The following Trustee meetings were held in the autumn, in addition to project meetings with developers and housing people, and with architects and developers, and with planners, developers and housing people.  Reports on progress have also been made to the Parish Council meetings.

11 October:

Mainly concerned with report back from Project meeting 6/10; feedback from consultation and response to those who had made formal comments.  Main issues are access, rights of way, parking, and planning. Re-iterated that access has to be via Hubbards Loke, there is no other acceptable option, Planning (Highways) are resigned to this.  Surveys – arboreal, ecological, preliminary archeological and soil – are in progress.

The Trust has formed a Playground sub-committee in order to deliver this part of the project separately (in parallel).

Finance issues were discussed; a Gift Aid scheme is being set up.  Further fund-raising events proposed including New Years Eve Party.  Jacky is attending NRCC sustainable funding training courses in November.

The Woodlands Trust Jubilee Tree Planting scheme is an opportunity we will take up.

22 November:

This meeting was primarily to discuss grants and fund-raising issues.  Jacky reported back from the two training sessions she had attended as part fo the sustainable funding project: Grants and Funds and Courting Major Donors.  She updated us on work to identify potential grant funding opportunities and also the lessons learned from the major donors seminar.  Both were extremely useful.  She confirmed that the BIG Lottery BIG Build grant criteria had changed and we are now eligible to apply BUT the maximum cost of the project must not exceed £750,000. The draft fund-rasing strategy was discussed in detail, especially in the light of various maxima applicable to certain grants.

The offer from David Sayers to use Blackwater Farm for fund-raising events was discussed and ideas considered.

A meeting to discuss the project meetings, and especially to get a better understanding of the potential cost of the roof envisaged was to be held the following week after the relevant project meeting.

The New Years Eve Fundraising Party has been abandoned – not feasible given resources.  The Jubilee Tree planting scheme is progressing as Mrs Comer-Moy who owns the adjacent field is interested in helping us establish a woodland corridor to help offset any loss of habitat due to the housing.  Jacky will progress this.

6th December: Notes will be published after the next meeting once the minutes have been approved.

The next meeting will be on 10th January 2012