Category: Minutes

AGM 2018 minutes

5th December 2018

TTH AGM – Sunday 25 November 2018
White Rock Hotel
Attended: approx. 30 people, including Core Team

Introduction
Andrea welcomes everyone and explains the structure of organization
Also talks about Healthy Cultures event that he and Sarah attended.

Community Garden
Alison and Chris talk about the garden including events held there and in Warrior Sq (Big Lunch)
Chris explains water problem and funding received from Quakers for water butts

Refill Scheme
Karen presented Refill, within the context of increasing use of SUP plastic bottles, many not being recycled. Refill continues growing in Hastings, with more stations being added all the time

Energy Group – ESC
Richard and Kate updated on recent activities:
meeting in Essen, Germany of community groups from across Europe, shows there is great potential
1066 Local Energy Campaign: old campus of East Sussex College is now a project in which everyone can invest, to install 1066 solar panels. Run by Brighton Energy Coop. Potential for ESC to take back the project if enough local shareholders
Model eco-home
Pier project stalled given the change in ownership
‘Dog poo’ lamp
Opportunity for new volunteers joining
bring new ideas for new projects
FIT ending in April 2019, so still opportunity to install panels on private roofs, or churches, mosques …

SOS
Update from Sarah. Inspired by Sustainable St Albans
Micro-festival, culminated in day-event at the Stade
Outlook is to repeat the festival and make it a regular event, with increased involvement of school and other community organisations

Q&A
Alison asked about Germany
Richard: people invest and don’t ask for a return. People in social housing get no benefit from solar roofs . This is about to change with new legislation – we need to lobby to make sure?
Give and take boxes in Essen, Berlin and Amsterdam
Swap shop aimed at refugees, wanting to find a use for the space to make it financially sustainable

Sherry thanks core group for all their hard work
Sarah thanks all the other volunteers who have been a great help

Q: if one was inspired to become more involved how would we do so, what would we come along to?
Alison: explains our meetings are now private but perhaps we should hold some public ones again
Chris: More film and talk nights, also looking for people who are up for offering time and effort
Karen: Green Drinks is a social event to come along to and introduce yourself and offer help

Andrea explains voting

TEA BREAK

Voting
Andrea announces the re-standing of Sarah as Co Chair, Alison and Andrea as Co Secretarys and Chris as Treasurer.
Sarah nominated Sherry Clarke as Co Chair, firsted by Sarah and Seconded by Julia

Talks

Julia Hilton
Julia talks about her Climate Emergency letter which she has drafted representing Hastings Green Party and the people of Hastings to address the threat posed by the recent IPCC report. Julia reads the letter out
Julia asks if anyone knows of
At council meetings any member of the public can ask a question and Julia is encouraging people to email questions.
Encouraging a town wide movement to step up and tackle this issue locally

Sheila – Bee Keepers Association
Explains how people can learn how to keep bees and to get in touch
People can help in other ways if they don’t want to keep bees, planting stuff in your garden to help bees pollinate , and food
Number of websites that have info on which plants to have in your garden
Weve got about 150 members and always welcoming more
Bees for development – help bee keepers in developing country in good practice at keeping bees abd help woth marketing to make it financially viable anf help the environment
Bees get a lot from trees as well as flowers
Q: do you do workshops?
S: Not really but we do courses. Few of us, all volunteers. Training courses every spring. Mantell Farm in Catsfield do course on all sorts
A tray of water with pebbles in (so they don’t drown) will help bees immensely when they’re pollinating
If you let your Ivy flower you’ll have bees all over it
Try and extend your flowering period
Honey bees are the only bees that ‘cluster’ rather than hibernate as a colony
The queens hibernate and some solitary bees
I’ve got leaflets if anyone wants to join

Colin Darbyshire – Surfers Against Sewage
Beach clean representative and
Joined SAS in 2014 because I use the water a lot as a Kite Surfer. Always picking stuff up
My daughter picked up a syringe and put it in her mouth when she was small – made me think about what I could do
Beach cleans regular feature in spring and autmn
93 people at the last one
Community leader since feb – talking with local businesses
9 businesses signed up to get on the road to being Plastic Free
working with community groups including Flag
also with the council and Forshore Trust
Working woth Fishermam now – a lot of rubbish there in old nets etc
Small supervised group doing fishing beach clean
Worked on a small area no bigger than this room and picked up a large mount of rubbish – fly tipping
Plastic Free Schools – phasing out SUPS and educating the next generation on cleaning up our mess
Working with clean up groups in country parks
Looking at acquiring funds from Head Office and FLAG for some signs along seafront
Plastic Free Schools:
Join the Resistance
On the Ground Action
Challenge the Government
Challenging Industry
You are the Resistance
Businesses awarded with recognition for phasing out SUPS with an award and sticker
Hoping to use old fishing nets for projcts by engaging with companies/orgs that make surf/skateboards out of old plastic
Visit Plastic Free Hastings on FB or email me at HYPERLINK “mailto:plasticfreehastings@gmail.com” plasticfreehastings@gmail.com
Q: what about safety of food – platic packaging is protecting food
This is a challenge but it would be about working with businesses to try and source more sustainable packaging
There are problems with that too – many plant-based packaging for example is only biodegradeable in an industrial composter

Sassie Yasamee – Eve Apple Press
Use excess apples to make apple juice so if anyone knows of any apples

Rachel Holtom
We want to roll out community lunches in the daytime – last week was a success. Every 3 months. Share food and share ideas

Lee
Doing a PhD in Energy Justice
Sharing Energy
Looking at how to help the energy transition
Want to move the question of energy generation from a concept to a practical step

Mischa
Daphne Lambert of Green Dining coming in Feb – 30 places at £12.50pp
She knows a great deal about the benefit of a food item on the body but also where it comes from and how exploitative

Chris – Finance
Our account fluctuates from between £1-2K
£1200 funding we received from Tesco’s Bags of Help is set aside for the community Mosaic at the station

Energy group minutes – February 2018

9th February 2018

Energy group meeting ~ 8th February 2018

Building stronger communities
Sarah talked about Sustainability week initially being a smaller weekend event – a Saturday or Open house activities and a Sunday on the Stade Open Space – dates to be confirmed.
Building Stronger Communities is encouraging applications in Hastings for £1,500 fund for orgs with income below £50,000. Last meeting the group come up with ideas. Deadline is early March. more “Energy group minutes – February 2018” …

Core group meeting minutes Dec 17

4th January 2018

Transition Town Hastings

4/12/17

 

 

Approval of last minutes/Matters arising.

Old bathing pool- ken?

Cycling route- Laurie?

West Street Celebrations- TTH Swap shop made- £51.60

 

Admin-

Complete signed Constitution- Action-Is there anything to do on this?

Membership – Sarah trialing an option on ESC website

 

Projects-

Garden– New bench, Waiting to see about 2nd water butt- don’t know until end of next week- Action Chris to find out.

Plan separate meeting for gardeners to look at buying tools and what to plant in future. Action- Alison to ask for dates/doodle poll in Jan & set up quarterly garden meet at end of a session?

Action- Alison contact Natalie again

Karen can’t lead on garden on 9th Dec- Action- Chris volunteered to do. Thank you Chris!

 

Energy– free workshops- Scrappy Dog Draught Excluder, Making your own solar panel & Charger- Ore Community Centre & Broomgrove Community Centre. Running training modules look on Energise Sussex Website.

Action- Karen to promote them all more.

Sarah said if there are ideas for other workshops- let ESC know.

Energy clinic in Ore -Sat 9th Dec- Action- Karen is working there

 

Campaigns

Green Party Food Waste- see leaflet- Action- Chris to send us Peter Chowney’s correspondence.

Grow wild- sarah’s email?

Action- Sherry, Mischa, Richard etc to meet re creating a Wellbeing Hub at Silchester Rd. Funding from Mind?

 

Promotion

Facebook updates

Newsletter – someone to take over January newsletter while Karen away? Action- Sarah and/or Chris to do

 

Events

Thought café, Nov 24th, The Beacon- update/next one?

Mischa- Film nights, Pot Luck, Talks, food workshop around Mischa’s Table by Daphne Lambert (Green Cuisine Trust).

Mischa- ‘We the Uncivilised’ & A wind farm on boat film to look into?

Next -Christmas Green Drinks- 21st Dec- at Beacon- Action- Karen to promote? Get poster design from Scott G?

Swap Shop- next one?

Pot-luck in New year- Action- Alison to check with st Johns Feb 2nd?

Healthy Culture Workshops

Community spaces- Mischa enquired?

Central Hall (Blind Centre)

Salvation Army

Christ church

Garage

Action- Chris to ask re Concordia Hall prices

 

Fundraising

Mosaic- anyone want to do another funding app- Andrea?

 

AOB

Student Volunteering (Sussex Coast College)- filling roles, publicity etc. Students due to do placements next year March, April & June but will need Employer’s Liability, risk assessments, policies, inductions etc- to e want this level of responsibility and complication? We all agreed- no!

 

Podcasts – can anyone send relevant ones to Karen to use in newsletter etc    

Next meeting-

When- Weds 17th Jan

Who is chairing?

Who is taking minutes?

Action- Sarah to book please.

 

 

Core group meeting minutes Nov 17

11th November 2017

FILM NIGHTS

– New suggestions (from Linda):

  • Chasing Coral, freely accessible on the net (and Netflix)
  • Chasing Ice (but costly to screen)
  • Modified (non GMO labelling in US and CA)
  • Just Eat It (food waste in US and CA)
  • Greenpeace Film Festival

We the Uncivilised (suggested by Karen) – showing in Lewes at “The Depot” on Wed 29th Nov at 20h – could somebody go and check whether it is worth bringing to Hastings

Issue of cost of movie rental, but this could be covered by donations or a small ticket (e.g. £3 per person)

As a side suggestion – Karen suggests sending a podcast with each newsletter, invited everyone to send through interesting podcasts

Location:

  • The Palace – available for free
  • Electric Palace – charge

ACTION: Linda to follow up and check cost of screening for her suggested titles

UPDATE ON QUAKERS MEETING (Sherry)

  • Great wealth of experience in community work
  • Interest in partnering up with TTH
  • Training in New Economics (3-year project)
    • Keen on sharing this through open reading / training groups

OLD BATHING GROUND AREA (Update from Ken)

  • Issue is still outstanding and a decision should be taken by Xmas
  • Site in question still needs work done on it before the Council could sell it
    • Some asbestos contamination
    • Brief from Council is to have lots of affordable housing + a leisure element

FOOD WASTE CAMPAIGN (Update from Chris)

  • Discussion stuck – Peter Chowney not showing clarity about issues at stake
  • Lots of outstanding issues in the email track that need addressing – of which food waste is a small issues compared to the entire procurement process
  • Further updates to come

 

ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

ADMIN

Complete signed constitution

  • Some items still need to be added by Chris before final version can be circulated

ACTION: Sarah and Chris to finalise

Clarification of roles –Co-Chairs, Co Secretaries to meet separately to clarify division of roles

Monthly meetings: first Monday of the month, postponed by a week if it falls on a Bank Holiday. Next meeting on Monday 4th December

ACTION: Sarah to book meeting room for next meeting

MEETING WITH NEW STATION MANAGER (Alison) – see Appendix I

SECOND WATER BUTT

  • Small water tank already bought
  • Aim to install a second tank in parallel
  • Quaker fund to possibly contribute £400
  • SouthEastern also suggested they might contribute but unwilling to commit a clear budget

“DONATION PILE” at the garden (suggestion by Linda)

  • Should we have an area where any excess produce by any individual can be brought and offered to the community
  • Objection is that it takes time and effort to build a dedicated structure

SIGN-UP SHEET for “Leaders” at the garden sessions

ACTION: Sarah to review dates for fortnightly sessions and update sign-up sheet

ENERGY GROUP MEETING on 9th NOVEMBER

  • Kate to report at next Core Group
  • Looking at establishing a project at the Pier to generate energy through kinetic action of waves on a platform

COMMUNITY COMPOSTING

  • If the council is not willing to do this, should community initiatives be started instead ?
  • Chris to look around the country at community recycling initiatives
  • Lidia suggests to contact allotment associations and check if they could collect household food waste

EVENTS

  • Friday 24th at the Beacon, 18.00-22.00. Talk on “Climate Change, The Anthropocene, & Language – Nicholas Royle & Alex Lockwood In Conversation”.

ACTION: Green Drinks: Karen to arrange with Scott and Anna (possibly again in Ore?)

ACTION: Karen to put together next issue of newsletter

FUNDRAISING

  • Bags of Help (Tesco) to subsidise a mosaic from a local artist outside SLQ station – still waiting to hear from them (£2.000 for winner, £1.000 for runners-up)
  • Trinity Wholefoods offering £500 – to apply for funding for new tools
  • Could somebody check with B&Q and other DIY / garden centres for possible contributions
  • A volunteer was found to cut out a “COMMUNITY GARDEN” sign in individual letters to go on the railings

MEMBERSHIP

  • HVA contributed more detail to the updated constitution
  • Discussion:
    • Should we have a database of “members” including areas of interest / skills to coordinate action groups
  • Sarah mentioned the intention to publish a directory of groups and companies doing community work in specific areas to coordinate efforts
  • We could be suggesting monthly contributions (Standing Orders) form members

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT HASTINGS

ACTION Update from Laurie to be put on the agenda for next month

FINANCE

  • £518 total balance between bank and cash
  • TRIODOS bank account – Chris to look into conditions for TTC to transfer the account over to them (and conditions for a community account)

AOB

  • Local resident (LC) applying for an Arts Council funding for an event in December
    • Possibly in the building of the “Old Italian” restaurant
    • Suggesting a Xmas present swapping event – but objection to this is that we should be actually fundraising for cash rather than swaps.
  • HULL (CITY OF CULTURE) is using lights to make tower blocks more attractive – could be applied to Pier – mentioned by Sherry
  • Local resident (PO) (illumination schemes internationally) would like to establish a “trade show” for renewable projects on the Pier – mentioned by Sarah
  • SPICES – COMMUNITY CURRENCY – mentioned by Sherry
    • Recycling earns you time credits to incentivise positive behaviour
    • Time credits can also be exchanged at partnering organisations (eg college training, “paintball events”…)
    • Suggestion to start a time-bank in Hastings ?