SKNPRA AGM: Volunteering and achievements

These are my Chairman's remarks at tonight's Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association AGM, based on http://www.worldvolunteerweb.org/resources/how-to-guides/volunteer/doc/benefits-of-volunteering.html:

Getting involved in the work of SKNPRA can make a real difference to your own life and the lives of those around you. Getting involved offers the chance to give something back to the community or make a difference to the people around you. It also provides an opportunity to develop new skills or build on existing experience and knowledge. Regardless of your motivation, getting involved will be challenging and rewarding.

Here are some reasons to volunteer:

Learn or develop a new skill 

Volunteering is the perfect vehicle to discover something you are really good at and develop a new skill. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever.” It is never too late to learn new skills and there is no reason why you should ever stop adding to your knowledge. Planning and implementing a campaign on a local issue can, for example, develop goal setting, planning and budgeting skills. These are examples of skills that can enhance a career but you don’t have to develop skills with the intention of facilitating your career. The possibilities for developing and using new skills are many.  

Be part of your community

No man or woman is an island. We sometimes take for granted the community that we live in. People and societies co-depend on each other for survival but growth of such things as commercialism are seeing traditional values being disregarded. Communities are suffering due to the growth of selfishness in society but we can bridge that expanding gap through volunteering. Volunteering is ultimately about helping others and having an impact on people’s wellbeing. What better way is there to connect with your community and give a little back? As a volunteer with SKNPRA, you certainly return to society some of the benefits that society gives you. 

Motivation and sense of achievement

Fundamentally, volunteering is about giving your time, energy and skills freely.  Unlike many things in life there is choice involved in volunteering. As a volunteer you have made a decision to help on your own accord, free from pressure to act from others.  Volunteers predominantly express a sense of achievement and motivation, and this is ultimately generated from your desire and enthusiasm to help. Sometimes volunteers are regarded as do-gooders and those that hold that view also assume that one person can never make a difference. It may be true that no one person can solve all the world’s problems, but what you can do is make that little corner of the world where you live just that little bit better.

Boost your career options

A survey carried out by TimeBank through Reed Executive showed that among 200 of the UK’s leading businesses:

·       73% of employers would recruit a candidate with volunteering experience over one without

·        94% of employers believe that volunteering can add to skills

·        94% of employees who volunteered to learn new skills had benefited either by getting their first job, improving their salary, or being promoted

Also, if you are thinking of a career change then volunteering is a perfect way to explore new fields.

New interests and hobbies

Sometimes we do get locked into the “rat-race” of life and volunteering can give that escape to everyday routine and create a balance in our lives. Finding new interests and hobbies through volunteering can be fun, relaxing and energizing. The energy and sense of fulfilment can carry over to a work situation and sometimes helps to relieve tensions and foster new perspectives for old situations. Sometimes a volunteer experience can lead you to something you never even thought about or help you discover a hobby or interest you were unaware of. You can strengthen your personal/professional mission and vision by exploring opportunities and expanding your horizons. 

New experiences

Volunteering is a brilliant way to get life experience. Whatever your involvement with us, you will be experiencing the real world through hands-on work.

Meeting a diverse range of people

Volunteering brings together a diverse range of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. Both the recipients of your volunteer efforts and your co-workers can be a rich source of inspiration and an excellent way to develop your interpersonal skills.  Volunteering also offers an incredible networking opportunity. Not only will you develop lasting personal and professional relationships but it is also a great way to learn about people from all walks of life, different environments, and new industries. Networking is an exciting benefit of volunteering and you can never tell who you will meet or what new information you will learn and what impact this could have on your life.

Send a signal to your employer, teachers, friends and family…

People pay attention to your life outside the environment in which they have direct contact with you. For example, your employer would be interested in the activities that gives you a good work-life balance, just as academic institutions are interested in your extra-curricular activities. Volunteering reflects and supports a complete picture of you, and gives real examples of your commitment, dedication and interests. Show people what you are passionate about and maybe you will inspire them too!

Last year Peter Robinson volunteered to join the SKNPRA committee. As a result, this year we are able to tell you about the campaign for step-free access at Newbury Park Station which Peter is running. We could run that campaign without his volunteering. If you are prepared to get involved as he has done, there will be other campaigns and other issues that we can tackle which would simply not have been possible without you. So, for all these reasons when we come to elect our committee do please think seriously about volunteering.

Audrey Shorer, our Secretary, reported on our achievements in 2012/13:

Our biggest success last year was to get the public toilets in Seven Kings Park re-opened. They will be managed and maintained by Redbridge Vision and should be open 7 days a week. We are aware that some Sundays they have not been open but this has been brought to the notice of Vision and will be closely monitored. They are closed at the moment because the hot water boiler failed and is being replaced.

In September, the new park bench was installed in Seven Kings Park near the bridge  at a cost of £480.00 plus an engraved Traffolyte plate at £15.  The bench is made of very durable recycled polystyrene.  Redbridge Vision installed it free of charge. The Ilford Recorder did a photo shoot of the event.

In November we organised a protest meeting outside the park gate at Beddington Road against Redbridge Council’s decision to leave the park open at night. This has since been rescinded and the gates are now locked at seasonal closing times.

Our Chairman has attended meetings of the Seven Kings Ward Panel to report problems of drug dealing in Norfolk & Elgin Roads,  He has also spoken at Area 5 meetings to speak on a variety of issues on behalf of the residents.

I have reported to our Community Ward Police, problems of car repairs in Farnham Road which was dealt with. I also reported to the Cleansing Department, pallets and rubbish dumped in Seven Kings Water which was cleared.  Also reported on line via Redbridge i several incidents of fly tipping, litter and dog fouling all of which have been dealt with promptly by Redbridge Council.

The £100.00 which you voted to donate to Seven Kings Park Users Group was a great help with the initial setting up of the group towards the cost of postage, stationary and a Laminator.  The Chairman David Wynne-Fitzgerald thanked our Association for their generosity.

The Community Day on 18^th May in St John's garden was a great success with several new members signing up. We would certainly like to repeat this next year.

And finally I would like to thank all those people who help with delivering the Newsletter which cuts the cost of postage.

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King Crimson - Epitaph.

Re-opened toilets in Seven Kings Park

The Seven Kings & Newbury Park Residents’ Association is celebrating following our 18-month fight to re-open the closed toilets in Seven Kings Park.


Through ongoing lobbying of Redbridge Council, SKNPRA managed to secure funding for the reopening of Seven Kings Park toilets on a seasonal basis through contributions from both area five and seven committees, as well as Vision, which manages leisure services in the borough.

Mark Kennedy, membership secretary and press & publicity officer of the residents’ association, said: “It is a great victory to persuade the council to in effect perform a U-turn on policy.

“Many residents that signed our 1,500 petition last year said that we would never win, but we battled on regardless and our hard work has paid off.

We are pleased that the council has listened to the community and this proves that people power collectively under a residents association banner does work.”

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Relient K - Must Have Done Something Right.

Of park benches and toilets

Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association features in the Ilford Recorder this week because we have donated a bench to Seven Kings Park. The bench, which has been donated from monies raised by SKNPRA through fundraising events, has been located alongside the path leading from the park to King George Hospital and the A12 alongside Happy Valley. This location was chosen as a useful resting point, alongside Seven Kings Water, on the walk to and from the hospital.

This is the second additional bench which SKNPRA has been able to obtain for the local community. The first is located in Aldborough Road South and was provided by the Council as part of our Living Streets project.

We will be returning to Seven Kings Park tomorrow at 2.30pm for the re-opening of the toilets in the Park. These were closed in 2011 as part of austerity cuts by the Council in the borough. SKNPRA led a campaign against their closure and has since worked with councillors and officials to enable their re-opening. Their reopening has been has been the result of a significant local campaign and much behind the scenes negotiation led by our membership Secretary, Mark Kennedy. We are therefore thrilled that the toilets are to be re-opened.

SKNPRA is organising a Community Information Day to be held on Saturday 18th May between 11.00am and 1.00pm in the community garden at St John's Seven Kings. This event provides an opportunity for community groups and those organisations providing services in the local community to promote their organisation and meet local people.

We will be promoting the event locally and St John's Church will also be holding a Plant & Table-top Sale in the St Johns Centre at the same time. The combination of these two events on a previous occasion - see http://joninbetween.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/creating-community-event-2.html - proved very successful.

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Deacon Blue - Here I Am In London Town.

The work of a Resident's Association

Last night was the AGM of the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association (SKNPRA). This is what I said in my opening remarks as Chair:

2012 has been a year of further development and growth for SKNPRA. What I want to do is set the scene by outlining the broad areas of SKNPRA’s work.

The first thing to mention is our ongoing liaison with the Council and other agencies over specific issues in particular parts of the area. This work results either from our own observation of issues in the locality or through notification by other SKNPRA members or members of the local community. This work is not publicised but regularly achieves small but consistent improvements to the area simply by bringing issues to the attention of the authorities.

Second, we have worked hard to increase our membership because that means that more issues can be noted and addressed and more people can be drawn into higher profile campaigns and other work undertaken by SKNPRA. With this in mind, we have also re-introduced social and fundraising events to the SKNPRA programme, beginning with our recent Quiz Night, as these increase our profile, generate funds which can be used to publicise the Association, and bring our members together.

Third, are our higher profile campaigns which this year has primarily been the campaign to reopen the toilets in Seven Kings Park. Campaigns like this need to use different approaches at different times in order to achieve their overall aims. We began the campaign with significant publicity but, in more recent months, it has been more effective to have been campaigning on this issue behind the scenes.

Fourth, we facilitate other groups and initiatives. So, over the past year, have organised meetings which have led on to the establishment of new Neighbourhood Watch groups and also the Seven Kings Park Users group.

Fifth, we contribute to various committees such as the Area 5 Committee, where we have had a co-opted member, and also the Ward Panel for Seven Kings.

Finally, we have also been liaising and networking with other groups, such as the Goodmayes Resident’s Association, and are linked in with plans to possibly create a network of Resident’s Associations in Redbridge.

All these different but significant strands of our work combine to mean that SKNPRA remains a viable and effective Resident’s Association for Seven Kings and Newbury Park.   

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Tracy Chapman - If Not Now.

Praise in the Park (2)

We had a great time at this year's 'Praise in the Park' with good support from local churches. We appreciated the fine weather and being back at the bandstand in Seven Kings Park, as well as the tremendous lead given to our worship by the Salvation Army band. Major John Smith spoke powerfully emphasising that Christ is the motivation for all the social action work undertaken by the Salvation Army. This is an event which also emphasises the unity that exists between churches locally.

 

100 members of local churches gathered by the bandstand in Seven Kings Park today for communal hymn singing at 'Praise in the Park' led by a Salvation Army band. We sang hymns including 'Be Thou My Vision', 'Crown With My Crowns', 'When I Needed A Neighbour', 'Joyful, Joyful, We Adore You', and 'Thine Be The Glory', among others. Major John Smith, who led the Salvation Army band, spoke about the work of the Salvation Army and a collection was taken in support of that work. Antoinette Davis and Audrey Shorer from St John's Seven Kings and Margaret Kristine Wallace and Gwen Nneji from St Paul's Goodmayes each introduced favourite hymns. This year I led the service and Fr. Benjamin Rutt-Field, Vicar of St Paul's Goodmayes, led the intercessions and bible reading.

 

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Sister Act 2 - Joyful, Joyful.

Upcoming events and ministry

I have a busy but varied few days coming up taking further several different strands of ministry.

On Sunday morning I'll be preaching at St Paul's Harlow on epiphanies and the Emmaus story as part of ongoing work that commission4mission is undertaking together with the parish of St Paul's Harlow and St Mary's Parndon. This is designed to develop temporary and possibly permanent artworks in the parish and will also involve a Study Day on 'The value of public art' on Saturday 19th September at St Paul's Harlow.

Sunday afternoon brings our annual ecumenical Praise in the Park event; communal hymn singing led by a Salvation Army band at the newly refurbished bandstand in Seven Kings Park.

Monday sees the start of commission4mission's exhibition at the Crypt Gallery in St Martin-in-the-Fields, include the private view between 6.00 and 8.00pm that evening. Sixteen commission4mission artists will show 40 works in a variety of media, including concept drawings, fused glass, paintings, reliefs and textiles. I will be showing three pieces: the first combines a poem and image; the second is a page from the prospective book of Stations of the Cross images and meditations that Henry Shelton and I have compiled; while the third will be one of my most recent paintings, but having done some new work today I am currently unsure which piece to show.

Finally, on Tuesday I will be speaking on the Big Society in Redbridge from a faith perspective at the Big Society Mapping Event which I have been involved in organising together with the local authority. The event has developed out of meetings between the ecumenical borough deans and the local authority and will be held at Holy Trinity Barkingside from 10.30am. The event's aim is to gain an overview of the types of services and facilities that faith groups in the borough currently provide and how faith groups and the Council can work together to develop new opportunities.

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Peter Case - Beyond The Blues.

Praise in the Park

Praise in the Park is our annual ecumenical Songs of Praise style service led by a Salvation Army band which this year returns to the bandstand in Seven Kings Park, newly refurbished as a result of funding applications made to the Area Committees by the Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident's Association.

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Monkwearmouth Salvation Army Brass Band.

Friends of Seven Kings Park public meeting (2)

Excellent meeting tonight with about 70 attending and 19 people volunteering to form the organising committee for the Friends of Seven Kings Park. We heard from similar groups that have run at Goodmayes, South, and Valentine's Parks, as well as Ian Sheppard from the Vision Trust which now runs leisure facilities in Redbridge, including the parks. Issues raised included among others: improvements to the skate park; parking fees; closure of the toilets; improvements to rose beds. Encouraging developments which were announced included use of Orange RockCorp and Training4Transition moving into the park.

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The Rembrants - I'll Be There For You!

Friends of Seven Kings Park public meeting

The Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association is to hold at public meeting on Monday 20th June at St John's Seven Kings to set up a Friends of Seven Kings Park group.

Park Friends Groups are community groups working in partnership with the Council towards the regeneration of the borough's parks and open spaces. Such groups work in partnership with the Council and parks staff in not only addressing current issues but also in looking to the long term regeneration and development of their local park.


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Richard Harris - Macarthur Park.

Resident's Association AGM

Last night we held the AGM of the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association (SKNPRA) with a greatly increased turnout reflecting our increased membership. We heard from the Sergeant of the Seven Kings Safer Neighbourhoods Team and the local Neighbourhood Watch Manager, as a result of which two of our members volunteered to act as co-ordinators for new Neighbourhood Watch schemes in the area. We also agreed to re-establish the Friends of Seven Kings Park group.

In my remarks as chairperson I said: 

"Yesterday I was at the first meeting of a group which will try to bring together churches, community groups, faith groups, residents’ associations, schools, and trades unions into one campaigning body for Redbridge.

During the meeting it was said that power is the ability to act. On that basis Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident’s Association has been a powerful group this year and in past year’s. As you will hear in the report to be given shortly by our Secretary, Audrey Shorer, we have acted on a wide range of issues and have been successful in bringing new resources into the area and in changing Council policy.

People often say, and even more so in a time of recession, that we can’t make a difference, we can’t change anything around us, that we have no power. SKNPRA and other community groups in this area are demonstrating that that is not true. We can make a difference. By working this year with the Fitter for Working project we have succeeded in making a number of small improvements which add up to a significant improvement in the local area; even in a time of cuts, getting Council money spent on a new bench and repairs to the bandstand! By working together with other groups, such as TASK and the campaign to save King George’s Hospital, we are also contributing to larger-scale changes; seeing a new library opened, an existing library saved; and, hopefully, A and E and Maternity Services retained at King Georges Hospital. Taking a series of small actions and joining together with other groups to make our voices heard does have an impact and can lead to significant improvements. And that is what we have seen demonstrated this year.

Audrey Shorer gave the Secretary’s report outlining our main areas of work over the past year:

"This has been quite a busy year for us with some successes and some disappointments.

We were pleased to be involved with the opening of the new Library in Seven Kings in July. Also in July we teamed up with Tom Platt on the Art Trail Walk as part of our Fitter for Walking project. This led to two street cleaning exercises teamed up with the Redbridge Cleansing Dept along Aldborough Road South.

Several other improvements have been made as part of the Fitter for Walking project including a seat at the junction of Aldborough Road South and Brook Rd, Cycle rail planters at St Johns Church and plans for a mural on the dull wall of Downshall Primary School.

We would like to thank Tom Platt for all his support and advice on these improvements.

We were able to convince Area 5 and 7 of the need to repair and repaint the bandstand in Seven Kings Park which has been done. We hope you will all come to see it when St John’s church have their Praise in the Park event on the 3rd July, picnic at 2pm, praise at 3pm.

We were disappointed that despite our petitions, letters and presentations to Redbridge Cabinet over the closure of the toilets in Seven Kings Park, this still went ahead. But all is not lost as we are negotiating with Area 5 and 7 to fund the re-opening from their budget.

Our other disappointment was the sudden news in March that Downshall Centre was to be converted to an Independent school in September regardless of all the community groups that use the centre. Members of your committee attended many meetings and made presentations to Redbridge Council and to the management of the proposed school.

We understand that those groups which use the centre in the evenings can continue to do so but the daytime users like the lunch club will have to find other venues.

We also joined in the protest meetings regarding the threat to KGH A and E and Maternity Depts. where Jonathan spoke emphatically against the closures. We await the decision of the Health Minister.

We have continued to report faults to Highways and Cleansing where necessary and these have been dealt with. We keep in contact with TASK and Newbury Park Neighbourhood Watch.

Two dates for you to put in your diaries. One is this Saturday 21st at 10.30 when the St John’s Church Community Garden is officially opened by the Archdeacon of West Ham and attended by the Mayor and Mayoress elect, followed by a table top and plant sale.

The second is the annual Community Festival on Sept 18th at Barley Lane Recreation ground with fun and information for all the family."

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Neil Young - Walk With Me.

Creating community event

St John's Seven Kings is holding a Creating Community event on Saturday 21st May, which includes the opening, by the Archdeacon of West Ham, of the community garden at St John's and the presentation of a Living Streets award to the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association (SKNPRA).

The community garden, which has been supported financially by Area 5 and 7 committees, London over the Border and the Fitter for Walking project, includes: new seating and plantlocks; a community noticeboard; sensory planting; original artworks; and a remembrance area. In addition, an area has been set aside for use by children at Downshall Primary School.

SKNPRA is receiving the Living Streets award for its work, with the Fitter for Walking project, in improving the local environment along Aldborough Road South in order to get more people out walking. This has included: a community audit of Aldborough Road South; presentations of the audit findings to the Area 5 and 7 committees; a community clean-up day; plantlocks for the community garden; a new bench at the corner of Brook Road and Aldborough Road South; walks organised for children at Downshall Primary School; a community mural project at Downshall Primary School; publicity for the local Church Art Trail; Church Art Trail walks; Newbury Park SNT action on speeding; successful funding application to Area 5 and 7 comittees for repair of the Seven Kings Park bandstand; and a successful community campaign to retain the Aldborough Road South public toilets.

The opening ceremony and the award presentation will take place at 10.30am and will then be followed (between 11.00am and 1.00pm) by a community information event in the community garden and a plant and table-top sale in the St John's Centre. For the community information event, community groups are being invited to set up a stall in the community garden displaying information about their work between 11.00am and 1.00pm.

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The Kinks - The Village Green Preservation Society.

Community Audit outcomes (2)

As part our project to improve the environment along Aldborough Road South, the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association (SKNPRA) asked Redbridge Council for a bench near the shops, which has now been provided. The bench was requested to assist those needing to rest when going to and from the local shops and demonstrates that the Council, despite current financial constraints, are willing to consider and support requests from the community where possible.

In March 2010 SKNPRA, in partnership with the Fitter for Walking project, undertook a community audit of Aldborough Road South, a key road in Seven Kings linking the High Road and Eastern Avenue via Seven Kings Park. The findings of the Community Audit formed a report which was presented to the Area 5 and Area 7 committees and highlighted issues of traffic speeds, pavement parking, damaged paving, renewal of signage, litter, and seating in public areas along Aldborough Road South.

Since that point SKNPRA and the Fitter for Walking project have been negotiating with the local authority and other groups to implement a number of the recommendations from the report. Outcomes from the report have to date included:

• the Fitter for Walking project purchasing two plantlocks (planters to which bikes can be locked) for the community garden at St John's Seven Kings and funding leaflets publicising the Church Art Trail for which Aldborough Road South is one of three main link roads;
• through Redbridge Council's Street Cleansing service, a major clean-up of Aldborough Road South was organised which saw large amounts of rubbish removed from front gardens;
• a successful funding application to the Area 5 and 7 committees to repair and renovate the bandstand in Seven Kings Park;
• Tom Platt from the Fitter for Walking project has been working with pupils from Downshall Primary School to discuss the benefits of walking and the important role they can play in the local community in making their streets safer, more attractive and more enjoyable places to walk and spend time in. He has led three walks to Seven Kings Park with the Year 1s.
• Tom Platt has also started to run an art project with Years 5 and 6 at Downshall School in collaboration with artist Effie Coe from Invisible Dust. Pupils will work with Effie to explore creatively the role they can play in the local community in making their streets safer, more attractive and more enjoyable places to walk and spend time in. At the end of this process Effie will use the children's artwork to inspire a mural for the outside wall of the school. The purpose of the mural will be to make the street a more attractive and vibrant place.

SKNPRA and St John's Seven Kings will be organising a community event, in the community garden at St John's, on Saturday 21st May to celebrate these achievements, open the community garden, provide community information, promote gardening, and hold a Plant and Table-top sale.

 

Mark Kennedy, Membership Officer for SKNPRA says, "Our aim has always been to work closely with residents in both the areas we represent, together with community groups, council departments and other independent agencies from time to time to achieve one aim which is to actively to improve the communities we live in. The improvements in Aldborough Road South resulting from our Community Audit are our latest initiative to get our hands dirty to improve the road and area for all resident's benefit. We are always on the look out for new members to join our association as the more members we represent the more we can achieve with people giving us their views and support to make the community a better place to live in for all to enjoy."

 

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Maire Brennan - No Scenes of Stately Majesty.

Say No to Closure of Seven Kings Park Toilets Campaign (2)

Mark Kennedy, Membership Secretary of the Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association writes:

"On behalf of my committee members, I would like to record my thanks and appreciation for all of the effort made by the members of our Seven Kings & Newbury Park Residents Association, the community who pitched in, that we will hopefully gain as new members later and not forgetting the local shops in both Seven Kings and Newbury Park who were tremendous in asking each customer at their shops to sign our petition against the Council's closure threat to close the toilets in our local community, Seven Kings Park, Aldborough Road South, Newbury Park. Sadly, on this occasion, we lost the battle to save the toilets from closure at the Budget meeting, last Thursday 3rd March 2011. Some might say, we wasted our time and effort in trying to save the toilets from closure, no matter how clean and well kept they are, as is the case, the Council would always win and have their way. However, this is not the view we take on this issue. The positives are, we gained over 1,000 petition signatures in 5 days, our residents association name is now known to to all Councillors of all parties, our profile in the community has been raised during the campaign process and we are known now to the many thousands of readers of the Ilford Recorder as well. We have gained some new members, hopefully more will follow. Far from losing the battle, as far as we are concerned, it is game on. As the only local residents association that serves both the communities of Seven Kings & Newbury Park areas and one that prides itself on trying to maintain and improve the community for all people in Seven Kings and Newbury Park, the fight goes on. Our resident's association, will continue to press the council to reverse its decision to close the park toilets at every opportunity. In my appreciation, I must not forget to thank the local Councillors from Seven Kings, Newbury Park and Goodmayes who tried their best in asking questions during the Budget meeting aimed at the delegation protest representatives, which I and our resident's Secretary, Audrey Shorer were part, to highlight how the community users of the park would suffer from not being able to access toilets during recreation, play and exercise. For further details on this campaign and for joining the residents association, please contact Mark on Tel: 020-8598-8435 before 9:00 pm."

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Elbow - Jesus is a Rochdale Girl.

Manipulative inter-action on behalf of forgotten communities

Great to see Steven Saxby and Chris Connelley featuring in a story from The Guardian about community organising.

Steven Saxby says his church joined in December to benefit from the network of organisations that Citizens UK engages with in the field of social action. He wants to help immigrants who have been in this country for years, but are paid below the minimum wage and have no permanent right to remain.

Chris Connelley came on the Citizens UK training course because he is a founder of Take Action for Seven Kings and has been campaigning against the closure of Goodmayes library. He has used the techniques taught to good effect:

"The threat to Goodmayes library has been lifted as Redbridge council has removed it from its cuts prospectus after the most massive local campaign – 5,000 signatures in three weeks. I used a number of the methods and ideas from the course. Our sense is that they worked and established powerful new relationships ... which we are all now resolved to build upon and strengthen."

Paul Trathen has said recently that he remains unconverted about Community Organising, liking the idea but being unsure that it resists becoming bullying. I'm reminded on the subtitle to my Dad's second book which was, A Study in Manipulative Inter-action on Behalf of a "Forgotten Community". As a community work pioneer in the UK, he was upfront about what he was doing and took some flack for his honesty in saying it. The reason it is necessary, however, is because the complex and sometimes arcane nature of local and national government processes mean that it is incredibly difficult for those who are already disadvantaged in society to have their voice heard. The idea of community organising, as I understand it, is to train people in understanding and using those processes for the benefit of the local community which does, inevitably mean a degree of confrontation and manipulation through those processes. This is, to my mind, an important element of challenging those who hold power.
 
The Seven Kings and Newbury Park Resident's Association campaign to resist the closure of the toilets in Seven Kings Park reaches its climax tonight as our Secretary, Audrey Shorer, and Membership Secretary, Mark Kennedy (who has organised the campaign), speak at the Council meeting where the budget (and its programme of cuts) are to be finalised.   
 
The campaign, which has seen close to 1,000 signatures collected for its petition over five days, is featured in the current edition of the Ilford Recorder. Mark Kennedy has said: “The response we have had from the local community had been fantastic.”
 
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The Killers - Smile Like You Mean It.

Say No to Closure of Seven Kings Park Toilets Campaign

Seven Kings & Newbury Park Residents Association (SKNPRA) are requesting that Redbridge Council reconsider their plans to close under reference: CDS309 the toilets in Seven Kings Park, Aldborough Road South, Newbury Park.

Seven Kings Park is used not just by the residents in Seven Kings and Newbury Park, but also from visitors outside the community as well. Many sports are played in the park with Saturday and Sunday teams playing football and cricket during the summer months, not forgetting the playing of tennis on the courts and Bowls on the green as well. There are additional facilities with the large children’s play area at the far end of the park and the recent NEW Lottery funded Playscape area that is being built for completion early 2011 for children’s use, sited near to the toilets precisely to accommodate the needs of children and parents. Seven Kings Park is a very busy, well used community park.

SKNPRA was recently successful in obtaining funding from Area 5 and 7 Committees to refurbish the bandstand, so that bands can play in the park once more in the summer to attract, entertain residents and their families. The park is greatly used by many of the residents on a daily basis, with dogs being walked by their owners, people playing sport, keep fit walkers and runners alike.

The park is also used by the local schools. Downshall Primary School, in particular, we understand have stated that if the toilets close, then the school children will no longer be able to visit the park to play, learn and explore as the risk is too great that a child may want to go toilet at any time. It seems a great shame that this basic, but necessary facility is proposed to be closed to save money, when its use is a much needed public convenience!

We urge the Leader of the Cabinet, Councillor Keith Prince and Cabinet Member for Highways, Councillor Mrs Michelle Dunn responsible for this budget cut to please think again and to consider how children, senior citizens, families, sports men and women can be deprived of the use of this much needed public convenience. With the Olympics not so far away and obesity levels rising in children and the population at large, it seems unthinkable that the Council are sending out the message that they are discouraging people from using the park and taking exercise by cutting the use of this public toilet facility.

SKNPRA will be staging a protest and collecting petition signatures at the entrance to the park next to the toilets in Seven Kings Park, Aldborough Road South on Saturday 26th February at 10.30am.

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King Crimson - Epitaph.

Saving Goodmayes Library

TASK has been active over the past month in generating a community campaign which has resulted in Redbridge Council withdrawing its controversial plan to close Goodmayes Library. This is how the story was reported by Sarah Cosgrove of the Ilford Recorder:

'Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sue Nolan told The Recorder she has decided to withdraw the budget option to close Goodmayes Library, in Goodmayes Lane.

"I have attended a number of meetings to discuss our budget proposals and as with last year I have listened to the community, I believe that there are alternative ways of providing the services in Goodmayes Library and I now look to the community to help deliver this valued service," she said.

"There has been much talk about how we should provide the service in a different way and we are talking to other neighbouring Boroughs in relation to shared services but would welcome any initiatives that the community would also like me to consider."'

The fact that Cllr Sue Nolan has withdrawn her proposal to close Goodmayes Library is important but it was also important not count our chickens yet, so a group opposing the closure still handed in to tonight's Cabinet meeting a massive petition, tallying nearly 6,000 signatures as a record of our strength of opposition. Speeches made by our group covered the personal and community benefits of the current services, inadequacies in the closure case, and, in my remarks, proposals for a more strategic and engaged approach to involving the voluntary and community sector in future.

I said:

"It is excellent news that the proposal to close Goodmayes Library has been withdrawn and that Councillor Nolan is now looking to look to the community to help deliver this valued service. However, that, by itself, is not sufficient if we are to learn lessons from the way in which the process of reviewing the budget proposals has been handled to date. Simply to wait for community proposals and initiatives is insufficient because it results in a piecemeal approach to the issues and their solutions.


What is needed is a strategic approach to engaging with and involving the voluntary and community sector as part of a positive approach to the Government’s Big Society agenda, which can also encompass the immediate issue of how to find savings in the Council’s overall budget.

I suggest that taking a strategic approach to the issue would involve a comprehensive and detailed consultation with all voluntary and community sector organisations in the borough to audit their facilities and services and to seek ideas on the types and forms of community involvement which could preserve services and deliver cost savings. In addition to the possibility of services run by voluntary and community organisations, options could also include location of services in existing community building and increased use of volunteers, among other options. To undertake this kind of consultation would result in far more useful outcomes for addressing the current budget challenges than the pseudo-consultation which is the Redbridge Conversation and which tells the Council nothing substantial in terms of how to address the issue practically and creatively.

Such a strategic approach would also identify the real impacts of the cuts proposed. Cuts proposed by one Council department regularly impact on the work of other departments without these effects being identified and the real cost of the proposals is therefore not considered in decisions made. One example is the decision to close the Aldborough Road South toilets which impact on the playscheme in Seven Kings Park and on use of the playscheme by children from Downshall Primary School. The playscheme is a wonderful addition to the Park and the children at Downshall School have been consulted in its design but if the toilets are closed Downshall School will be unable to take groups of children to the Park and playscheme. This is a hidden impact as far as the paper assessing the budget proposals has been concerned because the proposals have not been developed or assessed strategically.

The strategic review, for which I am calling, will result in a more informed set of proposals and should become a standard part of the proposal development process in future."

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The Style Council - Walls Come Tumbling Down!

International Quiz Night

We had a packed Hall at St John's Seven Kings last Saturday for our shared International Quiz Night with St Paul's Goodmayes. With excellent quiz masters and a great turnout, this event was a real success. Over the past two years our two churches have begun sharing the organisation of three joint events per year: a joint social event, a Palm Sunday procession between the two churches, and an annual Praise in the Park event at the bandstand in Seven Kings Park. 

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The Waterboys - Spirit.

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Praise in the Park (3)

Due to a combination of Council charges, excessive red tape and late notification of requirements, it has been decided to change the venue of this year's Praise in the Park. Instead of taking place at the bandstand in Seven Kings Park the event will now be held in the churchyard of St Peter's Aldborough Hatch, on the green alongside their church halls. The date, times and all other details remain unchanged.

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Lauryn Hill - Forgive Them Father.

Praise in the Park (2)

All are welcome to 'Praise in the Park'; join local Christians for hymn singing with a Salvation Army band at the bandstand in Seven Kings Park. Come at 2.00pm with a picnic (and children's games) and at 3.00pm for the hymn singing.

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Phil Keaggy - Salvation Army Band.

Review of SKNPRA's year

It has been another active and engaged year for the Seven Kings & Newbury Park Resident’s Association.

We held two successful walkabouts this year. The first was in Newbury Park and resulted in a number of immediate repairs followed by a fuller inspection of the roads covered by the Council. The second walkabout was a community audit of Aldborough Road South carried out with the Fitter for Walking project run by Living Streets. This has resulted in a report which has been sent to Council officials and which will be discussed by the Area 5 & 7 Committees and Downshall Primary School. Some of the initiatives which are supported by or beginning as a result of this report include: St John’s community garden project; SKNPRA’s offer of a new bench at both the Aldborough Road South shops and Seven Kings Park; and the creation of an Art Trail involving the local churches.

Issues we have specifically raised this year have included: the path from Seven Kings Park to the Eastern Avenue (which is now complete); opening of the park toilets on Sundays; a range of streetscape issues (including graffiti, road signs, and potholes); the reopening of Downshall Avenue (which was unsuccessful); together with issues and ideas relating to the Crossrail Corridor Area Action Plan.

We have supported the establishment of the Friends of Seven Kings Park group and the St John’s Neighbourhood Watch through the active involvement of Resident’s Association members in these groups.

We have also supported community campaigns led by the Aldborough Hatch Defence Association, Oaks Lane residents, Seven Kings & Goodmayes Allotment Society, Take Action for Seven Kings and Vicarage Lane Play Park. The campaign for a new library in Seven Kings has been successful. It is hoped that the new library on the High Road will open in July and SKNPRA has contributed to the community group with which the Council has consulted in planning for the new library.

We have actively publicised SKNPRA through the production of new flyers and posters, leaflet drops, and a stall at the Our Community Festival. As a result, we have seen our membership grow.

Our thanks go to: Mark Kennedy, our Membership Secretary, for overseeing this expansion of the Association; Audrey Shorer, our Secretary, for ably recording our meetings and taking forward much of our work; and all committee members for their continuing support and input to the Association.

Our thoughts are particularly with Audrey at this time when the funeral of her husband Peter, who was Vice-Chair of the Association, is to be held here at St John’s tomorrow. We record now our appreciation of and thanks for the contribution that Peter made to the Association, for the engaged and unfailingly polite manner in which Peter’s contribution was made, and, perhaps most of all, for the friendship that we enjoyed with Peter. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with Audrey and her family in their loss.

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Runrig - Protect And Survive.