AGM 2024
Held at 7.30pm on Monday 8 July at the The Dynamo House
The Chair's Report
The year since our last AGM has been dominated by three events: the changeover in the park’s maintenance contract from GBC to NCC, the impact of the new Severn Trent pipeline, and Rob Carlyle stepping down as chair. Despite his protestations, we hope to continue to poach his wit, ideas and energy for a while yet!
The maintenance contract for the park had been signed for 5 years, and was due to expire in September 2023, but GBC effectively handed back responsibility in July at the latest. Some important scheduled tasks, such as the repair of the toilets near the classroom and the repainting of the Dynamo House, were abandoned. Unsurprisingly, NCC has faced big challenges addressing this backlog, as well as additional work needed on bridleways and footpaths which suffered extensive damage from flooding due to heavy rains. At one point, footpaths had to be closed, and such events are likely to recur as our weather patterns change. The sudden change in management of the park, which had not been envisaged, also resulted in a temporary suspension of the volunteer conservation work groups until a supervision structure could be finalised. The keen volunteers were frustrated, but are happily back at work again, with the first tasks last autumn including hedge laying.
The other major impact on the park was the construction of a new pipeline by Severn Trent, and their contractors Avove. We first heard that the pipeline was planned in September 2023, but had no details of the route until January 2024, when work actually started. What this meant was that we were unable to assess the likely impact of the particular route in good time. The Wildlife Group, working together with Carl Cornish of the RSPB, was nevertheless able to persuade ST and Avove to move the location of their works compound away from an area that they were using for their butterfly transects. We were, however, too late to be able to get them to change the route across Parkside Pasture, which threatened the survival of waxcap fungi. The ecologists working for ST had missed these, but the Wildlife Group identified them, and consulted with an expert at Aberystwyth University on mitigation measures, which were then put to ST. We must mention Carl and Imogen in particular for their hard work here. We are also appreciative of ST’s willingness to adapt where they could (and they were surprised to hear that we had no knowledge of the route until January). It is worth noting that the pipeline work did not require planning permission, but had we known the details sooner, we could have worked with NCC and ST to re-route the pipeline to minimise such ecological damage. We now hope to have an input into their plans for biodiversity net gain after the work has been completed.
The Wildlife Group within FOBCP has been extremely active over the last year. In addition to the advocacy work just mentioned, the WG has held moth nights, sourced and installed bat boxes, sourced and bagged bird seed for sale, been involved in the Trees for Climate initiative, worked together with the Environment Agency to tackle sewage pollution at the Butler’s Hill end of Mill Lakes, run a fungi walk and bird walks, and obtained a grant from the Miner to Major scheme which, amongst other things, covered the costs laying an edible hedge, and of plug plants for wildflower planting behind the Dynamo House. They now plan to set up a Young Recorders group. So active is the group, it really needed its own keys for the Dynamo House, which happily they now have. I understand they also have plans to take part in the Robin Hood Festival.
The Miner to Major scheme, which has recently come to an end, has also funded a sculpture trail in Sherwood Forest, with the sculptures being based on artwork by local children. Ours was the first one installed, on the gates to the Dynamo House. It features imagery that reflects both wildlife and industrial heritage.
The Heritage Group has, in recent months, transformed into a more virtual History group, having undertaken work particularly on oral history and women in mining.
Our social media communications remain very active, and we are very grateful to Helen Mitchem and Alan Green for moderating the Facebook group, and to Rob Gilbank for maintaining the website.
Communications are very important, both with the landowners and with the various users of the park. We are therefore most grateful to all those involved in the production of The Dynamo newsletter, particularly David Heathcote and Alan Green, and to the Lymn Foundation for funding several issues. The special editions, for example on mining history and on butterflies, remain very popular.
One part of the park that remains an area of concern for many members is the Japanese Gardens near to the Bestwood Lodge Hotel. That area of land is owned by Gedling Borough Council. Dave White and Jason King of St Albans Parish Council have secured a grant of £1500 for its renovation. GBC were consulted, and they require us to commission a survey first, which will eat up most of that grant. Regarding work parties, GBC have offered 4 days of supervision; we are not permitted to work unsupervised. We must investigate how and from whom to commission a survey before anything else can go ahead.
The Dynamo House café remains very active, open to serve home-made cake and drinks every Saturday morning and bank holiday Monday. Additionally, we have had a number of private and corporate bookings. We are very grateful to our volunteer servers and bakers, and also to the Winding Engine House volunteers who provide free guided tours. We also welcome Heather as a relief shift leader, and Andy as a returning WEH volunteer.
The café is FOB’s main source of income, as well as a much-loved community resource. So popular is our cake that we have recently had to spread the cakes more evenly over the morning, so that latecomers are not disappointed. We have recently restarted our quarterly charitable donations, with the first one being made to the Shine a Light mining history charity, and the second one scheduled to be Gedling Climate Change Group, which organised the Climate and Nature Convention last November, at which we had a stall. Other events taken on by the café team include catering for the BigBAG event at Brackenhurst College in Southwell, and the now annual Darling Buds of May event, which brings in other groups and activities. We have been able to obtain funding from Friends of Greenwood to hold a first aid course for some café and WEH volunteers. We held a thank-you barbecue for our volunteers last summer, and plan to do so again. We also mention the special event for the Brain Tumour Trust, organised by our former volunteer Bridget, which raised around £1.100. We also took a stall to the Sherwood Forest Woodland festival, selling cake and spreading the word about our park.
The major changes over the last year have underlined the importance of good communications with NCC as the landowners. Meetings with the Bestwood Development Group had stalled, but are now back on track, and we look forward to regular communication on the future of the park with Heather Stokes at NCC. As part of this, we have submitted various draft policies for her to review, and added a safeguarding policy, and we are very pleased to welcome Debs Barton-Moran as our safeguarding officer. We are also in the process of setting up a scheme for volunteers to be a presence in the park on Saturday mornings, to undertake litter picking and to engage with the passing general public to provide information about the park.
So that should be our focus for the near future – to safeguard the park through good communication all round. Thank you all, and grateful thanks to the committee, Ian, Carol, Karen, Rob and Alan, now joined by Debs, for all their time and commitment.
The year since our last AGM has been dominated by three events: the changeover in the park’s maintenance contract from GBC to NCC, the impact of the new Severn Trent pipeline, and Rob Carlyle stepping down as chair. Despite his protestations, we hope to continue to poach his wit, ideas and energy for a while yet!
The maintenance contract for the park had been signed for 5 years, and was due to expire in September 2023, but GBC effectively handed back responsibility in July at the latest. Some important scheduled tasks, such as the repair of the toilets near the classroom and the repainting of the Dynamo House, were abandoned. Unsurprisingly, NCC has faced big challenges addressing this backlog, as well as additional work needed on bridleways and footpaths which suffered extensive damage from flooding due to heavy rains. At one point, footpaths had to be closed, and such events are likely to recur as our weather patterns change. The sudden change in management of the park, which had not been envisaged, also resulted in a temporary suspension of the volunteer conservation work groups until a supervision structure could be finalised. The keen volunteers were frustrated, but are happily back at work again, with the first tasks last autumn including hedge laying.
The other major impact on the park was the construction of a new pipeline by Severn Trent, and their contractors Avove. We first heard that the pipeline was planned in September 2023, but had no details of the route until January 2024, when work actually started. What this meant was that we were unable to assess the likely impact of the particular route in good time. The Wildlife Group, working together with Carl Cornish of the RSPB, was nevertheless able to persuade ST and Avove to move the location of their works compound away from an area that they were using for their butterfly transects. We were, however, too late to be able to get them to change the route across Parkside Pasture, which threatened the survival of waxcap fungi. The ecologists working for ST had missed these, but the Wildlife Group identified them, and consulted with an expert at Aberystwyth University on mitigation measures, which were then put to ST. We must mention Carl and Imogen in particular for their hard work here. We are also appreciative of ST’s willingness to adapt where they could (and they were surprised to hear that we had no knowledge of the route until January). It is worth noting that the pipeline work did not require planning permission, but had we known the details sooner, we could have worked with NCC and ST to re-route the pipeline to minimise such ecological damage. We now hope to have an input into their plans for biodiversity net gain after the work has been completed.
The Wildlife Group within FOBCP has been extremely active over the last year. In addition to the advocacy work just mentioned, the WG has held moth nights, sourced and installed bat boxes, sourced and bagged bird seed for sale, been involved in the Trees for Climate initiative, worked together with the Environment Agency to tackle sewage pollution at the Butler’s Hill end of Mill Lakes, run a fungi walk and bird walks, and obtained a grant from the Miner to Major scheme which, amongst other things, covered the costs laying an edible hedge, and of plug plants for wildflower planting behind the Dynamo House. They now plan to set up a Young Recorders group. So active is the group, it really needed its own keys for the Dynamo House, which happily they now have. I understand they also have plans to take part in the Robin Hood Festival.
The Miner to Major scheme, which has recently come to an end, has also funded a sculpture trail in Sherwood Forest, with the sculptures being based on artwork by local children. Ours was the first one installed, on the gates to the Dynamo House. It features imagery that reflects both wildlife and industrial heritage.
The Heritage Group has, in recent months, transformed into a more virtual History group, having undertaken work particularly on oral history and women in mining.
Our social media communications remain very active, and we are very grateful to Helen Mitchem and Alan Green for moderating the Facebook group, and to Rob Gilbank for maintaining the website.
Communications are very important, both with the landowners and with the various users of the park. We are therefore most grateful to all those involved in the production of The Dynamo newsletter, particularly David Heathcote and Alan Green, and to the Lymn Foundation for funding several issues. The special editions, for example on mining history and on butterflies, remain very popular.
One part of the park that remains an area of concern for many members is the Japanese Gardens near to the Bestwood Lodge Hotel. That area of land is owned by Gedling Borough Council. Dave White and Jason King of St Albans Parish Council have secured a grant of £1500 for its renovation. GBC were consulted, and they require us to commission a survey first, which will eat up most of that grant. Regarding work parties, GBC have offered 4 days of supervision; we are not permitted to work unsupervised. We must investigate how and from whom to commission a survey before anything else can go ahead.
The Dynamo House café remains very active, open to serve home-made cake and drinks every Saturday morning and bank holiday Monday. Additionally, we have had a number of private and corporate bookings. We are very grateful to our volunteer servers and bakers, and also to the Winding Engine House volunteers who provide free guided tours. We also welcome Heather as a relief shift leader, and Andy as a returning WEH volunteer.
The café is FOB’s main source of income, as well as a much-loved community resource. So popular is our cake that we have recently had to spread the cakes more evenly over the morning, so that latecomers are not disappointed. We have recently restarted our quarterly charitable donations, with the first one being made to the Shine a Light mining history charity, and the second one scheduled to be Gedling Climate Change Group, which organised the Climate and Nature Convention last November, at which we had a stall. Other events taken on by the café team include catering for the BigBAG event at Brackenhurst College in Southwell, and the now annual Darling Buds of May event, which brings in other groups and activities. We have been able to obtain funding from Friends of Greenwood to hold a first aid course for some café and WEH volunteers. We held a thank-you barbecue for our volunteers last summer, and plan to do so again. We also mention the special event for the Brain Tumour Trust, organised by our former volunteer Bridget, which raised around £1.100. We also took a stall to the Sherwood Forest Woodland festival, selling cake and spreading the word about our park.
The major changes over the last year have underlined the importance of good communications with NCC as the landowners. Meetings with the Bestwood Development Group had stalled, but are now back on track, and we look forward to regular communication on the future of the park with Heather Stokes at NCC. As part of this, we have submitted various draft policies for her to review, and added a safeguarding policy, and we are very pleased to welcome Debs Barton-Moran as our safeguarding officer. We are also in the process of setting up a scheme for volunteers to be a presence in the park on Saturday mornings, to undertake litter picking and to engage with the passing general public to provide information about the park.
So that should be our focus for the near future – to safeguard the park through good communication all round. Thank you all, and grateful thanks to the committee, Ian, Carol, Karen, Rob and Alan, now joined by Debs, for all their time and commitment.
