After a busy couple of weeks since our launch, we have pleasure issuing our first TASK newsletter to our first wave of supporters. It aims to set out what has been going on, and some of the areas we might befocusing on over the next weeks and months.
Getting started
Our first public outing was on New Year's Eve, when a number of us trekked down to the High Road car/lorry park for an early morning photshot to go into the Ilford Recorder. This accompanied a strong written piece in their first issue of the new year. In this week's Recorder, all three local councillors signed a joint letter supporting the advent of TASK, and recognising the scale of the work required to take things forward locally after years of decline. The Yellow Advertiser has also carried an article in the current issue.
Getting the word out
We have already:
- put up a flyer in the community notice board by the railway station;
- issued flyers through St. John's Church;
- leafleted some of the High Road traders;
- got a link on the local allotment society website and signed up a new supporter in their own website editor; and
- made opening links to the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Residents' Association, who share many of our concerns on the lorry park and other issues.
We now need to start leafleting homes, shops and businesses much more widely and are looking for volunteers to deliver flyers in their own roads and more generally. Those living on the long roads off the High Road may want to volunteer for half a road, and we hope to organise shared delivery. Contact Chris at chrisconnelley@ntlworld.com if you able to help with this key work.
Campaigns
The lorry park - Local anger over the sale of this critical development site was the event that spurred some of us to set up TASK in the first place. We were concerned that the sale seems to have gone to a company that did not make the highest bid or the best offer for community facilities, despite the latter forming part of the planning brief, along with the idea of any construction here being 'outstanding'. Since everything was considered by the Council's Cabinet on confidential green paper, we just don't know what has been going on. Which is another of our problems with the handling of the affair. We are determined to campaign as long and hard as necessary for the purchasing company, now revealed in the press as Swan Housing, to have to fulfil the terms of the Council's own planning brief, which were themselves written in full knowledge that every recent local public consultation on the future of the site has massively favoured community facilities as a key feature.
Local environment and streetscape - Just before Christmas, a group of TASK founders spent a productive morning walking the area from Cameron Road through to Barley Lane with Council officers. This allowed us to identify many of our issues around street dumping, graffiti, broken paving and the scores of other issues that contribute to the feeling of rundown along our main thoroughfare. These were carefully recorded, using camera images where necessary, with follow up action promised. It was also agreed that these walkabouts would happen regularly, every two months, or so. The next scheduled date is Friday 29 February, starting at 9am outside 55 Cameron Road. It would be good to have a wide range of TASK supporters involved so please contact Ali at ahai@deloitte.co.uk if you would like to be part of this next walkabout.
Whether you use it daily or occasionally, its likely that your travelling experience from here is likely to deeply underwhelming. The slippery foyer, closed down toilet block, vandalized waiting room and lack of upper walkway windows project a feeling of profound neglect. The good news is that this sorry situation looks likely to change soon, though, following recent meetings with operators 'one' railway who have agreed to sign up to a comprehensive improvement programme. Some external painting has already begun and from January 14, we are promised an extensive security presence on the station, which should make it feel more safe and comfortable for commuters to use it after dark. The idea of station adoption by the local community is also being considered. Watch this space next time for more details.
Website
We are hoping to develop a basic TASK website over the next few weeks and are getting quotes for this work. If you have experience or expertise in this area, though, and can help us set up what is now an obligatory service for any new organisation, please get in contact asap.
Allotment sales: stop press
Council Cabinet were due to consider controversial allotment sales again this evening, on January 14th, and we were going to ask TASK supporters to turn out to support our local allotment society in defence of these heavily used and much loved local plots. We gather though that the item has now been deferred until February. We will let you know more as soon as we know.
Meeting up
We plan to organise a TASK supporters session over the next few weeks, where we can introduce ourselves, get to know each other and plan our various activities. If you have any good ideas on how this might run, or when or where, please let us know. We want to be as welcoming as possible, and involve as many of you as possible. Email Chris with your thoughts.
Our next TASK email newsletter is due out week beginning 28 January. Please send anything you would like included to Chris or Ali by midday on Friday 25 January.
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Mavis Staples - 99 & 1/2.
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