AGM 2019
Held at 7.30pm on Thursday 20 June at the Bestwood Lodge Hotel
The Friends’ group has been very active during the year. When we last looked we had around 80 volunteers contributing thousands of hours to our wonderful park.
Let us not lose sight of the benefits places like Bestwood Country Park give us. A report this week reported in the national press told us of the positive physical and emotional impacts that time in contact with nature can have for us. As lives become ever-more stressed, places like Bestwood can literally be a lifeline.
So, thanks to each and every one of the volunteers whose contribution makes our park so special.
Our thanks also go to the Gedling Borough Council staff team led by Rob Wombwell who make such an impact on the running of the park.
As a group, our main focus has been the funding of the project to renew Andy’s Adventure Playground. £20,150 was raised in a range of initiatives - and funding was also received from a wide range of individuals and groups. Thanks to those and also to all who contributed their time and effort. It is always invidious to single individuals out when this has been such a resounding team success, but it would be wrong not to mention Sue Maycock for her inspiration and the immense physical and emotional effort that this fund-raising project must have been for her. Thanks too to Sue McDonald. Her leadership, co-ordination and form-filling were all rewarded when the grant for £50,000 was received. Without Sue the renewal of Andy’s Adventure Playground (as with much around the park) would not have happened.
This year we initiated a bursary to be awarded each year to a Nottingham University student who takes an aspect of the wildlife of the park as the focus for their study. This years recipient is Connor. He will be studying harvest mice in the park. It is our hope that, over the years, the bursaries will help produce a much complete picture of the wildlife of our par, which will in turn allow us to conserve it more effectively.
The group funded the Peter the Pit Pony children’s book project produced by Laura Simpson. Thanks to her for this and also to our outgoing vice chair, Keith Stone, for his involvement in the Gedling Heritage project. Keith is leading the development of a pamphlet about the heritage of the site.
The local RSPB group has continued to record the birds of the park. As with the bursary scheme, we hope that the work of the group will help give us a much better picture of the birds that use the park.
The groups of conservation volunteers led by Rob and Sue have continued to make a difference. Our thanks to St Albans Parish Council who have generously funded some of the planting of the Japanese Garden.
The Winding Engine House volunteers have made the park a special attraction. Thanks for the many hours they have collectively contributed.
The Dynamo House café is especially popular for visitors. Entirely volunteer based, thanks to all those who give time to make this happen. I’m sure that all involved will not resent me thanking Margret Vince for her work co-odinating bakers, doing rotas, organising shift leaders and servers ..and everything else. Margret you’re a shining light of the friends of Bestwood and we all thank you for your amazing efforts that make the café such a success.
Our website continues to be vital to the group. Its’ success is due to Kay Brown and our thanks go to her.
And, of course, Gill Costello our treasurer, has continued to support and encourage us all by doing everything from washing up to keeping the accounts.
Other important parts of our work ‘behind the scenes’ have included holding the local authorities to account, e.g. in the management of the contract between Notts CC and Gedling BC and the cleanliness of Dynamo House.
Which brings me to the future of our group. We have a wonderful park with amazing volunteer commitment and dedicated staff. There is so much more that we could do as a group - if there were enough of us. Which there aren’t. Next year we will have less frequent meetings at varied times and venues to make attending easier. We must make the replenishment of our officer group a priority or all that we do to support the park will be lost. Let’s make this a key priority for the coming year.
Thank you, once again, for making this year such a resounding success.
Rob Carlyle
20 June 2019
Let us not lose sight of the benefits places like Bestwood Country Park give us. A report this week reported in the national press told us of the positive physical and emotional impacts that time in contact with nature can have for us. As lives become ever-more stressed, places like Bestwood can literally be a lifeline.
So, thanks to each and every one of the volunteers whose contribution makes our park so special.
Our thanks also go to the Gedling Borough Council staff team led by Rob Wombwell who make such an impact on the running of the park.
As a group, our main focus has been the funding of the project to renew Andy’s Adventure Playground. £20,150 was raised in a range of initiatives - and funding was also received from a wide range of individuals and groups. Thanks to those and also to all who contributed their time and effort. It is always invidious to single individuals out when this has been such a resounding team success, but it would be wrong not to mention Sue Maycock for her inspiration and the immense physical and emotional effort that this fund-raising project must have been for her. Thanks too to Sue McDonald. Her leadership, co-ordination and form-filling were all rewarded when the grant for £50,000 was received. Without Sue the renewal of Andy’s Adventure Playground (as with much around the park) would not have happened.
This year we initiated a bursary to be awarded each year to a Nottingham University student who takes an aspect of the wildlife of the park as the focus for their study. This years recipient is Connor. He will be studying harvest mice in the park. It is our hope that, over the years, the bursaries will help produce a much complete picture of the wildlife of our par, which will in turn allow us to conserve it more effectively.
The group funded the Peter the Pit Pony children’s book project produced by Laura Simpson. Thanks to her for this and also to our outgoing vice chair, Keith Stone, for his involvement in the Gedling Heritage project. Keith is leading the development of a pamphlet about the heritage of the site.
The local RSPB group has continued to record the birds of the park. As with the bursary scheme, we hope that the work of the group will help give us a much better picture of the birds that use the park.
The groups of conservation volunteers led by Rob and Sue have continued to make a difference. Our thanks to St Albans Parish Council who have generously funded some of the planting of the Japanese Garden.
The Winding Engine House volunteers have made the park a special attraction. Thanks for the many hours they have collectively contributed.
The Dynamo House café is especially popular for visitors. Entirely volunteer based, thanks to all those who give time to make this happen. I’m sure that all involved will not resent me thanking Margret Vince for her work co-odinating bakers, doing rotas, organising shift leaders and servers ..and everything else. Margret you’re a shining light of the friends of Bestwood and we all thank you for your amazing efforts that make the café such a success.
Our website continues to be vital to the group. Its’ success is due to Kay Brown and our thanks go to her.
And, of course, Gill Costello our treasurer, has continued to support and encourage us all by doing everything from washing up to keeping the accounts.
Other important parts of our work ‘behind the scenes’ have included holding the local authorities to account, e.g. in the management of the contract between Notts CC and Gedling BC and the cleanliness of Dynamo House.
Which brings me to the future of our group. We have a wonderful park with amazing volunteer commitment and dedicated staff. There is so much more that we could do as a group - if there were enough of us. Which there aren’t. Next year we will have less frequent meetings at varied times and venues to make attending easier. We must make the replenishment of our officer group a priority or all that we do to support the park will be lost. Let’s make this a key priority for the coming year.
Thank you, once again, for making this year such a resounding success.
Rob Carlyle
20 June 2019
