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Lewisham Walking Forum
Full Forum Meeting, 7pm, 6th May
Civic Suite, Room 5.
Present – Jenny Budd
(Lewisham Healthy Walks Coordinator and chair), Hilary Jarrett, Sue
Webber (Walking Festival coordinator), Aidan Cunningham (Green Chain Officer),
Conrad Young (Lewisham Council Environmental Sustainability Manager and
minute-taker), John Warner (Local Resident), Ron Cooper (Lewisham Local
history Society, Lewisham Environment Trust, Deptford Tour Guides etc), Anne
Bennett (Local Resident), Tosca Anstis (Lewisham Cycling Campaign), Edward
Anstis (Lewisham Cycling Campaign), Paul Holdsworth (Living Streets), Doug
Bollen (Lewisham Cycling Campaign).
Apologies – Marion Wood (Local Resident),
David Early (Living Streets).
Lewisham Walking Festival
Jenny Budd/Sue Webber
10 May to 24th May
All were encouraged to take Festival programmes
and posters. Particularly to put out in schools and churches.
John suggested e-mailing schools.
Sue can be asked via the Festival Hotline to
send any additional materials to LWF members
Anybody with photography shop/club contacts also
to ask Sue for Walking Photography competition forms and distribute.
John said he would speak to Howell’s
photography shop.
Free website has been designed - www.lwf.org.uk
Conrad asked for anyone interested in helping
out a small Walking Forum team manning a stall at Lewisham Town Centre on
18th (11am-3pm) and at Beckenham Place Park on 19th (1pm
onwards).
Doug Bollan and Anne Bennett volunteered for
Town Centre Marquee.
John and Paul volunteered for BPP.
Any others who’d like to help should
contact Conrad on 020 8314 2119.
Ron will take leaflets for distribution at
Nunhead Cemetery open day.
Conrad to organise transport for moving
materials and banners from Town Centre to Beckenham Place Park.
Festival walk leaders will be asked to hand out
feedback forms to any participants who want to stay in touch with the Forum.
Jenny/Sue to e-mail out.
Living Streets branch status
Paul Holdsworth
It has been proposed that LWF is set up as a
local branch of Living Streets
- Gives the LWF the weight of a national
organisation.
- National office provides technical briefing
sheets.
- Would give LWF charitable status.
- Helps LWF to quickly undertake the
administrative chores of setting up accounts, constitution and officer roles.
Steering Group believes this would be a good
move. Assuming a good response from Festival, will be a lot of interest in LWF.
Treasurer, Chair, Secretary and constitution needed for funding applications.
Some concerns re mismatch between branch and
national org.
Paul believes the national objectives and local
objectives are one and the same.
John asked if there was an example of another
branch group’s constitution.
Paul pointed out that branches adopt the model
constitution of the national group. There is no problem with addition layers of
clauses, if required. There is no intention on Living Street’s part in
controlling the LWF. But there needs to be some acknowledgement of the common
cause and objectives.
Aidan asked whether Paul could envisage
situations of conflict between branch and national organisation.
Paul said there have been misgivings before
whilst independent groups considered affiliating, but groups have never
disaffiliated once joined.
Ron was concerned that the title “Living
Streets” suggests concerns about walking in green spaces will be marginal.
Paul said that this wouldn’t be the case.
The Forum would retain its capacity to choose what issues it would focus on,
within the wide remit of the constitution. It would not need to change its
name, to reflect a streets-only focus.
John was concerned that applying for funds as a
branch might put LWF in competition with the national org for limited funds.
Aidan thought this might not be the case as the
sources of funding applied for at national and local level would be different
and complementary.
Anne and John were concerned about voting for,
and appointing officers.
Paul confirmed that the three “legal”
officers previously mentioned will need to be individual members of Living
Streets at £15/yr commitment. This would not prevent other, non-LS
members of the LWF from taking on other roles in a management committee. Or, if
the LWF thought it appropriate, a parallel committee and administrative
structure could be set up, with the “legal” roles only being called
on once a year at the Annual General Meeting, for passing the accounts.
John asked if there would need to be two sets of
finances in this latter case.
Paul confirmed that this would probably be so.
Ron mentioned that Deptford Tour Guides were
interested in joining the Festival, but were precluded through lack of funds
for insurance. Would LS nationally be able to cover insurance for LWF events,
or events organised by LWF members, subject to a risk assessment?
Paul thought this was probably the case, but
would need to refer to David Early.
John suggested that the LWF could work on
formally and independently constituting itself and then consider whether it
should affiliate to Living Streets. He then asked if this would mean that any
work on setting up LWF independently (e.g. constitution) would be wasted
Paul suggested that this would be the case.
[although he earlier confirmed that an additional, complementary layer of
clauses could be added without a problem]
Anne said that it was important to avoid delay
and over-detailed discussion, but that there were a range of comments, from
correcting simple grammatical mistakes, to points of clarification which needed
to be made on the LS model constitution.
Edward suggested that the issue should be
resolved as soon as possible, to maintain the energy of the group, rather than
continually deferring the issue to subsequent meetings,
Conrad proposed that the feedback form to be
given out to all Walking Festival participants (who wanted it) should provide
details of the LWF, its aims, contact details, and date of next full Forum
meeting. This should also have a set of tickbox responses like:
Did you enjoy the walk?
Are you interested in finding out more about the
work of the Lewisham Walking Forum?
What do you think the top priority is, of the
Forum’s 6 (?) objectives
Aidan supported this and the meeting agreed.
The meeting agreed that the Walking Forum could
set up a management committee prior to making decisions about affiliation to
LS.
This committee, would be elected from amongst
the enlarged group likely to be present at the first full Forum meeting
following the Festival. Doug suggested that the group could be managed by a
“Facilitator” rather than a “Chair”. Hilary thought that
the former didn’t suggest sufficient firmness.
John and Anne agreed to consider producing a
list of questions (including those discussed during this meeting) for formal
clarification from David Early, so that any remaining issues could be resolved
as soon as possible. Either at that same meeting or soon thereafter.
Any Other Business
Conrad asked if the LWF wanted to reserve a
stall at the annual Lewisham People’s Day, 12 July. The Forum agreed this
was worth doing.
Hilary mentioned the Mayow Park 125th
anniversary open day on 7th June, and asked if anyone wanted to run
a LWF stall. Jenny said she wouldn’t be available. Anybody interested in
running the stall should contact Jenny on 020 7955 4391.
Next meeting
This would be a full Forum meeting, would
include statistical feedback from the Festival participants’ survey, and
any pictures available from the photographic competition, setting up of a
management committee and, if appropriate voting a resolution on affiliation to
Living Streets. 16th June, 7pm, Civic Suite, Catford. |