/ Creating opportunities for residents to make
a positive difference in our community

Friends of Wallbank AGM

Minutes: / First General Meeting of Friends of Wallbank
Date: / 9th October 2012
Present: / Rachael Bennion (Secretary), Abbie Kempson (Chair), Colin Perkins (Treasurer), Julie Banham, Liz Hughes, Barbara Taylor, Keith Taylor, Frances Butcher, Diane Nattress, Gemma Butterworth, Julie Hoyle, David Melling, Paul Calverley, Deena Brooks, Vicki Henshaw, Gill Pearson, Hans Mundry, Paul Scott-Bates, Debbie Boswell, Niki Duthie, Alison Wilkins, Barry Hyde, Cllr Karen Ruane, Cllr Maureen Jones
Apologies: / Gail Perkins (Friends of Wallbank), Cllr Alan Neal, Pat Smith (REAL), Karen Douglas (Whitworth Town Council)
1. Welcome and Introduction
The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and went through the agenda.
2. Eastgate Play Area - Alison Wilkins (RBC) and Debbie Boswell (Groundwork)
Alison Wilkins from the Communities Team explained the identification of a need for a children's play area due to lack of existing provision. Other sites have been considered, including Tonacliffe, but difficulties have always arisen over land ownership. Consequently Wallbank Estate has been chosen as the most appropriate location and Groundwork have been brought in to run a consultation with local residents. Friends of Wallbank will be the community group through which the project is managed and through which funding will be sought.
Debbie Boswell, Landscape Architect at Groundwork, explained the role of Groundwork who have been commissioned to run various stages of the play area project. Firstly, outreach consultation has been undertaken on the estate to look at the available sites and gather information on what people would like to see included in the play area, alongside further consultation at this meeting. A sketch design will be produced of the most popular ideas for the play area, and will be followed by a further consultation phase to allow local people to provide feedback before the final design is created. Groundwork will carry out a funding search to identify suitable funding sources and assist the group with applications.
To date the consultation has focused on two areas of land on the estate, site A: a long strip of land on Eastgate next to Healey Dell, & site B: an area of land next to Fern Isle Close. Site B has proved slightly more popular so far, and the age group most people have wanted the play area to be designed for has been the 5 to 12-year-old group. The most requested features for the play area include standard play equipment, natural play elements and a bike/dirt track.
Everyone at the meeting was given the opportunity to fill in a consultation questionnaire after looking at the information display of possible play area components provided by Groundwork.
3. Incredible Edible Rossendale – Paul Scott-Bates
Paul Scott-Bates outlined how Incredible Edible Rossendale was established by him and his wife three years ago, born out of a desire to investigate living simpler lifestyles and an interest in food growing projects. Following attendance at a conference hosted by Incredible Edible Todmorden they decided to follow the Incredible Edible approach, which encourages anybody to pick produce and plant replacement vegetable plants in public growing spaces. Incredible Edible Todmorden describe the ethos of the movement in terms of three spinning plates: health and sustainability, education, community and business. Local people are benefited through access to fresh produce and the opportunity to learn about all the many varieties of fruits and vegetables we can produce in our local area, and their culinary uses.
Incredible Edible Rossendale have planters in Waterfoot, Bacup and Stacksteads, as well as an orchard in Helmshore and are now working with Friends of Wallbank to create the first incredible edible site on Wallbank. Their patron is Christine Walkden, well-known television gardening personality. Paul encouraged everyone to have a look at and sign up to the Incredible Edible Rossendale website, which is a fantastic resource to find out more about the organisation and its work. It now features a Friends of Wallbank page.
The Chair thanked Incredible Edible Rossendale for their donation of £100 towards the first Wallbank site, and also thanked local builder Stuart Bennion for his contribution of free labour to build the planters.
4. Rossendale Revival 1960s – Barry Hyde
Barry Hyde spoke about the Rossendale Revival 1960s festival planned for 2013. Rossendale Revival is a community group interested in promoting the Rossendale Valley by encouraging tourism and supporting local businesses. The aim of the festival is for all towns across Rossendale to take part in a 1960s revival on the 13th 14th and 15th of September 2013, featuring hippie markets for local craft producers, music evenings and various community events. The group is looking into transportation to connect the towns for the festival. It is in the planning stages and everyone is welcome to contribute ideas and get involved. Friends of Wallbank will be taking part and are keen to generate ideas for our area. The festival was inspired by a 1940s revival event in Howarth.
5. Green Vale Homes – Niki Duthie, Tenant Involvement
Niki Duthie spoke about a tenant reward scheme operated by Green Vale Homes (who manage the Wallbank estate) known as REAP, which provides a financial incentive for tenants to get involved in Green Vale activities. Tenants who take part in Green Vale events can earn a £50 reward, and tenants interested in working with Green Vale to look at the services they offer can earn up to a £250 reward.
Green Vale are working with and very happy to support Friends of Wallbank in the incredible edible project. They have given permission for Friends of Wallbank to take over management of a small piece of land on the estate for the first incredible edible site. This has been agreed on a trial basis to pilot the project and see how it works out.
Friends of Wallbank have applied to the Green Vale Area Panel for funding to support the incredible edible project. The area panel meeting is comprised of tenants from difference estates managed by Green Vale Homes, and it is the tenants themselves who vote on the funding applications they receive. Friends of Wallbank committee members were encouraged to attend the next meeting to make their case for funding.
6. Feedback on Friends of Wallbank Plans
during the meeting everyone present was given the opportunity to take part in a consultation to provide feedback and ideas on the various projects Friends of Wallbank are hoping to develop. At this point in the meeting people were invited to ask questions or make comments.
a) Incredible Edibles
A question was asked regarding the legality of setting up the planters on a public verge. Niki Duthie assured the meeting that the verge is owned by Green Vale who have given their permission.
A question was asked regarding whether adequate insurance arrangements had been made in case of any accidents. Friends of Wallbank assured the meeting that the group already has public liability insurance in place, through our membership of Rossendale Civic Trust. Incredible Edible Rossendale hold the same insurance and Paul Scott-Bates also assured the meeting that it was sufficient. Copies of the public liability insurance documents can be made available for anyone with concerns.
Project suggestions:
  • approach the local playgroup to see whether they would like to get involved so that younger children from age 2 years can also take part
  • approach the youth centre, 515, to ask for local young people to help with setting up the incredible edible sites
  • recipe sheets for some of the produce
  • sharing recipe ideas through the Incredible Edible Rossendale and Friends of Wallbank websites
  • a demonstration day to harvest and cook produce for everyone to share
  • a lending library to include cookbooks such as budget meals/cooking cheaply as well as vegetable recipe books, alongside gardening books and magazines to provide information for people inspired to start growing produce in their own gardens
  • a tallest pea competition for children to take pots with compost, a small cane and a pea seed home to see who had managed to grow the tallest plant. Seedlings could then be planted into the communal raised beds to enable the children to take an active role in sustaining the project
  • 'ready to pick' signs so people can identify which produce they can take
  • photographs showing the way the various vegetable plants look when they are ready
  • involving the local schools in teaching children about fruit and vegetable growing and encourage participation in the project
Other comments were made in support of the project, including how much better home-grown vegetables taste in comparison to supermarket produce, and how important it is to teach children and adults about where our food comes from.
The first planting event will be on Sunday 21st October at 11am, on the grass verge at the far end of Wallbank Drive, opposite the bus stop.
b) Community Garden
Two residents expressed their unhappiness about the community garden consultation. They both strongly stated their opposition to a garden ever being established on the land between Eastgate and Northgate. They also raised concerns that not everybody had received leaflets.
Nicki Duthie explained that Green Vale Homes had not given permission for a community garden on the site, and that no such permission would be given unless Green Vale had carried out a full consultation and considered the views of all the residents.
The Chair explained that Friends of Wallbank had carried out a limited consultation to invite feedback from householders living on the perimeter of the land in order to gauge the level of support for a community garden project. She emphasised that no plans were in place to proceed with a community garden at this stage and that it had just been an initial opinion gathering exercise to explore the idea. Leaflets had only been issued to a small number of properties on the estate, those bordering the land in question. The consultation received seven responses, three against, three in favour and one undecided.
A question was asked whether the garden was suggested as a gated space only open at certain times. It was explained that the initial proposal was indeed for a secure garden site which would only be open when staffed by volunteers, i.e. for community events and during weekends over the summer months.
A number of people spoke in favour of a community garden as a useful meeting space for community activities, and a safe space for children.
c) Rossendale Revival
A number of suggestions for the 1960s theme were offered, including:
  • rollerskating / roller disco
  • a folk music night
  • Wallbank Woodstock Scarecrow Festival
  • hair wrap sessions
  • 60’s music quiz
  • 60’s buffet night /quiz with food provided by attendees
  • jewellery making workshop
  • family 60’s Fancy Dress Party
  • tie dye workshop
  • poster competition to promote the 60’s event
d) Youth Initiatives
Hans Mundry from Youth Services asked what plans Friends of Wallbank have for youth initiatives on the estate and the need to avoid duplicating work. He explained some of the existing youth provision in the area including Rossendale Youth Council (which has a Facebook page) and the good level of youth representation at regional and national level. A 14-year-old from Whitworth sits on the Youth Panel, which offers representation at Parliamentary level.
Friends of Wallbank expressed their desire to work with Youth Services and the 515 Centre to encourage young people on the estate to get involved in our community projects.
A question was asked about the litter signs designed by children that were placed around the estate a few years ago and whether it could be started again.
e) General Requests for Wallbank
  • a bigger police presence – patrol cars at night time
  • a community centre with events for all ages, and a safe place for kids to keep them off the street
  • dogs on the lead
  • compostable dog bags and bins for Healey dell
  • less dog mess
  • skate park for teenagers
  • grit bins back for when it snows
  • Wallbank Lodge to be cleaned up
  • less litter
  • more things for children – where they can be safe and have fun
7. Committee Elections
It was established that the meeting was quorate, with 10 or more members of Friends of Wallbank present. The current committee of six members were elected unanimously (Julie Banham, Rachael Bennion, Liz Hughes, Abbie Kempson, Colin Perkins, Gail Perkins). Prior to the next AGM committee nomination papers will be issued 21 days in advance.
8. Planning Update
The Chair briefly explained the history of Friends of Wallbank's dialogue with RBC Planning Department in relation to the proposed development of 45 houses on land behind Westgate and Eastgate. Friends of Wallbank submitted an official complaint letter last month to which they received a reply from RBC. A stage two complaint will be submitted. Full details are available on the website.
A brief discussion was held with a number of people expressing their unhappiness over the high level of housing development in the area and the safety concerns raised by all the extra traffic, and lack of capacity of local services to cope with so many extra households.
9. Close
The Chair thanked everyone for attending and closed the meeting.