 6 songs for the candle lit carols service and let Lindsay know to put a play list together on Spotify
• All to meet at the summer shed at 12 noon on Sunday to set up, agreed need to have refreshments stall set up as a priority to start serving at 2.30 of people are about
• Tickets needed for the Santa’s grotto – ask Councillors to sell the tickets
• Pricing was agreed. Lindsay to send notices for the event over to Aaron to print and laminate
• Need to have separate envelopes for the takings for that event to get a clear breakdown of income against expenditure
• Liz to see if we can borrow the big bell for Santa

Maintenance

• Rose bush – delivery will be on Friday 7^th December, planting will take place on Sunday 16^th December and bulbs will be put in at the same time
• Fruit Orchard – tree’s due to arrive soon, need to dig the tree pits ready for their arrival
• Maintenance plan to be plotted in January on the year planner – this will need to take the wild flower area development into account and we may need to do full days at certain points in the year

Finance

• Work out how much we’ve spent on the Xmas event so we can set the prices.
• Costs for the Christmas event approx. £350, need to set prices to cover the outgoings and hopefully make some profit
• June is to become an auditor of the accounts and will meet in the New Year with Sam and Lindsay to ensure a system is in place and accounts are ready for the AGM in April
• Ensure we have a clear breakdown of takings from all events, summer event 2018 breakdown was very detailed

Fundraising

• Grow Well bid – in process, deadline Monday 10^th December, Cat to keep the group updated
• Christmas Cracker – good opportunity to raise funds, need to keep a clear breakdown of all income from the event

Publicity / Communications

• Salford Radio – Chris to contact with details of our Christmas event
• Yes to journalists student doing report – Lindsay to respond
• Need a publicity officer in the group who can do a publicity plan for all events

A.O.B

• Remind members of the constitution and the group ethos is about positivity and working in partnership
• Debbie met with Dave to start painting the railings at front of the duck pond
• Agreement to all pay £1 for membership at the next AGM
• Installation of the poppies, Liz requested that the group are not to put screws in the trees for future and to use an alternative way of fixing things to trees

Date of next meeting – Thursday 3rd January, 7pm at the Vine Café – Annual Planning Meeting

Welcome, introductions & apologies

Present: LB, SM, NR, PE, IB, MP, TM, MK, JN, DF, JG, JD, DM

Apologies: Catriona Swanson

Welcome to new member John Nichols

 Matters arising from Action Log:

• Still 2 bins down, at Durham Rd entrance and Moorville Road. Lindsay to ask Liz about the outstanding bins and check if the job is finished

• Thanks to Neil for the progress made with the drains although we acknowledge this is a temporary solution that’s been achieved

• Neil to ask urban vision what the long term plan is with the drains

• Lindsay to get an update from Ann and Geoff on the container café and if Annie Surtees has given permission for them to get their own quote for the work needed to install the container in the park

• Lindsay to check if more places available for the Heart of Salford Awards and let group know if available

• Darren to confirm with Buile Hill High school we’d like their singing group/band to perform at the Christmas event

Projects

• Catriona to check if Scott Fitzgerald can help with the sculptures?

• Chris to give update about the reindeer sculptures

• Adopt a bed project to be put back into the New Year, is this something Lightoaks School could get involved with?

• Lindsay to check with Liz Green if we can get some anti-graffiti paint for the summer shed

• Lindsay to check with Liz if we can do the gable end the same as the Friends logo?

• Fruit Orchard  – trees due to arrive soon for phase 2, need to dig the tree pits ready for their arrival

• Pete to install water bowls on a chain for dogs outside of the children’s play area

Events

Christmas Cracker:

• Ask Music Shed if can use their PA
• Elliot to put play list together
• Ask Anthony about his nativity scene and if we can use this for the Christmas Cracker event
• All to collect jars and Pringle tubes for candles and tombola
• Lindsay to check if the Great Christmas Get Together have funding available again that we can apply for and if not, approach the rotary Club to help with selection boxes
• Source and buy lights for trees
• Next event planning meeting 15^th Nov in Vine if available

Maintenance

• Debbie and some other park users to start painting the railings on Saturday 11^th November at the front of the pond

• Rose bed – Ian to lead on this, rose bushes to be planted and bulbs to go in too

• Lindsay to ask Marie Shields about community payback team painting the remainder of the railings around the pond

• John (new group member) to carry out low level gardening work in the park behind his house as a member of the group and under the remit of the groups maintenance, advised to wear the fluorescent bib when doing work as a Friends volunteer in the park

Finance

•  Ian to give Sam receipts to refund him for tools purchased

• Sam to give the pop up café takins raised to Lindsay to be banked

Fundraising

• Separate group to meet in the New Year to decide about projects for 2019 which need funding and that we will need to apply for

Publicity / Communications

• Noticeboard – John to take down posters, needs updating with next 3 months dates for meetings and events

• Event details and meeting details in On Your Doorstep magazine, Lindsay to send Susie details for January to March to go in the magazine

• Deb to get poster for noticeboard to promote that Six Cut pizza in Monton is dog friendly

• Group confirmed that they are happy for Aaron to go ahead with securing the domain name for the Friends webpage and email address

A.O.B:

• AGM – need to decide date and book venue – 6^th, 13^th April Lindsay to check with the tennis club if they can accommodate the group

• Cornwall course – no takers from the meeting for the course on 9^th November. Interest in the next course that will be in September 2019.

• Neil to discuss with St Luke’s School on what they would like from the park

Date of next meeting – Thursday 6^th December, 7pm at the Vine Café

Friend of Lightoaks Park Minutes

Present : LB, SM, PE, MP, NR, CS, AR, BR, JD, JG, DF

Thursday 4^th October, 7pm at the Vine Café

• Poppies  – John printed off a sample of the poppies to show the group that well be displayed in the park. John will get 50 poppies printed off to attach to trees in the park.
• Neil to get info on people from the local area to be displayed in the park with the poppies
• June to give Neil the full name of her relative for Neil to look up
• Lindsay to ask Christine Howard about trees being planted in the parks to commemorate the end of the ww1
• Memorial bench – Debbie to get an update
• Litter bins – Moorville bin has been removed and there is now lots more litter gathering
• Lindsay to get an update from  Liz green on the bin replacement plans
• Sports Court’s Refurbishment  – Neil will get an update from SCC as all the consultation with the community has been submitted
• Drains – Urban Vision have been to the park and seems to have fixed the problem with the drains, grids near the pond. Just need replacement grid cover and the barriers to be removed – Neil will check outstanding work with urban vision
• Café update – Ann and Geoff Rose came to the meeting to give an update and show the group some pics of the container the have sourced. SCC have been out to the park to check on water supply and electricity to power the café. No further need from SCC. Lindsay will contact the Ranger team to all about the next steps. Ann and Geoff will put a timetable together and hope to open the café by Easter 2019
• Social – date to be put back to January
• Heart of Salford Awards nomination for the group and a nomination for Lindsay!!  Enquire about group members to see if they are able to come along to the Heart of Salford Awards, Lindsay will contact CVS to enquire about 10 additional places
• Bulbathon event – do we have enough trowel? Check with Darren if we have more trowels in the summer shed
• John to get pop up café stock, hot and cold drinks, biscuits and cakes to sell. Lindsay to be at the pop up café on Sunday during the event
• Christmas event – plans are not coming along and time is passing. There will be a planning meeting at John’s on Tuesday 9^th Oct 8pm for the Christmas event. Lindsay is waiting to hear back from MAPAS about their brass band and choir. Lightoaks choir may be able to perform. Neil will ask St. Lukes if they have a choir who could perform too. John to ask Ian peacock about voices of the vine choir and Elim Church involvement with the event.
• Maintenance:
• Duck pond railings, Lindsay will speak to Marie Shields about applying for community payback
• Next season will focus on your duck pond
• A.O.B:
• Rough Sleeper in the park – Lindsay to ask the rough sleeper team for basic  wording for an info patter to stick in the alcove of the summer shed
• Sculptures – can we commission somebody to do a sculpture for us? Catriona will speak to Jill Dyson about her contacts
• RHS  – they have so many volunteers, could volunteers be signposted to local friends groups, Lindsay to speak to Claire from RHS to enquire
• Adopt a bed project – need to develop some information that can be shared and target groups
• Facebook pages – Catriona and Sam to be added as page admin